SKU: DY.DO-1522

ISBN 9782897963026.

Francis Bebey est né à Douala en juillet 1929, dans une grande famille où son père, pasteur, luttait pour nourrir ses enfants. Mais Francis a eu l'opportunité d'aller à l'école. Admirant son frère aîné, Marcel Eyidi Bebey, il s'est éduqué, s'est distingué, et a finalement reçu une bourse pour passer son baccalauréat en France.
Nous approchions de la fin des années 1950 lorsqu'il est arrivé à La Rochelle. Plus que jamais, dans cette France où les Africains étaient regardés avec curiosité, condescendance ou dédain, Francis s'appuyait sur ses ressources intellectuelles. Travailleur assidu, il a obtenu son baccalauréat, puis s'est installé à Paris où il a commencé des études d'anglais à la Sorbonne. Un jour, il a su ce qui l'attirait vraiment : il voulait faire de la radio. Francis a appris son métier en France et aux �tats-Unis.
Après avoir travaillé quelques années comme reporter, il a été embauché en 1961 en tant que fonctionnaire international au Département de l'information de l'UNESCO.
Parallèlement, Francis a toujours été attiré par la création musicale. Son activité diurne très sérieuse ne l'empêchait pas de fréquenter les clubs de jazz le soir. � Paris, le jazz, la musique à la mode à cette époque, mais aussi la rumba et la salsa l'attiraient. Il collectionnait les disques et assistait à de nombreux concerts. Avec son complice Manu Dibango, Francis montait sur scène et jouait de la musique.
Francis aimait la musique classique depuis son enfance. Il avait grandi en écoutant les cantates et les oratorios de Bach ou Handel que son père chantait au temple. Il s'est passionné pour la guitare, impressionné par les maîtres espagnols et sud-américains, et a décidé d'apprendre à jouer de l'instrument lui-même.
Il a commencé à composer des pièces pour guitare, mêlant les diverses influences qui le traversaient avec la musique traditionnelle africaine qu'il portait en lui depuis son enfance. Son approche a captivé le directeur du Centre culturel américain (alors situé dans le quartier de Saint-Germain à Paris), qui lui a offert l'opportunité de se produire devant un public. Francis y a donné son premier récital de guitare (1963) devant un public hypnotisé. Son premier album solo est sorti peu de temps après.
Progressivement, Francis est devenu reconnu comme musicien et compositeur. Plusieurs albums de l'ambassadeur africain de la guitare, comme le décrivait la presse, sont sortis. Il a également écrit des livres, au point que sa carrière artistique est devenue difficile à concilier avec sa carrière de fonctionnaire. En 1974, même s'il était devenu le directeur général chargé de la musique à l'UNESCO, il a fait le saut audacieux et a démissionné de cette prestigieuse institution pour se consacrer aux trois activités qui l'intéressaient : la musique, la littérature et le journalisme.
Il a exploré le patrimoine musical traditionnel du continent africain, notamment à travers le piano à pouce sanza et la musique polyphonique des pygmées d'Afrique centrale, ou en chantant dans sa langue maternelle et en composant des chansons humoristiques en français !
Le succès a suivi. Francis Bebey a parcouru le monde : de la France au Brésil, du Cameroun à la Suède, de l'Allemagne aux Caraïbes, ou du Maroc au Japon... la liste des pays où il a été invité à se produire, à donner des conférences ou à rencontrer des lecteurs est très longue. En plus de la reconnaissance publique, il bénéficiait de la reconnaissance de ses collègues musiciens, tels que le guitariste John Williams ou le Vénézuélien Antonio Lauro, qui l'ont invité à faire partie du jury d'un concours de guitare classique à Caracas.
Sa vie était le voyage d'un pionnier africain, un homme enraciné dans son patrimoine culturel et portant un message de partage et d'espoir pour le monde. Son originalité continue de résonner dans le monde entier depuis son décès à la fin du mois de mai 2001.

