These include the musicals:
* La Révolution Française (1973)
* Les Misérables (1980 french version- 1985 english version)
* Miss Saigon (1989)
* Martin Guerre (1996)
* Wuthering Heights (ballet 2001)
* The Pirate Queen (2006)
* Marguerite (2009)
Schönberg began his career as a record producer and a singer. By the early 1970s he had become successful.
He wrote most of the music for the French musical and rock opera, La Révolution Française, France's first rock opera, in 1973, and also played the role of King Louis XVI in the show's production that year.
In 1974 he wrote the music and the lyrics of the song "Le Premier Pas", which became the number 1 popular song in France that year and sold over 1 million copies. Le Premier Pas was produced by Franck Pourcel. He recorded albums as a singer until 1985.
Schönberg then made an album in which he sang his own songs. In 1978, he dedicated his full attention to musicals when he and Alain Boublil conceived the idea for a stage musical version of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, which opened at the Palias de Sports in Paris in 1980. The musical opened to acclaim in London in 1985 and on Broadway in 1987. The Broadway production was nominated for twelve Tony Awards and won eight, including Best Musical and Best Original Score . In 1989, Schönberg and Boublil took London by storm with the musical Miss Saigon, which starred Lea Salonga and Jonathan Pryce. In its transition to Broadway, the show broke advance-ticket sales, earning $24 million before its premiere on April 11, 1991 [1]. The show was nominated for ten Tony awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score.
In 1997, Schönberg and Boublil premiered a new musical, Martin Guerre at the Prince Edward Theatre in London. The musical won the 1997 Olivier Award and went on to tour the UK and the United States.
Schönberg's latest project with Boublil is The Pirate Queen, a musical about the 16th century Irish pirate, chieftain and adventuress Grace O'Malley. The Pirate Queen completed its 8-week pre-Broadway tryout at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre on November 26, 2006. The show is undergoing further development in preparation for its Broadway previews at the Hilton Theater in March 2007. The Broadway opening date is April 5, 2007. Miss Saigon co-lyricist Richard Maltby, Jr. has come on-board to work with Boublil on revisions to the book and lyrics. Additionally, Graciela Daniele will work on the musical staging.
Les Miserables celebrated its twentieth anniversary in London on October 8, 2005. The Broadway production closed on May 18, 2003, making it the third-longest-running Broadway musical following Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. Schönberg will oversee the production of Les Miserables that is returning to Broadway for a six-month engagement at the Broadhurst Theatre on November 9, 2006.
Claude-Michel Schönberg is also an ex-husband of France 2 evening news anchor Béatrice Schönberg.
He lives in London, and has 3 children.
He is actually writing the music and for the first time the arrangements, for a new ballet to be created in UK in 2011: Cléopâtra.
The Wedding Chorale
Claude-Michel Schönberg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
May all the angels of the Lord above
In jubilation sing their songs of praise!
And crown this blessed time with peace and love.
Major Domo
The Baron and Baroness de Thenard wish to pay their
respects to the groom!
Thenardier
I forget where we met
Was it not at the Chateau Lafarge
Where the duke did that puke
Down the Duchess's de-coll-etage?
Marius
No, 'Baron de Thenard'
The circles I move in are humbler by far.
Go away, Thenardier!
Do you think I don't know who you are?
Mme. Thenardier
He's not fooled, told you so.
Show M'sieur what you've come here to show.
Tell the boy what you know!
Marius
When I look at you, I remember Eponine
She was more than you deserved, who gave her birth
But now she is with God and happier, I hope
Than here on earth!
Thenardier
So it goes, heaven knows
Life has dealt me some terrible blows.
Mme. Thenardier
You've got cash and a heart
You could give us a bit of a start
We can prove, plain as ink
Your bride's father is not what you think.
Thenardier
There's a tale I could tell
Mme. Thenardier
Information we're willing to sell.
Thenardier
There's a man that he slew
I saw the corpse clear as I'm seeing you!
