The French Song Companion is the most comprehensive book of French melodie in any language. The great accompagnist Graham Johnson, a noted authority of song, provides repertoire guides to the work of some 150 composers - the majority of them from France, but including British, American, German, Spanish, and Italian musicians who have written French vocal music. There are major articles on such figures as Faure, Duparc, Debussy, Ravel, and Poulenc; substantial articles on Bizet, Chabrier, Gounod, Chausson, Hahn, and Satie; and reassessments of such composers as Massenet, Koechlin, and Leguerney. A host of less celebrated figures who have contributed to the genre take their place in a book which is both informative and entertaining. The biographical articles are supplemented by the song translations of Richard Stokes, some 700 in all, and a veritable treasury of great French poetry from the fifteenth to the twentieth centuries. These stand in their own right as indispensable to music lovers, concert-goers, and professional singers and their accompanists. This is a book which not only reflects the repertoire as found in today's concert halls, but also encourages performers and armchair enthusiasts to explore the neglected highways and biways of an endlessly fascinating and highly civilised body of music.
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"A great deal of thought has obviously gone into the presentation of the enormous number of facts to be found here ... Furthermore, the book is a delight to handle." -- Gramaphone
"flicking through the lovingly enthusiastic writing in this Companion is a rewarding experience. Johnson has excelled on every level and his experience as an accompanist transforms this book into a precious insider's account. What could easily have turned out to be a dry catalogue is in fact a lively, witty and informative journey." -- Francis Carlin, The Singer
"flicking through the lovingly enthusiastic writing in this Companion is a rewarding experience. Johnson has excelled on every level and his experience as an accompanist transforms this book into a precious insider's account. What could easily have turned out to be a dry catalogue is in fact a lively, witty and informative journey." -- Francis Carlin, The Singer
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This Belgian composer, unjustly neglected outside his own country, wrote a large number of songs. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
This Belgian composer, unjustly neglected outside his own country, wrote a large number of songs. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By C. Orde
Format:Paperback
This book is encyclopaedic in its coverage and is an indispensable guide for anyone who is interested in French song, but particularly for singers and accompanists. There are many useful translations of poems - not just the well-known ones but obscure ones too - and honest appraisals of the work of almost every composer who has set the French language to music. The book is constructed in such a way that it is very easy to use, with separate indexes for composer, poet and title. The main part of the book consists of individual articles on each composer, arranged alphabetically from Jean ABSIL to Jean WIENER, describing their oeuvre in general and individual cycles and songs in detail. The length of entries varies in proportion to the composer's (or work's) perceived importance, but there is also a subjective element that takes into account how they rate in the authors' estimation. Thus, Debussy, Fauré and Ravel get enormous entries, as one would expect, but Honegger gets a generous three pages plus several poem translations, whereas Vierne (whose songs have the edge over Honegger's in my view) is only allowed a mere half page and no poems. The style of the writing is always entertaining, never dry, and it is quite unfair that so talented a musician as Graham Johnson should also be such an accomplished writer! Fellow mélodie singers, I guarantee that you will find this thoroughly researched and carefully produced book to be a real treasure trove and an inspiration for expanding your repertoire. It's one of the few books that I own which are permanently in use and never get put back on the shelves of my bookcase.
By DH
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I had first seen this book at a singing in French weekend 2 years ago and wanted my own copy since then, but baulked at the price. Got it as birthday present this year and I love it. Brilliant, easy, logical layout with composers' biography at beginning of chapter, original French lyrics on left hand side of page and English translation on right. Great for dipping in and out of. Songs are arranged in their suites or collections. Very useful book.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars
7 reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worthy companion to Bernac
20 Sep 2002
By klavierspiel
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Pierre Bernac's _Interpretation of French Song_ has long been the indispensable reference volume for singers and coaches of this rich musical literature. The focus of the present volume is somewhat different, more comprehensive in its listings of composers (any composer of significance who set French texts is included, resulting in some surprising listings, Bernstein and Dinu Lipatti, for example), but less didactic in terms of pronounciation and performance. The translations by Richard Stokes are so good that one wishes even more had been included. Graham Johnson's commentaries on composers and songs are readable and full of insight. There are useful indices and suggestions for further reading. Altogether, this is a comprehensive and fascinating volume for both performing musicians and other lovers of French art song.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A French Song Companion
3 Dec 2007
By R. A. Shore
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A French Song Companion
This is a superb book! A wonderful source book for deepening one's knowledge of the French art song repertoire. Although not primarily concerned with helping performers to interpret the songs (unlike Bernac in this respect), it contains extraordinarily perceptive and insightful commentaries on the songs, grouped by composers, and should open many doors to most listeners and performers. I cannot recommend it too highly.
This is a superb book! A wonderful source book for deepening one's knowledge of the French art song repertoire. Although not primarily concerned with helping performers to interpret the songs (unlike Bernac in this respect), it contains extraordinarily perceptive and insightful commentaries on the songs, grouped by composers, and should open many doors to most listeners and performers. I cannot recommend it too highly.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Indispensable for singers and accompanists
8 May 2008
By C. Orde
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
This book is encyclopaedic in its coverage and is an indispensable guide for anyone who is interested in French song, but particularly for singers and accompanists. There are many useful translations of poems - not just the well-known ones but obscure ones too - and honest appraisals of the work of almost every composer who has set the French language to music. The book is constructed in such a way that it is very easy to use, with separate indexes for composer, poet and title. The main part of the book consists of individual articles on each composer, arranged alphabetically from Jean ABSIL to Jean WIENER, describing their oeuvre in general and individual cycles and songs in detail. The length of entries varies in proportion to the composer's (or work's) perceived importance, but there is also a subjective element that takes into account how they rate in the authors' estimation. Thus, Debussy, Fauré and Ravel get enormous entries, as one would expect, but Honegger gets a generous three pages plus several poem translations, whereas Vierne (whose songs have the edge over Honegger's in my view) is only allowed a mere half page and no poems. The style of the writing is always entertaining, never dry, and it is quite unfair that so talented a musician as Graham Johnson should also be such an accomplished writer! Fellow mélodie singers, I guarantee that you will find this thoroughly researched and carefully produced book to be a real treasure trove and an inspiration for expanding your repertoire. It's one of the few books that I own which are permanently in use and never get put back on the shelves my bookcase.
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