Songs to his music were performed by those whom they knew and loved in all corners of the world. If fate had not brought him to the future legends, our hero could become the most ordinary vagrant.
The biography of this man is amazing. Having fallen in love with music, he entrusted his fate to her and did not lose. In his youth, leaving his hometown, he returned there famous and gave his name to one of its streets.
Childhood
Francis-Albert Le was born in Nice in April 1932. His father worked as a gardener and was descended from Italian migrants. The French resort, where rich people from all over the world loved to relax, such as him, was considered a great place to earn money. The father tried to instill a pragmatic attitude towards life in his son.
The boy liked music from an early age. When he started attending rehearsals for local amateur orchestras, his parents were happy. Bad habits were common in the work environment, and only those who had a passion could avoid them. Having survived the war, the family hoped to improve their financial situation and give the heir an education. The freedom-loving teenager declared that he sees himself as a professional musician. Adults resented such fantasies.
Youth
Finding no support at home, the young rebel set out on a journey. He had just turned 20 years old, had a great accordion player and was good at gardening. The last vagrant was of no use. He made it to Marseilles, where he started making his living playing in taverns. The debutant quickly met troubadours like him. Le's repertoire included jazz compositions that the sailors liked so much.
Francis has his own fans. They argued that such talent had no place on the provincial scene. Trusting their opinion, our hero went to Paris in the company of his new friend, singer Clade Goati. In the capital, friends demonstrated their creativity on the stages of Montmartre. Here they managed to be part of the orchestra and presented their first author's song to the audience. The work was highly appreciated, and henceforth the duo continued to work in the same spirit.
Star dating
Once Francis Le was invited to accompany the legendary singer Edith Piaf. He could not resist telling his stage colleague about his own composing experiences. The singer was delighted with the creations of a new friend and asked him to write something personally for her. This is how the creative collaboration between Le and Piaf began.
Having become his own in the circles of Parisian bohemia, the young musician constantly received offers to take part in new unusual projects. In 1965, he undertook to write the score for the film "Man and Woman" by Claude Lelouch. The result exceeded all expectations - the tape received a number of awards, including the Golden Globe for musical accompaniment. With this triumph, Le began his film career. Together with the director already familiar to him, the composer worked on the films "Life for the sake of life", "Love is a funny thing."
Lucky
The first significant success intoxicated the young man. Now he was not a nameless vagrant who sometimes entertained tavern-goers for a hearty dinner, but a recognized master. It was possible to arrange a personal life. In 1968, Francis Le led Dagmar Putz to the altar. The composer's wife was far from the art world, but contributed to his work, providing an inspiring home atmosphere. The couple became the parents of two sons and a daughter.
Many filmmakers offered cooperation to the talented person. In 1970 he received a call from Hollywood. A stern voice asked if Francis was ready to write the music for the film "Love Story" directed by Arthur Hillier. Our hero was confused and replied that he was leaving for Nice and could not help. Imagine the surprise of the Le family when the script of the tape was sent to the composer's hometown with a request to think again before making a final decision. I had to agree. The award for this work was the "Oscar".
Freak
Those who saw the author of the music on the set described him as an amazingly funny person. Carried away by composing songs, Francis forgot about the need to periodically visit the hairdresser. By the time filming ended, his head was adorned with lush hair. At the same time, the absent-minded genius was always smiling and benevolent.
Francis Le added the neologism "shabadaba" to the French dictionary. This strange chorus has become the designation of a love relationship in which a gentleman and a lady act on equal terms. In addition to the hooligan desire to introduce words invented on the go into the lyrics, the comrades noticed the composer's inclination to write simple compositions. The almost folk style did not prevent Le's works from becoming part of the repertoires of such stars as Edith Piaf, Charles Aznavour and Mireille Mathieu.
last years of life
The muses minister was keenly interested in fashion trends in the world of melodies. He used the most unexpected musical instruments in his creations, created compositions that immediately became popular, did not hesitate to cooperate with producers of television series and television programs. Until the end of his life, he remained a curious merry fellow.
In November 2018, Francis Le died in Paris. The news of the death of the great countryman saddened the inhabitants of Nice. Local authorities issued a statement in connection with the mournful event. It was decided to immortalize the name of the composer in the name of one of the streets of the city.
