Gaston Couté (23 September 1880 – 28 June 1911) was a

French poet List of poets who have written in the French language: A * Louise-Victorine Ackermann (1813–1890) * Adam de la Halle (v.1250 – v.1285) * Pierre Albert-Birot (1876–1967) * Anne-Marie Albiach (1937–2012) * Pierre Alféri (1963) * Marc ...

and singer, known for his pacifist and

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...

texts.

Biography

Couté was the son of a

miller A miller is a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalent ...

and went to the lycée Pothier in

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and baccalauréat The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...

. He got a job as an assistant clerk at the Recette générale des Impôts (like a

receiver general A receiver general (or receiver-general) is an officer responsible for accepting payments on behalf of a government, and for making payments to a government on behalf of other parties. See also * Treasurer * Receiver General for Canada * Recei ...

, but for tax) in Orléans and then he worked for a local newspaper called ''Le Progrès du Loiret''. He then began to publish his poems, some of which were written in the

Beauceron The Beauceron is a herding dog breed originating from the plains of Central France. The Beauceron is also known as Berger de Beauce (sheepdog from Beauce) or Bas Rouge (red-stockings). History A French herding breed known for centuries in west ...

patois ''Patois'' (, pl. same or ) is speech or language that is considered nonstandard, although the term is not formally defined in linguistics. As such, ''patois'' can refer to pidgins, creoles, dialects or vernaculars, but not commonly to jargon o ...

. He got the opportunity to have them heard by a troupe of Parisian artists on tour. After receiving some encouragement, Couté decided at the age of 18 in 1898 to go to Paris. After several lean yeans, he found some success in

cabarets Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or ...

. He also collaborated with

Théodore Botrel Jean-Baptiste-Théodore-Marie Botrel (14 September 1868 – 28 July 1925) was a French singer-songwriter, poet and playwright. He is best known for his popular songs about his native Brittany, of which the most famous is ''La Paimpolaise''. Durin ...

for the journal ''La Bonne Chanson''. Singer and poet Jehan Rictus, who based his poems on the use of slang, was aware of Couté's talent and said of him, "Georges Oble and me, we were undoubtedly in the presence of a teenager of genius who, to his extraordinary gifts, already combined a most skilful technique and in-depth knowledge of the profession". He also contributed to the libertarian newspapers ''La Barricade'' and frequently ''

La Guerre Sociale ''La Guerre Sociale'' was an ultra-left journal appearing in France from 1977 to 1985. It attracted controversy over its support for negationism. The leading spirit was Dominique Blanc. He had previously been involved in the '' Organisation des Jeu ...

''. He had a difficult end to his life:

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

, absinthe and

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...

. He died in 1911 from

pulmonary congestion Pulmonary edema, also known as pulmonary congestion, is excessive liquid accumulation in the tissue and air spaces (usually alveoli) of the lungs. It leads to impaired gas exchange and may cause hypoxemia and respiratory failure. It is due t ...

24 hours after being taken to

Lariboisière Hospital Lariboisière Hospital (french: Hôpital Lariboisière) is a hospital in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, France. The hospital was one of several built following the second cholera pandemic, which had reached Paris in 1832, and which led to a ...

. At the time, he was about to be brought before the

cour d'assises In France, a ''cour d'assises'', or Court of Assizes or Assize Court, is a criminal trial court with original and appellate limited jurisdiction to hear cases involving defendants accused of felonies, meaning crimes as defined in French law. I ...

for having published an

antimilitarist Antimilitarism (also spelt anti-militarism) is a doctrine that opposes war, relying heavily on a critical theory of imperialism and was an explicit goal of the First and Second International. Whereas pacifism is the doctrine that disputes (especi ...

and revolutionary song in La Guerre Sociale praising "facts qualified as crimes". He was buried in the cemetery in

Meung-sur-Loire Meung-sur-Loire () is a commune in the Loiret department, north-central France. It was the site of the Battle of Meung-sur-Loire in 1429. Geography Meung-sur-Loire lies 15 km to the west of Orléans on the north bank of the river Loire ...

, where there is a museum dedicated to him.

Posthumous tributes

Couté's poems have been regularly interpreted, particularly in music and shows of the likes of Gérard Pierron, Marc Robine, Yves Deniaud, Bernard Meulien, Claude Antonini, Vania Adrien-Sens, Compagnie Grizzli, Compagnie Philibert Tambour, Le P'tit Crème, Hélène Maurice, Imbu, Bernard Gainier, Bruno Daraquy, Jan dau Melhau,

Édith Piaf Édith Piaf (, , ; born Édith Giovanna Gassion, ; December 19, 1915– October 10, 1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars. Pia ...

, Monique Morelli,

Marc Ogeret Marc Ogeret (; 25 February 1932 – 4 June 2018) was a French singer. Biography Ogeret was born in Paris in 1932. His mother was a dressmaker and his father worked in the health service of the ministry of war. At 17, he dropped school and work ...

, Claude Féron,

Bernard Lavilliers Bernard Oulion (; born 7 October 1946 in Saint-Étienne), known professionally as Bernard Lavilliers (), is a French singer-songwriter and actor. Discography Albums Studio albums * ''Premiers pas...'' (1968) * ''Les poètes'' (1972) * ''Le St� ...

, La Tordue,

Loïc Lantoine Loïc Lantoine is a French singer and songwriter born in Armentières, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France. He wrote songs for Jehan Jehan is a male given name. It is the old orthography of Jean in Old French, and is rarely given anymore. It is also a ...

and

Gabriel Yacoub Gabriel Yacoub is a French musician, songwriter and visual artist. Biography Yacoub was born in 1952, in Paris, of a Lebanese father and a French mother. He was a guitarist and singer with the Alan Stivell group that toured France in 1971. Bef ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coute, Gaston People from Loiret 1880 births 1911 deaths 20th-century French male writers 20th-century French poets 20th-century French male singers French anarchists French chansonniers French male poets