Paul Mauriat (Marseille, 4 March 1925 – 3 November 2006 in Perpignan) was a… Read Full Bio ↴Paul Mauriat (Marseille, 4 March 1925 – 3 November 2006 in Perpignan) was a French orchestra leader, specializing in light music. Mauriat grew up in Marseilles and began leading his own band during the Second World War. In the 1950s he became musical director to at least two well-known French singers, Charles Aznavour and Maurice Chevalier, touring with them respectively. Mauriat composed the music for several French soundtracks (also released on Bel-Air) including Un Taxi Pour Tobrouk (1961), Horace 62 (1962) and Faites Sauter La Banque (1964). Many of Mauriat's recordings are recompositions of other composers' songs and music. Mauriat relied heavily on strings and synthesiser to create interesting music. The arrangements are usually very bright and busy with sensible use of the percussive section to deliver a grand style of performance. In his 70s and 80s live concerts, Mauriat often used singers to provide backing for numbers such as Penelope, Love is Blue and the World Melody section he arranged for his 1980 and 1982 concerts.

barcarolle
Paul Mauriat Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Jacques OFFENBACH

Belle nuit ô nuit d'amour,
Sourit à nos ivresses.
Nuit plus douce que le jour,
Ô belle nuit d'amour.
Le temps fuit et sans retour
Emporte nos tendresses,

Loin de cet heureux séjour
Le temps fuit sans retour.
Zéphirs embrasés
Versez-nous vos caresses,
Zéphirs embrasés
Donnez-nous vos baisers
Vos baisers, vos baisers, ah!
Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour
Sourit à nos ivresses
Nuit plus douce que le jour
Ô belle nuit d'amour... ah!
Sourit à nos ivresses
Nuit d'amour, ô nuit d'amour
Ah ah ah ah ah

Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah ah

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Paul Mauriat's song "Barcarolle" are actually the lyrics to an aria called "Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour" from Jacques Offenbach's opera "Les Contes d'Hoffmann" (The Tales of Hoffmann). The aria is sung by the characters Giulietta and Nicklausse as they cruise down a canal, surrounded by night and passion. The two are reveling in the moment, with Giulietta describing the night as sweeter than the day and the zephyrs supplying them with their caresses and kisses. However, she also recognizes that time is fleeting, and their time together will soon come to an end as the night turns to dawn.

The lyrics in the song capture the romantic and melancholic atmosphere of the original aria, with the sweeping orchestration creating a sense of lush pleasure and longing. The use of "barcarolle" in the title reinforces the mood set by the lyrics, as a barcarolle is a boat song typically sung by gondoliers in Venice, often associated with love and longing.

In terms of the music, the song is characterized by its soaring strings, punctuated by the delicate plucking of a harp. The melody itself is romantic and lush, evoking the sense of passion and pleasure that the lyrics describe. The song is a beautiful representation of the grand traditions of romantic music, with its sweeping theatricality and emotional depth.

Line by Line Meaning

Belle nuit ô nuit d'amour,
Oh beautiful night of love,

Sourit à nos ivresses.
Smiling upon our intoxication.

Nuit plus douce que le jour,
Night sweeter than the day,

Ô belle nuit d'amour.
Oh beautiful night of love.

Le temps fuit et sans retour
Time flees and does not return,

Emporte nos tendresses,
Takes away our tenderness,

Loin de cet heureux séjour
Far from this happy place,

Le temps fuit sans retour.
Time flees and does not return.

Zéphirs embrasés
Zephyrs on fire,

Versez-nous vos caresses,
Pour out your caresses upon us,

Zéphirs embrasés
Zephyrs on fire,