Jean-Villard Gilles (1975) by Erling Mandelmann

Jean Villard, Pseudonym, known as Gilles (2 June 1895 in

Montreux Montreux (, , ; frp, Montrolx) is a Swiss municipality and town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It belongs to the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, and has a population of approximat ...

(Switzerland) – 26 March 1982 in

Vevey Vevey (; frp, Vevê; german: label=former German, Vivis) is a town in Switzerland in the canton of Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne. The German name Vivis is no longer commonly used. It was the seat of the district of ...

), originating from Daillens, was a French Swiss multi-talented

chansonnier A chansonnier ( ca, cançoner, oc, cançonièr, Galician and pt, cancioneiro, it, canzoniere or ''canzoniéro'', es, cancionero) is a manuscript or printed book which contains a collection of chansons, or polyphonic and monophonic settings o ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

humorist A humorist (American) or humourist (British spelling) is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking, but is not an artist who seeks only to elicit laughs. Humorists are distinct from comedians, who are show business e ...

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, and cabaretist. He was friends with

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 ...

Ernest Ansermet Ernest Alexandre Ansermet (; 11 November 1883 – 20 February 1969)"Ansermet, Ernest" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 435. was a Swiss conductor. Biography Ansermet ...

Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...

, Jean Poiret,

Michel Serrault Michel Serrault (24 January 1928 – 29 July 2007) was a French stage and film actor who appeared from 1954 until 2007 in more than 130 films. Life and career His first professional job was in a touring production in Germany of Molière's '' Les ...

and met also with

Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz Charles Ferdinand Ramuz (24 September 1878 – 23 May 1947) was a French-speaking Swiss writer. Biography He was born in Lausanne in the canton of Vaud and was educated at the University of Lausanne. He taught briefly in nearby Aubonne, a ...

. He gave his last interview in December 1981 at his home, where he confided that "I have always tried my best to be a poet." One of

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...

parks A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

, on the ''Avenue du Théâtre'', now bears his name. He served in the

Swiss Army The Swiss Armed Forces (german: Schweizer Armee, french: Armée suisse, it, Esercito svizzero, rm, Armada svizra; ) operates on land and in the air, serving as the primary armed forces of Switzerland. Under the country's militia system, re ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Soubey Soubey is a municipality in the district of Franches-Montagnes in the canton of Jura in Switzerland. History Soubey is first mentioned in 1340 as ''Subeis''. In 1369 it was mentioned as ''Subiez''. Because Soubey is among the few locations i ...

, Jura, recalling that he defended the bridge that crosses the river

Doubs Doubs (, ; ; frp, Dubs) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. Named after the river Doubs, it had a population of 543,974 in 2019.L'histoire du soldat ' (''The Soldier's Tale'') is a theatrical work "to be read, played, and danced" () by three actors and one or several dancers, accompanied by a septet of instruments. Conceived by Igor Stravinsky and Swiss writer C. F. Ramuz, the piece was bas ...

'' from

Igor Stravinski Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

and

Charles Ferdinand Ramuz Charles Ferdinand Ramuz (24 September 1878 – 23 May 1947) was a French-speaking Swiss writer. Biography He was born in Lausanne in the canton of Vaud and was educated at the University of Lausanne. He taught briefly in nearby Aubonne, and ...

* 1920-1930: Several roles at the "

Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier The Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier is a theatre located at 21, rue du Vieux-Colombier, in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It was founded in 1913 by the theatre producer and playwright Jacques Copeau. Today it is one of the three theatres in Paris u ...

" in Paris, directed by

Jacques Copeau Jacques Copeau (; 4 February 1879 – 20 October 1949) was a French theatre director, producer, actor, and dramatist. Before he founded the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in Paris, he wrote theatre reviews for several Parisian journals, work ...

* 1920: ''Cromedeyre-le-Vieil'' by

Jules Romains Jules Romains (born Louis Henri Jean Farigoule; 26 August 1885 – 14 August 1972) was a French poet and writer and the founder of the Unanimism literary movement. His works include the play '' Knock ou le Triomphe de la médecine'', and a cycle ...

