Charles Aznavour (/ˌæznəˈvʊər/AZ-nə-VOOR;French:[ʃaʁlaznavuʁ];Armenian:Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրյան; bornShahnur Vaghinak Aznavourian;[a] 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a French singer and songwriterof Armenian descent. Aznavour was known for his distinctivevibratotenor voice:[3] clear and ringing in its upper reaches, with gravelly and profound low notes. In a career as asinger and songwriter, spanning over 70 years, he recorded more than 1,200 songs, in various languages. Moreover, he wrote or co-wrote more than 1,000 songs for himself and others. Aznavour is regarded as one of the greatest songwriters in history and an icon of 20th-century pop culture.[4]
One of France's most popular and enduring singers,[7][8] he was dubbed France'sFrank Sinatra,[9][10] while music criticStephen Holden described Aznavour as a "French pop deity".[11] Several media outlets described him as the most famous Armenian of all time.[7][12]Jean Cocteau, who cast him in his 1960Le Testament d'Orphée, joked "Before Aznavour despair was unpopular".[13] Between 1974 and 2016, Aznavour received around sixty gold and platinum records around the world.[14] According to his record company, the total sales of Aznavour's recordings were over 180 million units.[15][16][17]
Aznavour was born on 22 May 1924[19] at the clinic Tarnier at 89,rue d'Assas inSaint-Germain-des-Prés,6th arrondissement of Paris, to a family of artists living onrue Monsieur-le-Prince.[20] He was named Shahnour (or Chahnour)[1] Vaghinag (Vaghenagh)[2] Aznavourian[19] (Armenian:Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնաւուրեան), by his parents,Armenian immigrants Michael (Misha) Aznavourian (from present-dayAkhaltsikhe, Georgia)[19][21] and Knar Baghdasarian, from Adapazarı (in present-daySakarya, Turkey).[22][23][24] He had one older sister, Aida, born in January 1923 inThessaloniki,Greece, before the family moved to France.[25] The Aznavourians ran a small Armenian restaurant in therue de la Huchette, a hangout for actors and musicians, until the Depression. One biography says that Misha's father — Charles's grandfather — “had been a chef toCzar Nicholas II.” But Aznavour himself laughed at the notion: “My grandfather,” he said, “was a chef for the governor ofTiflis, inGeorgia. The Czar used to eat there every 150 years.”[26]Charles's parents introduced him to performing at an early age, and at age nine, he dropped out of school and took the stage name "Aznavour".[27]
The name Aznavour probably stems from theMiddle Persian wordāznāwar ("bearer of great ancestry" ) due to the close cultural ties betweenIran andArmenia during theSasanians.[28]
During theGerman occupation of France duringWorld War II, Aznavour and his family hid "a number of Jews who were persecuted by the Nazis, and Charles and his sister Aida were involved in rescue activities." Their work was recognized in a statement issued in 2017 byReuven Rivlin, President of Israel. That year, Aznavour and Aida received theRaoul Wallenberg Award for their wartime activities. "The Aznavours were closely linked to theMissak ManouchianResistance Group and in this context they offered shelter to Armenians,Jews and others at their own Paris flat, risking their own lives."[29][30]
Aznavour was already familiar with performing on stage by the time he began his career as a musician. At the age of nine, he had roles in a play calledUn Petit Diable à Paris and a film entitledLa Guerre des Gosses.[31] Aznavour then turned to professional dancing and performed in several nightclubs. In 1944, he and actorPierre Roche began a partnership and in collaborative efforts performed in numerous nightclubs. It was through this partnership that Aznavour began to write songs and sing. Meanwhile, Aznavour wrote his first song entitledJ'ai Bu in 1944.[31] The partnership's first successes were in Canada in 1948–1950.[32]
Aznavour in 1963
During the early stages of his career, Aznavour opened forEdith Piaf at theJora Shahinyan. Piaf then advised him to pursue a career in singing. Piaf helped Aznavour develop a distinctive voice that stimulated the best of his abilities.[31]
Sometimes described as "France'sFrank Sinatra",[9] Aznavour sang frequently about love. He wrote or co-wrotemusicals, more than one thousand songs, and recorded ninety-one studio albums. Aznavour's voice was shaded towards the tenor range, but possessed the low range and coloration more typical of a baritone, contributing to his unique sound. Aznavour spoke and sang in many languages (French, English, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian,Armenian,Neapolitan andKabyle), which helped him perform atCarnegie Hall, in the US, and other major venues around the world. He also recorded at least one song from the 18th-century Armenian poetSayat-Nova (in 1988), an Armenian-French song withBratsch (in 2007),[33] and a popular song,Im Yare[34] (in 2009) in Armenian. "Que C'est Triste Venise", sung in French, Italian ("Com'è Triste Venezia"), Spanish ("Venecia Sin Ti"), English ("How Sad Venice Can Be") and German ("Venedig in Grau"), was very successful the mid-1960s.[35]
