Edith Piaf

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Edith Piaf

Edith Piaf , 1915-63, French cabaret singer, born as Edith Giovanna Gassion. She began to sing at 15 in cafés and in the streets of Paris and was soon engaged to sing in a cabaret. Fame quickly followed her appearances in nightclubs all over Europe and America. Piaf appeared in several movies, starring in Le Bel Indifférent (1940), originally a play written for her by Jean Cocteau. Her highly emotional and powerful voice was enormously expressive. Her performance of the song Milord was especially cherished by international audiences.

Bibliography: See her memoirs, Au bal de la chance (1958, tr. 1965); biography by her half sister Simone Berteaut (1972).

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Piaf, Edith

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Â© World Encyclopedia 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Piaf, Edith (1915–63) French cabaret singer, b. Edith Giovanna Gassion. Her small stature earned the nickname ‘piaf’ (Fr. sparrow). Piaf's tragic life, which was ended prematurely by her addiction to drugs, is reflected in the emotional impact of songs such as “Non, je ne regrette rien” and “La vie en Rose”.

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Torch singing; performing resistance and desire from Billie Holiday to Edith Piaf.(Brief Article)(Book Review) Magazine article from: Reference & Research Book News; 11/1/2007
	Piaf; a biography. (reprint, 1979).(Brief article)(Book review) Magazine article from: Reference & Research Book News; 8/1/2008
	Marion Cotillard: so how do you play an icon who surmounted trauma, heartache, and drug addiction to become one of France's greatest singers?(Interview) Magazine article from: Interview; 7/1/2007

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	Torch singing; performing resistance and desire from Billie Holiday to Edith Piaf.(Brief Article)(Book Review) Magazine article from: Reference & Research Book News; 11/1/2007; 171 words ; 9780759106581 Torch singing; performing resistance and desire from Billie Holiday to Edith Piaf. Jones, Stacy Holman. AltaMira Press 2007 217 pages $75.00 Hardcover Ethnographic alternatives book series ML3918 To ethnographer... Read more
	Piaf; a biography. (reprint, 1979).(Brief article)(Book review) Magazine article from: Reference & Research Book News; 8/1/2008; 116 words ; 9781559708807 Piaf; a biography. (reprint, 1979...interest in the iconic singer Edith Piaf and how she influenced an...considered the definitive book on Piaf's life and artistry. Plenty...give those unfamiliar with Piaf a more vivid account of why... Read more
	Marion Cotillard: so how do you play an icon who surmounted trauma, heartache, and drug addiction to become one of France's greatest singers?(Interview) Magazine article from: Interview; 7/1/2007; ; 685 words ; ...feral portrait of the French singer Edith Piaf as a captive wild animal hurling herself...is your first memory of hearing a Piaf song? MARION COTILLARD: I think it...Rose, because my grandmother loved Piaf. BL: What was it about Piaf's music... Read more
	Christine Albert: Paris, Texafrance.(Sound recording review)(Brief article) Magazine article from: Sing Out!; 6/22/2008; ; 288 words ; ...music of Parisian cafe society and its beloved songstress Edith Piaf. When she moved to Santa Fe these influences began to...version by Nicolette Lason. The CD concludes with the Edith Piaf's signature anthem Hymn a l'amour / Hymn to Love. It... Read more
	(sound recording review) Magazine article from: Sing Out!; 3/22/2003; ; 290 words ; Oriente 22 MARIA TANASE Ciuleandra Oriente 35 Mara Tanase has been called the Edith Piaf of Romania, and on hearing these CDs, it's with good reason. Tanase was a virtuoso vocalist, combining a lusciously rich natural... Read more
	La Vie En Rose.(Movie review) Magazine article from: Interview; 6/1/2007; ; 121 words ; ...with teeth and talons bared, into the role of French chanteuse Edith Piaf in this resolutely old-fashioned biopic that transcends its...visual sumptuousness and sheer performative chutzpah. Following Edith (nicknamed la Mome, or little sparrow ) from her tumultuous... Read more
	HUBBARD COMES HOME, PLAYS `LOTTERY'.(Hubbard Street Dance Company does Shirley Jackson's 'Lottery')(Brief Article) Magazine article from: Dance Magazine; 3/1/2000; ; 289 words ; Drawn from the macabre short story by Shirley Jackson and propelled by a score mixing Beethoven and Edith Piaf, Harrison McEldowney's darkly comic ballet The Lottery will be a main feature of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's three-week session... Read more
	Maria Tanase, Magic Bird: The Early Years, (Oriente 42).(Shortcuts)(Sound Recording Review) Magazine article from: Sing Out!; 9/22/2003; 60 words ; ...Oriente of recordings by Maria Tanase, the sophisticated, vocal virtuoso, interpreter and folklorist called the Romanian Edith Piaf, gathers 19 tracks recorded early in her career in Bucharest and Vienna between 1936 and 1939. Tanase delivered these... Read more
	What you're listening to: Niki Luparelli.(GO!) Newspaper article from: Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA); 6/25/2009; 400 words ; ...filled with the classic stylings of the Andrew Sisters or Edith Piaf, the next you're in the '80s with David Bowie and the...Polka, The Andrews Sisters 2. Non Je Ne Regrette Rien, Edith Piaf 3. Waiting for the Bus, Violent Femmes 4. Drums-a-go... Read more
	Dan's the man... but girls lose out. Newspaper article from: Yorkshire Evening Post (Leeds, England); 2/11/2008; 127 words ; ...limelight. Marion Cotillard, pictured below, was the surprise winner of the best actress award for her portrayal of singer Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose. Julie Christie had been odds-on favourite to win best actress for Away From Her and Atonement's Keira... Read more