Alain Oulman

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Alain Bertrand Robert Oulman (born June 15, 1928 in Dafundo , † March 29, 1990 in Paris ) was a Portuguese composer and publisher . He wrote a large part of the compositions for the fado singer Amália Rodrigues , such as Alfama , Gaivota or Meu amor, meu amor .

Life

Alain Oulman was the son of the industrialist Alberto Bensaúde Oulman and the publisher Nicole Calmann-Lévy. The family had Jewish-French roots. He attended the English St. Julian's School in Carcavelos near Lisbon and was interested in theater, music, painting and, above all, literature, especially Portuguese poetry. After completing his studies, he worked in his father's shop and at the same time pursued his musical interests. In the early 1960s he met the singer Amália Rodrigues. In 1962 their album Busto was released , which marks the beginning of a long-term collaboration. Other albums followed, on which texts by the national poet Luís de Camões and modern Portuguese poets such as Alexandre O'Neill and Manuel Alegre were set to music. These were initially received quite controversially by the critics.

Political persecution and exile

Because of his political engagement, Alain Oulman was persecuted by the Portuguese secret service PIDE , arrested in 1966 and then expelled from the country. He initially went into exile in London before finally settling in Paris in 1968, where he worked for Robert Calmann-Lévy's publishing house. There he published books by the authors Suzanne Prou , Amos Oz and Patricia Highsmith , among others . The publisher Le Portugal also published bâillonné by Mário Soares , who later became Prime Minister and President of Portugal. The contact with Amália Rodrigues continued even over the distance and in 1970 the album Com que Voz was released, which won several awards. After the end of dictatorship under Salazar in Portugal he lived both in Paris and in Lisbon.

reception

His compositions are interpreted by many fadistas such as Carlos do Carmo or António Mourão . In 2002 the composer was honored at the Festival da Música e dos Portos and in 2006 at the Festa do Avante by musicians such as Kátia Guerreiro and Carla Pires . From June to December 2009 the Museu do Fado in Lisbon presented a special exhibition entitled: Alain Oulman - As Mãos Que Trago , which was dedicated to the composer. Alain Oulman plays a central role in the history of fado.

Discographic notes

  • Amália Rodrigues: Busto , LP, 1962
  • Amália Rodrigues: Fado Português , LP, 1965
  • Amália Rodrigues: Com Que Voz , LP, 1970
  • Amália Rodrigues: Cantigas Numa Língua Antiga , LP, 1977

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Alain Oulman - As Mãos Que Trago Museu do Fado. Retrieved July 23, 2011.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Oulman, Alain
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Oulman, Alain Bertrand Robert (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Portuguese composer and publisher
DATE OF BIRTH June 15, 1928
PLACE OF BIRTH Dafundo
DATE OF DEATH March 29, 1990
Place of death Paris