Let's say 'Jean Francaix'

Composers Datebook

Synopsis

Today’s we tackle a vexing P.C. issue — not “political correctness,” mind you, but “pronunciation correctness,” a passionate matter for classical radio announcers, of course.

Now there was a French composer who lived from 1912 to 1997 whose first name was Jean and whose last name was spelled “F-R-A-N- C cedilla-A-I-X.”

Most people pronounce his name “Jean Frahn-SAY,” which has come to be the accepted pronunciation. The problem is that the composer’s family and close friends pronounced it “Frahn-SEX.”

Years ago, an announcer at a station in New York requested the definitive answer from the composer himself, and was told, yes, technically it was “Frahn-SEX,” but that he was used to being called “Frahn-SAY” and had given up correcting people, joking that perhaps “Frahn-SAY” sounded more French, or maybe people just didn’t want to say “sex” out loud.

This witty composer grew up in a musical family in Les Mans and claimed that by the age of twelve, knew all the piano music from Scarlatti to Ravel.

Both Jean Frahn-SEX and Jean Frahn-SAY were very prolific composers of works large and small, including a delightful Symphony in G Major, which premiered on today’s date in 1953 at the summer music festival in La Jolla, California.

Music Played in Today's Program

Jean Francaix (1912-1997): Symphony in G Major; Ulster Orchestra; Thierry Fischer, conductor; Hyperion CDA-67323