Fausti: The Life Behind the Name

Few other Luxembourgish entertainers have been as popular as Fausti (1940–2021). His songs are still a staple at many celebrations today. But who was the man behind the famous name?

1940s and 1950s

Just over two months after the Wehrmacht’s invasion, on 24 July 1940, a boy is born into the Cima family in Luxembourg City. His parents name him Faustino. Little Faustino is one of seven children. His father is Italian and was born in Dudelange around 1900. His mother was Luxembourgish and came from Vianden. Her surname was Servé, her father was French. Faustino’s grandfather had come to Luxembourg at the end of the 19^th century to earn money working at the steelworks. Once he had saved a little money, he had his family join him in Luxembourg.

As a child, little Faustino lives opposite the Grand Ducal Palace at No. 24, Marché aux Herbes, in the house with the balcony. His enthusiasm for music comes from the military band, which regularly plays splendid marches in front of the palace for the changing of the guard. For little Faustino, this is the only opportunity to hear and experience music. The Cima family does not have a radio. They are very poor. After the changing of the guard, he follows the military band all the way back to the barracks.

In Italian families, the accordion, particularly the button accordion, the “accordeon à boutons”, “le piano à bretelles” or also “le piano du pauvre”, is especially popular. Faustino’s father wants his son to learn the accordion. He buys him one, for which he has to work many hours of overtime at the steelworks to pay for it.

Young Faustino receives his musical education at the Conservatoire in the 1950s, which at the time is just around the corner from their home, at 14–16 Rue du St. Esprit, a former refuge of Orval Abbey. Today, the Luxembourg City Museum is housed in this building. Seven years of solfège, four years of violin, four years of clarinet, with Jean Eiffes and René Hemmer respectively, and accordion with Camille Back from Hassel, who comes to their home to teach him. To save money on sheet music, he writes out the music for Faustino himself. After just six months, he already has a whole programme under his belt. At the age of 11, he is already playing at balls and fairs all over the country, throughout the entire night, earning up to 900 francs per performance. His mother then gives him 50 francs as spending money, which he invests in biscuits at the confectioner’s and eats all at once.

As a young virtuoso, he is admired by the older boys. They would always come up to him at the pub and ask: “What are you drinking, boy?” Faustino would always reply: “Well, I’m drinking a piece of chocolate.” He would then have a pile of chocolate in front of him every evening, so much so that after the ball, the proprietor had no chocolate left. And on Monday mornings at the Aldringer school, his teacher, Mr Feitler, would look at him and say: “Faustino, go home for a little while, go and get some more sleep.” Because he knew what was going on.

Faustino works his way up successfully. At the age of 15, he has to step in for the singer René Bomp, the nephew of Bompe Charly, who owns Charly’s Bar. René dies in a car accident at the age of 21. This is how Faustino gets into singing.

1960s and 1970s

In the 1960s, Fausti tours Europe with well-known Luxembourgish orchestras: the Johnny Nimax Orchestra, the Jempi Faust Orchestra and the Jean Roderes Orchestra, and is a co-founder of the famous Luxembourg Singers.

When he is in Luxembourg, he plays in cabarets in the evenings, at Charly’s, La Réserve, the Plaza, Chez Nous or the Splendid. He often plays for months on end, without a single day off. It is a tough life, but Fausti is happy with music and learns a great deal in the cabarets, accompanying artists and musically enhancing and underscoring their performances with nuanced playing, on drums, accordion or guitar.

In 1966, Jean Roderes asks him to play the drums in the symphony orchestra at the Grand Prix d’Eurovision de la Chanson for Udo Jürgens’s song Merci Chérie. Udo Jürgens then also takes first prize home to Austria.

Through the sponsor and producer of the Luxembourg Singers, who noticed Fausti, he is offered a contract to launch an international career. After having to be persuaded by his colleagues, he accepts the offer: “Are you crazy, Fausti? Of course you should take it, you can make a record and it won’t cost you anything. You may never get another chance like this!” He produces Pretty Belinda im Schlauchboot, a parody of Chris Andrews’s 1969 song Pretty Belinda. And boom, it is a hit. He sells 55,000 records in Germany. Radio Luxembourg also plays his songs, while he continues to play through the nights in cabarets and is simultaneously in the charts.

