"Plaisir d'amour" (literally "The pleasure of love") is a classical French love song written in 1780 by Jean Paul Égide Martini (1741-1816). Hector Berlioz arranged it for orchestra.[1] It has been arranged and performed in various pop music settings.
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The song, composed in 1780, took its text from a poem by Jean de Florian (1755–1794), which appears in his romance, Célestine. The classical French composer Hector Berlioz (1803–1869) arranged the piece for orchestra (H134) in 1859.
Notable interpretations of the song include those of Joan Baez, The Seekers, Vicki Brown, Marianne Faithfull, Brigitte Bardot, Karrin Allyson, Nana Mouskouri and Charlotte Church. Also those of classical singers such as Victoria de los Angeles, Tito Schipa, Fritz Wunderlich and many others. One of the more unusual recordings is by Paul Robeson. It was performed by Irene Dunne in Love Affair; Maria Ouspenskaya accompanies on the piano. Montgomery Clift played the music on the piano and sang the song as well in The Heiress. Joelly Richardson, as Marie-Antoinette, sings it in the 2001 film "The Affair of The Necklace." "Plaisir d'amour" is also sung by a children's choir in "The Breaking Point", an episode of HBO's 2001 World War II television miniseries Band of Brothers. The song is featured in the 1955 movie We're No Angels with Humphrey_Bogart Peter_Ustinov and Aldo_Ray, the 1987 movie La Famiglia by Ettore Scola, and the 1966 Batman movie.
The melody was used for the song "My Love Loves Me", performed by Anita Carter, and "Can't Help Falling in Love", an Elvis Presley hit.
Plaisir d'amour ne dure qu'un moment.
chagrin d'amour dure toute la vie.
J'ai tout quitté pour l'ingrate Sylvie.
Elle me quitte et prend un autre amant.
Plaisir d'amour ne dure qu'un moment.
chagrin d'amour dure toute la vie.
Tant que cette eau coulera doucement
vers ce ruisseau qui borde la prairie,
Je t'aimerai me répétait Sylvie.
L'eau coule encore. Elle a changé pourtant.
Plaisir d'amour ne dure qu'un moment.
chagrin d'amour dure toute la vie.
The pleasure of love lasts only a moment
The pain of love lasts a lifetime.
I gave up everything for ungrateful Sylvia,
She is leaving me for another lover.
The pleasure of love lasts only a moment,
The pain of love lasts a lifetime.
"As long as this water will run gently
Towards this brook which borders the meadow,
I will love you", Sylvia told me repeatedly.
The water still runs, but she has changed.
The pleasure of love lasts only a moment,
The pain of love lasts a lifetime.
[1], Plaisir D'Amour (A Classical French Love Song), Thomas Keyes, Useless-knowledge.com, 8/02/2009
[2] Plaisir d' amour at MusicMe.com
Rina Ketty sings Plaisir d'Amour (1939)
About the song (page written in French!)