Luc Ferrari [1/2]

8/10/2012

 
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Name: Luc Ferrari

Date of Birth: 05 February 1929

Place of Birth: Paris, France

Luc Ferrari is a French composer. He was born on 05 February 1929 in Paris, France. He died on 22 August 2005 in Arezzo in Italy.

Since he was young, Ferrari trained in music and went on with his piano and composition studies. However, a case of tuberculosis cut short his career as a pianist. After this, he concentrated more on musical composition. When he was sick with tuberculosis, he got the chance to become familiar with the radio receiver. Music pioneers such as Berg, Schönberg, Webern and others supported him in his goal to distance himself from the teachings of his first conservatoires.

He took part in the ‘Internationale Ferienkurse Darmstadt’ from 1954 to 1958. By participating in these international vacation courses he was able to develop friendly associations with Karlheinz Stockhausen, Luciano Berio, Luigi Nono, John Cage, Henri Pousseur, and Edgard Varèse.

Captivated by ‘Déserts’ from Edgard Varèse, he went to New York to visit this artist in 1954. He was able to compose various piano pieces while he was on this trip. Moreover, his collaboration with Pierre Schaeffer from 1957 to 1966 and his attraction to musique concrète led him to broaden the concept of abstract music. Portable tape recorders gave him the chance to gather the needed sound for his music piece ‘Hétérozygote’, his first composition which he called as ‘anecdotic music’.

 
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She later resumed her studies under Reicha. Upon finishing her interrupted studies, he went back to concerts and grew considerably famous during the 1830s. In the early of the 1840s, her reputation remained consistent, until she was appointed as Professor of Piano in Paris Conservatory, which was a permanent position, in 1842. It was indeed one of the most famous in Europe, and she held the said position for 30 years. However, for about 10 years, she was receiving less compensation than the males. It was only when her nonet successfully premiered, which also featured Joseph Joachim, a famous violinist, when she demanded that she receive the same pay her male counterparts were receiving.

Aside from performing and teaching, Louis Farrenc also edited and produced a book on early performance styles in music. Her reputation stayed on with her name being mentioned in other books such as Antoine François Marmontel’s Pianistes célèbres even after her death. BY 1850, her nonet gained some fame, as well as her trios and two piano quintets. However, her chamber music apparently fell into oblivion after she died.

She first composed only for the piano from the 1820s to the 1830s. When some of her pieces received high praises from critics like Schumann, she gave some try in making larger compositions, this time, for both orchestra and chamber music. She wrote most of her chamber music during the 1840s. Eventually, her chamber music was regarded as the best ones among her works.

 
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Name: Louise Farrenc

Date of Birth: 31 May 1804

Place of Birth: Paris, France

Louise Farrenc (31 May 1804–15 September 1875) was a virtuosa pianist, teacher and composer in France. Her full name was Jeanne-Louise Dumont and she was born in Paris, France. She was one of the children of the famous sculptor named Jacques-Edme Dumont. Auguste Dumont was her sister.

She started to study playing the piano at a young age. She studied with a former Muzio Clement student, a Senora Soria. Loius’ incredible genius with the piano brought her to training with masters such as Johann Nepomuk Hummel and Ignaz Moscheles. It was also clear that she could compose well, for which her parents sent her to Anton Reicha to study composition. During the time, Reicha was also teaching at the Conservatoire, which held a composition class only open for male students.

Lousie eventually got to know a flute student, Aristide Farrenc, who was 10 years ahead of her. And in 1821, they wedded.

Later on, Louise Farrenc took a break in her studies to perform in concerts all over France. Her husband performed together with her. When Aristide finally got tired of performing concerts, he began his publishing house, which was named Éditions Farrenc, in Paris. For around 40 years, it became one of the leading music publishers in France.

 
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Through Est and Ouest and BEPI, Gaucher joined the anti-Communist networks of Georges Albertini. In the 1950s, Gaucher joined the Rassemblement national of Jean-Louis Tixier-Vignancour where he became the secretary general.

