C’est à vingt ans que la vie est joyeuse (AU1998-1073-012)
Dublin Core
Title
C’est à vingt ans que la vie est joyeuse (AU1998-1073-012)
Subject
Description
Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1073-012) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné.
“C’est à vingt ans que la vie est Joyeuse ” (”It’s at the age of twenty that life is joyous“) is a sentimental, moralizing song written by 19th century Parisian lyricist Maurice Patez (18??-1888. Little is known about Patez’s life or career; he appears to have had some success as a lyricist of comic songs in the mid 1800s. Evidence suggests that he was a friend of Parisian sociopolitical activist, songwriter and poet of the 1848 barricades, Charles Gille (1820-1856), who also hosted one of Paris’s most celebrated goguettes (a goguette is a festive social group tradition which flourished in France and Belgium in the 18th and 19th centuries, bringing together groups of friends and associates for a weekly Saturday evening of convivial drink and contemporary songs often written by the members themselves).
Gille published or co-published a number of collections of goguette songs during his lifetime. Shortly after his death, a group of fellow poets and friends including celebrated singer-songwriter Victor Rabineau (1816-1869) and Charles Colmance (1805-1870) published a collection of songs from Gille, themselves, and other contemporaries, titled Au coin du feu : chansonnier nouveau (Paris: Le Bailly, 1858) which includes the text of Alberta Gagné’s song, under the title “Trois amours de la vie” (“Three Loves in Life”), with lyrics credited to Maurice Patez, set to the melody of a familiar song of the day titled “Rayon du soleil.” There do not appear to have been any known sheet music publications of this song either in France or Quebec. in old age which reflects a lifetime of commitment and the ties to children
“C’est à vingt ans que la vie est Joyeuse ” (”It’s at the age of twenty that life is joyous“) is a sentimental, moralizing song written by 19th century Parisian lyricist Maurice Patez (18??-1888. Little is known about Patez’s life or career; he appears to have had some success as a lyricist of comic songs in the mid 1800s. Evidence suggests that he was a friend of Parisian sociopolitical activist, songwriter and poet of the 1848 barricades, Charles Gille (1820-1856), who also hosted one of Paris’s most celebrated goguettes (a goguette is a festive social group tradition which flourished in France and Belgium in the 18th and 19th centuries, bringing together groups of friends and associates for a weekly Saturday evening of convivial drink and contemporary songs often written by the members themselves).
Gille published or co-published a number of collections of goguette songs during his lifetime. Shortly after his death, a group of fellow poets and friends including celebrated singer-songwriter Victor Rabineau (1816-1869) and Charles Colmance (1805-1870) published a collection of songs from Gille, themselves, and other contemporaries, titled Au coin du feu : chansonnier nouveau (Paris: Le Bailly, 1858) which includes the text of Alberta Gagné’s song, under the title “Trois amours de la vie” (“Three Loves in Life”), with lyrics credited to Maurice Patez, set to the melody of a familiar song of the day titled “Rayon du soleil.” There do not appear to have been any known sheet music publications of this song either in France or Quebec. in old age which reflects a lifetime of commitment and the ties to children
Abstract
Alberta Gagné’s version is a bit of jumble—a number of the words of the original lyrics appear to have gotten lost during the train of transmission, and some of the substitutions put in their place simply make no sense. Accordingly, the following summary is not ver batim. Following the summary, the cataloguer is appending the lyrics by Patez as they appear and is followed by the original lyrics from Patez: the three verses comment on three stages of love: the romantic love of youth, the transformation of romantic love to a love based on trust and loyalty, and the transformation of love in old age which reflects a lifetime of commitment and the ties to children.
Original verses from Maurice Patez;
C’est à vingt ans, quand la vie est joyeuse,
Quand tout sourit d’espérance et d’amour,
Vers l’avenir troupe mystérieuse,
Sylphes charmants voltigent tour-à-tour.
D’illusions que l’ivresse prolonge,
Tout nous promet le séduisant concours,
N’en devrait-il, hélas, rester qu’un songe,
Pour être heureux, sachons aimer toujours.