Francis Bebey was born in Douala in July 1929, into a large family where his father, a pastor, struggled to feed his children. But Francis had the opportunity to go to school. Admiring his elder brother, Marcel Eyidi Bebey, he educated himself, distinguished himself, and eventually received a scholarship to go and take his baccalaureate in France.
We approached the end of the 1950s when he arrived in La Rochelle. More than ever, in this France where Africans were looked at with curiosity, condescension, or disdain, Francis relied on his intellectual resources. A diligent worker, he obtained his Baccalaureate, then moved to Paris where he started English studies at the Sorbonne. One day, he knew what truly attracted him: he wanted to do radio. Francis learned his craft in France and in the USA.
After working for a few years as a reporter, he was hired in 1961 as an international civil servant in the UNESCO Information Department.
In parallel, Francis had always been drawn to musical creation. His very serious daytime activity didnâ??t prevent him from frequenting jazz clubs in the evenings. In Paris, the Jazz, the trendy music of that time, but also rumba and salsa attracted him. He collected records and attended numerous concerts. With his accomplice Manu Dibango, Francis took the stage and played music.
Francis liked classical music since his childhood. He grew up listening to the cantatas and oratorios of Bach or Handel that his father had sung in the temple. He became passionate about the guitar, impressed by the Spanish and South American masters, and decided to learn to strum the instrument himself.
He started composing guitar pieces, blending the various influences that flow through him with the traditional African music he had carried within since childhood. His approach captivated the director of the American Cultural Center (then located in the Saint-Germain neighborhood of Paris), who offered him the opportunity to perform in front of an audience. Francis gave his first guitar recital there (1963) in front of a mesmerized audience. His first solo album was released shortly thereafter.
Gradually, Francis became recognized as a musician and composer. Several albums of the African guitar ambassador, as described by the press, were released. He also wrote books, to the point that his artistic career became challenging to reconcile with his career as a civil servant. In 1974, even though he had become the General Manager in charge of music at UNESCO, he took the bold leap and resigned from this prestigious institution to dedicated himself to the three activities that interested him: music, literature, and journalism.
He explored the traditional musical heritage of the African continent, notably through the thumb piano sanza, and the polyphonic music of the Central African pygmies, or singing in his native language and composing humoristic songs in French!
Success followed. Francis Bebey traveled the world: from France to Brazil, Cameroon to Sweden, Germany to the Carribean, or Morocco to Japan... the list of countries where he was invited to perform, gives lectures, or meets readers is very long. In addition to public recognition, he enjoyed the recognition of his fellow musicians, such as guitarist John Williams or Venezuelan Antonio Lauro, who invited him to be a part of the jury for a classical guitar competition in Caracas.
His life was the journey of an African pioneer, a man rooted in his cultural heritage and carrying a message of sharing and hope for the world. His originality continues to vibrate around the world since his passing at the end of May 2001.

SKU: HL.122489

ISBN 9781480355927. UPC: 884088953010. 9.0x12.0x0.138 inches. Compiled and Arranged by John Hill.

Journey Through the Classics is a classical guitar repertoire folio designed to lead students seamlessly from the earliest classics to the intermediate masterworks. The 32 graded pieces are presented in a progressive order and feature a variety of traditional folk songs and classical favorites essential to any guitar student's educational foundation. The pieces are written in standard notation and tab, and include right and left hand fingerings. The authentic repertoire is ideal for auditions and recitals and is a perfect companion to any classical guitar method.

SKU: DZ.DZ-1043

ISBN 9782895009900.

SKU: DZ.DZ-1044

ISBN 9782895009917.

SKU: GI.G-9454G

UPC: 785147945475. English. Text Source: Vv. Hymns Composed on Various Subjects, 1759, Joseph Hart, 1712–1768, alt., ref. Anonymous. Text by Joseph Hart.

SKU: HL.49045084

ISBN 9783795749125. 9.0x12.0x0.329 inches.

The edition provides a varied mixture of the latest songs and immortal classics and is an attractive addition to the repertoire for classical guitar. The two experienced teachers have developed the songbook for private and group lessons at music schools. It is also suitable for music-making at home. Chord symbols are provided for the optional accompaniment by a second guitar player. Including Dust In The Wind, Let Her Go, Pegao, Starry Night (Vincent) and many more!

SKU: HL.50602031

ISBN 9781540055606. UPC: 888680946180. 9x12 inches.

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco composed 52 Greeting Cards for various instruments between 1953 and 1967, collectively catalogued as opus 170, which he developed in a non-systematic manner up to the year before his death. These pieces were conceived as gifts for his interpreters and students, whom the author meant to gratify with these pleasant little vignettes. The 21 Greeting Cards for guitar, written from 1954 to 1967, are here collected for the first time.

Historical introduction and critical commentary in Italian and English.

SKU: GI.G-5550C

ISBN 9781579991524. Scripture: Psalms 19, 23, 24, 25, 27, 33, 34, 40, 51, 63, 78, 84, 89, 90, 91, 95, 96, 98, 100, 104, 113, 117, 118, 119, 121, 122, 126, 138, 139, 141, 145, 146, 147.

Singing Our Faith is a hymnal-songbook for school liturgies and catechetical settings. Designed for children ages 7 - 12, this hymnal contains timeless music that children will remember and treasure for a lifetime. Hymns are organized according to church year and then follow the themes suggested by the National Catechetical Committee. 287 selections of psalms (refrains), hymns, and service music for students.  For use in school and catechetical settings, with contents that are “at the core of a healthy adult parish repertoire.” Supplementary resources include a complete set of recordings on CD, keyboard accompaniment book, C Instrument Edition, and a very helpful Leader's Manual. The Leader's Manual includes sections on selecting music, Ten Ways to Get Your Children to Sing, and more. Comprehensive indexes, a signature feature of all GIA hymnals, round out this great resource.