Francesca Solleville (born 2 March 1932,

Périgueux Périgueux (, ; or ) is a commune in the Dordogne department, in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Périgueux is the prefecture of Dordogne, and the capital city of Périgord. It is also the seat of ...

) is a French singer. She lives in

Malakoff Malakhov () is a Russian language, Russian family name derived from the Biblical name of Malachi. Alternative spellings include Malakov and Malakoff. The name may refer to: People ''Listed alphabetically by given name'' *Andrey Malakhov (born 1972 ...

(

Hauts-de-Seine Hauts-de-Seine (; ) is a department in the Île-de-France region of France. It covers Paris's western inner suburbs. It is bordered by Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne to the east, Val-d'Oise to the north, Yvelines to the west and ...

). She is the granddaughter of the founder of the . She is married to the painter Louis .

Biography

Francesca Solleville was born in Périgueux (Dordogne) to a Gascon father and Italian mother. At home, her mother played piano but Francesca was passionate for French literature while learning traditional songs (

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

...). In Paris, she studied humanities at the Sorbonne where she obtained a licentiate, and studied under the singer Marya Freud. She sang in the choirs of

Radio France Radio France () is the French national public radio broadcaster. Stations Radio France offers seven national networks: *France Inter — Radio France's "generalist media, generalist" station, featuring entertaining and informative talk mixed wi ...

. From 1958 Solleville gave up lyrical songs to perform her preferred composers in the cabarets of the Rive-Gauche of Paris. Influenced by Germaine Montéro and encouraged by

Léo Ferré Léo Ferré (; 24 August 1916 – 14 July 1993) was a Monégasque poet and composer, and a dynamic and controversial live performer. He released some forty albums over this period, composing the music and the majority of the lyrics. He released ...

, she was directed by Jacques Douai to the record company ''Boîte à musique''. There she recorded her first 45 rpm single in 1959 : ''Francesca Solleville chante

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...

and Mac Orlan''. She sang in numerous cabarets: at '' l'Écluse'', where she sang with Barbara, at '' La Contrescarpe'' where

Elsa Triolet Ella Yuryevna Kagan (; – 16 June 1970), known as Elsa Triolet (), was a Russian-French writer and translator. Biography Ella Yuryevna Kagan was born into a Jewish family of Yuri Alexandrovich Kagan, a lawyer, and Yelena Youlevna Berman, ...

and

Louis Aragon Louis Aragon (; 3 October 1897 – 24 December 1982) was a French poet who was one of the leading voices of the Surrealism, surrealist movement in France. He co-founded with André Breton and Philippe Soupault the surrealist review ''Littératur ...

came to hear her sing, at '' La Colombe'' where she met

Pierre Perret Pierre Perret (born 9 July 1934 in Castelsarrasin, Tarn-et-Garonne) is a French singer and composer. He lives in Nangis, France. Biography Perret spent much of his childhood in a café which his parents owned, where he learned to use jargon ...

and at '' Port du Salut (cabaret)'' where Christine Sèvres, Jacques Debronckart, Maurice Fanon,

Pia Colombo Pia Colombo (6 July 1934, in Homblières, Aisne, France – 16 April 1986) was a French singer of Franco-Italian origin, been born Eliane Marie Amélie Pia Colombo who acted in radio, cinema and television between 1956 and 1981.Cf. Archives du nouv ...

and Pierre Louki also sang. In 1959, at la Mutualité, she sang two songs by Louis Aragon (''La rose du premier de l'an'' and ''Un homme passe sous la fenêtre et chante''). Also in 1959, she took part in collective recordings (''chansons enfantines'' as a 45 rpm, ''chansons d'enfants'' as a 33⅓ rpm 10"), and she dedicated her first 45rpm to Aragon and Pierre Mac Orlan. In 1960, for her second 45 rpm, she sang the works of Luc Bérimont, Aragon et Ferré. In 1961, she sang Mac Orlan for a new 45rpm. In May 1962, Solleville released her first 10" album, intitulé ''Récital n°1'', where she sange the poets

Paul Fort Jules-Jean-Paul Fort (1 February 1872 – 20 April 1960) was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. At the age of 18, reacting against the Naturalistic theatre, Fort founded the Théâtre d'Art (1890–93). He also founded and edi ...

(''La Marine'', set to music by

Georges Brassens Georges Charles Brassens (; ; 22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981) was a French singer-songwriter and poet. As an iconic figure in France, he achieved fame through his elegant songs with their harmonically complex music for voice and guitar and ...

