An Interview with  André Feraud

André Feraud was a professional musician for 45 years in France. He started out on his musical journey as a trumpet player, then switched to trombone, which he played in the Aimé Barelli Orchestra in Monte Carlo and also at the Lido of Paris. André is retired in the South of France living the good life.

FM: André, please tell us about your background as a musician in France. Did you attend a conservatory?

AF: Yes, I did but only in 1945. I started to play the trumpet in 1942 and professors were scarce in those insecure days. I received a few advices from various musicians I met, nothing really serious though. I took my first real lesson in 1944 from the second soloist of the Paris Opera, Mr. Greffin. After a while I decided to move down South to live with my grand parents. I then attended the conservatory of Toulon. My teacher was the Principal of the Opera of that town, Mr. Bonnans.

FM: What system of transposition did you learn? note-to-note or clefs?

AF: We learned to read and master the seven clefs. Those were, and still are, currently taught in every conservatory in France. They are part of the teaching program and it's impossible to shun that part.

FM: When did you get your first professional job as a musician?

AF: I got my first job in 1949. I had got back to Paris in '48 and immediately started to look for a way to get myself known to the heavies of the time. After a few unavoidable setbacks, I got the lead trumpet chair in a semi big dance band. It was a good gig and it allowed me to learn the ropes of the trade that I admit badly needed.

FM: Other than Paris where else did you work?

AF: I worked for twenty five years in Paris and twenty years in Monte Carlo, plus, of course, a few forays in foreign countries such as Portugal, Morocco, Italy, Norway, Belgium and Turkey. I needed to leave Paris from time to time for a short while to get away from the rat race and I thought that this was a nice way to do it.

FM: If you were a good player was it easy to find work in those days, after WWII?

AF: Yes, it was relatively easy, there was a lot of of work just the same as in the US, England and even Germany. The war was over and the people wanted to hear something other than the bombs exploding all around them. Music was the thing, and it was a sort of golden era for sure.

FM: Did you play auditions for you jobs? Tell us about your audition with Aimé Barelli in Monte Carlo?

AF: I only auditioned twice in my life. The first one was to get my first gig with the dance band in Paris and the other was with Amié Barelli. I had a appointment with him at his own apartment facing the Palace of the Prince. He already knew about me but had never heard me play. He just made me play a few bars of this and that with the pianist of the band, who was there too, and said, "it's ok, we start the rehearsals on the 2nd of September at two in the afternoon, you just got the job. And that was that.

FM: How did the music business changed in France during your career?

AF: It kept changing all the time, not for the better though. It started to go downward around the seventies, jut like it did the the US I presume. Musicians at the Moulin Rouge and the Lido, where I played for three years have been replaced by tapes. The same goes for Monte Carlo. The room where we played with  Aimé and the band is now filled with slot machines. This is the very sad ending to such a beautiful story.

FM: What advise can you offer to someone who wants to be a Professional Musician?

AF: I guess that the classical branch still offers a few opportunities.  Still, the competition in that domain is unbelievable harsh. Just think, the various French conservatories tune out every year hundreds of incredible virtuosos. What all those artists will do is for me a profound mystery, May God help them.

FM: Thank you for giving us the benefit of your experiences.

AF: You're welcome. André Feraud.