#2 François Morel (born 10 June 1959) is a French actor, singer and humorist.
#1 Born in Montreal, Morel studied at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal from 1944–1953. His teachers included Claude Champagne (composition), Isabelle Delorme (harmony, counterpoint, fugue), Gérald Gagnier (conducting), Arthur Letondal (piano), Germaine Malépart, Jean Papineau-Couture (acoustics), and Edmond Trudel (piano). He was a founding member of the Canadian League of Composers in 1951. From 1956–1979 he worked for CBC Radio as a composer of incidental music, music consultant, and researcher.
Morel taught music analysis and composition at the Institut Nazareth from 1959–1961. In 1972 he was appointed director of the Académie de musique du Québec, a position he held through 1978. From 1976–1979 he taught at the Bourgchemin Cegep in Drummondville and from 1979–1997 he taught at Université Laval. He also served on the faculty of the Université de Montréal in 1979–1980. His work for guitar Me duele España, played by and written for guitarist Michael Laucke, was recorded on the Radio Canada International label (RCI 457) and won the Grand Prix du Disque of the Canadian Music Council in 1979 for the best Canadian recording.
He is among the first Quebec musicians to be trained exclusively at the CMM. From 1944 to 1953 he studied composition with Claude Champagne, acoustics with Jean Papineau-Couture, harmony, counterpoint and fugue with Isabelle Delorme and piano with Arthur Letondal, Germaine Malépart and Edmond Trudel.
Le Cirque
François Morel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pour un jongleur doux et charmant
Qui ne remarque pas sa cour
Et jongle avec ses sentiments
Le jongleur est en pâmoison
Devant une acrobate accorte
Qui lui fait perdre la raison
Mais ne lui ouvre pas sa porte
L'acrobate a une passion
Pour les yeux d'un illusionniste
Dont le cœur est à double fond
Son indifférence l'attriste
Le magicien perd ses moyens
En voyant là-haut, sur son fil
Une funambule à l'air hautain
Un ange, un elfe de profil
La funambule ne descend
Qu'à cause du dresseur de lions
Qui ne lui porte, c'est vexant,
Aucune marque d'attention
Le dresseur de lions est tout chose
Car il aime une femme à barbe
Qu'il s'acharne à couvrir de roses
L'orgueilleuse reste de marbre
Devant un avaleur de sabre
La femme à barbe est frénétique
Elle s'approche et lui se cabre
Il ose pas trop lui dire qu'elle pique
L'avaleur de sabre soupire
Quand il aperçoit l'écuyère
Il sent sa flamberge durcir
Elle n'en a pas grand-chose à faire
La ronde sous le chapiteau
Fait que chacun est amoureux
Vous avouerez que c'est ballot
En même temps que malheureux
Heureusement, il y a Frédo
Pas vraiment beau, pas un tombeur
Le gars qui monte le chapiteau
Mais un fameux consolateur
Il couche avec tout un chacun
Tiens, il se tape l'équilibriste
L'écuyère, le magicien
Le clown blanc et la trapéziste
Le dresseur de lions, les panthères
Le grand orchestre, la caissière
La femme à barbe autoritaire
Qui par ailleurs est sa grand-mère
La ronde sous le chapiteau
Fait que chacun est amoureux
Vous avouerez que c'est ballot
En même temps que malheureux
The lyrics of François Morel's song Le Cirque depict a romantic mess of unrequited love and complex affairs occurring under the circus tent. The lyrics describe a female equestrian who is madly in love with a charming juggler who is oblivious to her. On the other hand, the juggler is infatuated with a coquettish acrobat who doesn't return his affections. Moreover, the acrobat has eyes for an illusionist who's not interested in her, as he is only focused on his double life. Meanwhile, a lion tamer has his eyes onto an aloof tightrope walker who only descends from her post because of the lion tamer's lions. However, the lion tamer has eyes only for his beloved bearded lady, who doesn't appear to care for him. Lastly, the bearded lady has a thing for a sword swallower who is more interested in the equestrian. In short, everyone is in love, but no one is in the right boundaries, making their love unrequited.
The song speaks of a set of complicated love stories representing the characters performing in the circus. The lyrics describe the disillusioned reality of life in the circus, where everyone is looking for love and connection but ends up alone. The lyrics provide a new perspective on the sad, misunderstood life of circus performers, where their passions and affections go unnoticed, even though they try their best.
Line by Line Meaning
L'écuyère est folle d'amour
The equestrian is madly in love
Pour un jongleur doux et charmant
With a gentle and charming juggler
Qui ne remarque pas sa cour
Who doesn't notice her courtship
Et jongle avec ses sentiments
And plays with her feelings
Le jongleur est en pâmoison
The juggler is in a swoon
Devant une acrobate accorte
In front of a courteous acrobat
Qui lui fait perdre la raison
Who drives him crazy
Mais ne lui ouvre pas sa porte
But doesn't open her door to him
L'acrobate a une passion
The acrobat has a passion
Pour les yeux d'un illusionniste
For the eyes of an illusionist
Dont le cœur est à double fond
Whose heart is double-sided
Son indifférence l'attriste
Her indifference saddens her
Le magicien perd ses moyens
The magician loses his means
En voyant là-haut, sur son fil
When he sees up high, on his wire
Une funambule à l'air hautain
A tightrope walker with a haughty air
Un ange, un elfe de profil
An angel, an elf in profile
La funambule ne descend
The tightrope walker doesn't come down
Qu'à cause du dresseur de lions
Except for the lion tamer's sake
Qui ne lui porte, c'est vexant,
Who doesn't, which is vexing,
Aucune marque d'attention
Any mark of attention
Le dresseur de lions est tout chose
The lion tamer is all shaken up
Car il aime une femme à barbe
Because he loves a bearded lady
Qu'il s'acharne à couvrir de roses
That he's trying to cover with roses
L'orgueilleuse reste de marbre
The proud one remains of marble
Devant un avaleur de sabre
In front of a sword swallower
La femme à barbe est frénétique
The bearded lady is frenetic
Elle s'approche et lui se cabre
She approaches and he backs away
Il ose pas trop lui dire qu'elle pique
He doesn't dare tell her she's pricking him
L'avaleur de sabre soupire
The sword swallower sighs
Quand il aperçoit l'écuyère
When he catches sight of the equestrian
Il sent sa flamberge durcir
He feels his sword stiffen
Elle n'en a pas grand-chose à faire
She doesn't care much about it
La ronde sous le chapiteau
The round under the big top
Fait que chacun est amoureux
Makes everyone in love
Vous avouerez que c'est ballot
You'll admit that it's silly
En même temps que malheureux
At the same time as unhappy
Heureusement, il y a Frédo
Fortunately, there's Frédo
Pas vraiment beau, pas un tombeur
Not really handsome, not a ladies' man
Le gars qui monte le chapiteau
The guy who puts up the big top
Mais un fameux consolateur
But a famous comforter
Il couche avec tout un chacun
He sleeps with everyone
Tiens, il se tape l'équilibriste
Look, he's with the tightrope walker
L'écuyère, le magicien
The equestrian, the magician
Le clown blanc et la trapéziste
The white clown and the trapeze artist
Le dresseur de lions, les panthères
The lion tamer, the panthers
Le grand orchestre, la caissière
The big orchestra, the cashier
La femme à barbe autoritaire
The bossy bearded lady
Qui par ailleurs est sa grand-mère
Who is also his grandmother
Contributed by Sadie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.