In October of 1972, he co-founded the National Front where he became a part of the organisation’s directing committee. However, in 1974, he took part in the organisation’s split. This led him to join the Parti des forces nouvelles (PFN), which gather the radical activists that thought Jean-Marie Le Pen was too moderate. In 1979, Gaucher left the PFN and joined FN again.

In 1986, Roland Gaucher replaced Dominique Chaboche at the European Parliament. He became the vice-president of Europe’s delegation to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

In 1984, Gaucher founded the National-Hebdo, the weekly of FN. He served as the chief editor of National-Hebdo until 1993.

He distanced himself from Le Pen’s FN in 1993 after he said that it was too institutional. As the time, he came closer to the other structures of the far-right such as the Alliance Populaire (Popular Alliance) and the Militant.

He died on 27 July 2007.

 
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Name: Roland Gaucher
Date of Birth: 1919 — 2007
Place of Birth: Paris, France

Roland Gaucher was Roland Goguillot’s pseudonym. Gaucher was far-right politician and journalist in France. He is one of the far-right’s main thinkers. He participated in the Rassemblement National Populaire (RNP), the fascist party of Marcel Déat's, during the Vichy regime. When the war ended, he was sentenced to prison for years because of collaborationism. Later, he pursued a journalism career while continuing with his political activism. In October of 1972, he co-founded the National Front (FN). In 1986, Gaucher became a Member of the European Parliament.

Roland Gaucher started his political career as an activist for the far-left. He began by becoming part of the Fédération des étudiants révolutionnaires (Federation of Revolutionary Students). Later, he joined the Jeunesses socialistes ouvrières (Workers' Socialist Youth).

However, during the Second World War, he moved to the far-right. In March of 1942, he joined Rassemblement National Populaire (RNP), Marcel Déat's fascist party. From May until November in 1943, Gaucher was responsible for the youth organisation of the RNP as well as of RNP’s Parisian section. During the Liberation, Gaucher was responsible for destroying the archive of the readers of the National Populaire, as this was the RNP’s mouthpiece. According to the diary of Marcel Déat's, Gaucher fled to Sigmaringen in Germany with the men of Marshal Philippe Pétain in 1944.

 
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_Because of the knee injury that Fignon had sustained, he missed the 1985 Tour, and wasn’t able to finish the 1986 Tour. During the 1987, Fignon finished 7th overall. Then, he didn’t participate in the 1988 Tour. He snatched the title of being the number one cyclist in the world from Sean Kelly in the 1989 Tour.

After retiring, he managed to race to Paris-Nice until ASO took it over, which is the Tour de France’s organiser in 2004. He remains as one of the organised for several races such as Paris- Corrèze.

With regard to his relationship with Bernard Hinault and Cyrille Guimard, he stated with Hinault, Guimard already discovered a champion, but with himself, Guimard created a champion. This statement proves that his relationship with Guimard was stronger than Guimard’s bond with Hinault.

In June 2009, Fignon announced that he had advanced intestinal cancer and was receiving chemotherapy. Furthermore, he admitted using doping products when asked about the association of his past doping and cancer. He has authored a book about his life “Nous étions jeunes et insouciants" (We were young and carefree), which was published in the same month and year.


 
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_Name: Laurent Fignon
Date of Birth: 12 August 1960
Place of Birth: Paris

Laurent Fignon is a former professional road bicycle racer who already won the Tour de France for two consecutive times in 1983 and 1984. Also in 1989, he won the Giro d’ Italia.

His first career as an athlete was football. Then, some of his friends encouraged him into bicycle racing and his very first official race was in 1976, which he won. He then won 17 races during his second season while he was in high school. When he joined the national 100km time trial race, he was discovered by Cyrilled Guimard, former manager and rider, who reserved him a spot in the Renault-Elf-Gitane professional racers.

In 1983, Fignon won his very first Tour de France. Pascal Simon lost his three-minute advantage to Fignon half-way through the 1983 race. Fignon claimed the maillot jaune two days after the tour. He was only 22 back then, making him the youngest racer who won the Tour since 1993. During the 1984 Tour, Fignon succeeded in winning the stage 7 time trial, beating Hinault on the 14th and 16th stage. Fignon also gained a three-minute advantage over Hinault on the stage toward Alpe d’Huez, and succeeded to be the first one to finish the stage at La Plagne, 20th stage from starting from Morzine to Crans-Montana, and the last time trial stage, earning him a total of five victories during the Tour.


