Jean Cras (1879-1932) was a remarkable man by anyone's measure. Twice a decorated hero of the Great War, this Rear-Admiral of the French navy, scientist, inventor and moral philosopher, was also a highly esteemed composer during his lifetime, enjoying the same stature and celebrity as Fauré, Debussy and Ravel.
Since his death, however, both Cras and his music have been almost completely overlooked. In this, the first critical biography of Cras, Paul-Andre Bempechat, an Affiliate at Harvard University's Center for European Studies, situates Henri Duparc's protegé as a missing link between the French post-Romantic generation of composers and the Impressionists. The book explores, both historically and analytically, the methodology by which Cras evolved his eclectic brand of Impressionism, striking the delicate balance between Celtic folk idioms and exoticisms inspired by his travels.
Cras' creative legacy extends beyond the world of music to the world of science. His five patented inventions include the navigational gyrocompass, which bears his name, still in use to this day by the French navy, coast guard and boating afficionados. Bempechat draws special attention to the humanist Jean Cras and his distinguished military career – he is credited with saving the Serbian army from extinction – drawing on primary source material such as family correspondence and wartime diaries to reaffirm this composer as a true Renaissance man of the twentieth century.
About the Author: Paul-André Bempéchat studied at the Manhattan and Juilliard Schools of Music and the Sorbonne, where his mentors in piano and chamber music were Artur Balsam, Felix Galimir and Nadia Reisenberg; in musicology and comparative literature, Marie-Claire Beltrando-Patier, Pierre Brunel and Isabelle Cazeaux. A contributor to The Revised New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicans, Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, and to numerous academic and performing arts journals, Dr Bempéchat has enjoyed research and lecturing appointments at Harvard University, where he remains an Affiliate at its Center for European Studies, and at the Westminster College of the Arts of Rider University. Based in Boston and Paris, Paul-André Bempéchat sustains the career that has brought him to the Wiener Festwochen, the Caramoor Festival, Boston’s Jordan Hall, and Berlin’s Konzerthaus.
Reviews: ‘La remarquable analyse de Bempéchat nous dévoile une oeuvre qui jongle avec les exotismes glanés par le compositeur lors de ses expéditions, le bretonisme qui lui était inné, et l'exégèse de son catholicisme fervent.’ France Catholique
‘… an impressive undertaking… I consider that this book, more than simply a biography of a single composer and a military man, will shine even brighter once we have readjusted his position in the larger history of modern French music.’ International Journal of Tourism Science
'Le Canadien Paul-André Bempéchat, est parfaitement francophone mais c'est en anglais qu'il rédige cette somme dédiée à Jean Cras … Tout y est, …sa carrière marine, … l'inventeur brilliant, l'esthète pétri d'humanisme, le musician dans son œuvre. … Le portrait est vivant, Jean Cras se tient devant vous et tous les secrets de son art subtil sont démontrés.' Diapason
‘Bempéchat weaves lively excerpts from the composer’s journals and correspondence into a descriptive narrative that ranges from heady to introspective, allowing glimpses of Cras’s familial devotion, aesthetic musings, wry humor, and faith derived from philosophy and experience rather than blind piety. … Bempéchat’s book is a welcome examination of a gifted but obscure composer that will prove useful for military historians and musicologists alike.’ Journal of Military History
'... a fluid accessible narrative for both historians and musicologists... This is the first major study of Cras and will stand as a good reference to all who are interested in approaching him, Bretagne composers, regionalism and nationalism, the legacy of Franck and Duparc, polymaths, and those interested in cultural activities in France.' Notes
'... his absorption of nonmusical matters allows him to present an enormous amount of unexpected information without losing the reader’s interest, and when he does get to the music, he examines it so attentively that this introductory book on Cras is likely to be the last word on him for a decade or two. Every composer should have a Paul-André Bempéchat!' Fanfare Magazine
'With a chronological list of compositions, reviews, and encyclopedia entries on Cras, as well as bibliographies on Brittany, French military history, and musicology, this excellent study should serve as the catalyst for some exciting new research into French musico-poetics of the early twentieth century.' French Studies
'With this book, Mr. Bempéchat confirms his reputation as the reigning expert on the composer. He makes clear on every page his thorough knowledge of and reverence for Cras and his music.' H-France Review
'L'ouvrage éveillera la curiosité du musicologue, du scientifique, du marin comme du chaland. ...Savant dosage de biographie, d'analyse et de mise en contexte historique, Jean Cras, Polymath of Music and Letters confère à Jean Cras une aura aristocratique, en même temps qu'elle renforce son capital sympathie. ...Le nom et la connaissance de l'œuvre musicale de Jean Cras, 'un maître-compositeur de la musique de chambre, de la sonate au quintette, en passant par la symphonie, par l'opéra', ne prennent plus la poussière...' [The book will arouse the curiosity of the musicologist, the scientist, the sailor as well as the barge driver. ... A scholarly mix of biography, analysis and historical context, Jean Cras, Polymath of Music and Letters confers to Jean Cras an aristocratic aura, while strengthening his sympathy capital… The name and the musical work of Jean Cras, 'a master composer of chamber music, from the sonata to the quintet, via the symphony and the opera' no longer gather dust...]' France-Amérique
'Bempéchat [...] paints a compelling portrait of a Renaissance man who was successful in three distinct arenas…Th[is] volume will undoubtedly pique interest in this multifaceted person. [It] is highly recommended.' Journal of Singing
'There is no doubt that, in subsequent studies of Jean Cras's life and works, this book will be the first source to which the researcher turns. Bempéchat's deft and skilful blending of a beautifully written and engaging biography with lucid and erudite musical analysis, interspersed with tales of military history and scientific discovery, has resulted in a book that is absolutely engaging on its own, as it tells the life story of a most extraordinary man.' Nineteenth-Century Music Review