Maurice Yvain
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Maurice Yvain (12 February 1891 – 27 July 1965) was a French composer noted for his operettas of the 1920s and 1930s. Some of which were written for
Mistinguett Jeanne Florentine Bourgeois (5 April 1873 – 5 January 1956), known professionally as Mistinguett (), was a French actress and singer. She was at one time the highest-paid female entertainer in the world. Early life The daughter of Antoine Bo ...
, at one time the best-paid female entertainer in the world. In the 1930s and 1940s, he became a major success in the United States and several of his pieces appeared in the famous ''
Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' were a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934, 1936, 1943, and 1957. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Foll ...
'' on
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
. He also composed music for several films of notable directors such as
Anatole Litvak Anatoly Mikhailovich Litvak (10 May 1902 – 15 December 1974), commonly known as Anatole Litvak, was a Russian-American filmmaker. Born to Jewish parents in Kiev, he began his theatrical training at age 13 in Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, ...
,
Julien Duvivier Julien Duvivier (; 8 October 1896 – 29 October 1967) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930–1960. Amongst his most original films, chiefly notable are ''La Bandera (film), La Bandera'', ...
, and
Henri-Georges Clouzot Henri-Georges Clouzot (; 20 November 1907 – 12 January 1977) was a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best remembered for his work in the thriller film genre, having directed '' The Wages of Fear'' (1953) and '' Les Diabo ...
. Yvain's music blended with the then "spirit of Paris".


Biography

Maurice Yvain was born in 1891 into a musical family in Paris. He was educated by his father, who played the trumpet in the Orchestre de l'
Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...
. From 1903, he studied at the
Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...
where he was a pupil of Louis Diemer and
Xavier Leroux Xavier Henry Napoleón Leroux (; 11 October 1863 – 2 February 1919) was a French composer and a teacher at the Paris Conservatory. He was married to the famous soprano Meyrianne Héglon (1867–1942). Life Born in Italy at Velletri, 30  ...
. An excellent pianist, he first played as an accompanying pianist at the Casino d'Évian."Maurice Yvain"
De la Belle Époque aux Années Folles. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
He went on to play with the orchestra at the Casino de Monte Carlo and in the Parisien
Cabaret des Quat'z'Arts Cabaret des Quat'z'Arts ("cabaret of the four arts") was a venue at 62 Boulevard de Clichy, in Paris, France. The interdisciplinary mixture of the arts created avant-garde collaborative performances. Similar to Le Chat Noir, the Quat'z'Arts was a ...
. After military service from 1912 to 1919, he returned to Paris where he started to compose songs for light music, operettas, musicals, for films such as
Vincent Scotto Vincent Scotto (21 April 1874 – 15 November 1952) was a French composer. Biography Early life Vincent Scotto was born on 21 April 1874 in Marseille to Pasquale Scotto d'Aniello and Antonia Intartaglia, from the island of Procida, north of th ...
and
Henri Christiné Henri Marius Christiné (27 December 1867 – 25 November 1941) was a French composer of Swiss birth. The son of a French Savoyard watchmaker, Christiné was born in Geneva, Switzerland. He began by teaching at the lycée in Geneva, while pu ...
. One of his early successes was "Dansez-vous le foxtrot" in 1919.
Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor, and entertainer. He is best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", " Louise", " Mimi", and " Thank Heaven f ...
, whom he had met in the army, introduced him to
Albert Willemetz Albert Willemetz (14 February 1887 – 7 October 1964) was a French librettist. Career Albert Willemetz was a prolific lyricist. He invented a new type of musical, with a humorous and "sexy" style. He was the author of more than 3000 songs, inc ...
and to the popular
Mistinguett Jeanne Florentine Bourgeois (5 April 1873 – 5 January 1956), known professionally as Mistinguett (), was a French actress and singer. She was at one time the highest-paid female entertainer in the world. Early life The daughter of Antoine Bo ...
who sang one of his best-known songs "Mon Homme" (" My Man") (1920). In 1968, it was sung by
Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...
in the film '' Funny Girl''. He composed several other pieces for Mistinguett, including "En douce" (1920), "La Java" (1922), "J'en ai marre" (1922) and "La Belote" (1925). In the 1920s, he began to compose operettas, 18 in all; his satirical “Ta Bouche” (Your Mouth, 1922) of 1922 was a particular success. The sequels which followed were the "Pas sur la Bouche" (Not on the Mouth, 1925) and the "Bouche a Bouche" (Mouth to Mouth, 1925) and both further established the musical virtuosity of Yvain; the former song rendered by Regine Flory made her also a celebrity. Thereafter, he also wrote great sentimental operettas such as "Chanson gitane" ("Gypsy Song"), many of which were performed at the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens. His pieces are characterized by rhythmic precision, imagination and flexibility of musical phrases. A. Willemetz, Jacques-Charles, H. Varna and H. Heanson were his lyricists and librettists. Occasionally he also wrote the lyrics. In the 1930s, his operettas were almost immediately translated and performed in Germany, Hungary and Austria as well as on Broadway where ''Ta Bouche'' was presented over a hundred times. Thanks to his success in the United States, several of his pieces appeared in the famous ''
Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' were a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934, 1936, 1943, and 1957. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Foll ...
'' on
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
. His "Mon Homme" featured in the 1936
MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
-winning film ''
The Great Ziegfeld ''The Great Ziegfeld'' is a 1936 American musical film, musical drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and produced by Hunt Stromberg. It stars William Powell as the theatrical impresario Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., Florenz "Flo" Ziegfeld Jr., Lui ...
''. He composed music for several films of notable directors such as
Anatole Litvak Anatoly Mikhailovich Litvak (10 May 1902 – 15 December 1974), commonly known as Anatole Litvak, was a Russian-American filmmaker. Born to Jewish parents in Kiev, he began his theatrical training at age 13 in Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, ...
,
Julien Duvivier Julien Duvivier (; 8 October 1896 – 29 October 1967) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930–1960. Amongst his most original films, chiefly notable are ''La Bandera (film), La Bandera'', ...
and
Henri-Georges Clouzot Henri-Georges Clouzot (; 20 November 1907 – 12 January 1977) was a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best remembered for his work in the thriller film genre, having directed '' The Wages of Fear'' (1953) and '' Les Diabo ...
. Yvain died in 1965 in
Suresnes Suresnes () is a commune in the western inner suburbs of Paris, France. Located in Hauts-de-Seine, from the centre of Paris, it had a population of 49,482 as of 2020. Suresnes borders the Bois de Boulogne in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, ...
, near Paris.


