Diary of My Songs

A unique record of Poulenc (1899-1963) who is considered the greatest composer of mélodies of his period, a period that opened with the aftermath of the First World War and closed as recently as 1960. He set to music poetry by all the greatest French twentieth century poets as well as others from earlier times. He wrote this diary of songs as an answer to what he felt were the frequent misinterpretations of his work. It describes the origins of each song, comments on performances he heard and offers guidelines for interpretation. The diary is filled out with explanatory notes, a collection of unfamiliar photographs and the English translation to the text written opposite the French original. It will appeal to singers who include French song in his or her repertoire and also to those who have an interest in music of this period. The translator, Winifred Radford is also the singer who gave the first performance in England of Poulenc's song cycle Fiancailles pour rire in 1945. She was coached by Poulenc and Pierre Bernac with whom she later translated The Interpretation of French Song and Francis Poulenc - The Man and his Songs.

'Read within the context of his own distinctive tone of voice, Poulenc's comments take on a totally fresh hue in a book that is much more than simply a catechism for singers, but rather a revevealingly idiomatic self-portrait, redolent of the Parisian boulevards and artistic salons, childhood memories, melancholy rainy afternoons, or the invigorating bitterness of a flower once plucked and munched in the surroundings of the Grande Chartreuse.' - Robert Henderson, The Daily Telegraph

Francis Poulenc was a French composer of chamber music, concertos, opera, and songs whose best-known works include "Sonata for Clarinet and Piano" and "Concerto for Organ, Strings, and Timpani in G Minor."Graham Johnson is the author of "A French Song Companion."Winifred Radford was an English soprano and vocal teacher and the translator of "The Interpretation of French Song" and "Francis Poulenc: The Man and His Songs."