Mais du plaisir s’effeuille la couronne,
Fragiles fleurs qui ne brilleront plus,
Dans notre ciel une étoile rayonne,
En la fixant nos yeux se sont émus.
Sous les rayons signalant son passage,
S’est refermé le livre des Amours,
De l’amitié nous épelons la page,
Pour être heureux, sachons aimer toujours.
Pâles reflets d’une brillante flamme,
Nous sommes las, mais souriant encore,
Le froid des ans n’a pas glacé notre âme,
Elle s’élève en un nouvel essor,
De nos enfants une simple caresse,
Du temps passé remplace les beaux jours,
Nous n’avons fait que changer de tendresse,
Pour être heureux, sachons aimer toujours.
Original verses from Maurice Patez;
C’est à vingt ans, quand la vie est joyeuse,
Quand tout sourit d’espérance et d’amour,
Vers l’avenir troupe mystérieuse,
Sylphes charmants voltigent tour-à-tour.
D’illusions que l’ivresse prolonge,
Tout nous promet le séduisant concours,
N’en devrait-il, hélas, rester qu’un songe,
Pour être heureux, sachons aimer toujours.
Mais du plaisir s’effeuille la couronne,
Fragiles fleurs qui ne brilleront plus,
Dans notre ciel une étoile rayonne,
En la fixant nos yeux se sont émus.
Sous les rayons signalant son passage,
S’est refermé le livre des Amours,
De l’amitié nous épelons la page,
Pour être heureux, sachons aimer toujours.
Pâles reflets d’une brillante flamme,
Nous sommes las, mais souriant encore,
Le froid des ans n’a pas glacé notre âme,
Elle s’élève en un nouvel essor,
De nos enfants une simple caresse,
Du temps passé remplace les beaux jours,
Nous n’avons fait que changer de tendresse,
Pour être heureux, sachons aimer toujours.
Source
VFC1998-0007 Martha Pellerin Collection. TC1998-1073 interview with Alberta Gagné. Vermont Folklife Center Archive, Vermont Folklife Center, Middlebury, Vermont, United States of America.
Date
Rights
Copyright (c) Vermont Folklife Center
Relation
Full Interview: vfc1998-0005_tc1998-1073
Language
fra
Identifier
vfc1998-0007_tc1998-1073-001b-003
Song Item Type Metadata
Supplied Title
C'est a vingt ans (first line)
Standard Title
Trois amours de la vie
First Line
C'est a vingt ans que la vie est joyeuse
Transcription
(BEGIN SINGING)
C'est à vingt ans que la vie est joyeuse,
Aux doux sourires d'espérance et d'amour,
Sur l'avenir, trompeuse, mystérieuse,
Laisse charmant voltige tour- à-tour.
De l'illusion que la vie se prolonge,
Du temps passé rappelle les beaux jours,
On devrait-il, hélas, rester qu'un songe,
Pour être heureux, sachons aimer toujours. [repeat last two lines]
Mais du plaisir s'effeuille la couronne,
Fragiles les fleurs qui ne fleuriront plus,
Dans notre ciel une étoile rayonne
En la fixant nos yeux se sont émus.
De ces rayons signalant son passage,
Du temps passé rappelle les beaux jours,
De l'amitié nous épelons la page,
Pour être heureux, sachons aimer toujours. [repeat last two lines]
Par le refus d'une brillante journée,
Nous sommes las mais souriants encore,
Le froid des arbres n'a pas glacé notre âme,
Elle s'éveille aux nouveaux sons.
De nos enfants une simple caresse,
C'est refermer la lèvre des amoureux,
Nous n'avons fait que changer de tendresse,
Pour être heureux, sachons aimer toujours. [repeat last two lines]
(END SINGING)
Translation
strophic, eight-line verses, three verses
Interviewer
Location
Original Format
sound cassette (analog)
Files
Citation
“C’est à vingt ans que la vie est joyeuse (AU1998-1073-012),” Vermont Folklife Center Digital Collections, accessed October 17, 2024, https://vtfolklifearchive.org/collections/items/show/327.
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