Maxime Le Forestier (born February 10, 1949 as Bruno Le Forestier) is a Fre… Read Full Bio ↴Maxime Le Forestier (born February 10, 1949 as Bruno Le Forestier) is a French folk singer-songwriter, as well as an accomplished guitarist. He was born in Paris to an English father and a French mother who had lived in England. He had two older sisters, Anne and Catherine. His musical training started on the violin. He attended the Lycée Condorcet, where he studied literature.

In 1965, Le Forestier formed a duo (Cat et Maxime) with his sister Catherine. Playing at cabaret venues on Paris' Left Bank, the pair met and formed a friendship with Georges Moustaki. They were amongst the first artists to cover a number of songs by Moustaki - including Ma Liberté and Ma Solitude. In 1968, Catherine joined Moustaki as a backing singer. Le Forestier began to focus on songwriting and composed Ballade pour un traître which was recorded and released by the French/Italian singer and actor, Serge Reggiani.

Le Forestier continued as part-time singer/songwriter during his military service (beginning 1969) with a parachute regiment (the inspiration for the song Parachutiste). He recorded two songs: "Cœur de Pierre, Face de Lune", and La Petite Fugue.

His military service ending September 1970, Le Forestier refocused on his musical career. He developed a folksy style which was enormously popular in the 1970s and '80s. His first album Mon Frère, released in 1973, contains several pieces that have entered French folklore, including the title song Mon frère, San Francisco, Comme un arbre and Education sentimentale. He toured extensively, both in France and abroad. In 1976, he toured in 14 cities in the USSR. Recently he has gained particular acclaim for his reworkings of the songs of Georges Brassens.

La Petite Fugue
Maxime Le Forestier Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

C'était toujours la même mais on l'aimait quand même
La fugue d'autrefois qu'on jouait tous les trois
On était malhabiles, elle était difficile
La fugue d'autrefois qu'on jouait tous les trois

Eléonore attaquait le thème au piano, on trouvait ça tellement beau
Qu'on en arrêtait de jouer pour l'écouter
Elle s'arrêtait brusquement et nous regardait du haut de son tabouret

Et disait reprenez mi fa mi fa mi ré

C'était toujours la même mais on l'aimait quand même
La fugue d'autrefois qu'on jouait tous les trois
On était malhabiles, elle était difficile
La fugue d'autrefois qu'on jouait tous les trois

Souviens-toi qu'un violon fut jeté sur le sol car c'était toujours le sol
Qui gênait Nicolas quand il était bémol
Quand les voisins commençaient à manifester, c'était l'heure du goûter
Salut Jean-Sébastien et à jeudi prochain

C'était toujours la même mais on l'aimait quand même
La fugue d'autrefois qu'on jouait tous les trois
On était malhabiles, elle était difficile
La fugue d'autrefois qu'on jouait tous les trois

Un jour Eléonore a quitté la maison, emportant le diapason
Depuis ce jour nous n'accordons plus nos violons
L'un après l'autre nous nous sommes dispersés, la fugue seule est restée
Et chaque fois que je l'entends c'est le printemps

C'était toujours la même mais on l'aimait quand même
La fugue d'autrefois qu'on jouait tous les trois

On était malhabiles, elle était difficile
La fugue d'autrefois qu'on jouait tous les trois.

Overall Meaning

The song "La Petite Fugue" by Maxime Le Forestier is all about nostalgia, memories and the power of music to connect people. The song revolves around a simple but beautiful melody that the singer and his siblings used to play together on piano and violin. Although they were not very skilled, they loved to play the piece over and over again, enjoying each other's company and the harmony of their instruments.

The song is full of small details that bring the memory to life: the way Eleonore attacked the theme on piano, the struggle of Nicolas with the note B flat, the neighbors complaining about the noise, the break for snacks, and the dedication to Bach by saying "Salut Jean-Sébastien" at the end of the session. These details create a vivid picture of a family making music together on a lazy afternoon, and the listener imagines being there with them.

However, the song takes a sad turn when the sister Eleonore leaves home and takes the diapason with her, leaving the others unable to tune their instruments. The family is scattered, but the memory of the "petite fugue" stays with the singer, and whenever he hears it, it brings back memories of happier days.

Overall, the song is a testament to the power of music to unite people, to evoke powerful memories and to bring joy, even in the face of adversity.

Line by Line Meaning

C'était toujours la même mais on l'aimait quand même
It was always the same, but we still loved it