Pierrot

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For the Japanese production studio, see Studio Pierrot. For the Japanese rock band, see Pierrot (band).

Watteau's sad commedia dell'arte player of Pierrot, ca 1718–19, traditionally identified as "Gilles" (Louvre)

Pierrot is a stock character of pantomime.

The French character named Pierrot is a creation of Jean-Gaspard Deburau, and is a variant on the Italian character Pedrolino. Spelled "Pjerrot", the character is a fixture at Bakken, the world's oldest amusement park. Bakken literature claims that the character is more than 4,000 years old, and originated in Turkey. It is also claimed that in ancient times, the broad red mouth of the character was created by physically cutting the mouth to make it larger.

Another Pierrot was created by Alexander Vertinskiy in Russia. His Pierrot wore a black tunic and pantaloons and sang sad songs in brothels.

1 Pierrot
2 Pierroting
3 The Arts
4 See also

[edit] Pierrot

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There is a story about the pierrot which relates how a small naked boy was found outside the gates of Heaven. It was winter, and as St Peter picked up the child and blessed him, the snow on his body turned into a suit of pure white clothing. St Peter adopted the child and gave him his own name—Little Peter or Pierrot—but there was one condition, Pierrot was not to be allowed to play with any of the human children he might come across as he wandered outside the gates of Paradise. Of course, this was almost impossible for a small boy, and on his return from just such a meeting he realised that his white suit now had black marks on it where the ordinary children had touched him. They proclaimed his guilt, and Pierrot was excluded from Paradise forevermore.

[edit] Pierroting

One may be said to be Pierroting if one is behaving like Pierrot.

And lo, in that dawn he was pierroting over,

Swinging in spirals round the fresh breasts of day.

from the posthumously published poem "The Moth That God Made Blind" by Hart Crane.

[edit] The Arts

Russian cabaret singer Alexander Vertinsky often performed in the costume of Black Pierrot with his face powdered.

British rock band Placebo's album "Meds" contains a track called "Pierrot the Clown".

An excerpt: "Leave me dreaming on the bed. See you right back here tomorrow, for the next round. Keep this scene inside your head as the bruises turn to yellow and the swelling goes down. If you're ever around, in the city or the suburbs of this town, be sure to come around. I'll be wallowing in sorrow, wearing a frown, like Pierrot the Clown."

Novembre, a progressive metal band from Italy, has a song called "Come Pierrot" ("Like Pierrot") on the Novembrine Waltz album. The song is in both English and Italian. Excerpt: "Stasera piovon gocce d'acqua di luna / ed io arroccato quassù come Pierrot..." (Translation: "Tonight moonwater drops are falling / as I'm sheltered here just like Pierrot...")

Pierrot Lunaire ("Moonstruck Pierrot" or "Pierrot in the moonlight") is an important work of Arnold Schoenberg, a setting of Albert Giraud's work of French poems of the same name (translated into German by Erich Otto von Hartleben) to music.

Die tote Stadt, an opera by Erich Korngold includes the aria Pierrot's Tanzlied (Mein Sehnen, mein wähnen) sung by the character Fritz.

Pierrot le Fou is a film by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina.

Langston Hughes authored short poems entitled Pierrot and A Black Pierrot.

The video game series Magical Drop features "Black Pierrot" as a secret character, an opponent only the best players would get to face.

In the anime series, Cowboy Bebop, there is an episode titled "Pierrot Le Fou." The episode features a genetically-alterred madman with a perpetual smile. He is dressed to resemble Pierrot and hunts down anyone who happens to see him.

In the anime series, Yakitate!! Japan, there is a judge called Pierrot, who judges breads in the Monaco Cup arc of the storyline. He was originally the son of the King of Monaco, but his mother died whilst giving birth. After eating the bread of Azuma Kazuma, he went back in time to meet his father and mother, and ultimately ended up saving her life, hence earning the name Pierrot (after himself).