Instrumentation : High voice - PfThis is the first ever complete critical edition of Henri Duparc's songs. Edited by Roger Nichols, the elegantly presented music is supported by a fully comprehensive Critical Commentary which illuminates as never before the compositional stages of these beautiful songs. Roger Nichols' international reputation as a leading authority on French music makes this edition essential for all singers who perform, study or teach these mélodies. This new Peters Edition of Duparc songs is most welcome. In beautiful In beautiful, clear print, it contains not only a great deal of useful information, but also a pronunciation guide for the French and best of all, translations, something the young singer or student will find invaluable. I could not recommend it more high ly. Dame Janet Baker Content : Chanson triste; Soupir; Romance de Mignon; Sérénade; Le gallop; Au pays où se fait la guerre; SoupirRomance de MignonSérénadeLe gallopAu pays où se fait la guerreL'invitation au voyageLa vague et la clocheLa fuiteÉlégieExtase L'invitation au voyage; La vague et la cloche; La fuite; Élégie; Extase; Le manoir de Rosemonde; Sérenade florentine; Phylidé; Lamento; Testament; La vie anterieure Editor :Nichols

Those interested in French music have often had reason to be grateful to Roger Nichols; his writings on Debussy Ravel Messiaen and Poulenc are indispensable to the music lover.Nichols now turns his attentions to the mélodie where it is his mission to encourage singers to explore beyond the well-trodden paths of French song. In these two anthologies he does not ignore masterpieces by composers of the stature of Fauré and Duparc but sets them alongside music - almost impossible to find elsewhere in print - by such under-estimated figures as Reber Viardot Massé and Paladilhe.Even the more celebrated songs are often not easilyfound in practical editions which makes this selection an ideal starting point for wider exploration. In each of these volumes the songs appear in the chronological order of their composer's birth but Nichols somehow contrives a line-up of music which seems delightfully arbitrary at the same time as carefully designed to enrich everyone's understanding of the mélodie. The books also contain a remarkable amount of scholarship lightly worn and pithily expressed.As well as complete translations of the songs there is a useful and concise introduction on singing in French together with an illuminating historical note and critical commentary; and Nichols gives full due to the poets who were of crucial importance in the development of the mélodie tradition.Complete with translations and guidance on pronunciationReber GuitareGounod Le soirGounod Le premier jour de maiViardot Les deux rosesViardot La mésangeFranck NocturneMassé SouvenirsLalo Chant BretonSaint-Saëns Chanson tristeBizet Vieille chanson Massenet Madrigal