1972 saw the release of his 23rd studio album,Idiote je t'aime..., which contained among others, two of his classics - "Les plaisirs démodés" (Old-Fashioned Pleasures) and "Comme ils disent" (As They Say), the latter dealing with homosexuality, which at the time, was revolutionary.[36]
In 1974, Aznavour became a major success in the United Kingdom when his song "She" was number 1 on theUK Singles Chart for four weeks during a fourteen-week run. His other well-known song in the UK was the 1973 "The Old Fashioned Way", which was on UK charts for 15 weeks.[37][38][39][40]
At the start of autumn 2006, Aznavour initiated his farewell tour, performing in the United States and Canada, and earning very positive reviews. Aznavour started 2007 with concerts all over Japan and Asia. The second half of 2007 saw Aznavour return to Paris for over 20 shows at thePalais des Congrès in Paris, followed by more touring in Belgium, the Netherlands, and the rest of France. Aznavour had repeatedly stated that this farewell tour, health permitting, would likely last beyond 2010; after that, however, Charles Aznavour continued performing worldwide throughout the year. At 84, 60 years on stage made him "a little hard of hearing".[47] In his final years he would still sing in multiple languages and without persistent use of teleprompters, but typically he would stick to just two or three (French and English being the primary two, with Spanish or Italian being the third) during most concerts.[48] On 30 September 2006, Aznavour performed a major concert inYerevan, the capital of Armenia, to start off the cultural season "Arménie mon amie". Then Armenian presidentRobert Kocharyan and his French counterpartJacques Chirac, at the time on an official visit to Armenia, were in front-row attendance.[49]
Aznavour finished a tour of Portugal in February 2008.[55] Throughout the spring of 2008, Aznavour toured South America, holding a multitude of concerts inArgentina, Brazil, Chile andUruguay.[56]
An admirer ofQuebec, where he played inMontreal cabarets before becoming famous, he helped the career of Québécoise singer-lyricistLynda Lemay in France, and had a house in Montreal. On 5 July 2008, he was invested as an honorary officer of theOrder of Canada. He performed the following day on thePlains of Abraham as a feature of thecelebration of the 400th anniversary of the founding ofQuebec City.[57]
In 2008, an album of duets,Duos, was released. It is a collaborative effort featuring Aznavour and his greatest friends and partners from his long career in the music industry, includingCéline Dion,Sting,Laura Pausini,Josh Groban,Paul Anka, Plácido Domingo and many others.[58] It was released on various dates in December 2008 across the world.[59] His next album,Charles Aznavour and The Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra (previously known asJazznavour 2), is a continuation in the same vein as his hit albumJazznavour released in 1998, involving new arrangements on his classic songs with a jazz orchestra and other guest jazz artists. It was released on 27 November 2009.[60]
In 2009, Aznavour also toured across America. The tour, namedAznavour en liberté,[62] started in late April 2009 with a wave of concerts across the United States and Canada, took him across Latin America in the autumn, as well as the USA once again. In August 2011 Aznavour released a new album,Aznavour Toujours, featuring 11 new songs, andElle, a French re-working of his greatest international hit, "She". Following the release ofAznavour Toujours, then 87-year-old Aznavour began a tour across France and Europe, namedCharles Aznavour en Toute Intimité, which started with 21 concerts in the Olympia theatre in Paris.[63] On 12 December 2011, he gave a concert in MoscowState Kremlin Palace that attracted a capacity crowd.[64] The concert was followed by a standing ovation which continued for about fifteen minutes.[65]
In 2012, Aznavour embarked on a new North American leg of hisEn toute intimité tour, visitingQuebec and theGibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, the third-largest such venue in California, for multiple shows. However, the shows in New York were cancelled following a contract dispute.[66] On 16 August 2012, Aznavour performed in his father's birthplace,Akhaltsikhe, in Georgia in a special concert as part of the opening ceremony of the recently restored Rabati castle.[67]
On 25 October 2013, Aznavour performed in London for the first time in 25 years at theRoyal Albert Hall; demand was so high that a second concert at the Royal Albert Hall was scheduled for June 2014.[68] In November 2013, Aznavour appeared withAchinoam Nini (Noa) in a concert, dedicated to peace, at the Nokia Arena inTel Aviv.[69] The audience, including Israeli presidentShimon Peres (Peres and Aznavour had a meeting prior to the performance), sang along.[70] In December 2013, Aznavour gave two concerts in the Netherlands at theHeineken Music Hall in Amsterdam, and again in January 2016 (originally scheduled for November 2015, but postponed due to him suffering a brief bout ofstomach flu).[71][72]
Aznavour continued his international tour performing in many cities around the world between 2014 and 2018. On 19 September 2018, what was to be his last concert took place in the NHK Hall of Osaka.[73]
