French Composers’ Names – Tristan Murail
This week’s composer is one of the founders of The Ensemble l’Itinéraire, and a leading figure in Spectral music: Tristan Murail.
Tristan Murail ©Elisabeth Schneider
The French u has no equivalent in English. If you’ve studied German, it is, though, similar to the German ü. An easy way to pronounce a decent u is to close you lips as if you were pronouncing a very tight o (as in Figaro) while saying -ee. Use your lips. No lips, no u .
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Did you know that before studying composition with Messiaen in Paris, Murail got degrees in classical Arabic and Maghrib Arabic as well as a Bachelor’s degree in economic science and a degree from the Paris Institute of Political Studies?
Was this helpful? Is there any other name (composer, piece, instrument, etc.) that you would like to see on these pages? Just post a comment or find me on Twitter: @tonalfreak.
April 10th, 2013 at 10:18 am
Helpful for teaching us a proper French u, yes! Helpful for listening, no. You did nothing to further my ability to listen to Murail or to enjoy spectral music. Another blog fail. Try again?
April 10th, 2013 at 10:38 am
Good morning George. Thank you for your comment.
I thought that the title of the post was quite clear but apparently not. I am surprised to read that you were expecting a primer on Spectral music. This is not the place to find this information and doesn’t constitue a “blog fail.” Maybe a search fail?
Best,
T
April 10th, 2013 at 11:14 am
Ah, you are right- a search fail. I Googled “Tristan Murail spectral composer”. The “I Care if You Listen” name fooled me into thinking I would be helped to listen better to a composer I do not understand. Perhaps your blog should be called “I Care about Nonmusical Biographical Facts and That You Know Composer Names and Pronounce Them Correctly”? You asked a question, so I answered.
April 10th, 2013 at 11:19 am
Thank you for your answer, George. I will consider your suggestion to rename the blog.
Have a great day,
T
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