What I tell you is true!
Mme. Thenardier
Pity to disturb you at a feast like this
But five hundred francs surely wouldn't come amiss.
Marius
In God's name say what you have to say.
Thenardier
But first you pay!
What I saw, clear as light
Jean Valjean in the sewers that night
Had this corpse on his back
Hanging there like a bloody great sack.
I was there, never fear
Even found me this fine souvenir!
Marius
I know this! This was mine!
Surely this is some heavenly sign!
Thenardier
One more thing, mark this well
It was the night the barricades fell.
Marius
Then it's true, then I'm right
Jean Valjean was my savior that night!
As for you, take this too!
God forgive the things that we do.
Come my love, come Cosette
This day's blessings are not over yet!
(Marius and Cosette leave.)
Thenardier
Ain't it a laugh?
Ain't it a treat?
Hob-nobbin' here
Among the elite?
Here comes a prince
There goes a Jew.
This one's a queer
But what can you do?
Paris at my feet
Paris in the dust
And here I'm breaking bread
With the upper crust!
Beggar at the feast!
Master of the dance!
Life is easy pickings
If you grab your chance.
Everywhere you go
Law-abiding folk
Doing what is decent
But they're mostly broke!
Singing to the Lord on Sundays
Praying for the gifts He'll send.
M. and Mme. Thenardier
But we're the ones who take it
We're the ones who make it in the end!
Watch the buggers dance
Watch 'em till they drop
Keep your wits about you
And you stand on top!
Masters of the land
Always get our share
Clear away the barricades
And we're still there!
We know where the wind is blowing
Money is the stuff we smell
And when we're rich as Croesus
Jesus! Won't we see you all in hell!
In Claude-Michel Schönberg's song The Wedding Chorale, the lyrics describe a joyous occasion of marriage and celebration, as the bells ring and the angels sing their songs of jubilation in praise for the Lord above. However, amidst the wedding celebrations, the Thenardiers appear with their ulterior motives to disturb the groom, Marius. They bring up the topic of his deceased friend Eponine and her mother's plight, mentioning that the bride's father is not who he appears to be. Then, they further try to extort Marius by selling information about a man that Jean Valjean supposedly slew and how Marius's savior at the barricades was, in fact, Jean Valjean. At the end of the conversation, Marius gives the Thenardiers money to make them leave and concludes that "we're the ones who take it, we're the ones who make it in the end" with the intention of rising above the law-abiding and reaching great wealth.
The Wedding Chorale offers the audience a glimpse into the hypocritical and manipulative tactics of the Thenardiers, a recurring theme in Les Misérables. The song also highlights the stark contrast between the opulent celebration and the presence of poverty and suffering in the background, which provides an insight into the socioeconomic division at the time.
Line by Line Meaning
Ring out the bells upon this day of days!
Let the bells ring loud and clear to celebrate this very special day!
May all the angels of the Lord above
In jubilation sing their songs of praise!
May angels rejoice and sing songs of praise from heaven!
And crown this blessed time with peace and love.
Let this wonderful time of love and blessing be filled with peace and joy!
The Baron and Baroness de Thenard wish to pay their
respects to the groom!
The Baron and Baroness de Thenard would like to greet and show their respects to the bridegroom!
I forget where we met
Was it not at the Chateau Lafarge
Where the duke did that puke
Down the Duchess's de-coll-etage?
I can't remember where we met, was it at Chateau Lafarge where the Duke vomited on the Duchess's cleavage?
No, 'Baron de Thenard'
The circles I move in are humbler by far.
Go away, Thenardier!
Do you think I don't know who you are?
No, it's Baron de Thenard. The people I associate with are not as high class as you. Please leave, Thenardier! I know exactly who you are.
He's not fooled, told you so.
Show M'sieur what you've come here to show.
Tell the boy what you know!
He's not easily convinced and already said so. Show the gentleman what you came here for and tell the boy what you know!