Aznavour also had a long and varied parallel career as an actor, appearing in over 80 films and TV movies. In 1960, Aznavour starred inFrançois Truffaut'sTirez sur le pianiste (released in America asShoot the Piano Player), playing a character called Édouard Saroyan, a café pianist. He also put in a critically acclaimed performance in the 1974 movieAnd Then There Were None. Aznavour had an important supporting role in 1979'sThe Tin Drum, winner of theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1980. He co-starred inClaude Chabrol'sLes Fantômes du chapelier from 1982. In the 1984 version ofDie Fledermaus, he appears and performs as one of Prince Orlovsky's guests. This version starsKiri Te Kanawa and was directed by Plácido Domingo in the Royal Opera House atCovent Garden.[74] Aznavour starred in the 2002 movieArarat, reprising his role of Edward (Édouard) Saroyan.[75]
Aznavour was well known for being a lifelong and active supporter of civil rights, fighting for equality among all races, religions and nationalities as he stated in many of his interviews during his lifetime. He was an early supporter ofLGBT rights. His 1972 album,Idiote je t'aime..., contained among others, one of his classics, "Comme ils disent" ("As They Say", the English version of which is titled "What Makes a Man"). The song was revolutionary at a time when talking about homosexuality was a taboo. In a later interview, Charles said "It's a kind of sickness I have, talking about things you're not supposed to talk about. I started with homosexuality and I wanted to break every taboo."[76]
Following the1988 Armenian earthquake, Aznavour helped the country through his charity, Aznavour for Armenia. Together with his brother in-law and co-authorGeorges Garvarentz he wrote the song "Pour toi Arménie", which was performed by a group of famous French artists and topped the charts for eighteen weeks. There are squares named after him with his statuesin central Yerevan onAbovyan Street, andin northern part of Gyumri, which saw the most lives lost in the earthquake. In 1995 Aznavour was appointed an Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Armenia toUNESCO. Aznavour was a member of theArmenia Fund International Board of Trustees. The organization has rendered more than $150 million in humanitarian aid and infrastructure development assistance to Armenia since 1992. He was appointed as "Officier" (Officer) of theLégion d'honneur in 1997.[77]
In 2004, Aznavour received the title ofNational Hero of Armenia, Armenia's highest award. In 2005, he received the Ziad Karim's award. On 26 December 2008, President of ArmeniaSerzh Sargsyan signed a presidential decree for granting citizenship of Armenia to Aznavour whom he called a "prominent singer and public figure" and "a hero of the Armenian people".[5][79]
In October 2016, Aznavour joined other prominent Armenians on calling the government of Armenia to adopt "new development strategies based on inclusiveness and collective action" and to create "an opportunity for the Armenian world to pivot toward a future of prosperity, to transform the post-Soviet Armenian Republic into a vibrant, modern, secure, peaceful and progressive homeland for a global nation."[83]
Along with holding the mostly ceremonial title of Frenchambassador-at-large to Armenia, Aznavour agreed to hold the position of Ambassador of Armenia to Switzerland on 12 February 2009:
First I hesitated, as it is not an easy task. Then I thought that what is important for Armenia is important for us. I have accepted the proposal with love, happiness and feeling of deep dignity[84]
Charles Aznavour and his son Nicolas Aznavour created Aznavour Foundation which aims to continue the educational, cultural and social projects started by the artist, as well as to preserve and promote the cultural and humanitarian heritage of Charles Aznavour who fought against any discrimination through his art and his global actions.[86]
Aznavour was increasingly involved in French, Armenian and international politics as his career progressed. During the2002 French presidential elections, when far-right nationalistJean-Marie Le Pen of theNational Front made it into the runoff election, facing incumbentJacques Chirac, Aznavour signed the "Vive la France" petition, and called on all French to "sing theMarseillaise" in protest.[88] Chirac, a personal friend of Aznavour's,[89] ended up winning in a landslide, carrying over 82% of the vote.[90]
He frequently campaigned for internationalcopyright law reform. In November 2005, he met withJosé Manuel Barroso,[91] the thenpresident of the European Commission, on the issue of the review of term of protection for performers and producers in the EU, advocating an extension of the EU's term of protection from the current 50 years to the United States' law allowing 95 years, saying "[o]n term of protection, artists and record companies are of the same mind. Extension of term of protection would be good for European culture, positive for the European economy and would put an end the current discrimination with the U.S." He also notably butted heads with French politicianChristine Boutin over her defense of a "global license" flat-fee authorization for sharing of copyrighted files over the internet, claiming that the license would eliminate creativity. In May 2009, the FrenchSenate approved one of the strictestinternet anti-piracy bills ever with a landslide 189–14 vote. Aznavour was a vocal proponent of the measure and considered it a rousing victory:
