Georges Boulanger

Avant de mourir, Serenade op. 17

Newspaper advertisements of hotels and music halls announced: 'Boulanger plays today' - Georges Boulanger (1893-1958) was one of the most famous café violinists and band leaders of his time. He performed in Romania, Russia, Dresden, Berlin, London and Brazil and appeared on the screen next to many film stars in the 1930s/1940s. He left about 250 compositions, all of which were inspired by Balkan folklore and light Viennese music. Avant de mourir, written in 1926 and known as My Prayer in English-speaking countries, is one of his greatest hits which was recorded on vinyl by Glenn Miller, Jimmy Dorsey, Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, Bert Kaempfert, Gene Krupa, Dean Martin, Roy Orbison, and Engelbert Humperdinck. The version of The Platters from 1956 reached the top of the charts. The wistful piece was often used in films as well.