Eugénie Buffet
Encyclopedia
Eugénie Buffet was a French singer who rose to fame in France just prior to World War I. She has been called one of the first, if not the first, performer of the chanson réaliste
genre. She became a national sensation in France, performing in the fashionable cafés-concerts of Paris as well as embarking on both national and international tours. Her biggest success is said to be her performance of the song "La Sérénade du Pavé" (Sidewalk Serenade), written by Jean Varney in 1895. She was also known to perform in the street for charity in the poorer areas of Paris – work for which she was awarded the Légion d'honneur
.
, then in French Algeria
, in 1866, Eugénie Buffet was the daughter of a seamstress
and a soldier. At the age of only 6 months, her father died in a military hospital in Oran
; as a result her family was quite poor
.
At the age of 17, Buffet started acting. She struggled in her early years and was living in near poverty; she had moved to Marseilles in order to perform, but she was not very successful at first and was said to have been "booed and hissed off of the stage". She was worked mainly in the cafés-concerts of Marseilles, until 1886 when she became the mistress
of compte Guillaume d'Oilliamson. The wealthy French count
brought Buffet with him to Paris to show off to his friends. Buffet went from "near starvation" to living a fashionable Parisian life.
; she attended one of the founding rallies of the Ligue des Patriotes
and sang "La Marseillaise
" for the nationalists. As a result she became the darling of such anti-Dreyfusards
as Paul Déroulède
.
In 1892 Buffet attended a performance at Le Chat Noir
by the cabaret
singer Aristide Bruant
; Buffet found herself moved by his performance and approached him with the idea of her portraying one of the poor and unfortunate girls of whom Bruant would often sing. Buffet had spent a short time in the Prison Saint-Lazare
which had put her into direct contact with women of such description, and she was also said to have followed prostitutes on their rounds at night in order to better emulate their dress and demeanor in her own performances.
Buffet would combine these experiences to create her famous performances as la pierreuse (the streetwalker
) and she debuted her character in an 1882 performance at La Cigale
, a famous nightclub in the Quartier Pigalle
of Paris. During performances Buffet wore a tattered apron and red scarf, a common costume of prostitutes at the time.
Soon Buffet became a national celebrity – she performed at such famous cafés-concerts as the Théâtre de la Gaîté-Montparnasse
, the Théâtre de la Gaîté-Rochechouart
, and Les Ambassadeurs. She also sang in less conventional locations such as the streets of the poorer neighbourhoods of Paris, and even at coal mines, in order to raise money for the poor and homeless. Buffet also performed daily at the Exposition Universelle of 1900
, a world's fair
held in Paris.
In the early 1900s Buffet tried her hand at managing her own cafés-concerts: From 1902–1903 Buffet ran a cabaret
in Montmartre
called the "Cabaret de la Purée" (Down-on-Your-Luck Cabaret) and later in 1903 she ran an establishment called the Folies-Pigalle which was closed down that same year by the police because it was "a meeting-place for right-wing enemies of the regime."
In addition to performing in Paris, Buffet toured and performed for soldiers during WWI, she performed at the Royal Palace of Brussels and in the early 1920s she toured the United States, Morocco, the Antilles
.
A turn-of-the-century recording of Buffet singing "Sois bonne ô ma belle inconnue" (Be good oh my beautiful unknown) was used in the film score
of the Jean Renoir
film La Chienne
.
Napoléon directed by French filmmaker Abel Gance
; she played the role of Laetizia Bonaparte, Napoleon's mother.
In 1930 Buffet published her ghostwritten
memoir
titled: Ma Vie, Mes Amours, Mes Aventures: Confidences recueillies par Maurice Hamel (My Life, My Loves, My Adventures: Confessions obtained by Maurice Hamel), published by writer, poet, journalist and editor Eugène Figuière.
's role in the 1930 film Morocco
. French signing icon Édith Piaf
also portrayed Eugénie Buffet in the 1954 French musical film French Cancan
.
Chanson réaliste
Chanson réaliste, or realist song, refers to a style of music performed in France primarily from the 1880s until the end of World War II...
genre. She became a national sensation in France, performing in the fashionable cafés-concerts of Paris as well as embarking on both national and international tours. Her biggest success is said to be her performance of the song "La Sérénade du Pavé" (Sidewalk Serenade), written by Jean Varney in 1895. She was also known to perform in the street for charity in the poorer areas of Paris – work for which she was awarded the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
.
