Discovering the Vocal Music of Louis Beydts

Cover of the album being discussed (courtesy of PIAS)

After a bit of a delay, the latest album of tenor Cyrille Dubois is now available and has its own Amazon.com Web page. He has had an impressive track record for recordings, which includes the complete songs of Gabriel Fauré, along with albums dedicated to Franz Liszt and the two Boulanger sisters, Nadia and Lili. The new album is devoted entirely to works by Louis Beydts, most of which have been recorded for the first time.

Beydts was a miniaturist. The entire album consists of 38 tracks with an overall duration that is about seven minutes shy of an hour and a half. The song “Dans les ombres de mon ȃme,” lasts for only 48 seconds. Nevertheless, I found that I could savor each song before encountering its conclusion. Furthermore, between my limited knowledge of French and my listening acuity, I found it easy to become acquainted with this music without burying my head in text sheets.

Once again, Dubois’ accompanist is pianist Tristan Raës. The songs themselves were composed between 1926 and 1948. They span a rather eventful period in the history of the twentieth century, but Beydts never seems to have been influenced by the roller-coaster of “real” events taking place while he worked on these songs. Whether he led a charmed life or was just oblivious is left for historians to decide!