A reflective Émile Stern song from Django and Grappelli’s Rome repertoire, with minor cadences and a brighter contrasting bridge.
If you study one thing
Sing the melody through all four eight-bar phrases, then improvise one chorus using only chord thirds and one chorus answering each phrase with silence.
Owner content reviewed — 2026-10-15T13:12:25Z by admin. Coverage measures presence, not accuracy. Content review does not certify rights or musical perfection.
See what is here and what is missing
✓ Recording evidence
✓ Key & form
✓ Chart
✓ History
✓ Playing notes
✓ Practice plan
✓ Backing track
✓ Django recording
✓ Django solo study aid
✓ Illustration
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Django's Recordings
Django recordings for this tune. Uploader dates and take labels remain source claims; only an evidenced exact association enables a row’s Listen control.
1 historical recording entries · source text preserved
Entry
Year
Recording / session / release evidence
Listen
01
1949
Ou Es-Tu Mon Amour, Jan-Feb 1949, CW 43,"Fremeaux FA 317, RCA ND 70929-2, RCA ND 90448"," - Rome - Django Reinhardt (g), Stephane Grappelly (v),Gianni Safred (p), Carlo Pecori (b), Aurelio de Carolis (d)"
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A dash means no video has been associated with this exact historical recording. Tune-level listening resources remain available above.
History & Listening
Émile Stern's song enters this archive through Django and Stéphane Grappelli's Rome recordings of January–February 1949. The Philharmonie catalogue independently identifies Stern and that recording period. The minor-key opening and brighter bridge make this a useful lesson in shaping a long phrase without losing the song's reflective character. The composition date and lyricist remain unconfirmed here; 1949 is a recording date, not a claim about when the song was written.
Tune details
Music: Émile Stern
Documented in archive: 1949
Original key: Not established
Study level: Intermediate; minor cadences and contrasting bridge
Melody & head
Compare the violin's melodic phrasing with the guitar's answers; mark where the brighter bridge begins.
Treating every dominant as belonging to A natural minor.
The inherited A-minor chart alternates tonic arrivals with B half-diminished–E7 cadences. Dm–G7 briefly points to C major. The bridge begins with G7–C, then B7 creates a different dominant color before Dm6–E7 returns toward A minor. Check the video key before playing with the chart.
Chart & Form
The inherited A-minor chart alternates tonic arrivals with B half-diminished–E7 cadences. Dm–G7 briefly points to C major. The bridge begins with G7–C, then B7 creates a different dominant color before Dm6–E7 returns toward A minor.
Inherited chart retained exactly. Its symbols and substitutions are source material, not a new authoritative transcription.
Où Es-Tu Mon Amour (85 bpm) - Gypsy jazz Backing track / Jazz manouche
Guitare Improvisation
Swing · 85 BPM · 6m22s · Video available when checked; creator-described attribution.
Creator-described gypsy-jazz play-along. Check the key and full arrangement before joining in; the guide chart may use another key. Tempo is the creator’s stated value.
Où Es-tu, Mon Amour 1949 solo by Django Reinhardt - Augusto Creni
augusto creni
source-described; accuracy not independently verified
Creator presents a study of Django’s recorded solo. Use it alongside the original recording; exact transcription accuracy has not been independently reviewed.
Distinguish D♯ on B7 from D natural in the home minor key.
Pitch choices
Begin with the named chord tones. Add passing notes only after the melody and cadence are secure.
Sing the melody through all four eight-bar phrases, then improvise one chorus using only chord thirds and one chorus answering each phrase with silence.
Comping & voicings
Use light, connected quarter notes. Let the bridge brighten through its chord thirds rather than making it abruptly louder. Keep the bass motion clear when two chords share a bar.
Voicing note sets
Am6: A–C–E–F♯; Dm6: D–F–A–B.
E7: E–G♯–D; B7: B–D♯–A.
Keep the accompaniment clear
First establish an even pulse; add rhythmic variation only when the melody leaves space.
Treating every dominant as belonging to A natural minor.
Practice room
Start at 70–85; explore 85–110 bpm
Your assignment
Sing the melody through all four eight-bar phrases, then improvise one chorus using only chord thirds and one chorus answering each phrase with silence.
Loop these changes
B half-diminished → E7 → Am
Dm → G7 → C
G7 → C, then B7 → Dm6 → E7
Metronome
Count quarter notes first. Then place the click on beats 2 and 4 at half the click rate, keeping the phrase length unchanged.
Transposition
Move one short cadence to a nearby key by naming its chord tones, then return to the chosen study key.
At the session
A minor (inherited chart); 32-bar AABA study chart; varied A endings. Agree the arrangement, pickup and ending before counting in.
Start together
Count a clear tempo and use the final cadence of the agreed arrangement.
Finish together
Cue the final tonic together; agree any tag before starting.
Treating every dominant as belonging to A natural minor.
Treating every dominant as belonging to A natural minor.
Arranging the tune
Solo guitar
Keep the melody uppermost and begin with a single bass note under each harmony. Am6: A–C–E–F♯; Dm6: D–F–A–B.
Trio or larger group
Use light, connected quarter notes. Let the bridge brighten through its chord thirds rather than making it abruptly louder. Keep the bass motion clear when two chords share a bar.
Vocal considerations
No vocal arrangement is prescribed; use the instrumental melody as the phrasing reference.
This player guide combines inherited recording evidence and editorial study notes. Musical study notes are editorial suggestions; compare them with the recording.
Original Djangopedia illustration · AI-assisted, 2026
Original AI-assisted editorial artwork inspired by the tune’s mood. It does not depict a documented historical event.
Generated with the native image-generation tool on 2026-10-15; original editorial artwork, not a historical photograph.
Prompt: Original retro jazz illustration: a woman at a Paris café beside an empty chair, with a guitarist silhouette in the window; navy, dusty rose and amber, broad mid-century and Art Deco inspiration, 3:2, no lettering. Reconstructed prompt summary; original tool prompt not retained in this record.
Research & rights notes
Composition year and lyricist not established.
Original published key and exact take of the listening video remain unverified.
Original composition/recording rights not independently cleared. Video metadata and musical suitability are separate checks.
Où Es-Tu Mon Amour (85 bpm) - Gypsy jazz Backing track / Jazz manoucheGuitare ImprovisationSwing · 85 BPM · 6m22s · Video available when checked; creator-described attribution.Creator-described gypsy-jazz play-along. Check the key and full arrangement before joining in; the guide chart may use another key. Tempo is the creator’s stated value.✓ Featured
OÙ ES-TU MON AMOUR (85BPM) THE STEPHANE WREMBEL BAND - PLAY ALONG SERIESStephane WrembelSwing · 85 BPM · 3m7s · Video available when checked; creator-described attribution.Creator-described gypsy-jazz play-along. Check the key and full arrangement before joining in; the guide chart may use another key. Tempo is the creator’s stated value.Select video
The Grappelli Album: 'Où Es-Tu Mon Amour?' - Tim Kliphuis TrioTim KliphuisVideo available when checked; creator-described attribution.Performer attribution follows the video title and channel description. Proposed listening selection; no popularity ranking implied.✓ Featured
Où es-tu mon amour ?Django Collective Helsinki - TopicVideo available when checked; creator-described attribution.Performer attribution follows the video title and channel description. Proposed listening selection; no popularity ranking implied.Select video