Early life
Born Marie Buffet in TlemcenTlemcen
Tlemcen is a town in Northwestern Algeria, and the capital of the province of the same name. It is located inland in the center of a region known for its olive plantations and vineyards...
, then in French Algeria
French Algeria
French Algeria lasted from 1830 to 1962, under a variety of governmental systems. From 1848 until independence, the whole Mediterranean region of Algeria was administered as an integral part of France, much like Corsica and Réunion are to this day. The vast arid interior of Algeria, like the rest...
, in 1866, Eugénie Buffet was the daughter of a seamstress
Dressmaker
A dressmaker is a person who makes custom clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Also called a mantua-maker or a modiste.-Notable dressmakers:*Cristobal Balenciaga*Charles Frederick Worth...
and a soldier. At the age of only 6 months, her father died in a military hospital in Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
; as a result her family was quite poor
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
.
At the age of 17, Buffet started acting. She struggled in her early years and was living in near poverty; she had moved to Marseilles in order to perform, but she was not very successful at first and was said to have been "booed and hissed off of the stage". She was worked mainly in the cafés-concerts of Marseilles, until 1886 when she became the mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
of compte Guillaume d'Oilliamson. The wealthy French count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
brought Buffet with him to Paris to show off to his friends. Buffet went from "near starvation" to living a fashionable Parisian life.
Career in music
While in Paris, Buffet became involved in right-wing politicsRight-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
; she attended one of the founding rallies of the Ligue des Patriotes
Ligue des Patriotes
The Ligue des Patriotes was a French far right league, founded in 1882 by the nationalist poet Paul Déroulède, historian Henri Martin, and Felix Faure. The Ligue began as a non-partisan nationalist league calling for 'revanche' against Germany, and literally means "League of Patriots"...
and sang "La Marseillaise
La Marseillaise
"La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. The song, originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin" was written and composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in 1792. The French National Convention adopted it as the Republic's anthem in 1795...
" for the nationalists. As a result she became the darling of such anti-Dreyfusards
Dreyfus Affair
The Dreyfus affair was a political scandal that divided France in the 1890s and the early 1900s. It involved the conviction for treason in November 1894 of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a young French artillery officer of Alsatian Jewish descent...
as Paul Déroulède
Paul Déroulède
- Early life :Déroulède was born in Paris. He was published first as a poet in the magazine Revue nationale, with the pseudonym "Jean Rebel". In 1869 he produced, at the Théâtre Français, a one-act drama in verse named Juan Strenner.- Military career :...
.
In 1892 Buffet attended a performance at Le Chat Noir
Le Chat Noir
Le Chat Noir was a 19th-century cabaret, meaning entertainment house, in the bohemian Montmartre district of Paris...
by the cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
singer Aristide Bruant
Aristide Bruant
Aristide Bruant was a French cabaret singer, comedian, and nightclub owner. He is best known as the man in the red scarf and black cape featured on certain famous posters by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec...
; Buffet found herself moved by his performance and approached him with the idea of her portraying one of the poor and unfortunate girls of whom Bruant would often sing. Buffet had spent a short time in the Prison Saint-Lazare
Prison Saint-Lazare
The Prison Saint-Lazare was a prison in the Xe arrondissement of Paris, France.-History:Originally a leper hospital founded on the road from Paris to Saint-Denis at the boundary of the marshy area of former Seine river bank in the 12th century, it was ceded on 7 January 1632 to Vincent de Paul and...
which had put her into direct contact with women of such description, and she was also said to have followed prostitutes on their rounds at night in order to better emulate their dress and demeanor in her own performances.
Buffet would combine these experiences to create her famous performances as la pierreuse (the streetwalker
Street prostitution
Street prostitution is a form of prostitution in which a sex worker solicits customers from a public place, most commonly a street, while waiting at street corners or walking alongside a street, but also other public places such as parks, beaches, etc. The street prostitute is often dressed in a...
) and she debuted her character in an 1882 performance at La Cigale
La Cigale
La Cigale is a theater at 120, boulevard de Rochechouart near Place Pigalle, in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. The theatre is part of a complex that is connected to Le Trabendo and the Boule Noire. The hall can accommodate 1389 people or 954 people...
