Ensemble complet du manuscrit et du tapuscrit de la chanson de Boris Vian intitulée "Pour bercer ma peine" rédigée pour son examen d'admission à la SACEM

Complete set of Boris Vian's manuscript and working typescript, genesis of the song "Pour bercer ma peine".
- one leaf and two perforated slips handwritten in ink by Boris Vian. Numerous deletions.
- One leaf folded in two written in ink in Boris Vian's hand as well, containing the title of the song and the following mentions: "6.1.51 - Boris Vian 3 rue D'Aumale St Tropez Var"
- two perforated leaves typed by machine, clean copy of the manuscript.
The music for this text was composed by Louis Bessières and the song was performed by Magali Noël.

"On January 6, 1951, Boris Vian takes the obligatory admission examination to the Sacem on the imposed theme "Pour bercer ma peine" ["To cradle my sorrow"]. His quality as a recognized author will henceforth allow him to receive author's rights. Let us recall that in 1951, he has already published eight novels: Vercoquin et le Plancton, L'Ecume des Jours, J'irai cracher sur vos tombes, Les Morts ont tous la même peau, Et on tuera tous les affreux, Elles se rendent pas compte, L'Automne à Pékin, L'Herbe rouge, a collection of short stories Les Fourmis, and a poetry collection Cantilènes en gelée, presented a play L'Equarrissage pour tous, made translations (Le Grand Sommeil, La Dame du lac...), written articles, and all this has brought him very little money because his books sell poorly, except for the too famous J'irai cracher sur vos tombes. Boris Vian must move on to something more lucrative if possible. One can say that he applies himself to this immediately by launching into song." (Oeuvres de Boris Vian, Volume 11)

In Boris Vian's professional file at SACEM, one reads the pseudonym he chose for himself: Vernon Sinclair...

The SACEM entrance examination was established in 1878 and would last until 1991. Aspiring members - which notably gave the right to a pension - had one hour to one and a half hours to compose a song on an imposed theme. The examination center at 10 rue Chaptal thus saw the greatest names of French song pass through and the most decadent themes: Bourvil had to compose, in 1944, on the theme "Totor le tatoué" while Georges Brassens received the title "Les étrennes de mon amie" in 1942.
One must believe that Boris Vian was received by an examiner with little imagination and the song he wrote during his examination is of rare melancholy:

Je ne sais pourquoi l'on persiste
A ressasser tous ses chagrins
Pourquoi lorsque l'on est trop triste
On veut prendre le dernier train

["I don't know why one persists
In dwelling on all one's sorrows
Why when one is too sad
One wants to take the last train"]


Provenance: Boris Vian Foundation.