Paul de Senneville Paul de Senneville

Paul de Senneville(born 30 July 1933) is a French melody composer (melodist) and a music producer.

Career

He began his career as a journalist working for French newspapers such as France Soir. Later, he became a TV program producer as well.

Music career

As a director of a record company, Disc AZ, he started a new career on the basis of his passion in life: music.

After writing his first song in 1962, he contributed music for songs in many movie soundtracks produced by French companies such as Universe Galaxie and Daber Films. In 1968, while managing Michel Polnareff's career, he met Olivier Toussaint, forming a successful songwriting partnership. Their songs were recorded by major French artists such as: Mireille Mathieu, Michèle Torr, Christophe, Hervé Vilard, Dalida, Petula Clarkand Claude François. This partnership accounts for over 100 million records sold internationally. Partnering with lyricist Jean-Loup Dabadie, he wrote Tous les bateaux, tous les oiseaux, a French hit recorded by Michel Polnareff.

Very soon, the pair got involved in Production. They started the group Pop Concerto Orchestra, on which Toussaint sang lead. Soon after, they launched their second group Anarchic Systemthat produced Rock & roll. Over a period of 5 years, the two groups sold millions of records.

His music

• Dolannes Melodie (1975)
• Ballade pour Adeline(1977)
• A comme amour (1978)
• Les jardins de Monaco (with Olivier Toussaint)(1978)
• Lettre à ma mère (1979)
• Souvenir d'enfance (1985)
• Mariage d'amour(1987)
• Eléana (1987)
• Sagittaire (1988)
• Song of Ocarina(1991)
• Comme ils sont loin les souvenirs (1994)
• Hungarian Sonata (1997)
• Chinese Garden (1998)
• Princesse du désert (1999)
• J 'aime les gens qui s'aiment (2001)
• Pour tout l'amour du monde (2004)
• Tous Les Bateaux, Tous Les Oiseaux

Compositions for Movies

• 1974 Convoy of Women (as Paul De Senneville)
• 1974 Par ici la monnaie
• 1974 Celestine, Maid at Your Service
• 1974 No Pockets in a Shroud
• 1974 French Romance
• 1975 Tamara ou Comment j'ai enterré ma vie de jeune fille
• 1975 Dangerous Passions
• 1975 Comment se divertir quand on est cocu mais intelligent
• 1975 Peeping Tom in the Lime Light
• 1975 L'arrière-train sifflera trois fois
• 1976 French Erection
• 1977 French Deep Throat
• 1977 Des collégiennes très... spéciales
• 1977 Un amour de sable
• 1978 And Long Live Liberty
• 1978 Les putes infernales
• 1979 A Very Special Woman
• 1979 La nuit de l'été
• 1983 Baby Cat
• 1984 Irreconcilable Differences

Dolannes Melody

The success of Dolannes Melody launched the career of trumpet player Jean-Claude Borelly. The song reached #1 on the charts of France, Switzerland, Belgium and then in Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands. It reached first place in South America and later in Japan.

In 1978, Paul was represented in both France and Monaco in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978by his composition, Les jardins de Monacoas a duet. He won prestigious awards such as César Award(the French equivalent of the Oscar) for his movie scores. He was bestowed Comtetitle—a title of French nobility.

Delphine Productions

In 1976, Paul and Olivier set up their own record company, Delphine Productionsnamed after Paul's first daughter, Delphine Deschodt. Delphine Productions is a leading French music exporter and is the only specialist in instrumental music.

Besides Jean-Claude Borelly, they discovered French instrumentalists such as Richard Clayderman(1976), Nicolas de Angelis(1981) and Diego Modena (1991).

De Senneville and Toussaint collaborated with famous French arrangers such as: Gérard Salesses, Hervé Roy, Bruno Ribera, and Marc Minier. Their main music productions was devoted to Clayderman's music.

Ballade pour Adeline, A Comme Amourand Letter to my Mother are the biggest hits in Clayderman's recordings. These melodies were originally composed by de Senneville. He has composed around 400 melodies for Clayderman. Toussaint and Jean Baudlotare his composition partners.

Delphine group represents 15 companies as an advertising film and clip production company, an agency for advertising and casting actors and a casting agency as well as two modelling agencies. They have 4 recording studios in their "hotel particulier".

Personal life

Paul de Senneville enjoys classical music. Giuseppe Verdiis one of his favorites. He collects modern paintings and antique objects. He owns a horse statue made by Salvador Dalí.

He was the owner of racehorse L'Amiral Mauzun working with Jean-Philippe Ducher. The horse won the Elitloppetin 2007 among other races.

Paul de Senneville can allegedly neither read, write, nor play music. He sings into a small tape recorder at home or in his studio. Then he calls a pianist (or an arranger) to help him make an arrangement, before recording it with a larger ensemble.