If the youth can't make a living through creative work, they will do something else and the artistic world will be dealt a blow ... There will be no more songs, no more books, nothing at all. So we had to fight.[92]
WhenBob Dylan was asked who some of his favorite musicians are, he stated, "I like Charles Aznavour a lot. I saw him in sixty-something atCarnegie Hall, and he just blew my brains out."[93]
Sting has stated that "To me he [Aznavour] is an icon. Not only as a singer, but as an actor, as a personality, as a master of 'chanson'."[94]
Aznavour has been widely regarded as one of the most famousArmenians of his time,[100] and a major pop culture icon of the 20th century.[101]
His musicality and fame abroad had a significant impact on many areas of pop culture. Aznavour's name inspired the alias of the characterChar Aznable byYoshiyuki Tomino in his 1979mecha anime seriesMobile Suit Gundam. Char would become a Japanese pop cultural icon and the most famous character over a decades-long franchise.[102]
Music critic Stephen Holden described Aznavour as a "French pop deity".[11]
Aznavour was married three times: to Micheline Rugel (in 1946),[106] Evelyn Plessis (in 1954) and his widow, Ulla Thorsell (in 1966). Five children were produced by these marriages:Seda, Patrick, Katia, Mischa, and Nicolas.[107][108]
Aznavour often joked about his physique, the most talked-about aspect of which was his height; he stood 160 cm (5 ft 3 in) tall. He made this a source of self-deprecating humour over the years.[31]
In April 2018, shortly before his 94th birthday, Aznavour was taken to hospital inSaint Petersburg after straining his back during a rehearsal prior to a concert in the city. The concert was postponed until the following season, but eventually cancelled since he died six months later.[109] On 5 May 2018, he was a guest on BBC Radio 2'sGraham Norton.[110]
A week later, on 12 May, he broke his arm in two places in a fall at his home in the village ofMouriès, resulting in the cancellation of all shows until the end of June. This was eventually extended to include the 18 shows scheduled for August, because of a longer healing process.[111] In a program on French television broadcast on 28 September, only three days before his death, he mentioned that he was still feeling the pain.[112]
At Carrefour de l'Odéon in Paris, a bust of Aznavour was unveiled in 2021, in the neighborhood where Aznavour grew up.[143][144]
InGyumri, Armenia there is a statue of Aznavour in a square named after him
InYerevan, Armenia there is a statue of Aznavour in a square named after him[145]
InArtsakh Republic, a monument-bust of Aznavour was built in front of the Charles Aznavour Culture Center in Stepanakert in 2021[146] to mark Aznavour's 100th birthday.[147]Azerbaijan destroyed it after invading in September, 2023.[147]
Tant que battra mon cœur, Paris, Éditions Don Quichotte, 2013, 228 p. (ISBN978-2-35949-162-3)
Ma vie, mes chansons, mes films, (co-authored with Philippe Durant & Vincent Perrot), Paris, Éditions de la Martinière, 2015, 232 p. (ISBN978-2-7324-7083-2)
To mark the centenary of Charles Aznavour's birth,Universal France is releasing the box setThe Complete Work - Centenary Edition on May 10, 2024. This reissue includes his entire French and international discography, featuring both studio and live recordings.
^Also spelledChahnour[1] andVarenagh.[2] The name (Armenian:Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրյան,romanized: Shahnur Vaghinak Aznavuryan) appears asShahnur Vaghinak Aznavourian on his birth certificate, although his parents originally wanted to spell it asShahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian.
^abCords, Suzanne (21 May 2014)."The master of the chanson".Deutsche Welle. Retrieved30 June 2014.Long a legend, Charles Aznavour is the best known French chansonnier and arguably Armenia's most famous son.
^Shea, Michael (2006).The Freedom Years: Tactical Tips for the Trailblazer Generation. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. p. 122.ISBN9781841127545.One of France's best known pop stars, Charles Aznavour
^Akopian, Aram (2001).Armenians and the World: Yesterday and Today. Yerevan: Noyan Tapan. p. 91.ISBN9789993051299.It will be probably just to say that today he is the most famous Armenian, known and admired all over the world.
^Jasmine Dum-Tragut & Uwe Bläsing (ed.),Cultural, Linguistic and Ethnological Interrelations In and Around Armenia, Cambridge, 2020, p. 46. (ISBN 9781527551367).
^"About foundation". Aznavourfoundation.org. Archived fromthe original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved14 July 2021.The Aznavour Foundation, created by Charles Aznavour and his son Nicolas Aznavour aims at continuing the development and implementation of educational, cultural and social projects started by the legendary artist.
^Henley, Jon (6 May 2002)."Le Pen defeated but defiant".The Guardian (in French).Archived from the original on 20 October 2018. Retrieved1 October 2018.
