Bücher von Andrew Norman

It was a tradition with the Hardy family, late on Christmas Eve, for the local singers and musicians gather together at the family home at Higher Bockhampton for a glass of cider and a warming by the log fire. Meanwhile, they prepared their music scores and candles, prior to setting out on foot to entertain the locals by serenading them with Christmas carols at their front doors. The musicians included Hardy's father Thomas (violin), and his grandfather Thomas (cello). Hardy recreated this scene in his novel Under the Greenwood Tree (published in 1872), where 'Hardy' became 'Dewy', the cottage 'Lewgate', and the choir, the 'Mellstock Quire'. Although Hardy had difficulty in embracing the Christian faith, he adored it's joyous traditions, reliving them vicariously in Under the Greenwood Tree, and so may we!

In the early 1960s a new 'Star' appeared on the pop music scene and burned brightly in the firmament. This was the enchantingly beautiful, French singer-songwriter ('chanteuse'), Francoise Madeleine Hardy. Today, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, Francoise can be resurrected, at any moment of her singing career, simply with a flick of a switch on the television's remote control. And there she is, the epitome of French elegance and style! With Francoise, unlike with many of the popular musicians of the time, there was no blaring music or wild gesticulations. She had no need of devices such as these. Her songs are captivating in their own right, particularly those which tell of love, loneliness, and loss. In fact, she has been described as 'the patron saint of the dispossessed and heartbroken'. By why this focus on personal sadness? Could it be that this French icon, beloved by millions throughout the world and who apparently had the world at her feet, was permanently troubled? And if there was something troubling Francoise, could it be love, or to be more precise, unrequited love?