Jean Villard, Pseudonym, known as Gilles (2 June 1895 in

Montreux Montreux (, ; ; ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, Swiss municipality and List of towns in Switzerland, town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Swiss Alps, Alps. It belongs to the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut (district), Riviera-Pays ...

(Switzerland) – 26 March 1982 in

Vevey Vevey (; ; ) is a town in Switzerland in the Vaud, canton of Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Leman, near Lausanne. The German name Vivis is no longer commonly used. It was the seat of the Vevey (district), district of the same name until 200 ...

), originating from Daillens, was a French Swiss multi-talented

chansonnier A chansonnier (, , Galician and , or ''canzoniéro'', ) is a manuscript or printed book which contains a collection of chansons, or polyphonic and monophonic settings of songs, hence literally " song-books"; however, some manuscripts are call ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

humorist A humorist is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking. A raconteur is one who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way. Henri Bergson writes that a humorist's work grows from viewing the morals of society ...

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

, and cabaretist. He was friends with

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 ...

Ernest Ansermet Ernest Alexandre Ansermet (; 11 November 1883 – 20 February 1969)"Ansermet, Ernest" in '' The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 435. was a Swiss conductor. Biography Anserme ...

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and met also with Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz. He gave his last interview in December 1981 at his home, where he confided that "I have always tried my best to be a poet." One of

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

parks A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. N ...

, on the ''Avenue du Théâtre'', now bears his name. He served in the

Swiss Army The Swiss Armed Forces (; ; ; ; ) are the military and security force of Switzerland, consisting of land and air service branches. Under the country's militia system, regular soldiers constitute a small part of the military and the rest are ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in Soubey, Jura, recalling that he defended the bridge that crosses the river

Doubs Doubs (, ; ; ) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. Named after the river Doubs, it had a population of 543,974 in 2019.L'histoire du soldat ', or ''Tale of the Soldier'' (as it was first published), is an hour-long 1918 theatrical work to be "read, played and danced ''()''" by three actors, one or more dancers, and a septet of instruments. Its music is by Igor Stravinsky, its libret ...

'' by

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

and Charles Ferdinand Ramuz * 1920-1930: Several roles at the "

Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier The Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier is a theatre located at 21, rue du Vieux-Colombier, in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It was founded in 1913 by the theatre producer and playwright Jacques Copeau. Today it is one of the three theatres in Paris ...

" in Paris, directed by

Jacques Copeau Jacques Copeau (; 4 February 1879 – 20 October 1949) was a French Theatre, theatre director, producer, actor, and dramatist. Before he founded the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in Paris, he wrote theatre reviews for several Parisian journ ...

* 1920: ''Cromedeyre-le-Vieil'' by

Jules Romains Jules Romains (born Louis Henri Jean Farigoule; 26 August 1885 – 14 August 1972) was a French poet and writer and the founder of the Unanimism literary movement. His works include the play '' Knock ou le Triomphe de la médecine'', and a cyc ...

, directed by

, Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier * 1930: Plays in « La Compagnie des Quinze » * 1931: ''La Mauvaise Conduite d'après Plaute'', Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier

Chansonnier

*1932–1939 duo « Gilles et Julien », with A.-M. Julien (Aman Maistre (1903–2001) *1940–1948 duo with Édith Burger,''Vidéo:'' Hommage à Edith
, an archive from Télévision Suisse Romande *1948–1975 duo with Albert Urfer

Cabaret owner

*1940 : he founded the cabaret « Coup de Soleil » in Lausanne with Edith Burger, an anti-Nazi, resistance, gathering place *1947 : he founded the cabaret « Chez Gilles » in Paris **discovers

, then an unknown beginner whom he immediately hired. *1955 : « Chez Gilles » in Lausanne

Some well-known works

*1932: ''

Dollar Dollar is the name of more than 25 currencies. The United States dollar, named after the international currency known as the Spanish dollar, was established in 1792 and is the first so named that still survives. Others include the Australian d ...

'', first « chanson française engagée » of the 20th century *1936: ''La Belle France'' the anthem of the French Resistance Popular Front *1940: interpreted by

with

Les Compagnons de la chanson Les Compagnons de la chanson were a French harmony vocal group, formed in 1946 from an earlier group founded in Lyon, France in 1941. Their best known song was " Les trois cloches" recorded with Edith Piaf in 1946. Consisting of eight or nine mem ...

*1940: ''14 juillet'' *1948: ''Le Bonheur'' *1951: ''A L'Enseigne de la Fille Sans Cœur'' interpreted by

*1954: '' La Venoge'' *1958: ''Nos Colonels''

Books

*1943, « Les Histoires de Gilles » *1954, « Mon demi siècle », Librérie Payot *1960, « La Venoge et autres poèmes » - images by Géa Augsburg, Editions du Verseau et Librairie Payot, Lausanne *1963, « Chansons que tout cela !», (Le meilleur de Gilles », tome I) *1969, « Mon demi siècle et demi », Payot *1971, « Le dernier mot », (Le meilleur de Gilles", tome II) *1978, « Amicalement vôtre, Récits, chansons et souvenir », Editions Pierre-Marcel Favre

Plays at the Théâtre du Jorat Mézières

*1950 « Passage de l'étoile » *1960 « La Grange aux Roud »

Bibliography

*Albert Urfer, ''Qui va piano...'', 1978 *Alex Décotte, ''Le siècle de Gilles'', 1995 *''Le meilleur de Gilles'' (3 volumes), Publi-Libris, 2003 *

Notes

External links

BibliographiePoésie ''La Venoge'' de Jean Villard-Gilles and much valuable information on "Vaudois" language
(This oeuvre is an integral part of the collective memory of a citizen of the canton of Vaud, as they were taught to recite it by heart at school from an early age).
Vidéo ''Jean Villard Gilles''
chante et raconte des histoires vaudoises, des vidéos du site des archives de la TSR Télévision Suisse Romande TSR {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilles, Jean Villard 1895 births 1982 deaths People from Montreux Swiss poets in French Swiss male poets Humorous poets Swiss male stage actors Swiss military personnel 20th-century Swiss poets 20th-century male writers 20th-century Swiss male singers