In the 1970s, Fausti developed a solo programme to perform in discos, with the drums at its centre. He prepared his drumsticks with luminous paint and performed using so-called “black light”, that is, ultraviolet lighting. During the drum solos, all you could see were his teeth, the collar of his shirt, his hands and the drumsticks. He also had a light organ built with red spotlights, integrated into the bass drum and tom-toms. These would move back and forth as he played. He took this show to many German discos. This was how he made his living. He toured Germany by car and, to save money on hotels, mostly slept in the car. At the time, he also regularly appeared on well-known television programmes such as Drehscheibe, Zum Blauen Bock, Grand Prix RTL International 1971 and at international festivals. In the years that followed, he repeatedly appeared on stage in Germany and Austria with stars such as Ireen Sheer, Cindy und Bert, Chris Roberts, Tony Marshall, Roberto Blanco, Frank Farian, Michael Schanze, Peter Maffay, Adamo, Camillo Felgen, Gitte and Howard Carpendale.

1980s, 1990s and 2000s

In the 1980s, he began working with musician and producer Jang Linster. This opened a new chapter in Fausti’s life, through which he became even better known, particularly in Luxembourg. In 1985, Jang Linster opened his own recording studio in Frisange, where most of the productions with Fausti have also been made to this day. He convinces Fausti to sing in Luxembourgish. Together, they produce records such as Fuesparty mam Fausti, Juxparty mam Fausti and ‘t ass Kiirmes am Duerf, all of which quickly become successful in Luxembourg and are played up and down at festivals and parties. This is music that people could dance to, have fun with, sing along to or simply listen to. It always lifted the mood in all kinds of social gatherings. He also produces CDs and children’s cassettes in Luxembourgish with Jang Linster, such as Kannermusek, Maus Ketti & Kompanie and De Kréckel Néckel.

In the 1990s, Fausti produced his probably best-known songs at Linster Studios, which quickly became big hits in Luxembourg and can still often be heard at festivals today. These include Zwou Bulle Mocca, On se Biitsch, Moss am Bic, Copacabana and Chachacha am Pyjama. Jang Linster’s partly ambiguous lyrics and wordplay are suited to every party, are easy to sing along to and, alongside the lively, effective arrangements and Fausti’s infectious performances, contribute to their success.

However, these songs from the 1990s were largely produced exclusively using computers and music software, which Fausti finds difficult to get to grips with.

On 20 February 2021, the much-loved entertainer, who in his final years had spent increasingly more time at his home in Ibiza, dies of a second heart attack during the Covid pandemic. His ashes were scattered on 25 February in the Geichbësch cemetery in Bissen, beneath tree No. 5, alongside his wife and friends.

In the Luxembourgish press, there are many reactions to Fausti’s death in the days that follow:

• “Fausti ist tot. Entertainer und Gute-Laune-König”
  (Luxemburger Wort, 20.02.2021)
• “Fausti. Ein Augenblick Glück”
  (Lëtzebuerger Land, 26.02.2021)
• “Faustino Cima alias ‘Fausti’. Luxemburgs wohl grösster Entertainer ist gestorben. Fausti stirbt mit 80 Jahren.”
  (Tageblatt, 21.02.2021)

Many politicians react to Fausti’s death in the form of Facebook messages, including the former Prime Minister Xavier Bettel: “Mir si mat him grouss ginn a mir konnten ëmmer op hien ziele fir eis e Laachen op d’Gesicht ze zauberen. Haut musse mir dem Fausti Äddi soen. En immense Museker a super léiwe Mënsch huet eis verlooss, d’Erënnerung bleift. Mäi Bäileed un d’Famill an all deenen, déi him no stoungen”.

This article was originally published in Luxembourgish. The English version was translated using AI and reviewed by the author.