Person

Claret, Gaston

1901-1961

Born in Geneva, Switzerland, composer Gaston Claret made his career in Paris. He was an intern composer in 1924, according to the French Société des auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs de musique (SACEM), then a full member of the society in 1933. In 1929 he composed the operetta “L’a-do-ré.” Of the many songs he wrote, “Without Love” (1945) and “Aux portes de Paris” (1935) were for film soundtracks, and “C’est la guingette,” though uncredited, was used in Jean Renoir’s “The Rules of the Game” (La Règle du Jeu) in 1939. His song “Si petite,” was immortalized by popular singer Lucienne Boyer in 1932; it went through ten editions between 1930 and 1958. After Claret’s death, the song was used in the 1973 film “Bel ordure” (Lovely Swine). Another posthumous film soundtrack was “Si tu n’étais pas là,” which was used for the 2001 film “Amélie” (Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain). Including posthumous credits, the AllMusic.com website lists 46 titles in Claret’s name.