When I look at you, I remember Eponine
She was more than you deserved, who gave her birth
But now she is with God and happier, I hope
Than here on earth!
When I see you, I think of Eponine who deserved better than you since you gave birth to her. But now, she's in heaven and I hope she's happier there than on earth.
So it goes, heaven knows
Life has dealt me some terrible blows.
That's just how life is, only heaven knows. It has dealt me terrible circumstances, I couldn't change it.
You've got cash and a heart
You could give us a bit of a start
We can prove, plain as ink
Your bride's father is not what you think.
You have money and a kind heart, maybe you could help us out a little. We can show you proof that your bride's father is not who you think he is.
There's a tale I could tell
I have a story to tell.
Information we're willing to sell.
We're willing to sell you the information.
There's a man that he slew
I saw the corpse clear as I'm seeing you!
What I tell you is true!
He murdered a man and I saw the corpse as clearly as I see you now. What I'm saying is true!
Pity to disturb you at a feast like this
But five hundred francs surely wouldn't come amiss.
I'm sorry to disturb you while you're at the feast, but I could use five hundred francs right now.
In God's name say what you have to say
Please, in the name of God, tell me what you want to say.
But first you pay!
But first, you have to pay us!
What I saw, clear as light
Jean Valjean in the sewers that night
Had this corpse on his back
Hanging there like a bloody great sack.
I was there, never fear
Even found me this fine souvenir!
What I saw was evident as daylight, Jean Valjean carrying the corpse on his back in the sewers. It was hanging there as if it was a big bloody sack. I was there, don't worry. I even found this nice souvenir.
I know this! This was mine!
Surely this is some heavenly sign!
I know this! This belongs to me. This must be a sign from heaven!
One more thing, mark this well
It was the night the barricades fell.
One more thing, remember this. It was the same night when the barricades fell.
Then it's true, then I'm right
Jean Valjean was my savior that night!
It's true, then I'm right! Jean Valjean was my savior that night!
As for you, take this too!
God forgive the things that we do.
And for you, take this as well! May God forgive the things that we do.
Come my love, come Cosette
This day's blessings are not over yet!
Come, my love, come Cosette. This day's blessings are not yet over!
Ain't it a laugh?
Ain't it a treat?
Hob-nobbin' here
Among the elite?
Isn't it amusing? Isn't it wonderful being in the vicinity of those in high society?
Here comes a prince
There goes a Jew.
This one's a queer
But what can you do?
Here comes a prince, there goes a Jew. This one appears odd, but what can you do?
Paris at my feet
Paris in the dust
And here I'm breaking bread
With the upper crust!
I have Paris at my feet, Paris in the dust. And yet, here I am dining with the most elite!
Beggar at the feast!
Master of the dance!
Life is easy pickings
If you grab your chance.
A beggar at the feast! Master of the dance! Life is easy, grab every chance that comes your way.
Everywhere you go
Law-abiding folk
Doing what is decent
But they're mostly broke!
Wherever you go, you'll see everyday people trying to make ends meet, following the laws, and doing the right thing but they're mostly broke.
Singing to the Lord on Sundays
Praying for the gifts He'll send.
Singing hymns to the Lord on Sundays and praying for His blessings.
But we're the ones who take it
We're the ones who make it in the end!
Watch the buggers dance
Watch 'em till they drop
Keep your wits about you
And you stand on top!
But it's us who take advantage and get what we want in the end! Keep an eye on the commoners dance until they collapse; be careful and you'll come out on top!
Masters of the land
Always get our share
Clear away the barricades
And we're still there!
The masters of the land always get their due. Even if the barricades and obstacles are cleared, we will still be there!
We know where the wind is blowing
Money is the stuff we smell
And when we're rich as Croesus
Jesus! Won't we see you all in hell!
We all know where the wind is blowing, we follow the money trail. And when we're as rich as Croesus, Jesus! we'll be sure to see you all in hell!
Contributed by Bentley D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.