Michel Legrand's first great song La Valse des Lilas, displayed an individual style of melodic writing which soon became his hallmark.
“ I put a great deal of faith in melody, Nadia Boulanger always said: “ Put whatever you want above and below the melody but, whatever happens, it’s the melody that counts.’ For example, modern music tends to bore me now. It does of course contain innovative rhythmic and contrapuntal devices but, without melody, its lifeblood, it is lifeless and this helps to dehumanize it. For my part, melody is a mistress to whom I’ ll always be faithful.”
La Valse des Lilas
Michel Legrand
On ne peut pas vivre ainsi que tu le fais D'un souvenir qui n'est plus qu'un regret Sans un ami et sans autre secret Qu'un peu de larmes. Pour ces quelques pages de mélancolie Tu as fermé le livre de ta vie Et tu as cru que tout était fini...
... Mais tous les lilas Tous les lilas de mai N'en finiront N'en finiront jamais De fair' la fête au coeur des gens qui s'aiment, s'aiment. Tant que tournera Que tournera le temps Jusqu'au dernier Jusqu'au dernier printemps Le ciel aura Le ciel aura vingt ans Les amoureux en auront tout autant...
Si tu vois les jours se perdre au fond des nuits Les souvenirs abandonner ta vie C'est qu'ils ne peuvent rien contre l'oubli...
|
La Valse des Lilas
Michel Legrand
We can not live like you do With a memory that is not one regret Without a friend and without any secret
A few tears. For these few pages of melancholy You closed the book of your life And you thought it was all over ...
... But all the lilacs All the lilacs of May Never finish
Never ultimately finish The light heart in the heart of hearts of people who love, love. That will turn That will turn in time until the last Until the last spring The sky will The sky will be twenty years Lovers will have jthe same ...
If you see your days lost in the deep of nights Your life abandonned to memories It is that you can do nothing against forgetting
|