DOWNLOAD PDF FIVE GREAT FRENCH COMPOSERS: BERLIOZ, CESAR FRANCK, SAINT-SAENS, DEBUSSY, RAVEL

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1 Chapter 1 : Camille Saint-Saëns - Composer Biography, Facts and Music Compositions Five Great French Composers: Berlioz, Cesar Franck, Saint-Saens, Debussy, Ravel: Their Lives and Works (Biography index reprint series) [Donald Brook] on theinnatdunvilla.com *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Both men were also professors at the Paris Conservatoire. When Reicha died some ten months later, Nicolas-Joseph sought to enter both boys into the Conservatoire. However, the Conservatoire would not accept foreigners; Nicolas-Joseph was obliged to seek French citizenship, which was granted in His work in counterpoint was less spectacular, taking successively third, second, and first prizes between and However, for reasons that are not explicit, he made a "voluntary" retirement from the Conservatoire on 22 April The whole situation was aggravated by what in the end became a feud between Nicolas-Joseph and Henri Blanchard, the principal critic of the Revue et Gazette musicale, who lost no opportunity to castigate the aggressive pretensions of the father and to mock the "imperial" names of the elder son. This animosity, "undoubtedly personal", [7] may well have caused Nicolas-Joseph to decide that a return to Belgium was in order, and in "a peremptory order" [5] to young Franck compelled the latter to leave the Conservatoire and accompany him. Teacher and organist â [ edit ] Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, Paris The return to Belgium lasted less than two years. As far as Nicolas-Joseph was concerned, the excursion was a failure, and he brought his son back into a regime of teaching and family concerts in Paris, which Laurence Davies characterizes as rigorous and low-paying. For it was from this period, extending back into his last Conservatoire years and forward beyond his return to Paris, that his first mature compositions emerged, a set of Trios piano, violin, cello ; these are the first of what he regarded as his permanent work. Liszt saw them, offered encouragement and constructive criticism, and performed them some years later in Weimar. It was privately premiered in before Liszt, Meyerbeer, and other musical notables, who gave moderate approval and constructive criticism. In he attempted an opera, Le Valet de Ferme, with a libretto of "abysmal literary quality" [13] and a hastily sketched score. Franck himself was to say towards the end of his career that "it is not worth printing. The first was an almost complete disruption of relations with his parents. When in Nicolas-Joseph found a composition dedicated to "Mlle. Relations with his father worsened, who forbade any thought of betrothal and marriage which French law permitted of a father for a son younger than 25, accusing him of distressing his mother and shouting at him about a then notorious husband-wife poisoning case as the most likely outcome of any match by his son. He was determined to become a new person, as different as possible from the other. As soon as he turned 25 in, he informed his father of his intention to marry the lady, and in fact did so on 22 February, the month of the Paris revolt. He now had occasion to match his Roman Catholic devotion with learning the skills needed for accompanying public worship, as well as the occasional opportunity to fill in for his superior, Alphonse Gilbat. Organ of Notre-Dame-de-Lorette At the same time, a revolutionary change was occurring in the techniques of French organ performance. Lemmens was then professor of organ at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, and was not only a virtuoso performer of Bach but a developer of organ teaching methods with which all organists could learn to play with precision, clarity, and legato phrasing. The beauty of its sound and the mechanical facilities provided by the instrument assisted his reputation as improviser and composer, not only for organ music but in other genres as well. At his own church, people began to come to hear the improvisations for the Mass and the Office. In addition, Franck began to give "organ-concerts" or recitals at Sainte-Clotilde of his own works and those of other composers. Franck reinforced his understanding of German organ music and how it should be played by hearing Anton Bruckner at Notre-Dame in Franck continued to write compositions for choir in this period, but most were never published. As was then common even for Conservatoire-trained musicians, he had never become familiar with the polyphonic music of earlier centuries. Franck composed his liturgical works in the then-current style, which Davies characterizes as "secular music with a religious bias". The war, like the Revolution, had caused many of his pupils to disappear, either because they left Paris or were killed or disabled in the fighting. Again he wrote some Page 1

