The Man Behind the Music of "Yentl"

Michel Legrand and Barbra Streisand have been collaborators for many years, and it was Michel who helped launch Barbra into international stardom. He was with her in 1966 as the arranger and conductor for Barbra's French album, "Je m'appelle Barbra."

Legrand's involvement in "Je m'appelle" was extraordinary. He was instrumental in getting Barbra to spread her vocal wings by performing in French, and reaching out to a whole new demographic in the process. Barbra recorded three Legrand compositions for this collection.

In 1983, Legrand and Barbra worked together again, perhaps more intensely, on the landmark film, "Yentl." Together with Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Legrand wrote the music of the film, which played such an integral part in the telling of Yentl's story. And it was the music that The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences chose to honor. The only Oscar "Yentl" received went to Legrand and the Bergmans.

Legrand is a legendary composer. Besides Streisand, his music has been recorded by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne, Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Edith Piaf, Johnny Mathis... The list goes on. He has written for the screen, has been involved in over two-hundred films, and has won multiple Oscars (his first came in 1968 for "The Windmills of Your Mind" from the film "The Thomas Crown Affair"). His roster of Grammys is equally as impressive.