PIAF, Édith (1915-1963)

PIAF, Édith (1915-1963)

Contract signed « Édit Piaf » and « Bruno Coquatrix »
Paris, 29th February 1956, 1 p. 1/2 in-4°
Initialled « B. C. » by Coquatrix on first page
Some tiny stains, small missing bits on folds without affecting the text

The legendary original contract signed between Édith Piaf and Bruno Coquatrix for the three weeks show at the Olympia in 1956

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This is the singer’s second season in the famous theater directed by Bruno Coquatrix. She performed three more series of dates, in 1958, 1961 and 1962, and although exhausted, saved the Olympia from bankruptcy.

It was with Piaf that the myth of the Olympia took shape in the mid-1950s
Her image has thus become inseparable from the Parisian theater.

The present contract includes the outstanding conditions granted to the singer, then at the height of her career, for her performances at the 1956 Olympia. We can see that she benefits from a fee of 300,000 francs per day (a considerable sum for the time) for a period of three weeks.
In addition to the fact that she has the full orchestra of the theater, she is first and foremost accompanied by her own musicians and benefits from three hours of rehearsals with the best equipment before each performance. Finally, no first part can take effect without first submitting the assessment of Édith Piaf.

The other characteristic of the theater, recognizable among thousands, is its illuminated sign on its front. Thus, as stipulated in the contract, the singer will have her name displayed on two lines for the duration of her performances.

It was with her songs L’Homme à la moto, Hymne à l’amour and Les Amants d’un jour that she immortalized her Olympian tour in 1956.