Pierrot

Watteau's sad commedia dell'arte player of Pierrot, ca 1718–19, traditionally identified as "Gilles" (Louvre)

Pierrot is a stock character of mime and Commedia dell'Arte, a French variant of the Italian Pedrolino. His character is that of the sad clown, pining for love of Columbine, who inevitably breaks his heart and leaves him for Harlequin. He is usually depicted wearing a loose, white tunic. The noticeable feature of Pierrot's behaviour is his naïveté, he is seen as a fool, always the butt of pranks, yet nonetheless trusting. Pierrot is also portrayed as moonstruck, distant and oblivious to reality.

One may be said to be Pierroting if one is behaving like Pierrot.

The French version of the character was fashioned by Jean-Gaspard Deburau (1796-1846). He is the protagonist of the famous French folk song, "Au Clair de la Lune".

Spelled "Pjerrot", the character is a fixture at Bakken, the world's oldest amusement park in Denmark. According to Bakken publicity, the character is more than 4,000 years old, and originated in Turkey (known as Asia Minor). It is also claimed that in ancient times, the broad red mouth of the character was created by physically cutting the mouth to make it larger.

The 20th century Russian cabaret singer Alexander Vertinsky was famous for his portrayal of Pierrot, for which he wore a black costume and powdered his face.

Alexander Vertinsky as Pierrot

Poetry

In poetry:

And lo, in that dawn he was pierroting over,

Swinging in spirals round the fresh breasts of day.

From the posthumously published poem "The Moth That God Made Blind" by Hart Crane.

• The American poet Ralph Chaplin wrote a series of poems collectively titled "Maybe Pierrot", in which Pierrot is used to symbolize an idealistic artist unable to fight the world's injustices.
• Langston Hughes authored short poems entitled Pierrot and A Black Pierrot.
• The American modernist poets Wallace Stevens and Sara Teasdale both wrote poems titled "Pierrot", referring to the fin-de-siècle Pierrot lunaire figure
• Pierrette is Pierrot's pantomime counterpart: Pierrette is the lovable little French pantomime figure, dressed usually in a ballet skirt and bright peasant waistcoat and smart cocked hat. She and he were popular in street and carnial shows. She is a tender-hearted and wise little foil for the Pierrot who plays opposite her in fanciful and deilightful whimsical stories. Her name suggests a spirit loving, tender, comforting, but saucy, gay, and smart. i.e. " A charming little Pierrette of a daughter." quoted from Rodale's Phrase Finder, Rodale Press 1957

Music

Classical

• The second part of the piano composition Carnaval written by Robert Schumann.
• Pierrot Lunaire ("Moonstruck Pierrot" or "Pierrot in the moonlight") is an important work of Arnold Schoenberg, a setting of Albert Giraud's work of French poems of the same name (translated into German by Erich Otto von Hartleben) to music.
• Die tote Stadt, an opera by Erich Korngold includes the aria Pierrot's Tanzlied (Mein Sehnen, mein wähnen) sung by the character Fritz.
• Pierrot, clarinet-violin-piano trio by Thea Musgrave in which the violin is Pierrot, the clarinet is Columbine, and the piano the harlequin.

Modern

• Yellow Magic Orchestra's debut album contains a track titled "Mad Pierrot".
• Ali Campbell's 2009 album 'Flying High' (ex lead singer from UB40) contains a track called 'Nothing Ever Changes (Pierrot)' and contains the lyrics, 'Nothing Ever Changes...Pierrot Dances On....'.
• David Bowie wore a Pierrot costume for both the sleeve of his album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) and the video for the single "Ashes to Ashes".
• The video for Robots in Disguise single The Tears is based on the story surrounding Pierrot.
• Leo Sayer dressed as Pierrot on tour following the release of his first album, Silverbird.
• Novembre, a progressive metal band from Italy, has a song called "Come Pierrot" ("Like Pierrot") on the Novembrine Waltz album.
• The Japanese pop band Berryz Koubou's song "Kokuhaku no Funsui Hiroba" features the lyric "I am Pierrot" in reference to a girl who has just confessed her love and, having not yet received an answer, imagines the worst.
• Los Hermanos, a rock band from Brazil, has a song called "Pierrot" on the debut album, Los Hermanos.
• Brindis por Pierrot (Cheers for Pierrot) is an album of the Uruguayan songwriter/singer Jaime Ross.
• "Pierrot" is a song by Lee Hyun Do and is featured in the rhythm video game Pump It Up.
• The song "The Carnival Is Over" by Australian band The Seekers features the lines "But the joys of love are fleeting / For Pierrot and Columbine."
• English rock band Placebo's album Meds contains a track called "Pierrot the Clown", including the lyrics "I'll be wallowing in sorrow/Wearing a frown, like Pierrot the clown". "When I Dream, I dream your fist"
• Pierrot was a Japanese rock band active from 1994-2006.
• Japanese musician Közi often wore a pierrot costume while a member of the visual rock band MALICE MIZER
• Argentine band Sui Generis mentions Pierrot in their song "Gaby"

Culture

• Pierrot is a class in Golden Sun 2 acquired by equipping a certain item.

Books

• In the literary magazine The Savoy from the 1890s, a Beardsley drawing was often printed on the back cover featuring a mischievous pierrot in place of the traditional hero Bellerophon on the back of the winged horse Pegasus.
• Neil Gaiman's short story "Harlequin Valentine" features a Pierrot or "Petey" character.
• In the Morganville Vampires series book four Feast of Fools written by Rachel Caine. The main character Claire dresses as Harlequin and her vampire friend Myrnin dresses as Pierrot for a welcome feast.

Video

Anime

• The anime series Yakitate!! Japan features a character named Pierrot.
• Cowboy Bebop twentieth episode is called "Pierrot le Fou", and references both the character and Godard's film.
• Rintaro's segment of the anime triptych Neo-Tokyo ("Labyrinth") features a somewhat sinister clown who resembles some representations of Pierrot.

Film

• American filmmaker Kenneth Anger features Pierrot in his film Rabbit's Moon.
• The 4 performers in the Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant film Sylvia Scarlett call their act the "Pink Pierrots".
• Pierrot le Fou is a film by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina.

Television

• In Cirque du Soleil's production of La Nouba, there are two characters, both with a Pierrot name- La Pierrot Rouge and the Pierrot Clown.
• David Bowie's portrayal provided inspiration for a character in the TV series Ashes to Ashes.
• "Like A Pierrot" is a unicycle challenge course on the popular Japanese show Unbeatable Banzuke. It should be noted that a word for clown in Japanese is "pierrot," and this Pierrot reference is more likely to a regular circus clown than a Commedia Del'Arte Pierrot figure.

See also

• Pedrolino
• Commedia dell'arte
• Harlequin

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