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Edith Piaf:
Tale of a heartbreaking voice
Hemakumar Nanayakkara
Edith Piaf was born on December 19, 1915, in Paris. Her real name was
Edith Giovanna Gassion. Her father was an acrobat who performed on the
streets of Paris. Her mother worked as a cafe singer. Piaf’s mother
didn’t have much time to look after the little daughter. Piaf was raised
by her paternal grandmother. Since the age 3 she had been completely
blind as a result of keratitis. Her childhood was overshadowed by
poverty and illness.
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Edith Piaf |
In 1929 Piaf left her paternal grandmother and joined her father as a
street performer. Later Piaf became independent and performed as a
street singer in Paris.
While she performed as a street singer, was discovered in the Pigalle
area of Paris by Louis Leplee, who was a famous night club owner. Piaf
stood only 142 cm. Referred to her height, Leplee gave her the nickname,
‘La Mome Piaf’ (The Little Sparrow). Later she adopted this as a stage
name. Piaf gained immense popularity as she toured in France singing in
cabaret and theatres.
In 1936 for the first time she performed on radio recordings. Her
greatest hit came after the Second World War with the famous song ‘La
Vie En Rose’ (1946) which became a huge international success. Some of
her other popular hits were ‘Hymne a l’Amour’ (1949), ‘ Padam Padam’
(1951), ‘ La Foule’ (1957) , ‘ Milord’(1959) and ‘None , Je Ne Regrette
Rein (1960).Her last song was ‘L’homme de Berlin’, which she recorded in
1963.Piaf’s music reflected her tragic life. Her songs were famous
poignant ballads presented with a heartbreaking voice. After the Second
World War she began to tour the world and achieved a great international
fame and popularity.
In 1951, Piaf met with a car accident and her injuries resulted in a
continuous addiction to morphine and alcohol. Piaf had a close
friendship with other internationally famous stars of that time, such as
Marlene Dietrich and Judy Garland.
Piaf was one of the most famous French singers of modern era. She was
internationally known for her husky mournful voice and emotional songs
of loneliness. |