Jean Gabin [2/2]

7/27/2012

 
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_Gabin continued rejecting Hollywood offers until the Second World War broke out. He then went to the US with Julien Duvivier and Jean Renoir after the Germans took over France, where he soon engaged in an affair with Marlene Deitrich. Unfortunately, he was not as successful in America.

Gabin further damaged his Hollywood career when he inordinately demanded to let Dietrich become the co-star in a movie he was making under RKO pictures. Gabin was fired following the dispute, and the film was cancelled.

He then joined the Free French Forces under General Charles de Gaulle, and received the ‘Médaille Militaire’ and a ‘Croix de Guerre’ for his bravery in combat during the fight in North Africa.

Gabin returned to show business in France, but his behaviour constantly got him in trouble. Moreover, several of his subsequent films turned out poorly at the box office, and his attempts at a return to the stage failed to meet success as well.

He managed to regain momentum with Jacques Becker’s ‘Touchez pas au grisbi’ in 1954.

Gabin succumbed to leukaemia at the American Hospital of Paris, in Neuilly-sur-Seine. His remains were cremated and his ashes were scattered with full military honours from a military ship.

He was recognised as one of the most famous actors of French cinema, and was admitted into the Legion of Honor. In Mériel, his town of birth, the Musée Jean Gabin presents his film and war memorabilia.



Jean Gabin [1/2]

7/26/2012

 
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_Name: Jean Gabin
Date of Birth: 1904 – 1976
Place of Birth: Paris, France

Jean Gabin, born Jean-Alexis Moncorgé, was a war hero and popular French actor. Born in Paris to cabaret entertainers, he was raised Mériel village in the département of Seine-et-Oise.

Gabin returned to show business after finishing his military service. He went under the stage name ‘Jean Gabin’ and accepted all offers that came his way in the Parisian operettas and music halls, mimicking the singing style of Maurice Chevalier who was very popular during that time. He joined a troupe on a tour of South America and got a job at the Moulin Rouge when he returned to France. He began attracting attention, and took on better roles on stage until he was given roles in two silent movies in 1928.

In 1930, he got a part in ‘Chacun sa Chance’, a Pathé Frères production, where he showed an easy transition into talking films. Over the succeeding four years, Gabin continued taking secondary roles in over a dozen films. Gabin officially became a major star following his performance as a romantic hero in Duvivier’s war drama ‘La Bandera’ in 1936.

He rejoined Duvivier the next year for ‘Pépé le Moko’, a highly successful film that achieved worldwide fame and was recognised as one of the top-grossing movies of 1937. With the movie, Gabin achieved international acclaim. He went on to star in several highly successful films, such as ‘La Grande Illusion’ by Jean Renoir.


 
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_Name: Isabelle Genevieve Marie Anne Gall
Date of Birth: 9 October 1947
Place of Birth: Paris, France

Isabelle Genevieve Marie Anne Gall, also known as France Gall, was born in Paris, France on 9 October 1947 to Cecile Berthier and Robert Gall.

France Gall was said to have come from a musical family. Her father was a lyricist, while her maternal grandfather was one of the co-founders of the Petits Chanteurs a`la Croix de Bois. Some of her cousins included Denys Lable, who was known to be a guitarist, while Vincent Bethier de Lioncourt, was a composer.

One spring day of 1963, France Gall and her siblings were encouraged by their father to render songs that were eventually sent to Denis Bourgeois. Unknown to others, Denis Bourgeois was a well known musical publisher. After their demo, France Gall decided to audition at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, also in Paris. Her impressive talent convinced Bourgeois to sign a contract with her, but she opted to sign one with Philips.

When France was sixteen years old, she was given the opportunity to record her first single. The single, Ne sois pas si bete or Don’t be so stupid in English, was an instant hit. The said single was released in November, and was followed by another single entitled, Don’t Listen to the Idols. Surprisingly, both singles topped the March 1964 French Charts.