A Song Played During Execution

La Paloma
My tribute to

Mireille Mathieu

Sumedha Manabarana

Sebastin Iradier
The song 'La Paloma' (The Dove) was composed and written by Spanish composer Sebastin Iradier (later known as Yradier) around 1836 after he visited Cuba in 1861. The song was a favourite of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico (1832-1867). In the 1939 film Juarez, Emperor Maximilian requests that the song 'La Paloma' be played during his execution. The song was sung by 88,600 people, the largest choir in Hamburg on May 9, 2004 and entered the Guinness Book of World Records.

Mireille Mathieu
The song La Paloma has been performed many a large number of singers. Mireille Mathieu, a renowned French singer, is one of them. She is highly regarded as the French successor to Edith Piaf. She was born on July 22nd, 1946. Her father Roger Mathieu carried on the trade of stone masonry for the cemetery. She has thirteen brothers and sisters. They lived in a poorly built small wooden house. At the age of four, she was singing at midnight mass. Her winning at a singing competition in Avignon (a French commune in southeastern France) in 1964 marked a turning point in her life.

On November 21, 1965, at the age of 19, Mireille hypnotized the French by her mesmerizing Edith Piaf-look-like performance.

When she was 15, the family moved into a government subsidized apartment with a new bathroom. "That was the most beautiful day in my life. For the first time I took a bath. It was such an extraordinary sensation, she recalls. The song has been performed by a large number of renowned musicians. Given here is only a few of them:

Harry Belafonte Maria Callas Perry Como Bing Crosby Marty Robbins Plcido Domingo Connie Francis Julio Iglesias James Last Dean Martin Mills Brothers Nana Mouskouri Charlie Parker Luciano Pavarotti Edith Piaf, and Elvis Presley, (retitled "No More")

Lyrics
Wenn rot wie Rubin die Sonne im Meer versinkt ein Lied aus vergangener Zeit in den Herzen klingt. Das Lied es erzhlt von einem der ging an Bord und da sagte er zur Liebsten ein Abschiedswort:

Weine nicht wenn ich einmal nicht wiederkehr! Such einen andern dir nimm es nicht zu schwer! Und eine weie Taube fliegt dann zu dir bringt einen letzten Gru bers meer von mir.

La Paloma ade! Wie die wogende See so ist das Leben ein Kommen und Gehn und wer kann es je verstehn? //

Sie sah jeden Morgen fragend hinaus zum Kai sein Boot "La Paloma" es war nie mehr dabei. Und eine weie Taube zog bers Meer! Da wute sie es gibt keine Wiederkehr!

La Paloma ade! Wie die wogende See so ist das Leben ein Kommen und Gehn und wer kann es je verstehn?

Video Song link in You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPM5MeFZP5U