GATEWAY TO FRENCH MÉLODIES LEADS US INTO A FRAGRANT GARDEN OF POETRY AND MUSIC THAT IS BOTH PASSIONATE AND REFINED. EACH SONG BRINGS TO LIFE ONE OF THE GREAT THEMES OF FRENCH ART-LOVE, NATURE, THE PURPOSE OF LIFE-WITH SENSUOUS BEAUTY, BEGUILING GRACE, AND OFTEN WITH HUMOR.

UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU SING IS THE BASIC CONCEPT OF THE GATEWAY SERIES. EACH LYRIC IS TRANSLATED, BOTH WORD-BY-WORD AND IN READABLE ENGLISH. THE SINGER CAN LEARN THE SONG WITH CONFIDENCE, AS OBSCURE POINTS OF PHONETICS, GRAMMAR AND INTERPRETATION ARE MADE CLEAR. THE CULTURAL CONTEXT OF EACH SONG IS ILLUMINATED, ALONG WITH ITS PLACE IN THE LIFE AND WORKS OF THE COMPOSER. THE COMB BINDING CREATES A LAY-FLAT BOOK THAT IS PERFECT FOR STUDY AND PERFORMANCE.

MANY OF THE MARVELOUS SONGS FOUND HERE BEEN OUT OF PRINT FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY AND A FEW ARE PUBLISHED HERE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME. THE SONGS INCLUDE:
'PLAISIR D`AMOUR,' THE QUINTESSENTIAL SONG OF BITTERSWEET LOVE, EDITED FROM THE COMPOSER`S ORIGINAL 1784 EDITION
SEVEN WORKS BY WOMEN COMPOSERS, INCLUDING TWO SISTERS WHO WERE DIVAS OF ROMANTIC OPERA, MARIA MALIBRAN AND PAULINE VIARDOT
WORKS OF FRENCH OPERATIC MASTERS SUCH AS GOUNOD, SAINT-SAËNS, BIZET, AND MASSENET
SIX SONGS BY GABRIEL FAURÉ AND FOUR BY CLAUDE DEBUSSY
TWO DUETS FROM CONTRASTING HISTORICAL PERIODS

PIANO ACCOMPANIMENTS ARE HEARD ON THE COMPANION CD, BEAUTIFULLY PLAYED BY JOAN THOMPSON AND EXPERTLY ENGINEERED BY GRAMMY AWARD WINNER MATTHEW SNYDER.
TITLE COMPOSER
INTRODUCTION
ABOUT THIS EDITION
THE COMPOSERS AND THEIR TIMES
THE CLASSICAL ERA
ROMANTICISM
AFTER ROMANTICISM
SONGS
PLAISIR D`AMOUR (FLORIAN) JEAN PAUL ÉGIDE MARTINI
ROMANCE D`ARABELLE (MILLEVOYE) PIERRE GARAT
LA JALOUSIE (ANONYMOUS) PAULINE DUCHAMBGE
PUISQU`ICI-BAS TOUT ÂME (HUGO) LOUIS NIEDERMEYER
L`ANDALOUSE (MUSSET) HIPPOLYTE MONPOU
DUET: BELLE, VIENS À MOI (DESBORDES-VALMORE) MARIA MALIBRAN
TRISTESSE DE L`ODALISQUE (GAUTIER) FÉLICIEN DAVID
CHANSON DE PÂTRE (AUGIER) CHARLES GOUNOD
SÉRÉNADE (HUGO) CHARLES GOUNOD
LE DOUX SOMMEIL (RONSARD) THÉODORE GOUVY
L`OMBRE ET LE JOUR (TURQUETY) PAULINE VIARDOT
BONJOUR, MON COEUR (RONSARD) PAULINE VIARDOT
AU JARDIN DE MON PÈRE (ANONYMOUS) PAULINE VIARDOT
BERCEUSE (BORDÈSE) PAULINE VIARDOT
DIEU QUI SOURIT (HUGO) EDOUARD LALO
OH, QUAND JE DORS (HUGO) EDOUARD LALO
CLAIR DE LUNE (MENDÈS) CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS
POURQUOI RESTER SEULETTE (CROZE) CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS
SONNET (RONSARD) GEORGES BIZET
SONNET MÉLANCOLIQUE (SILVESTRE) ALEXIS DE CASTILLON
LIED (MENDÈS) EMMANUEL CHABRIER
SOUVENIR DE VENISE (MUSSET) JULES MASSENET
OUVRE TES YEUX BLEUS (ROBIQUET) JULES MASSENET
LE VOYAGE (FLORIAN) EMILE PALADILHE
PUISQUE J’AI MIS MA LÈVRE (HUGO) GABRIEL FAURÉ
LES BERCEAUX (PRUDHOMME ) GABRIEL FAURÉ
LE SECRET (SILVESTRE) GABRIEL FAURÉ
AURORE (SILVESTRE) GABRIEL FAURÉ
NOCTURNE (VILLIERS) GABRIEL FAURÉ
EN PRIÈRE (BORDÈSE) GABRIEL FAURÉ
EXTASE (LAHOR) HENRI DUPARC
LE MANOIR DE ROSEMONDE (BONNIÈRES) HENRI DUPARC
DUET: LA NUIT (BANVILLE) ERNEST CHAUSSON
ROMANCE (BOURGET)