Jacques Leguerney, heir to the exquisite French mélodie tradition, is beautifully served in this carefully researched and practical performance guide. The Leguerney melodies are gratifying vehicles for both singers and pianists. They reflect the nature of the man himself: elegance, grace, sophistication, and an awareness of beauty in all its forms. To be in the presence of Monsieur Leguerney, no matter how briefly, was itself an aesthetic experience. This study leads the way to establishing international recognition for a composer who so richly deserves it. Richard Miller, Wheeler Professor of Performance and Director of the Vocal Arts Center, Oberlin Conservatory The songs of the extraordinary composer Jacques Leguerney form a magnum opus of undeniable beauty and originality. The various aspects of his musical style are discussed in depth in this book, which is a must for performers and enthusiasts of the mélodie. Unquestionably it will help achieve the recognition that Jacques Leguerney deserves as one of the twentieth century's great song composers. Dalton Baldwin, internationally acclaimed pianist Just when we thought there wasn't a major song composer left to explore, the trio of Dibbern, Kimball and Choukroun have ,written this invaluable, much-needed study of the songs of Jacques Leguerney. Nothing is left out and all is treated with precision and detail. My hat is off to these remarkable scholars and performers who have provided us with a wealth of information that is a must in every serious art-song enthusiast's library. Chapeau! Thomas Grubb, the Julliard School, Peabody Conservatory of Music; Houston Grand Opera, New York City Opera; author of Singing in French

Mary Dibbern: Mary Dibbern joined The Dallas Opera as Music Director for Education and Family Programming in June 2012. She is an adjunct faculty member of the University of North Texas, where she teaches French Diction for singers. She is an internationally known specialist in the field of vocal coaching and recital accompaniment, with appearances in Europe, the United States and Asia. Dibbern was graduated summa cum laude from SMU with a Master of Music in accompaniment under the direction of Maestro Paul Vellucci. She resided in France from 1978 to 2009, where she studied with Nadia Boulanger and Pierre Bernac and was guest coach for the Opéra National de Paris, and all of the major French opera companies. She also worked in Switzerland, Portugal, Lithuania, Latvia, and in Shanghai where she was in charge of musical and language preparation for the first French-language productions. In the US, she was guest coach at Seattle Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Kentucky Opera, Opera Memphis and Hawai'i Opera Theatre. She was Head of Music at Minnesota Opera for three seasons, where she collaborated closely with composer Kevin Puts and librettist Mark Campbell on their world premiere "Silent Night" which subsequently won the Pulitzer Price for Music 2012. Mary Dibbern is the author of seven books on French music published by Pendragon Press and is the Editorial Consultant for Musik Fabrik's publications of works by French composer Jacques Leguerney She is a recording artist for Harmonia Mundi France, Claves and Maguelone.