, directed by

, Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier * 1930: Plays in « La Compagnie des Quinze » * 1931: ''La Mauvaise Conduite d'après Plaute'', Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier

Chansonnier

*1932-1939 duo « Gilles et Julien », with A.-M. Julien (Aman Maistre (1903-2001) *1940-1948 duo with Édith Burger,''Vidéo:'' Hommage à Edith
, an archive from

Télévision Suisse Romande Télévision Suisse Romande ("Swiss Television Romandy") was a Television broadcasting, TV network with two channels: TSR 1 and TSR 2 (the two channels became RTS Un and RTS Deux after 2012). They were the main French language channels in Switz ...

*1948-1975 duo with Albert Urfer

Cabaret owner

*1940 : he founded the cabaret « Coup de Soleil » in Lausanne with Edith Burger, an anti-Nazi, resistance, gathering place *1947 : he founded the cabaret « Chez Gilles » in Paris **discovers

, then an unknown beginner whom he immediately hired. *1955 : « Chez Gilles » in Lausanne

Some well-known works of his

*1932: ''

Dollar Dollar is the name of more than 20 currencies. They include the Australian dollar, Brunei dollar, Canadian dollar, Hong Kong dollar, Jamaican dollar, Liberian dollar, Namibian dollar, New Taiwan dollar, New Zealand dollar, Singapore dollar, U ...

'', first « chanson française engagée » of the 20th century *1936: ''La Belle France'' the anthem of the French Resistance

Popular Front A popular front is "any coalition of working-class and middle-class parties", including liberal and social democratic ones, "united for the defense of democratic forms" against "a presumed Fascist assault". More generally, it is "a coalition ...

*1940: ''

Les trois cloches "Les Trois Cloches" () is a Swiss song written in French by Jean Villard Gilles. Edith Piaf recorded the song ''a cappella'' with the French vocal group Les Compagnons de la chanson in July 1946. The song became one of Édith Piaf's biggest hits, a ...

'' interpreted by

with

Les Compagnons de la chanson Les Compagnons de la chanson were a French harmony vocal group from Lyon, France, founded in 1946. Their best known song was " Les trois cloches" recorded with Edith Piaf in 1946. They were a nine-member group, and they were popular in France with ...

*1940: ''14 juillet'' *1948: ''Le Bonheur'' *1951: ''A L'Enseigne de la Fille Sans Cœur'' interpreted by

*1954: '' La Venoge'' *1958: ''Nos Colonels''

Books

*1943, « Les Histoires de Gilles » *1954, « Mon demi siècle », Librérie Payot *1960, « La Venoge et autres poèmes » - images by Géa Augsburg, Editions du Verseau et Librairie Payot, Lausanne *1963, « Chansons que tout cela !», (Le meilleur de Gilles », tome I) *1969, « Mon demi siècle et demi », Payot *1971, « Le dernier mot », (Le meilleur de Gilles", tome II) *1978, « Amicalement vôtre, Récits, chansons et souvenir », Editions Pierre-Marcel Favre

Plays at the Théâtre du Jorat Mézières

*1950 « Passage de l'étoile » *1960 « La Grange aux Roud »

Bibliography

*Albert Urfer, ''Qui va piano...'', 1978 *Alex Décotte, ''Le siècle de Gilles'', 1995 *''Le meilleur de Gilles'' (3 volumes), Publi-Libris, 2003 *

Notes

External links

BibliographiePoésie ''La Venoge'' de Jean Villard-Gilles and much valuable information on "Vaudois" language
(This oeuvre is an integral part of the collective memory of a citizen of the canton of Vaud, as they were taught to recite it by heart at school from an early age).
Vidéo ''Jean Villard Gilles''
chante et raconte des histoires vaudoises, des vidéos du site des archives de la TSR Télévision Suisse Romande TSR {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilles, Jean Villard 1895 births 1982 deaths People from Montreux Swiss poets in French Swiss male poets Swiss male stage actors Swiss military personnel 20th-century Swiss poets 20th-century male writers 20th-century Swiss male singers