Works

Maurice Yvain's "Catalog of Works" consisted of 25 soundtracks, 21 titles as composer, one title of Indochine (composer of the song "La môme Caoutchouc" 1992). Some of these works are: *1919 – "Pour être heureux", sung by Polaire *1920 – "En douce", song created for Mistinguett *1920 – "Rien qu'un baiser" sung by Félix Mayol et Dalbret *1920 – "Mon homme", song created for Mistinguett *1920 – "Si tu ne veux pas payer d'impôts", song created for Dréan *1920 – "J'n'ose pas", song created for Maurice Chevalier *1920 – "Cach' ton piano", song created for Dréan *1920 – "Tout en dansant le fox-trot", song created for Maurice Chevalier *1920 – "L'un dans l'autre", song created for Maurice Chevalier *1921 – Ta Bouche, libretto by Yves Mirande and A. Silent *1921 – "Avec le sourire", song created for Maurice Chevalier *1923 – Là-Haut, opéra bouffe, libretto by Yves Mirande and Albert Willemetz with Maurice Chevalier and Dranem *1922 – "La Java", song created for Mistinguett *1922 – "J'en ai marre", song created for Mistinguett *1924 – Gosse de Riche (Rich Kid), musical comedy, libretto by J. Bousquet and H. Falk *1924 – La Dame en décolleté (The Lady in cleavage), libretto by Yves Mirande and Lucien Boyer *1925 - Pas sur la bouche (Not on the lips), libretto by André Barde and Maurice Yvain *1925 – "La Belote", song created for Mistinguett *1925 – Un bon garcon, combining music and theatre, music and lyrics by Yvain *1927 – "Dites-moi ma mère", song created for Maurice Chevalier *1928 – Les Ailes (Wings), musical revue, libretto by Albert Willemetz, A. Mouézy-Eon and Saint-Granier *1928 –
Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * Young Eisner Scholars, in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Appalachia, US * Young Ep ...
, libretto by P. Soulaine, R. Pujol and Albert Willemetz *1928 – "Je t'emmène à la campagne", song created for Georges Milton *1928 – "Charmantes choses", sung by Florelle *1929 – Elle est à vous, libretto by André Barde *1929 – "Pouêt-Pouêt", song created for Georges Milton *1931 – Paris qui brille, libretto by H. Varna with Mistinguett *1932 – "J'ai pas su y faire", sung by Yvonne George *1932 – "La môme caoutchouc", sung by Jean Gabin then in 1935 by Fréhel *1933 – Oh! Papa, libretto by André Barde *1934 – La Belle histoire, libretto by Henri-Georges Clouzot based on Perrault's ''Le Chat Botté'' (Puss in Boots) *1935 – Au Soleil du Mexique, operetta, libretto bye Albert Willemetz and A. Mouézy-Eon *1935 – "C'est toujours ça de pris", song created for Marie Dubas *1935 – Aux portes de Paris, film music *1935 – Sans famille, film music *1935 – Vacances, operetta, libretto by H. Duvernois and André Barde *1936 – Les deux gamines, film musique *1937 – Vents (Winds), ballet for the Universal Exposition *1947 – Chanson gitane (Gypsy song), libretto by Louis Poterat *1949 – "Le chant des étoiles" *1950 - Snowhite *1953 – Toutes les femmes (All Women), libretto by Albert Willemetz *1958 – Le Corsaire Noir (The Black Corsair), libretto by J. Valmy, created in
Marseilles Marseille (; ; see below) is a city in southern France, the prefecture of the department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the Provence region, it is located on the coast of the Mediterranean S ...
He has also rendered 100 dance and dance songs.


Books

*1962. ''My beautiful operetta emories'. Paris: The Round Table.


References


Bibliography

*


External links


Maurice Yvain
on data.bnf.fr * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yvain, Maurice French operetta composers 1891 births 1965 deaths Composers from Paris 20th-century French composers