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Daykin, Frank. The Encyclopedia of French Art Song: Fauré, Debussy, Ravel, Poulenc. Hillsdale, NY: Pendragon Press, 2013. Cloth, vi, 739 pp. $96.00. ISBN 978-1-57647-210-1 www.pendragonpress.com
The four French composers identified in the title of this volume are acclaimed masters of the mélodie who greatly influenced the development of the form. Frank Daykin, a collaborative pianist specializing in French art song, offers this book as a reference guide to their songs. As a coach, Daykin encountered singers who, despite being prepared on musical and linguistic aspects, did not understand the meaning of the text or the cultural context of the words. The purpose of the volume is to enable the reader to "find out about virtually any word on the page of a French song by Fauré, Debussy, Ravel, or Poulenc." The encyclopedia presents information about song titles, song dedicatees, poets, poetic terms, idioms, artistic movements, proper and common nouns, and adjectives. Entries for song titles include a listing of settings by other composers. Not included is biographic information for the composers, discussion of diction, or general music terms.
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