, a famous nightclub in the Quartier Pigalle
Quartier Pigalle
Pigalle is an area in Paris around the Place Pigalle, on the border between the 9th and the 18th arrondissements. It is named after the sculptor Jean-Baptiste Pigalle ....
of Paris. During performances Buffet wore a tattered apron and red scarf, a common costume of prostitutes at the time.
Soon Buffet became a national celebrity – she performed at such famous cafés-concerts as the Théâtre de la Gaîté-Montparnasse
Théâtre de la Gaîté-Montparnasse
The Théâtre de la Gaîté-Montparnasse is a venue situated at 26, rue de la Gaîté, in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, in the 14th arrondissement...
, the Théâtre de la Gaîté-Rochechouart
Boulevard de Rochechouart
The Boulevard de Rochechouart is situated at the foot of Montmartre and to its south. Like the neighbouring street it is named after Marguerite de Rochechouart de Montpipeau , abbess of Montmartre. It is a result of the 1864 merging of the boulevards and chemins de ronde which followed the...
, and Les Ambassadeurs. She also sang in less conventional locations such as the streets of the poorer neighbourhoods of Paris, and even at coal mines, in order to raise money for the poor and homeless. Buffet also performed daily at the Exposition Universelle of 1900
Exposition Universelle (1900)
The Exposition Universelle of 1900 was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from April 15 to November 12, 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate development into the next...
, a world's fair
World's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
held in Paris.
In the early 1900s Buffet tried her hand at managing her own cafés-concerts: From 1902–1903 Buffet ran a cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
in Montmartre
Montmartre
Montmartre is a hill which is 130 metres high, giving its name to the surrounding district, in the north of Paris in the 18th arrondissement, a part of the Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on its summit and as a nightclub district...
called the "Cabaret de la Purée" (Down-on-Your-Luck Cabaret) and later in 1903 she ran an establishment called the Folies-Pigalle which was closed down that same year by the police because it was "a meeting-place for right-wing enemies of the regime."
In addition to performing in Paris, Buffet toured and performed for soldiers during WWI, she performed at the Royal Palace of Brussels and in the early 1920s she toured the United States, Morocco, the Antilles
Antilles
The Antilles islands form the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. The Antilles are divided into two major groups: the "Greater Antilles" to the north and west, including the larger islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico; and the smaller "Lesser Antilles" on the...
.
A turn-of-the-century recording of Buffet singing "Sois bonne ô ma belle inconnue" (Be good oh my beautiful unknown) was used in the film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
of the Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. As a film director and actor, he made more than forty films from the silent era to the end of the 1960s...
film La Chienne
La Chienne
La Chienne is a French film by director Jean Renoir. It is the second sound film by the director and the twelfth of his career.The literal English translation of the film's title is "The Bitch", although the movie was never released under this title...
.
Other works
In 1927 Buffet appeared in the silent filmSilent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
Napoléon directed by French filmmaker Abel Gance
Abel Gance
Abel Gance was a French film director and producer, writer and actor. He is best known for three major silent films: J'accuse , La Roue , and the monumental Napoléon .-Early life:...
; she played the role of Laetizia Bonaparte, Napoleon's mother.
In 1930 Buffet published her ghostwritten
Ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written...
memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
titled: Ma Vie, Mes Amours, Mes Aventures: Confidences recueillies par Maurice Hamel (My Life, My Loves, My Adventures: Confessions obtained by Maurice Hamel), published by writer, poet, journalist and editor Eugène Figuière.
Death
Suffering from illness as early as the late 1920s, Eugénie Buffet fell into poverty by the end of her life. She died in Paris in 1934.Portrayal in film
Eugénie Buffet was said to have inspired the character of Mademoiselle Amy Jolly, Marlene DietrichMarlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
's role in the 1930 film Morocco
Morocco (1930 film)
Morocco is a 1930 film in which a Foreign Legionnaire meets and falls in love with a singer. It was directed by Josef von Sternberg and stars Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich and Adolphe Menjou. The story was adapted by Jules Furthman from the novel Amy Jolly by Benno Vigny...
. French signing icon Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf , born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads...
also portrayed Eugénie Buffet in the 1954 French musical film French Cancan
French Cancan
French Cancan is a 1954 French musical film written and directed by Jean Renoir and starring Jean Gabin and María Félix.-Plot:Set in 1890s Paris, Henri Danglard is the owner of a cafe, which features his mistress, Lola, as a belly dancer...
.
External links
- Eugénie Buffet at :fr:musicMe