Henri Christiné

Henri Marius Christiné (27 December 1867 – 25 November 1941) was a French composer of Swiss birth.

The son of a French Savoyard watchmaker, Christiné was born in Geneva, Switzerland. He began by teaching at the lycée in Geneva, while pursuing his interest in music and playing organ in a local church. He married a cafe singer whose troupe was passing through Geneva, and went with her to Nice where they were married. He made his home in France, writing songs firstly for his wife and then for popular singers such as Mayol, Dranem, and Fragson. He also conducted for the music hall at the Place Clichy.

Although Christiné wrote some operettas for the Scala theatre in Paris before the First World War, his career took off when he had his operetta Phi-Phi staged the day of the Armistice on 11 November 1918, with words by Albert Willemetz and Fabien Solar and which ran for three years at the Bouffes-Parisiens. This success was followed by Dédé in 1921, Madame (1923) and J'adore ça (1925). These works were in the forefront of a new fashion in music-theatre: sparkling, witty, jazzy musical plays. Christiné's tunes often build on repeated refrains of six or seven notes (a 'hook') which made them catchy and popular for contemporary audiences.

In the 1930s Christiné contributed to the renewed fashion for more large-scale spectacular musicals, with pieces for the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, Au temps des Merveilleuses and Yana; for these he wrote the more vibrant numbers, while Richepin did the romantic songs. "Le Bonheur, Mesdames" and "Le Flirt ambulant" were rearrangements of his songs from the 1900s. He died in Nice, France.

Phi-Phi and Dédé are still occasionally revived in France.

Birth and Death Data: Born December 27, 1867 (Geneva), Died November 25, 1941 (Paris)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1905 - 1953

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, lyricist, songwriter, arranger

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 71 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-14281 10-in. 1/9/1914 Ninette Victor Military Band Band, with drum composer  
Victor C-14852 12-in. 5/22/1914 Come on over here Conrad's Society Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Victor C-16056 12-in. 5/28/1915 Gems from The lady in red Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-17523 10-in. 4/19/1916 Je sais que vous etes jolie Emilio de Gogorza Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-20510 10-in. 8/14/1917 Nikoline Robert Sterling Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-28394 10-in. 8/20/1923 No hay que decir esos a las mujeres Orquesta Internacional Orchestra composer  
Victor BVE-34357 10-in. 1/26/1926 Do I love you? Irene Bordoni Female vocal solo, with piano composer  
Victor BVE-34359 10-in. 1/26/1926 Souvenir d'Argentine Irene Bordoni Female vocal solo, with piano composer, lyricist  
Victor BVE-35375 10-in. 5/6/1926 Valentina Orquesta Internacional Orchestra, with male vocal solo composer  
Victor BVE-35612 10-in. 5/18/1926 Valentine Franklyn Baur ; International Novelty Orchestra Orchestra, with male vocal solo composer  
Victor BVE-49785 10-in. 3/15/1929 Valentine Maurice Chevalier Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor BAVE-805 10-in. 7/8/1926 Valentina Carabelli Jazz Band Jazz/dance band composer  
Victor BAVE-836 10-in. Summer 1926 Valentina Carlos Dix ; Gloria Guzmán Female-male vocal duet composer  
Victor D7FB-0880 10-in. 5/19/1947 Valentine Maurice Chevalier ; Henri René Orchestra Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble composer  
Victor D7FB-0881 10-in. 5/19/1947 Valentine Maurice Chevalier Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble composer  
Columbia 79283 10-in. 6/16/1920 Je sais que vous êtes gentil Charles Hackett Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia 30918 12-in. 12/18/1911 Laughing love Prince's Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Columbia 36824 12-in. approximately 1913 L'amour Prince's Band Band composer  
Columbia 37032 12-in. 9/12/1914 That's love with a capital "L" Prince's Band ; G. Hepburn Wilson Band composer  
Columbia 43753 10-in. March 1916 Hardi, les gars Torcom Bézazian Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia 44262 10-in. August 1916 Reviens J. H. Thibaudeau Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia 44306 10-in. August 1916 Ah! Les grandes femmes Alfred Nohcor Male vocal solo composer  
Columbia 44313 10-in. July 1916 La Baya Alfred Nohcor Male vocal solo composer  
Columbia 50273 10-in. between 1903 and 1906 La polka des English's Charlus Male vocal solo, with piano arranger  
Columbia 50532 10-in. between 1903 and 1906 L'amour malin Jane Allems Female vocal solo, with piano lyricist  
(Results 1-25 of 71 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Christiné, Henri," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104063.

Christiné, Henri. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104063.

"Christiné, Henri." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104063

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