Marguerite Monnot

Marguerite Monnot was born on 28 May 1903 in Decize, Nièvre, a small city situated on the river Loire in France. Her father, Gabriel Monnot, was a musician and composer of religious music who had lost his sight at age three; he served as organist at the Saint-Aré church in Decize and taught piano and harmonium. Her mother, Marie, was both a music teacher and a teacher of French literature who also wrote. The household was a gathering place each evening for pupils and friends who came to play and sing, and the family occasionally welcomed well-known musicians into their home. Monnot received most of her early education at home, where her mother taught her while she devoted several hours each day to piano practice.

Her musical gifts were evident from an extraordinarily early age. At three she composed a short piece called "Bluette," and at three and a half she accompanied a singer in a Paris performance of a Mozart berceuse, receiving a stuffed toy cat as payment. By 1911 she was performing at the Salle des Agriculteurs in Paris, where she played works by Liszt, Chopin, and Mozart and received her first press notices. Between the ages of twelve and fifteen she performed in multiple cities, and in Paris, Camille Saint-Saëns is reported to have called her the best pianist in the world. At fifteen she was sent to Paris for formal study, taking lessons in harmony and fugue from Vincent d'Indy, studying piano with Alfred Cortot and American pianist Harold Henry, and learning harmony from Nadia Boulanger, who helped her prepare for the Prix de Rome. At sixteen she toured European capitals and accompanied the dancer Vincente Escudero in Madrid, where she developed an interest in Spanish folklore and was offered a position as an official musician at the Spanish royal court, an offer her parents declined on her behalf.

Her career as a concert pianist ended in 1921, when ill health and a severe attack of nerves interrupted her on the eve of a United States tour. Turning to songwriting initially as a pastime, Monnot was drawn to the popular music she had followed on the radio in the early 1920s, including jazz and dance music. A family friend encouraged her to write a waltz for a film based on a play by Tristan Bernard, and the resulting song, "Ah! les mots d'amour!," written with Bernard in 1931, was sung by Jane Marny. Lyricist Marc Hély subsequently asked her to compose the music for "Viens dans mes bras," sung by Lucienne Boyer and published by Salabert. In 1935, working with journalist-lyricist Robert Malleron and accordionist-composer Robert Juel, she produced "L'Étranger," which was awarded the Grand Prix de l'Académie Charles Cros that year and became her first major commercial success.

That song also brought about her introduction to Édith Piaf. In 1936, Piaf sought the rights to perform "L'Étranger," which had been recorded by Annette Lajon. When the publisher denied the request, Piaf sang it anyway at Le Gerny's, the nightclub where she was then performing. One evening Lajon appeared in the audience, and Piaf reportedly apologized for having taken the song; Lajon accepted and introduced her to Monnot, who had accompanied her to the club. The two women became close friends and began collaborating on songs in the early 1940s, a partnership that would last for most of their lives. Piaf later described Monnot as her best friend and the woman she most admired, and credited her with encouraging her interest in classical music and piano.

The Monnot-Piaf collaboration produced a substantial body of work. Songs written for the film Montmartre-sur-Seine included "Tu es partout" and "Un coin tout bleu," among others. During the war years, from 1939 to 1945, Monnot worked with lyricist Henri Contet on songs including "Y'a pas de printemps," "Histoire de coeur," "Le ciel est fermé," and "Le brun et le blond," as well as material for the film Étoile sans lumière and "Ma môme, ma p'tite môme" for Yves Montand. An earlier collaboration with lyricist Raymond Asso, a former Foreign Legionnaire, had produced "Mon légionnaire," and Monnot and Asso were later awarded decorations by the Foreign Legion during a trip to Sidi Bel Abbes, Algeria. Among the most celebrated songs Monnot wrote for Piaf were "Milord" and "Hymne à l'amour." In the 1950s she also collaborated with lyricists including Michel Emer, Norbert Glanzberg, Philippe-Gérard, and René Rouzaud, the last of whom co-wrote "La goualante du pauvre Jean," released in English as "The Poor People of Paris."

On 11 July 1950, Monnot married the singer Étienne Giannesini, who performed under the stage name Paul Péri. The couple had no children. She wrote songs for Péri, including music for the 1954 detective film Les Pépées font la loi, in which he starred. Throughout this period she also worked with musicians and writers including Charles Aznavour, Georges Moustaki, Boris Vian, and Marlene Dietrich, many of whom gathered regularly at Piaf's home to play and sing.

In 1955, Monnot composed the music for Alexandre Breffort's stage musical Irma la Douce. The production was translated into English and ran for extended periods in both London and on Broadway, directed by Peter Brook. The Broadway production earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Musical in 1961, with Monnot credited as a book writer on the production. Marguerite Monnot died on 12 October 1961 in France, the same year the Broadway production received its Tony recognition.