Léo Ferré

Infobox musical artist
Name = Léo Ferré


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Born = birth date|1916|8|24|mf=y
Died = Death date and age|1993|7|14|1916|8|24
Origin = Monaco
Instrument = Piano
Genre = Chanson
Symphonic
French pop
Occupation = Monagasque singer-songwriter
Writer
Printer
Conductor
Radio Personality
Years_active = 1957 - 1991
Label = Le Chant du Monde
Odéon
Barclay Records
CBS
RCA
EPM
La Mémoire et la Mer
URL = [http://www.leo-ferre.com leo-ferre.com ]
Notable_instruments =

Léo Ferré (August 24, 1916 - July 14, 1993) was a French poet, composer, singer and musician.

Born in Monaco, Ferré mixed love and melancholy with moral anarchy, lyricism with slang, rhyming verse with prose monologues. He moved from music-hall to orchestral music, breaking free from the traditional song structure during the 1970s, inventing his own musical territory, powerfully dramatic and unique. He also set to music several poems by the French poètes maudits, such as François Villon, Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, and Arthur Rimbaud, as well as French poets from the 20th century like Guillaume Apollinaire and Louis Aragon.

He took a central place in the French song world and is a prominent figure in this domain. He was involved in anarchism and worked with Radio Libertaire, an anarchist free radio broadcasting in Paris and around France. Along with Georges Brassens and Jacques Brel, he is considered one of the greatest composers and writers of French songs.

Discography

* [http://nerial.free.fr/artelio/artelio/art_027.html Critical discography] for a better understanding of Léo Ferré's artistic path.
* [http://www.jchr.be/chansons/ferre.html Vinyl discography (french)]

Bibliography

* [http://passageleoferre.free.fr/ Passage Léo Ferré] a nearly complete bibliography

See also

*"L'Affiche Rouge (poem)"

External links

* [http://www.leo-ferre.com/accueil/accueil.html Léo Ferré] Official site
* [http://brassensbrelferre.free.fr Recording] of the unique interview with Georges Brassens and Jacques Brel 6 January 1969
* [http://www.rfimusique.com/siteFr/biographie/biographie_8867.asp Biography] with links to several articles
* [http://www.europopmusic.eu/France_pages/Ferre.html Léo Ferré on Europopmusic.eu] (English)
* [http://www.fan-de-paroles.be/paroles/38/chansons-de-leo-ferre.html Lyrics]
* [http://www.lehall.com/galerie/ferre/index.html Pays-Âges de Léo Ferré] a gallery of places and people in Ferré's life
* [http://larbredupoete.free.fr/ L'arbre du poète] Interviews and a large selection of links
* [http://membres.lycos.fr/lescopainsdlaneuille/ Les Copains d’la neuille] twice-yearly update on news concerning Ferré