Pierre 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. 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.
“No one will ever sing my songs better than Bernac. He knows the smallest secrets of my music. Francis Poulenc, 1954 ”
“This is THE book for singers and anyone interested in the wonderful melodies of Francis Poulenc. ”
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