Pascal Bastia (11 September 1908 – 12 July 2007) was a 20th-century French operetta composer, songwriter and screenwriter.

Biography

Pascal Bastia was the son of chansonnier-songwriter, singer, actor, filmmaker Jean Bastia (1878-1940), born in a family from the Corsican village of Vescovato. The cartoonist Georges Bastia and the film director

Jean Bastia Jean Bastia (21 February 1919 in Bastia Bastia (, , , ; co, Bastìa ) is a commune in the department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-hi ...

were his brothers. He made his debut aged 19 with two works written under the pseudonym Irving Paris, ''Ma Femme'' (1927) and ''Un joli monsieur'', but encountered real success under his real name with the operetta ''Dix-neuf ans'' (1933). This play was the first to be inspired by light

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

introduced in France by

Mireille Mireille () is a French given name, derived from the Provençal Occitan name ''Mirèio'' (or ''Mirèlha'' in the classical norm of Occitan, ). It could be related to the Occitan verb ''mirar'' "to look, to admire" or to the given names ''Miriam'' " ...

and the

Quintette du Hot Club de France The Quintette du Hot Club de France ("The Quintet of the Hot Club of France"), often abbreviated "QdHCdF" or "QHCF", was a jazz group founded in France in 1934 by guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stéphane Grappelli and active in one form ...

around Stéphane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt. The latter appeared in the orchestra that accompanied the recordings of the play. In 1933, ''Dix-neuf ans'' was given 300 times at the

Théâtre Daunou The théâtre Daunou is a Parisian theater with 450 seats, located at 7 rue Daunou in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris. History The theatre was a command from the actress Jane Renouardt to the architect Auguste Bluysen. The building is in an ...

. The cast was composed of Éliane de Creus (later replaced by

Suzy Delair Suzy Delair (born Suzette Pierrette Delaire; December 31, 1917 – March 15, 2020) was a French actress, dancer, singer, comedian and star of vaudeville. Early years Growing up in Montmartre, Delair was the daughter of a father who upholstered ...

) and Jean Sablon, surrounded by Lily Mounet, Jean Bastia,

Reda Caire Reda Caire (real name: Joseph Gandhour) (1908–1963) was a popular singer of operettes in Paris in the 1930s and 1950s.Dominique Auzias, Jean-Paul Labourdette, ''Petit futé: Var'', 2010, p. 22/ref>Michel Souvais, ''Arletty, confidences à son ...

and some debutantes including Viviane Romance. The work was performed in the provinces, in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

and

Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...

. There were more than 1,500 performances. After the war, Pascal Bastia continued his career with ups and downs, mostly in the provinces with ''Mademoiselle Star'' (1945) or ''Gardes françaises'' (Reims, 1962). This last play was closer to

opéra comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular '' opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Fair Theatres of St Germain and St Laurent (and to a l ...

, like

Georges van Parys Georges Van Parys (7 June 1902 in Paris – 28 January 1971 in Paris) was a French composer of film music and operettas. Among his musical influences were the group Les Six, Maurice Ravel, and Claude Debussy. Later in his career he served as vi ...

's or

Maurice Yvain Maurice Yvain (12 February 1891 – 27 July 1965) was a French composer noted for his operettas of the 1920s and 1930s. Some of which were written for Mistinguett, at one time the best-paid female entertainer in the world. In the 1930s and 1940s, ...

's latest works. But he would never again find the success of ''Dix-neuf ans''. Pascal Bastia was one of the first composers to not orchestrate his own scores, the American way: ''Ma Femme'' was orchestrated by

André Sablon André Eugène Sablon (22 May 1896, Paris – 9 August 1947, Paris) was a 20th-century French composer. Prematurely died at the age of 51, he is buried at Montparnasse Cemetery. The son of (composer born in 1871), he was also the brother of Ge ...

(elder brother of John), ''Un joli Monsieur'' by Mac Curthy, ''Dix-neuf ans'' by Jef de Murel and

Michel Emer Michel Emer (June 19, 1906 – November 23, 1984), (real name Emer Rosenstein), was a French musician, composer and lyricist. His songs have been performed by Edith Piaf, Fréhel, Damia, Lys Gauty, Yves Montand, Jean Sablon, André Claveau, Ra ...

. On the other hand, he wrote most

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

s and

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, a ...

for his operettas. A singer-songwriter, his song were interpreted by the greatest: Jean Sablon,

Joséphine Baker Josephine Baker (born Freda Josephine McDonald; naturalised French Joséphine Baker; 3 June 1906 – 12 April 1975) was an American-born French dancer, singer and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in her adopted Fran ...

Luc Barney Luc or LUC may refer to: Places * Luc, Hautes-Pyrénées, France, a commune * Luc, Lozère, France, a commune * Le Luc, France, a commune * Luč, Baranja, Croatia, a settlement People and fictional characters * Luc (given name) * Luc (surn ...

. He also was the author of music and film scripts. He wrote the comedy ''Ce monde n'est pas pour les anges'' (1950,

Théâtre Édouard VII The Théâtre Édouard VII, also called théâtre Édouard VII – Sacha Guitry, is located in Paris between the Madeleine and the Opéra Garnier in the 9th arrondissement. The square, in which there is a statue of King Edward the Seventh, was ...

Main works

*1927: ''Ma femme'' *1928: ''Un joli monsieur'' *1933: ''Dix neuf ans'' *1935: ''Le Groom s'en chargera'' *1941: ''La Star et le champion'' *1945: ''Mademoiselle Star'' *1947: ''Quel beau voyage!'' *1947: ''Perdigal'' *1949: ''Priscilla'' *1951: ''Ma Louisiane'' *1953: ''Valets de cœur'' *1957: ''Nouvelle Orléans'' *1962: ''Les Gardes Françaises'' *1973: ''Joli tambour'' *1981: ''Le Chant du Far-West'' *2000: ''L' Oncle du Brésil''

Screenwriter

*1960: ''

Les Tortillards ''Les Tortillards'' en, Small local trains, is a French language, French Comedy film, comedy film from 1960, directed by Jean Bastia, written by Pierre Gaspard-Huit, starring Jean Richard (actor), Jean Richard and Louis de Funès. The film was k ...

'' *1962: ''

La Vendetta La Vendetta may refer to: * ''La Vendetta'' (film), a 1962 French comedy film * ''La Vendetta'' (novel), a novel by Honoré de Balzac * ''La Vendetta'' (TV series), a Filipino drama-suspense-thriller TV series * '' La Vendetta...'', 2014 album by A ...

'' *1962: ''

Un clair de lune à Maubeuge ''Moonlight in Maubeuge'' (french: Un clair de lune à Maubeuge), is a French comedy film from 1962, directed by Jean Chérasse, written by Claude Choublier, starring Claude Brasseur and Louis de Funès (uncredited). The film was known under ...

References

External links

BASTIA (Pascal)
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Bastia Pascal
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Operette-theatremusical
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bastia, Pascal French operetta composers 20th-century French screenwriters 1908 births Musicians from Paris 2007 deaths