Mireille Hartuch
Encyclopedia
Mireille Hartuch was a French singer, composer, and actress. She was generally known by the stage name "Mireille".
Born in Paris to Jewish parents, her mother came from a family of musicians and as a child Mireille was taught to play the piano and encouraged to pursue a career in music. As a teenager she worked in live theatre and, influenced by the music of the great dance halls of Paris, she began composing music for the theatre. For her performances, she was billed simply as Mireille, the single name a common practice at the time. In 1928 she began a collaboration with lyricist Jean Nohain (1900–1981) that led to considerable success for many years.
Fluent in the English language, she spent two years in the United States, first in New York City where she performed in a Broadway play before going on to Hollywood. In 1931, she appeared in a film with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
and another with Buster Keaton
. Back in France, her songwriting career took off when her songs were recorded by the great French singers of the time, Maurice Chevalier
, Charles Trenet
and a young Jean Sablon
.
In 1933 she appeared in the French film Chourinette but did not play on the screen again until 1951's Au fil des ondes. In 1937 she married the writer, Emmanuel Berl
, giving him the nickname Théodore. Three years later during the Nazi
occupation, because they were Jews they were forced to go into hiding in Argentat
in the remote Corrèze
département in the Limousin
region. There, Mireille Hartuch was very active in the French Resistance
and was head of the local liberation committee.
After the War, through her songwriting, she became close friends of Jean Cocteau
, Albert Camus
, and André Malraux
. In the 1950s, her friend, Sacha Guitry
gave her the idea of opening the "Petit Conservatoire de la chanson" (Little Conservatory of Song http://www.lehall.com/galerie/mireille/conserva/) to use her talents to train young singers. Opened in 1955, it proved to be a highly beneficial institution that nurtured the voices of a number of young singers who went on to success.
In her long and respected career, Mireille Hartuch composed more than six hundred songs and was twice decorated by the government for her contributions to French culture.
Mireille Hartuch died in Paris in 1996 at the age of 90 and was interred there in the Cimetière du Montparnasse.
Adapted from the article Mireille Hartuch, from Wikinfo, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License
.
Born in Paris to Jewish parents, her mother came from a family of musicians and as a child Mireille was taught to play the piano and encouraged to pursue a career in music. As a teenager she worked in live theatre and, influenced by the music of the great dance halls of Paris, she began composing music for the theatre. For her performances, she was billed simply as Mireille, the single name a common practice at the time. In 1928 she began a collaboration with lyricist Jean Nohain (1900–1981) that led to considerable success for many years.
Fluent in the English language, she spent two years in the United States, first in New York City where she performed in a Broadway play before going on to Hollywood. In 1931, she appeared in a film with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
Douglas Elton Fairbanks, Jr. KBE was an American actor and a highly decorated naval officer of World War II.-Early life:...
and another with Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
. Back in France, her songwriting career took off when her songs were recorded by the great French singers of the time, Maurice Chevalier
Maurice Chevalier
Maurice Auguste Chevalier was a French actor, singer, entertainer and a noted Sprechgesang performer. He is perhaps best known for his signature songs, including Louise, Mimi, Valentine, and Thank Heaven for Little Girls and for his films including The Love Parade and The Big Pond...
, Charles Trenet
Charles Trenet
Charles Trenet was a French singer and songwriter, most famous for his recordings from the late 1930s until the mid-1950s, though his career continued through the 1990s...
and a young Jean Sablon
Jean Sablon
Jean Sablon was a popular French singer and actor.The son of a composer, with brothers and sisters who had successful careers of their own in musical entertainment, Jean Sablon studied piano at the Lyceé Charlemagne in Paris...
.
In 1933 she appeared in the French film Chourinette but did not play on the screen again until 1951's Au fil des ondes. In 1937 she married the writer, Emmanuel Berl
Emmanuel Berl
Emmanuel Berl was a French journalist, historian and essayist. He was born at Le Vésinet in the modern département of Yvelines, and is buried in the Montparnasse Cemetery, Paris. In 1937 he married the singer, composer and film actress Mireille Hartuch; she had nicknamed him "Théodore"...
, giving him the nickname Théodore. Three years later during the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
occupation, because they were Jews they were forced to go into hiding in Argentat
Argentat
Argentat is a commune in the Corrèze department in central France.-Geography:Argentat is situated on the Dordogne River, to the south west of Bort-les-Orgues. It is the point where the Maronne, a tributary of the Dordogne, converges with the famous river...
in the remote Corrèze
Corrèze
Corrèze is a department in south central France, named after the Corrèze River.The inhabitants of the department are called Corréziens or Corréziennes according to gender.-History:...
département in the Limousin
Limousin (région)
Limousin is one of the 27 regions of France. It is composed of three départements: Corrèze, Creuse and the Haute-Vienne.Situated largely in the Massif Central, as of January 1st 2008, the Limousin comprised 740,743 inhabitants on nearly 17 000 km2, making it the second least populated region of...
region. There, Mireille Hartuch was very active in the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
and was head of the local liberation committee.
After the War, through her songwriting, she became close friends of Jean Cocteau
Jean Cocteau
Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, playwright, artist and filmmaker. His circle of associates, friends and lovers included Kenneth Anger, Pablo Picasso, Jean Hugo, Jean Marais, Henri Bernstein, Marlene Dietrich, Coco Chanel, Erik Satie, María...
, Albert Camus
Albert Camus
Albert Camus was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, which was opposed to some tendencies of the Surrealist movement of André Breton.Camus was awarded the 1957...
, and André Malraux
André Malraux
André Malraux DSO was a French adventurer, award-winning author, and statesman. Having traveled extensively in Indochina and China, Malraux was noted especially for his novel entitled La Condition Humaine , which won the Prix Goncourt...
. In the 1950s, her friend, Sacha Guitry
Sacha Guitry
Alexandre-Pierre Georges Guitry was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the Boulevard theatre.- Biography :...
gave her the idea of opening the "Petit Conservatoire de la chanson" (Little Conservatory of Song http://www.lehall.com/galerie/mireille/conserva/) to use her talents to train young singers. Opened in 1955, it proved to be a highly beneficial institution that nurtured the voices of a number of young singers who went on to success.
In her long and respected career, Mireille Hartuch composed more than six hundred songs and was twice decorated by the government for her contributions to French culture.
Mireille Hartuch died in Paris in 1996 at the age of 90 and was interred there in the Cimetière du Montparnasse.
External links
Adapted from the article Mireille Hartuch, from Wikinfo, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License
GNU Free Documentation License
The GNU Free Documentation License is a copyleft license for free documentation, designed by the Free Software Foundation for the GNU Project. It is similar to the GNU General Public License, giving readers the rights to copy, redistribute, and modify a work and requires all copies and...
.