About
Jean Ferrat, born Jean Tenenbaum, was a French singer-songwriter. From a Jewish immigrant family, he was hidden during the Occupation. He had his first success in 1956 by setting a poem by Aragon to music. Politically engaged on the left, he was famous for his 'chanson à texte', including 'Nuit et Brouillard' (1963) about deportation, and 'La Montagne' (1964). He regularly set Louis Aragon's poems to music, with whom he formed a friendship. He stopped performing live in 1973 and retired to Ardèche. He is considered one of the greats of post-war French song.
* 1930-12-26 — † 2010-03-13
Major works
- Nuit et Brouillard (1963)song
- La Montagne (1964)song
- Potemkine (1965)song
- Ma France (1969)song
- Ferrat chante Aragon (1971)album
Key milestones
- 1956First success with 'Les Yeux d'Elsa' for André Claveau.
- 1963Wins the Grand Prix du Disque for 'Nuit et Brouillard'.
- 1973Stops performing live and retires to Ardèche.
Themes
poetrypolitical engagementmemory of the Holocaustlovenature and homeland
Sources: id.loc.gov · entities.oclc.org