Guitar - Intermediate - Digital Download SKU: ZY.DO-1522 Composed by Francis Bebey. Arranged by Ingrid Riollot. Score. 5 pages. Les Editions Doberman-Yppan (digital) #DO 1522. Published by Les Editions Doberman-Yppan (digital) (ZY.DO-1522). Francis Bebey est nĂ© Ă Douala en juillet 1929, dans une grande famille oĂą son père, pasteur, luttait pour nourrir ses enfants. Mais Francis a eu l'opportunitĂ© d'aller Ă l'Ă©cole. Admirant son frère aĂ®nĂ©, Marcel Eyidi Bebey, il s'est Ă©duquĂ©, s'est distinguĂ©, et a finalement reçu une bourse pour passer son baccalaurĂ©at en France.Nous approchions de la fin des annĂ©es 1950 lorsqu'il est arrivĂ© Ă La Rochelle. Plus que jamais, dans cette France oĂą les Africains Ă©taient regardĂ©s avec curiositĂ©, condescendance ou dĂ©dain, Francis s'appuyait sur ses ressources intellectuelles. Travailleur assidu, il a obtenu son baccalaurĂ©at, puis s'est installĂ© Ă Paris oĂą il a commencĂ© des Ă©tudes d'anglais Ă la Sorbonne. Un jour, il a su ce qui l'attirait vraiment : il voulait faire de la radio. Francis a appris son mĂ©tier en France et aux Ă?tats-Unis.Après avoir travaillĂ© quelques annĂ©es comme reporter, il a Ă©tĂ© embauchĂ© en 1961 en tant que fonctionnaire international au DĂ©partement de l'information de l'UNESCO.Parallèlement, Francis a toujours Ă©tĂ© attirĂ© par la crĂ©ation musicale. Son activitĂ© diurne très sĂ©rieuse ne l'empĂŞchait pas de frĂ©quenter les clubs de jazz le soir. Ă? Paris, le jazz, la musique Ă la mode Ă cette Ă©poque, mais aussi la rumba et la salsa l'attiraient. Il collectionnait les disques et assistait Ă 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 Ă©coutant les cantates et les oratorios de Bach ou Handel que son père chantait au temple. Il s'est passionnĂ© pour la guitare, impressionnĂ© par les maĂ®tres espagnols et sud-amĂ©ricains, et a dĂ©cidĂ© d'apprendre Ă jouer de l'instrument lui-mĂŞme.Il a commencĂ© Ă composer des pièces pour guitare, mĂŞlant les diverses influences qui le traversaient avec la musique traditionnelle africaine qu'il portait en lui depuis son enfance. Son approche a captivĂ© le directeur du Centre culturel amĂ©ricain (alors situĂ© dans le quartier de Saint-Germain Ă Paris), qui lui a offert l'opportunitĂ© de se produire devant un public. Francis y a donnĂ© son premier rĂ©cital de guitare (1963) devant un public hypnotisĂ©. 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 dĂ©crivait la presse, sont sortis. Il a Ă©galement Ă©crit des livres, au point que sa carrière artistique est devenue difficile Ă concilier avec sa carrière de fonctionnaire. En 1974, mĂŞme s'il Ă©tait devenu le directeur gĂ©nĂ©ral chargĂ© de la musique Ă l'UNESCO, il a fait le saut audacieux et a dĂ©missionnĂ© de cette prestigieuse institution pour se consacrer aux trois activitĂ©s qui l'intĂ©ressaient : la musique, la littĂ©rature et le journalisme.Il a explorĂ© le patrimoine musical traditionnel du continent africain, notamment Ă travers le piano Ă pouce sanza et la musique polyphonique des pygmĂ©es 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 BrĂ©sil, du Cameroun Ă la Suède, de l'Allemagne aux CaraĂŻbes, ou du Maroc au Japon... la liste des pays oĂą il a Ă©tĂ© invitĂ© Ă se produire, Ă donner des confĂ©rences ou Ă rencontrer des lecteurs est très longue. En plus de la reconnaissance publique, il bĂ©nĂ©ficiait de la reconnaissance de ses collègues musiciens, tels que le guitariste John Williams ou le VĂ©nĂ©zuĂ©lien Antonio Lauro, qui l'ont invitĂ© Ă faire partie du jury d'un concours de guitare classique Ă Caracas.Sa vie Ă©tait le voyage d'un pionnier africain, un homme enracinĂ© dans son patrimoine culturel et portant un message de partage et d'espoir pour le monde. Son originalitĂ© continue de rĂ©sonner dans le monde entier depuis son dĂ©cès Ă 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.
