William Sheller is a French classical composer and singer.

Biography

William Sheller was born William Hand in Paris.

He left school at 16 to study composition with teacher Yves Margat (himself a student of Gabriel Fauré

Gabriel Fauré

Gabriel Urbain Fauré was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th century composers...

) and later harmony

Harmony

In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...

, fugue

Fugue

In music, a fugue is a compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject that is introduced at the beginning in imitation and recurs frequently in the course of the composition....

 and counterpoint

Counterpoint

In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...

 at the Paris conservatoire. He turned to pop music after hearing the Beatles. Since then, he has had a successful career both as a classical composer and as a pop singer. His works often mix both genres. For example, some of his songs include carefully crafted orchestral passages (the Baroque

Baroque

The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...

 introduction to Le nouveau monde) as well as instruments that are seldom found in pop music (such as a horn

Horn (instrument)

The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....

 in Les miroirs dans la boue and a clarinet

Clarinet

The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...

 in Fier et fou de vous). On the other hand, his Lux æterna is written for orchestra, choir and rock band. He has toured several times with transcriptions of his songs for voice and orchestra as well as for voice and piano quintet

Piano quintet

In European classical music, a piano quintet is a work of chamber music written for piano and four other instruments, most commonly piano, two violins, viola, and cello . Among the most frequently performed piano quintets are those by Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, César Franck, Antonín Dvořák...

. Additionally, he has also written film music and songs or arrangements for other artists (Dalida

Dalida

Dalida , born with Italian name of Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti, was a world-famous singer and actress born in Egypt with Italian origins but naturalised French with the name Yolanda Gigliotti. She spent her early years in Egypt amongst the Italian Egyptian community, but she lived most of her adult...

, Barbara

Monique Serf

Monique Andrée Serf , known as Barbara , was a popular French female singer...

... etc.).

The "Introit" from his Lux æterna (1972) was heavily sampled for the title track from Deltron 3030

Deltron 3030 (album)

Deltron 3030 is the 2000 debut album by hip hop supergroup Deltron 3030. It is a rap opera concept album set in a dystopian year 3030.-Album information:...

(2000), produced by Dan the Automator

Dan the Automator

Daniel M. Nakamura , better known by the stage name Dan the Automator, is a Japanese-American hip hop producer. He founded the record label 75 Ark, which was distributed by Tommy Boy Records during its short existence....

.

Classical Works

• 1972: Lux æterna
• 1984: String quartets "Book 1 and 2" by "Quatuor Pasquier"
• 1985: Suite française
• 1990: Cello concerto
• 1992: Symphonie pour un jeune orchestre
• 1993: Trumpet concerto
• 1994: Symphonie alternative
• 1995: Symphonie de poche
• 2003: New recording of the string quartets "Book 1&2"+"Les Viennois" by "Quatuor Parisii"
• 2004: Symphony in three movements "Sully"
• 2006: Recording of symphonic works in Ostinato

Albums

• 1975: Rock'n dollars
• 1976: Dans un vieux rock'n'roll
• 1977: Symphoman
• 1980: Nicolas
• 1981: J'suis pas bien
• 1982: Olympia 82 (live)
• 1983: Simplement
• 1984: Wiliam Sheller et le quatuor Halvenalf (live)
• 1986: Univers
• 1989: Ailleurs
• 1991: Sheller en solitaire (live)
• 1993: Le nouveau monde
• 1994: Albion
• 1995: Olympiade (live)
• 2000: Les machines absurdes
• 2001: Live au Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (live)
• 2004: Épures
• 2005: Parade au Cirque Royal (live – filmed concert, available on DVD)
• 2005: Chemin de traverse (totalling his 30 years of songs)
• 2008: Avatars

Singles

• 1968: Couleurs
• 1968: Les 4 saisons
• 1968: My year is a day (interpreted by Les Irrésistibles
  Les Irrésistibles
  Les Irrésistibles were a boy band during the late 1960s and early 1970s, whose members were Americans living in France. The lineup consisted of lead singer Jim McMains on keyboards and rhythm guitar, his identical twin brother Steve McMains on bass, Tom Arena on lead guitar, and Andy Cornelius...
  
  )
• 1969: Adieu Kathy
• 1969: Leslie Simone
• 1970: Living east, dreaming west
• 1970: She opened the door
• 1976: Saint-Exupery airway
• 1976: Fier et fou de vous
• 1976: J'me gênerai pas pour dire que j't'aime encore
• 1976: La toccatarte (with Catherine Lara
  Catherine Lara
  Catherine Lara is a French violinist, composer and singer.-Music career:As a child, Lara studied violin and received the first prize of chamber music at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1966....
  
  )
• 1976: Les petites filles modèles
• 1982: Message urgent
• 1982: Rosanna Banana
• 1983: Chanson lente
• 1983: Mon dieu que j'l'aime
• 1984: I keep movin'on
• 1993: Vienne
• 1998: Centre ville
• 2008: Tout ira bien

Compilations

• 1987: Master série
• 1993: Carnet de notes
• 1998: Tu devrais chanter
• 2004: Promenade française

Film Music

• 1968: Soundtrack from the film Érotissimo
• 1980: Soundtrack from the film Retour en force
• 1981: Soundtrack from the film Ma femme s'appelle reviens
• 1993: Soundtrack from the film L'écrivain public
• 1997: Soundtrack from the film Arlette