Charles Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet, essayist, translator and art critic. His poems are described as exhibiting mastery of rhythm and rhyme, containing an exoticism inherited from the Romantics ...

, Louis Aragon and

Jean Ferrat Jean Ferrat (born Jean Tenenbaum; 26 December 1930 – 13 March 2010) was a French singer-songwriter and poet. He specialized in singing poetry, particularly that of Louis Aragon. Biography Ferrat was born in Vaucresson, Hauts-de-Seine, the you ...

(''J'entends, j'entends''). In the 1960s, she recorded the songs of

Hélène Martin Hélène Martin (; 10 December 1928 – 21 February 2021) was a French singer-songwriter. Biography Born in Paris, Martin was daughter of a university professor (Sciences Po), and started singing in cabarets in the 1950s.Véronique Morta ...

, Georges Coulonges, Yani Spanos, Philippe-Gérard, Serge Rezvani, and the poems of

Guillaume Apollinaire Guillaume Apollinaire (; ; born Kostrowicki; 26 August 1880 – 9 November 1918) was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist and art critic of Poland, Polish descent. Apollinaire is considered one of the foremost poets of the ...

and

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; ; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels '' The Th ...

. She sang in the film '' Dragées au poivre'' (1963). In 1964, she received the Grand Prix of the

Académie Charles-Cros An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

for her ''Récital n°2'' of 1963. She confirmed her role as a singer of activist songs against

Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...

Francoism Francoist Spain (), also known as the Francoist dictatorship (), or Nationalist Spain () was the period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death i ...

and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. Equally, she supported the workers' cause (''Le Chant des ouvriers''). In 1971, she recorded with

Marcel Mouloudji Marcel André Mouloudji (16 September 1922 – 14 June 1994) was a French singer and actor who was born in Paris and died in Neuilly-sur-Seine. He sang songs written by Boris Vian and Jacques Prévert. Personal life Mouloudji was born to Algeria ...

and

Armand Mestral Armand Mestral (born ''Armand Serge Zelikson''; 25 November 1917 - 17 September 2000) was a French actor and singer. He appeared in more than seventy films from 1945 to 1992. Filmography References External links * 1917 births 2000 d ...

''La Commune en chantant'', a homage to 100 years of the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...

. In 1975, she released ''Chants d'exil et de lutte'' based on the texts of

Pablo Neruda Pablo Neruda ( ; ; born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto; 12 July 190423 September 1973) was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Neruda became known as a poet when he was 13 years old an ...

. In 1988, she celebrated the bicentenary of the French Revolution with ''Musique, citoyennes !''. Allain Leprest wrote the words of her album ''Al Dente'' (1994). In 2004, she published her autobiography, ''A piena voce'', written with the collaboration of Marc Legras. In 2009, she celebrated 50 years as a singer. Véronique Sauger's book, ''Portraits croisés, Francesca Solleville, Allain Leprest'' (Ed. Les points sur les i) was published in December 2009.

