There are famous melodies in the world that, due to certain life circumstances, trigger an unchanging reflex: they are associated with a particular event in our lives, played in a persistent TV commercial, or even served as the theme tunes for popular television programs.
Thus, in the minds of people born in the USSR, the song “Manchester and Liverpool” by the French singer Marie Laforêt is invariably linked to the weather forecast, while the melody “Ra-ta-ta” by the orchestra conducted by the German composer James Last is associated with the black box carried out during the most famous intellectual TV quiz in the Soviet Union, “What? Where? When?”.
Ninety-nine point nine percent of those born before 1991 (and perhaps a little later) associate this melody with a specific TV show titled “In the World of Animals.” I suppose it was the most positive phenomenon among everything shown on TV back then. Not only because it was the Soviet analogue of “Animal Planet” with educational, scientific-popular, and always “cute” (animals, birds, and inhabitants of exotic savannahs) content, but also because of the theme music. It was accompanied by equally sensitive animation, where ostriches and cranes danced in soulful harmony with each other and nature, while monkeys jumped on vines. Let’s recall how it was.
From the moment of conscious and mature perception of this musical piece, those curious about its origin developed a firm and undeniable belief that it was performed—and therefore composed—by the French composer and arranger Paul Mauriat. The same one whose music we are fortunate to hear in the series of films about the gendarme Cruchot starring the incomparable Louis de Funès. Somewhere deep in memory remains its title—either “Lark” or “Dove,” which is why it was used as the theme tune for the wildlife program and performed by Mauriat’s orchestra. This is close to the truth, but still not quite.
Paul Mauriat
The roots of this famous musical work should be sought on another continent—Latin America. Its author is Argentine composer Ariel Ramírez, who dedicated many years to researching the folk music and traditional rhythms of South America.
Ramírez is also known for his spiritual music, notably one of his most famous works—“Misa Criolla” (Creole Mass), which combined academic choral music with Latin American folk traditions. In 1964, the Argentine composer wrote a cantata for choir titled “Navidad Nuestra” (“Our Christmas”) based on the words of Argentine writer Félix Luna. One excerpt is called “La Peregrinación” (“The Pilgrimage”): it is the tenth movement of the cantata and tells of the journey of the Virgin Mary through the desert and the birth of Jesus Christ. In Spanish-speaking countries, it is one of the main religious works, and on Christmas Eve it is invariably performed in churches and at festive family tables. The best solemnity and uplift of “The Pilgrimage” is conveyed by this 1976 performance by the Argentine male quartet Los Fronterizos accompanied by the polyphonic choir of Buenos Aires, with maestro Ramírez himself at the piano.
The most famous and popular in his country—and later worldwide—piece “The Pilgrimage” became so thanks to the unparalleled performance of Argentina’s leading singer of the time, known as “the voice of Latin America”—Mercedes Sosa. Possessing a powerful and incomparable voice and a striking appearance (among her ancestors were the Aymara indigenous people), and a recipient of Latin Grammy awards, she faced political persecution after the 1976 coup in her country and was arrested on stage during a performance three years later. Later, Mercedes emigrated to Europe, lived there for a time, and then returned to her homeland.
This piercing rendition by the Argentine singer reportedly struck “right in the heart” of the French chansonnier Gilles Dreu, who was friends and collaborated with the poet-songwriter Pierre Delanoë, who in turn wrote songs for Édith Piaf, Joe Dassin, and others. Inspired by the Spanish-language “Pilgrimage,” Gilles asked his poet friend to adapt this work into a future French hit. The poet not only adapted it but masterfully made the beginning of the song resonate with the original: the Spanish lyrics begin with the phrase “A la huella,” meaning “on the trail, step by step.” Delanoë named this piece “Alouette” (“The Lark”), and it sings about love and summer dissolving like cigarettes. Here is the most famous performance of the song by the popular French chansonnier:
In 1968, in the arrangement and performance by Paul Mauriat’s orchestra, “The Lark” became globally famous and popular, and it was this version that reached Soviet listeners. In 1974, Alexander Zguridi, the author and first host of the program “In the World of Animals,” personally chose this melody for the show’s theme, and an iconic animated clip was created for it. It would be hard to imagine the program with any other melody.
You might ask—where did the dove mentioned at the beginning of the article come from? Coincidence or not, but for the first six years of the show, which aired starting in 1968, the melody “Colombe Ivre” (“Drunken Dove”) by Paul Mauriat’s grand orchestra was also used as the theme. Here it is:
So, a religious Christmas song—important and symbolic in Spanish-speaking communities and performed by church choirs—initially transformed into a French chanson about love, and then became the theme tune for a popular science TV program. Finally, here is another heartfelt rendition of this composition by the American choir Angel City Chorale. You can immediately feel the approach of Christmas (don’t forget to listen to it before the holidays), and you’ll wish for it to be spent in peace and tranquility.