What better way to commemorate our 250th anniversary than to honor one of the most essential people who made it all possible.  It doesn’t hurt that he (pardon my pronoun) has a remarkable association with popular music of the era.  Of course we’re talking about French opera librettist Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732–1799). 

Beaumarchais best known as the author of The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro, was, in essence, our secret agent in Paris, a liaison between the French King, Benjamin Franklin and the revolutionaries in America.  He set up a fake trading company called Roderigue Hortalez & Company to secretly funnel weapons, ammunition, uniforms, and other military supplies to the American colonies.  He also lent a great deal of his own money.  True to form and sad to say, he was never fully paid back.

So, as we limp towards forgetting that it takes a great many people and a great deal of input from a great many others to make any venture successful, today we’re highlighting a wonderful new collection here at ARC, music that We Americans helped produce to honor Oui France. 

Okay it’s a stretch, but with our partners, The Internet Archive in San Francisco, we will be sending off this remarkable batch of 250 16” discs and 375 12” discs in this series, all 33-1/3rpm, all in mint or excellent condition to be digitized. This is a Classical music collection, music we do not collect, but important to preserve.  

The French Broadcasting System (FBS) in North America was a postwar cultural and broadcasting initiative from the 1940s to reestablish the cultural heritage and importance of European and French music to Americans.  These transcription discs were produced by Radiodiffusion Française for more than 200 US radio stations.  The effort was an example of “international public diplomacy through media”, sorta like Fox News…

I suggest shouts of “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité” and an occasional “La Patrie en Danger” in chorus with “Born In the USA” as we celebrate how we got here and where we’re going.

Ps : Do have a look at ARC’s Named Special Collections page where we highlight our remarkable collection of French pop.  Look for the Jean Gallia Collection of French Popular Music, 12,795 catalogued discs.

PPS : More 250 fun comes via the NYTimes, as they posted a bit on Yale University’s “Bicentennial Schlock”  Thank the lord for archives who know how to properly describe collections and brave enough, smart enough to save them “all-American novelty condoms.”

PPPs : And for real holiday fun, go to b’s Oui Oui Pulp page of French paperbacks.