Anna Marly
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Anna Marly (, Anna Yurievna Smirnova-Marli) (30 October 1917 – 15 February 2006), born Anna Yurievna Betulinskaya, was a
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
-born French singer-songwriter. Born into a wealthy Russian
noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...
family, Marly came to France very young, just after her father was killed in the aftermath of the
October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...
. She is best remembered as the composer of the " Chant des Partisans", a song that was used as the unofficial anthem of the
Free French Forces __NOTOC__ The French Liberation Army ( ; AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (; FFL) during World War II. The military force of Free France, it participated ...
during World War II; the popularity of the "Chant des Partisans" was such that it was proposed as a new
national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...
after the conclusion of the war. She also wrote " La Complainte du Partisan" (known in English as "The Partisan"), which was later famously covered by
Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...
and
Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (, ; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing mo ...
.


Early life

Marly was born Anna Yurievna Betulinskaya () into the Russian noble family living in
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
during the October Revolution. Her father Yuri Betulinsky () belonged to an aristocratic family connected by family ties to monarchist prime minister
Pyotr Stolypin Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin ( rus, Пётр Аркадьевич Столыпин, p=pʲɵtr ɐrˈkadʲjɪvʲɪtɕ stɐˈlɨpʲɪn; – ) was a Russian statesman who served as the third Prime Minister of Russia, prime minister and the Ministry ...
, poet
Mikhail Lermontov Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov ( , ; rus, Михаи́л Ю́рьевич Ле́рмонтов, , mʲɪxɐˈil ˈjʉrʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈlʲerməntəf, links=yes; – ) was a Russian Romanticism, Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called ...
and philosopher Nicholas Berdyaev. Her mother Maria Mikhailovna Alferaki () was a descendant of the Greek-Russian noble Alferaki family who lived in
Taganrog Taganrog (, ) is a port city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, on the north shore of Taganrog Bay in the Sea of Azov, several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don (river), Don River. It is in the Black Sea region. Population: Located at the site of a ...
in the Alferaki Palace before moving to
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
. Yuri Betulinski was arrested and executed in the post-revolution
Red Terror The Red Terror () was a campaign of political repression and Mass killing, executions in Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Soviet Russia which was carried out by the Bolsheviks, chiefly through the Cheka, the Bolshevik secret police ...
before Marly's first birthday. The rest of the family, along with a number of other White Russian refugees, fled across the Finnish border shortly after this, eventually settling in the French town of
Menton Menton (; in classical norm or in Mistralian norm, , ; ; or depending on the orthography) is a Commune in France, commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera, close to the Italia ...
. In her youth Marly worked as a ballet dancer in
Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...
, and was taught by the Russian composer
Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''. , group=n ( – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who l ...
. By the age of 17 she was performing her own compositions in the
cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
clubs of Paris, it was at this time that she adopted the name "Marly", selecting it from a
telephone directory A telephone directory, commonly called a telephone book, telephone address book, phonebook, or the white and yellow pages, is a listing of telephone subscribers in a geographical area or subscribers to services provided by the organization tha ...
, her original name ''Betoulinsky'' being too difficult for French speakers to pronounce.


War years

After the fall of France in 1940 Marly fled to London with her Dutch husband. It was while she was in London that she made contact with the Free French rebels. Emmanuel d'Astier de La Vigerie, a prominent figure in the resistance, heard Marly sing the ''Chant des Partisans'' in Russian when he visited London in 1943. He asked the writers Joseph Kessel and
Maurice Druon Maurice Druon (; 23 April 1918 – 14 April 2009) was a French novelist and a member of the Académie Française, of which he served as "Perpetual Secretary" (chairman) between 1985 and 1999. Life and career Born in Paris, France, Druon was the ...
, both of whom had travelled with him, to translate the song into French. D'Astier asked for the translation with the intention of using the song as a replacement for ''
La Marseillaise "La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. It was written in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in Strasbourg after the declaration of war by the First French Republic against Austria, and was originally titled "". The French Na ...
'', which had been banned by the
Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...
. Following this translation, the song quickly established itself as the surrogate anthem of the supporters of the French resistance both in France and Britain. Kessel and Druon, however, took the credit for writing the song; it was not until some years later that she gained the recognition she deserved for writing the original song. Towards the end of the war Marly joined the
Entertainments National Service Association The Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) was an organisation established in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, ...
, performing her songs to the Allied forces across Europe.


Later life

Marly divorced her husband after the war, shortly afterwards marrying a fellow Russian
White émigré White Russian émigrés were Russians who emigrated from the territory of the former Russian Empire in the wake of the Russian Revolution (1917) and Russian Civil War (1917–1923), and who were in opposition to the revolutionary Bolshevik com ...
refugee. They originally travelled to South America and Africa before coming to the United States. They lived in Pennsylvania where her husband was a professor. Upon his retirement, they were drawn to
Richfield Springs, New York Richfield Springs is a Village (New York), village located in the Richfield, New York, Town of Richfield, on the north-central border of Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 1,050 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from ...
, because of the Russian Orthodox Monastery, the only such monastery in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
. Her husband is buried there; shortly after his death she moved to Lazy Mountain, Alaska, where she lived until her death. Anna Marly also wrote "A Song in Triple Time" ("Une chanson à trois temps") for
Édith Piaf Édith Giovanna Gassion (19 December 1915 – 10 October 1963), known as Édith Piaf (), was a French singer and lyricist best known for performing songs in the cabaret and modern chanson genres. She is widely regarded as France's greatest popu ...
and " La Complainte du Partisan" (known in English as "The Partisan"). In the United States, "The Partisan" gained popularity when
Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...
released it in 1969 and
Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (, ; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing mo ...
in 1972. Many French singers have recorded "Chant des partisans", including
Yves Montand Ivo Livi (; 13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), better known as Yves Montand (), was an Italian-born French actor and singer. He is said to be one of France's greatest 20th-century artists. Early life Montand was born Ivo Livi in Stignano, a ...
in 1955. In recognition of the importance of "Chant des partisans", Marly was named a chevalier de La Légion d'Honneur by
François Mitterrand François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former First ...
in 1985, the fortieth anniversary of the liberation of France. On June 17, 2000, she performed ''Le Chant des partisans'' at the
Panthéon The Panthéon (, ), is a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, Paris, Latin Quarter (Quartier latin), atop the , in the centre of the , which was named after it. The edifice was built between 1758 ...
with the Choir of the French Army, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of General de Gaulle's Appeal of 18 June, regarded as one of the most important speeches in French history. She died on 15 February 2006 and is buried in the Palmer cemetery; her grave is marked with both a cross and a small stone monument noting her works.


References


Du Temps des cerises aux Feuilles mortes




– Anna Marly's song by Edith Piaf


Anna Marly biography

Anna Marly's songs


Sources

*Marly, Anna (2000). ''Mémoires''. Paris, Tallandier. .


External links

* Site in Russian
Anna Marly photos
* * sings in Russian * sings in French {{DEFAULTSORT:Marly, Anna 1917 births 2006 deaths People from Menton French women singer-songwriters French singer-songwriters French people of Russian descent Knights of the Legion of Honour Nobility from the Russian Empire White Russian emigrants to France Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite French women in World War II 20th-century French women singers