Lucien Boyer, (1876-1942) was a French

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...

singer. He first won popularity singing to soldiers at the front 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 ...

. Boyer's fame as a writer and singer spread throughout the world from the

Montmartre Montmartre ( , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue Ca ...

district of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. He was author of more than 1,000 songs and 39

musical comedies Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

and

operettas Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

. Among his best known songs were ''

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

'', ''Cu C'est Paris'', ''La Femme du Matelot'' and ''Mon Paris''. When he came to

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1921, it was for the purpose of acquiring American songs to be adapted for the public in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

that liked "le Jazz." Though Boyer did not author the famous French song ''

La Madelon ''La Madelon'' or ''Quand Madelon'', also known in English as ''Madelon (I'll Be True to the Whole Regiment)'' is a French popular song of World War I. Although it is mostly known as ''La Madelon'' the proper title is ''Quand Madelon'' which are t ...

'', he popularized the song during

.Billboard June 27, 1942

Published works

* Lucien Boyer ''Le Gondolier de Montmartre'', collection of poetry, Paris, éditions du vieux moulin, 1926 * Lucien Boyer ''Paysages de France'', Paris, société des publications modernes, 1931 * Lucien Boyer ''Qu'il était beau mon village'', novel, Paris, éditions Baudinière, 1935

References

* Léon de Bercy, ''Montmartre et ses chansons : Poètes et Chansonniers'' (with 5 portraits-charges by C. Léandre), H. Daragon, Paris, 1902, 280 p. En ligne sur Gallica
/small> * 1920 : Chez Mayol ( Concert Mayol). ''Berlingot'' : operetta in 2 acts and 3 tableaux by Lucien Boyer, music by

Willy Redstone Willy (or Willie) Redstone (24 September 1883 – 30 September 1949) was a French composer and conductor of light music who had a substantial career in England and Australia, where he became music editor for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ...

and A. Stanislas : Poster illustrated by Adrien Barrère (1877-1931) En ligne sur Gallica
/small> * Chantal Brunschwig,

Louis-Jean Calvet Louis-Jean Calvet (born 5 June 1942) is a French linguist. Biography As a student at the University of Nice, where he was a student of linguist Pierre Guiraud, Calvet was elected in 1964 to the national bureau of the Union Nationale des Étudia ...

, Jean-Claude Klein, ''Cent ans de chanson française'', Seuil, 1972 (1^re éd. reliée) ; ré-éd. poche (coll. Points actuels), 1981

External links

Le voyage autour du monde de Lucien Boyer et Numa Blès vu par ''Paris qui chante'' (personal site of Hervé David)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyer, Lucien People from Gironde 1876 births 1942 deaths French chansonniers French librettists 20th-century French poets Knights of the Legion of Honour Burials at Batignolles Cemetery