Tones That Are Tender (Percy French 1854-1920)

Outstandingly researched and richly illustrated, this biography gives a new and fascinating insight into the life of one who is already acknowledged to have brought laughter and enjoyment to so many people as civil engineer, journalist, author, poet, parodist, artist, songwriter and entertainer. Apart from the invaluable Percy French – Chronicles and Poems edited by Mrs De Burgh Daly (sister of Percy French) there are also significant publications by three of his greatest disciples, James N. Healy with Percy French and His Songs, Brendan O’Dowda with The World of Percy French and Alan Tongue’s A Picture of Percy French. This will be the closest to a definitive biography yet attempted, using primary sources and examining the man in the context of all his output. But a more complete picture can yet be elicited. What for instance is the ancestry and full family background of one who is often described in simplified terms as a Protestant son of an Irish landlord or sometimes, on the other hand, as Renaissance man? What combination of talents, personality and life experience would find him equally at home either with the audience in a small hall in the west of Ireland or entertaining members of the English royal family in their Sandringham home? What are the ingredients of songs that, despite the prolific output of the modern highly geared song publishing industry, continue to be enjoyed almost a century after the composer’s death and just what is it that makes his simple but prolifically produced watercolour sketches ever more collectable? Published in association with The Percy French Society.