Henri Betti

Henri Betti, born Ange Betti (24 July 1917 – 7 July 2005), was a French composer and a pianist.
Pianist and composer of Maurice Chevalier from 1940 to 1945, Henri Betti is best known for composing the music of the songs "C'est si bon" (lyrics by André Hornez), "What Can I Do ?" (lyrics by Édith Piaf) and "The Windmill Song" (lyrics by Jacques Plante) that were performed by Yves Montand.
Biography.
Henri Betti was born at 1 rue Barillerie in the district of "Vieux-Nice" in a modest family : his father was a house painter and his mother was a fishmonger. His paternal family originates from the region of Emilia-Romagna in Italy : his grandfather was born in Parma and he immigrated to Nice with his wife and children in 1893.
In 1935, he entered at the Conservatoire de Paris which is then directed by Henri Rabaud where he studied music in the same class as Maurice Baquet, Paul Bonneau, Henri Dutilleux and Louiguy. He is the student of Lazare Lévy for piano class and Raymond Pech for harmony class. He won a prize of harmony in 1937.
He then headed for a classical pianist, but in 1940, when he has been discharged from military service of Fortified Sector of the Dauphiné in Briançon, he crosses the Corsican composer Roger Lucchesi on the Promenade des Anglais, who told him that he composed a song for Maurice Chevalier and asked him to accompany him to the piano when he the present him in his property "La Louque" in Cannes. Maurice Chevalier refuse the song but to ask Henri Betti be his regular accompanist. During the singing tours, he will make him play the Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23 by Frédéric Chopin between songs. Anxious to renew his repertoire, he also asked him to compose songs. Henri Betti then wrote music forty songs with the lyrics of Maurice Chevalier and Maurice Vandair until 1945 that "Notre Espoir" and "La Chanson du maçon" in 1941 or "La Fête à Neu-Neu" in 1943. Of the fifteen securities singing tour of Maurice Chevalier in 1945, Henri Betti sign fourteen.
He joined the SACEM in 1941 as composer and was appointed "Sociétaire définitif" in 1949.
After World War II, he knows great success with "Le Régiment des mandolines" in 1946 and "Le Chapeau à plumes" in 1947 for Lily Fayol, "Mais qu’est-ce que j’ai ?" in 1947, "Maître Pierre" and "Rien dans les mains, rien dans les poches" in 1948 for Yves Montand and especially "C'est si bon" in 1947 for Jean Marco with Jacques Hélian and his Orchestra. The song is sung by Yves Montand before becoming a standard international jazz with Louis Armstrong, who recorded for the first time in New York in 1950 in the English version of Jerry Seelen.
From 1949 to 1983, his music production is abundant : revues for Le Lido, the Moulin Rouge, the Folies Bergère, the Olympia, the Stardust and the Tropicana in Las Vegas, and many operettas and plays.
He has also composed for the cinema in the 1950s and television in the 1960s. His most famous soundtrack is that of "Honoré de Marseille" which will nearly 4 million admissions in France in 1957. In this movie, Fernandel sings three songs composed by Henri Betti and the words by Jean Manse. Henri Betti and Jean Manse had written a fourth song for the movie, "C'est Noël", sung by Fernandel in a scene that was edited out. The song was later sung by Tino Rossi and Georges Guétary. In 1953, he played the role of the composer and accompanist of the company of Jean Nohain in "Soyez les bienvenus" by Pierre-Louis which he also composed the music for the film.
In the early 1950s, he made her singing on stage first as "vedette américaine" featuring at the "ABC" in 1951 and the "Theatre des Deux Anes", in parisian cabarets as "Le Bosphore" and "Chez Tonton", and in summer outdoors in Nice, Cannes, Juan-les-Pins shows. And then as a full-featured except to Bobino and Gaumont-Palace. His talent manager was Johnny Stark.
During his career as a musician, Henri Betti worked with the composers Paul Bonneau, Gérard Calvi, Bruno Coquatrix, Jean-Pierre Landreau and Rolf Marbot and with the lyricists André Berthomieu, Bourvil, Jean Boyer, Charlys, Maurice Chevalier, Jean Cosmos, Pierre Cour, Yves Favier, Pierre Gilbert, André Hornez, Jean Le Seyeux, Francis Lopez, Jean Manse, Jacques Mareuil, Jean Nohain, Édith Piaf, Jacques Pills, Jacques Plante, René Rouzaud, André Salvet, Pascal Sevran, Maurice Vandair, Henri Varna, Raymond Vincy and Albert Willemetz.
