Born Constantino Rossi in Ajaccio, Corsica, France, he became a tenor of French cabaret and one of the great romantic idols of his time. Gifted with an operatic voice, a "Latin Lover" persona made him a movie star as well. Over his career, Rossi made hundreds of records and appeared in more than 25 films, the most notable of which was the 1953 production, Si Versailles m'était conté directed by Sacha Guitry. His romantic ballads had women swooning and his art-songs by Jules Massenet (1842-1912), Reynaldo Hahn (1875-1947), and other composers helped draw sold out audiences wherever he performed.
As a young man, he played guitar and sang at a variety of small venues in his hometown of Ajaccio before going on to perform in Marseilles and at resort clubs along the French Riviera. In the early 1930s he went to Paris and within a few years achieved enormous success, joining a Columbia Records roster that included the biggest stars of the day such as Lucienne Boyer, Damia, Pills et Tabet, Mireille, and Jean Sablon.
Rossi's success was greatly aided by songwriter Vincent Scotto (1876-1952), who wrote his first hits and collaborated with him for many years, composing and arranging many Rossi songs. Prior to World War II. Rossi was a major box office attraction in the French speaking world but expanded his audience to America with a 1938 visit followed up by wartime tours across the USA and Canada. In 1946, his song "Petit Papa Noël" sold more than thirty million copies worldwide. A Christmas classic for the family, the song still sells by the thousands each Yuletide season. The recipient of many musical awards, including the prestigious Grand Prix du Disque, Tino Rossi is the most popular personality to ever come from Corsica other than Napoleon Bonaparte.
In 1947 he married Lilia Vetti, a young dancer he met while making a film. They would have a son together in a marriage that lasted for a lifetime. A star of film and the operetta scene, Tino Rossi's career also evolved into the television era, appearing in a number of popular variety shows. Age, and the advent of rock and roll in the 1960s saw him take backstage with the new generation of music lovers but he remained enormously popular with a following built up over fifty years of performing.
In 1982, for his contribution to France and its culture, President François Mitterrand named Tino Rossi a Commander of the Legion of Honor. That same year Rossi gave his last public performance at the Casino de Paris, a show that popular demand turned into a three month stint.
Tino Rossi died of pancreatic cancer in 1983 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France. His body returned to his native Ajaccio for burial in the family plot at the local cemetery. His hometown named a street and the sailing harbor in his honor and at Nogent-sur-Marne, on the River Marne in Paris, there is a square named Tino Rossi Square.
La chanson d'Orph
Tino Rossi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Matin, à l'instant du réveil
Vient tendrement poser
Tes perles de rosée
Sur la nature en fleurs
Chère à mon cœur
Le ciel a choisi mon pays
Pour faire un nouveau paradisOù loin des tourments danse
Un éternel printemps pour les amants
Matin, fais lever le soleil
Matin, à l'instant du réveil
Mets dans le cœur battant
De celle que j'attends
Un doux rayon d'amour
Beau comme le jour
Afin que son premier soupir
Réponde à mon premier désir
Oui l'heure est venue
Où chaque baiser perdu ne revient plus
Oui l'heure est venue
Où chaque baiser perdu ne revient plus
In "La Chanson d'Orphée" by Tino Rossi, the lyrics evoke a sense of beauty and serenity that comes with the arrival of morning. The singer calls upon the morning to bring forth the sun and gently awaken the world with its rays. This imagery of the morning light touching the earth with dew reflects a sense of renewal and the start of a new day filled with potential and beauty. The mention of nature in bloom being dear to the singer's heart sets the stage for a romantic and idyllic setting, where love and nature intertwine.
The song continues to paint a picture of a paradise chosen by the sky for the lovers, a place where they can escape the troubles of the world and dance in an eternal spring. This image of a new paradise created for lovers suggests a sense of escape from reality and a longing for a perfect and everlasting love. The idea of an eternal spring symbolizes the perpetual nature of love and the beauty that comes with it, free from the constraints of time and space.
As the morning sun rises, the singer asks for a gentle ray of love to be placed in the heart of the one they await. This request for a "doux rayon d'amour" symbolizes a desire for their love to be reciprocated and for the first breath of their beloved to echo their own longing. The imagery of a love as pure and radiant as the day itself reinforces the theme of love's transformative power and the deep connection between two souls.
The conclusion of the song reflects a sense of longing and inevitability, as the singer acknowledges that every lost kiss will not return. This realization of the passage of time and the fleeting nature of love adds a bittersweet tone to the lyrics, emphasizing the transient yet profound nature of love and its impact on the human experience. The repetition of the phrase "Oui l'heure est venue" underscores the acceptance of the present moment and the understanding that some things, like lost kisses, cannot be reclaimed. Overall, "La Chanson d'Orphée" captures the beauty, longing, and acceptance that are inherent in the experience of love and the passage of time.
Line by Line Meaning
Matin, fais lever le soleil
Morning, bring forth the rising sun
Matin, à l'instant du réveil
Morning, at the moment of awakening
Vient tendrement poser
Come gently lay
Tes perles de rosée
Your dewdrops
Sur la nature en fleurs
On the blooming nature
Chère à mon cœur
Dear to my heart
Le ciel a choisi mon pays
The sky has chosen my land
Pour faire un nouveau paradis
To create a new paradise
Où loin des tourments danse
Where far from torments dance
Un éternel printemps pour les amants
An eternal spring for lovers
Matin, fais lever le soleil
Morning, bring forth the rising sun
Matin, à l'instant du réveil
Morning, at the moment of awakening
Mets dans le cœur battant
Place in the beating heart
De celle que j'attends
Of the one I await
Un doux rayon d'amour
A gentle ray of love
Beau comme le jour
Beautiful as the day
Afin que son premier soupir
So that her first sigh
Réponde à mon premier désir
Responds to my first desire
Oui l'heure est venue
Yes, the time has come
Où chaque baiser perdu ne revient plus
Where each lost kiss never returns
Oui l'heure est venue
Yes, the time has come
Où chaque baiser perdu ne revient plus
Where each lost kiss never returns
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, LES NOUVELLES EDITIONS MERIDIAN, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Maria Antonio, Francois Llenas, Luiz Bonfa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@atelierbentoche
this one comes from a theater piece, i don't know if a french film was made about it. Thanks for your informations. It will help the "connaisseurs"
@stanleylivingstone3921
Does this film survive? Have you ever seen it? Perhaps the French Cinematheque knows... An English version of the Zilahy play was produced in England and in the U.S. and Warner Bros. made a film of it in 1934 entitled THE FIREBIRD.
@atelierbentoche
thank you : I ignore if there was a french version