Le Chant Intime

"Le Chant intime is the very first book, since Pierre Bernac's landmark work in 1978, to deal specifically with the topic of the interpretation of French mélodie, written by a singer. It offers an essay about the general approach to be taken when preparing a French song, and analyses of a selection of 60 selected mélodies (none of which appear in Bernac's book), from Berlioz to contemorary composers like Hersant and Lancino. More than rules, Le Chant intime tries to give paths to be taken; more than answers, questions to be addressed. The lesson of Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande has served as a guiding principle: a song should be the junction of two dreams - the composer's and the poet's - not an explanation or an elicitation. Or, as Poulenc put it so wittily: a song should always be "a love affair, not an arranged marriage.""--