In 1951, he participated with Albert Willemetz to the foundation of the "Comité du Cœur", relief fund for needy artists under the auspices of the SACEM, which will be Vice-President.
In 1958, he collaborated with Jean-Pierre Landreau to compose all the music revues of Lido for the company "Lido-Mélodies" whose two founding members are Jean Gruyer and Pierre Delvincourt.
In 1959, he collaborated with Bruno Coquatrix to compose the music of "Paris mes amours" and "Avec" (lyrics by André Hornez) which were performed by Josephine Baker at the Olympia.
In 1960, he wrote the music for the song "Les Étangs de Sologne" with the lyrics by Paul Vialar which was sung the same year by Jean Philippe in the TV show "Toute la Chanson".
In 1971, he participated with Maurice Lehmann to the foundation of the "ANAO" ("Association Nationale des Amis de l’Opérette") which will be Vice-President.
He was member of "Conseil d'administration" of the SACD from 1961 to 1975 and of the SACEM in 1982, 1983, from 1985 to 1987 and from 1989 to 1992.
In 1987, he composed the music for his last song with lyrics of Pascal Sevran : "C'est à Brasilia", performed by Les Sœurs Étienne.
In 1993, he published his autobiography, "C'est si bon !", published by "La Pensée Universelle".
In 2003, he entered the nursing home "Ger'Home" in Courbevoie where he died two years later of natural causes at the age of 87 years.
His funeral held at the "Eglise Saint-Pierre de Neuilly-sur-Seine", he is then cremated at the crematorium of Fort Mont-Valérien and buried in the Neuilly-sur-Seine community cemetery (Division 11, Parcelle Paysagée B).
Personal life.
Henri Betti married on 30 July 1949 in Bois-Colombes with the dancer Françoise Engels, met on the operetta "Baratin" that same year. His wedding witnesses were Bruno Coquatrix and André Hornez. The couple had three children and the godfather and godmother of their first child were André Hornez and Paulette Coquatrix.
Henri Betti was the brother of Freda Betti and the great granduncle of Alexy Bosetti but he has no family relationship with Laura Betti and Priscilla Betti.
Awards.
Henri Betti is made Chevalier of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques in 1960 and received the "Prix Maurice-Yvain", awarded by the SACD, in 1980, the "Médaille" by the SDRM in 1985 and the "Médaille" by the SACEM in 1991.
Tribute.
In 2006, his son François Betti realized the musical engravings and wrote the comments of the songbook "Une Vie en Chansons". In this album which is published by Paul Beuscher, there are the musical scores of 12 songs of Henri Betti : "Notre espoir" (lyrics by Maurice Chevalier), "La Chanson du maçon", "Chanson Populaire" (lyrics by Maurice Chevalier and Maurice Vandair), "Le Régiment des mandolines" (lyrics by Maurice Vandair), "C'est si bon" (lyrics by André Hornez), "Mais qu’est-ce que j’ai ?" (lyrics by Édith Piaf), "Rien dans les mains, rien dans les poches" (lyrics by André Hornez), "Maître Pierre" (lyrics by Jacques Plante), "Toutes les femmes", "Deux amoureux sur un banc", "Elle et lui" (lyrics by André Hornez) and "Comme c'est bon chez toi" (lyrics by Pierre Cour).
In 2018, Benoît Duteurtre hosted a radio show, "Étonnez-moi Benoît", about Henri Betti's career with the participation of the composer's son and grandson: François and Olivier Betti. In this radio program, which was broadcast on France Musique on 28 April, were 10 songs by Henri Betti: "Le Régiment des mandolines" (by Lily Fayol), "Tout ça c'est Marseille" (by Fernandel), "Notre espoir" (by Maurice Chevalier), "Mais qu’est-ce que j’ai ?" (by Yves Montand), "C'est si bon" (by Jean Marco and the Étienne Sisters), "Les Baobabs" (by Roger Nicolas), "Je cherche un cœur" (by Jacques Pills), "Grenelle" (by Suzy Delair), "Il fait beau" (by Tino Rossi) and "La Chanson du maçon" (by Maurice Chevalier).