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Baden Powell's tribute to "La Marseillaise"
3 Dec 2006, 11:07
Baden Powell is playing La Marseillaise, the french national anthem by officer Rouget de Lisle (1792). This song got popular during french revolution at the end of 18th century.
It is the most beautiful arrangement I ever heard.
The reason is that La marseillaise, which was initially written to encourage revolutionary troops, is usually played in a pompous, over-energetic way, often with its tough and violent lyrics:
"...
Over us the bloodstained banner,
Of tyranny holds sway !
Oh do you hear there in our fields
The roar of those fierce fighting men?
Who came right here into our midst
To slaughter sons, wifes and kin.
To arms ! ... "
In Baden's arms, it becomes subtle, soft, gentle, full of 'saudade', so much that now it seems to call for peace.
Baden's inernational career started in France. Baden knew France very well. He came to Paris with money for only one month in 1962. He met with Pierre Barouh who organised everything so that he could be first part of Jacques Brel show at l'Olympia. He got so many success from this show that Barcalys decided to sign him. He then met with Claude Nougaro who got fascinated by him. Claude recorded some fantastic french version of his songs. Baden stayed in France for three years, recording, touring, and composing with Vinicius among their most beautiful songs: the Afro Sambas,
Samba Em Preludio, Velho Amigo...
This video is from second part of Pierre Kast documentary on Brasil. The girl on the right hand side seems to be Tereza Drummond, Baden's second wife.
According to Pierre Kast off comment (translated below), we can hear at the beginning Baden playing an "praise for peace" by himself, and then a song with lyrics by Vinicius. I had never heard these two before. If anyone has information, please advise...
Pierre Kast off comment: "And while flying on a small plane, doors opened, my camera man's legs hanging out, over the future big Urubupunga hydroelectric power central on Rio Parana, I can already hear a strange melody... This melody is a 'praise for peace': lyrics by Rui Guerra, music by Baden Powell. I had met with Baden Powell a few weeks before in Auro Preto, where he accepted to be filmed. I arrived in Sao Paulo dazed, astounded by what I had seen. Baden was there. He is working. He has one TV show per week. He is rehearsing, composing, playing, and sometimes he is having fun. We were happy to meet again on that day ... strange Robinson on a strange desert island... He proposed to me to record again some of his music. You've just listened to his 'praise for peace', and you can now hear him composing and rehearsing on a cantate with lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes. But, especially for us, he is going to play again: a samba? a popular music? a love song? yes all that ... but however, on a melody you know well, a melody that young Bonaparte could hear, and that old crown less Napoleon enjoyed listening to, De Lisle used to say 'this melody's got some moustache'..."
It is the most beautiful arrangement I ever heard.
The reason is that La marseillaise, which was initially written to encourage revolutionary troops, is usually played in a pompous, over-energetic way, often with its tough and violent lyrics:
"...
Over us the bloodstained banner,
Of tyranny holds sway !
Oh do you hear there in our fields
The roar of those fierce fighting men?
Who came right here into our midst
To slaughter sons, wifes and kin.
To arms ! ... "
In Baden's arms, it becomes subtle, soft, gentle, full of 'saudade', so much that now it seems to call for peace.
Baden's inernational career started in France. Baden knew France very well. He came to Paris with money for only one month in 1962. He met with Pierre Barouh who organised everything so that he could be first part of Jacques Brel show at l'Olympia. He got so many success from this show that Barcalys decided to sign him. He then met with Claude Nougaro who got fascinated by him. Claude recorded some fantastic french version of his songs. Baden stayed in France for three years, recording, touring, and composing with Vinicius among their most beautiful songs: the Afro Sambas,
Samba Em Preludio, Velho Amigo...This video is from second part of Pierre Kast documentary on Brasil. The girl on the right hand side seems to be Tereza Drummond, Baden's second wife.
According to Pierre Kast off comment (translated below), we can hear at the beginning Baden playing an "praise for peace" by himself, and then a song with lyrics by Vinicius. I had never heard these two before. If anyone has information, please advise...
Pierre Kast off comment: "And while flying on a small plane, doors opened, my camera man's legs hanging out, over the future big Urubupunga hydroelectric power central on Rio Parana, I can already hear a strange melody... This melody is a 'praise for peace': lyrics by Rui Guerra, music by Baden Powell. I had met with Baden Powell a few weeks before in Auro Preto, where he accepted to be filmed. I arrived in Sao Paulo dazed, astounded by what I had seen. Baden was there. He is working. He has one TV show per week. He is rehearsing, composing, playing, and sometimes he is having fun. We were happy to meet again on that day ... strange Robinson on a strange desert island... He proposed to me to record again some of his music. You've just listened to his 'praise for peace', and you can now hear him composing and rehearsing on a cantate with lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes. But, especially for us, he is going to play again: a samba? a popular music? a love song? yes all that ... but however, on a melody you know well, a melody that young Bonaparte could hear, and that old crown less Napoleon enjoyed listening to, De Lisle used to say 'this melody's got some moustache'..."
