In 1935 the French baritone Pierre Bernac formed a duo with the composer Francis Poulenc that became a legend throughout the world. Unprecedented in the history of music, it was the first duo in which the singer and pianist were perceived as equals. It lasted for 25 years and was a determining influence on Poulenc's vocal output: more than two-thirds of his songs were written for Bernac to sing. Bernac's general book on the French repertoire, "The Interpretation of French Song", has long been the standard and indispensable work on its subject. In "Francis Poulenc - the Man and His Songs", first published in 1977, he gives us the fruit of his long association with Poulenc, paying moving tribute to the composer both as man and musician, and providing detailed analyses of every piano-accompanied song that Poulenc wrote. Each of the 137 poems is annotated for pronunciation, with a line-for-line translation into English by Winifred Radford, who also translated the text of the book. The discussion of each song is preceded by a brief biographical note on the poet and a description of Poulenc's own attitude towards both poet and poem. Bernac aimed in this book, to pass on his personal understanding of the songs of Francis Poulenc, as well as a little of their mutual experience in interpreting and performing them. He has thereby left a unique record whose importance cannot be overestimated.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Language Notes
Text: English, French (translation)
About the Author
Pierre Bernac was born in Paris in 1988 and began studying singing at the age of 18. In 1935 his professional partnership with Poulenc was formed and lasted until 1959 when Bernac retired from the concert platform. He then devoted himself to teaching and giving masterclasses through Europe, USA and Canada. He died in 1979.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential reading for the Poulenc student,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Francis Poulenc: The Man and His Songs (Paperback)
Pierre Bernac probably knew Francis Poulenc's songs better than anyone save the composer -- they had a working relationship that stretched across several decades, and Bernac personally premiered the lion's share of Poulenc's song output. This volume is Bernac's tribute to his friend and collaborator, and includes a useful biographical sketch with some amusing anecdotes, and a comprehensive survey of Poulenc's song output (though a few songs including the Eight Polish Songs, Fancy - Poulenc's only English language setting, from Shakespeare - and the Quatre chansons pour enfants are conspicuously missing). Each song includes complete texts and translations and Bernac's notes on composition, general mood and singer's motivation.
This book goes alongside Bernac's The Interpretation of French Song as essential reading for the serious devotee of French melodies. Must reading for anyone thinking about singing Poulenc's songs.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Francis Poulenc: The Man & his Songs,
By Tante Josie (Georgia & Germany) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Francis Poulenc: The Man and His Songs (Paperback)
This is THE book for singers and anyone interested in the wonderful melodies of Francis Poulenc.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
2
books
cite this book:
- The Muse As Eros: Music, Erotic Fantasy And Male Creativity in the Romantic And Modern Imagination by Stephen Downes on page 202, page 268, and Back Matter
- Thinking Bodies (Irvine Studies in the Humanities) by Juliet MacCannell in Back Matter
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