Discography

* 1959 ''Chansons enfantines'' – 45 rpm (collective disc) * 1959 ''Chansons d'enfants'' – 10" (collective disc) * 1959 ''Francesca Solleville chante Aragon et Mac Orlan'' – 45 rpm * 1960 ''Francesca Solleville chante Aragon, Bérimont, Ferré'' – 45 rpm * 1961 ''Francesca Solleville chante Mac Orlan n°4'' – 45 rpm * 1961 ''Francesca Solleville n° 3'' – 45 rpm * 1962 ''Récital n°1'' – 33⅓ rpm * 1962 ''Made in France'' – 25 cm * 1963 ''Récital n°2'' – 33⅓ rpm – Grand prix de l'Académie Charles Cros 1964 * 1963 ''Dragée au poivre'' – 33⅓ rpm (B.O.F., collective disc) * 1963 ''Vingt ans'' – 45 tours * 1963 ''Aujourd'hui les femmes'' – 33⅓ rpm * 1964 ''Nuit et Brouillard'' – 45 rpm * 1964 ''Paris-Cayenne'' – 45 rpm * 1965 ''Récital n°3'' – 33⅓ rpm * 1966 ''Récital n°4'' – 33⅓ rpm * 1966 ''La petite juive'' – 45 rpm * 1966 ''Les tuileries'' – 45 rpm * 1967 ''Chansons rive gauche'' – 33⅓ rpm (collective album) * 1967 ''La légende des Saintes Maries de la Mer'' – 45 rpm * 1968 ''La gloire – La fine fleur n°5'' – 33⅓ rpm * 1968 ''Terres mutilées – René Char/Hélène Martin'' – 33 rpm * 1968 ''Et je t'appelle'' – 45 rpm * 1969 ''Récital n°6'' – 33⅓ rpm * 1969 ''Francesca Solleville chante Paul Eluard'' – 45 rpm * 1970 ''Mouloudji et Francesca Solleville chantent Aristide Bruant'' – 33⅓ rpm * 1970 ''Je t'aime'' – 45 rpm * 1971 ''Francesca Solleville chante Louis Aragon'' – 33⅓ rpm * 1971 '' La commune en chantant'' – 33⅓ rpm (collective album) * 1971 ''Naissance de Saint-Germain-des-Prés'' – 33⅓ rpm (collective album) * 1972 ''Je suis ainsi'' – 45 rpm * 1972 ''Francesca Solleville chante la violence et l'espoir'' – 33⅓ rpm * 1972 ''Poèmes vietnamiens chantés par Francesca Solleville'' – 33⅓ rpm * 1972 '' Ballades et complaintes syndicalistes - Le chant des ouvriers'' – double 33⅓ rpm (collective album) * 1974 ''Le visage de l'homme'' – 33⅓ rpm * 1974 ''Demande aux femmes'' – 45 rpm * 1975 ''Aujourd'hui les femmes'' – 33⅓ rpm * 1975 ''Chants d'exil et de lutte'' – 33⅓ rpm (collective album) * 1975 ''Paris populi'' – 33⅓ rpm (collective album) * 1977 ''Chant pour les enfants du Chili'' – 33⅓ rpm (collective album) * 1977 ''Francesca Solleville 77'' – 33⅓ rpm * 1980 ''L'émotion'' – 33⅓ rpm * 1983 ''La révolte des Canuts'' – 33⅓ rpm (collective album) * 1983 ''Francesca Solleville 83'' – 33⅓ rpm * 1989 '' Musique, citoyennes !'' – 33⅓ rpm disc and CD * 1990 ''Je suis ainsi'' – CD * 1991 participation in CD ''Inédits 91'' by

Colette Magny Colette Magny (31 October 1926 – 12 June 1997) was a French singer and songwriter. A charismatic performer who did not record until her thirties, her work encompassed blues, jazz, protest songs, experimental music and spoken word recording ...

(interpretation of ''Les chants des hommes'') * 1994 ''Francesca Solleville chante Allain Leprest'' – CD * 1996 ''Al dente – enregistrement du spectacle'' – CD * 1997 ''Chansons de poètes : Louis Aragon, anthologie de la chanson française'' – collective CD * 2000 ''Grand frère, petit frère'' – CD * 2001 ''En tournée au Japon'' – CD * 2003 ''On s'ra jamais vieux'' – CD * 2003 ''Hommage aux grands de la chanson'' – collective CD set (interpretation of 3 songs) * 2005 ''Les grands poètes & la chanson française'' – collective CD set (interpretation of 9 songs) * 2005 ''Le cri du peuple'' – collective CD * 2007 ''Donnez-moi la phrase...'' – CD * 2007 participation in the CD ''René Char – Terres mutilées & Dans mon pays'' by

* 2009 ''Je déménage'' – CD * 2009 ''Chez Leprest. Vol.2'' (interpretation of ''Je ne te salue pas'' by Allain Leprest) – collective CD * 2010 ''Francesca Solleville venge la vie 1959–1983'' – set of 5 CDs

Theatre

* 1964 ''Le Trèfle fleuri'' by

Rafael Alberti Rafael Alberti Merello (16 December 1902 – 28 October 1999) was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27. He is considered one of the greatest literary figures of the so-called ''Silver Age'' of Spanish Literature, and he won numer ...

, directed by Pierre Debauche, Théâtre Daniel Sorano Vincennes

References

External links

Official sitePortraits croisés Francesca Solleville / Allain LeprestFrancesca Solleville on MySpace

Bibliography

* Marc Legras, Francesca Solleville, Jean Ferrat: ''Francesca Solleville : a piena voce'' – Christian Pirot Editeur – 2004 * Véronique Sauger: ''Portraits croisés Francesca Solleville – Allain Leprest'' – Paris
Les points sur les i
– 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Solleville, Francesca French women singers People from Périgueux 1932 births Living people French people of Italian descent Musicians from Hauts-de-Seine