2 patriotic pieces which, in the harshness of the times, were not then performed. He and his family experienced economic hardships as his income dropped and food and fuel became scarce. The Conservatoire was closed for the academic year â It turned out that Franck did not know that when his father, Nicolas-Joseph, became a naturalized French citizen to enter his sons into the Conservatoire as students, they were counted as citizens only until age twenty-one, when they were obliged to declare their allegiance to France as adults. In fact, he had unknowingly reverted to his birth nationality of Belgian at his majority. Franck went through the naturalization process at once; his original appointment on 1 February was regularized in Many of his original circle of students had studied or were studying at the Conservatoire. This group became increasingly tight-knit in their mutual esteem and affection between teacher and pupils. Vallas says that Franck, "with his simple and trusting nature was incapable of understanding. There was no orchestra available, and those sections that were performed were accompanied by piano. Franck was finding, in the s, that he was caught between two stylistic advocates: It is certain that a number of his more "advanced" works appeared in this time period: His last performance of the piece occurred in Paris during, with the pianist on that occasion being Yves Nat. His supporters were indignant: Not in the least! Vallas goes on to state: The work was badly received: In, Franck tried his hand again at another opera, Ghiselle. It was more sketched out than composed and Franck never completed it. In contrast, a massive String Quartet was completed and performed in April, and was well received by public and critics. In addition, he was still playing Sunday improvisations to usually large congregations at Sainte-Clotilde. He had in mind major works for organ and possibly a cello sonata. Illness and death[ edit ] During July not May, as previously thought, [53] Franck was riding in a cab which was struck by a horse-drawn trolley, injuring his head and causing a short fainting spell. There seemed to be no immediate after-effects; he completed his trip and he himself considered it of no importance. However, walking became painful and he found himself increasingly obliged to absent himself first from concerts and rehearsals, and then to give up his lessons at the Conservatoire. He took his vacation as soon as he could in Nemours, where he hoped to work on the proposed organ pieces as well as some commissioned works for harmonium. During the vacation he was able to start on both projects. Monument to Franck at the Square Samuel-Rousseau, 7th arrondissement. While Franck could not complete the harmonium collection, the organ pieces were finished in August and September They are the Trois Chorals, which are among the greatest treasures of organ literature, and which form a regular part of the repertory today. Of them, Vallas says: Stove has written in similar terms: This turned into pleurisy complicated by pericarditis. Given the then lack of antibiotics, this "could not be considered an unusual pattern for pneumonia in a man in his seventh decade. The main melodic subjects, thus interrelated, are then recapitulated in the final movement. Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano, arranged for flute and piano. Page 2

3 Chapter 2 : Pioneering Influence: Cesar Franck â American Symphony Orchestra Note: Citations are based on reference standards. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. The specific requirements or preferences of your reviewing publisher, classroom teacher, institution or organization should be applied. In the history of music, the influence exerted by a composer and his work has had little correlation with whether the composer ever engaged in formal teaching. Not all composers of genius have been interested in or been adept at teaching. Mozart had pupils, but none of them have been of real consequence. At a greater chronological distance, Mozart became the model for the aesthetic ambitions of Richard Strauss. Neither Beethoven who took pupils nor certainly Brahms who did not can be said to have been effective as teachers, though in both cases they had their share of imitators among younger composers. Anton Bruckner was a skilled teacher, but of counterpoint rather than composition, and no school of composition can be said to have emerged from his pedagogical efforts. Robert Fuchs is another composer whose works are no longer remembered even though many of the finest composers of the first half of the twentieth century were his pupils. Ironically, perhaps the most influential composer in the second half of the nineteenth century, Richard Wagner, enjoyed an effect that was pervasive and international, but had no pupils in the strict sense of the word. Like his father-in-law Liszt who nevertheless loved to teach, Wagner was suspicious of institutions of learningâ particularly conservatories. The conservatories in the late nineteenth century more than amply returned the favor; most of them fulminated against the corrosive influence of Wagnerism on a young generation. However, there have been examples of those who were teachers as well as compositional masters and innovators with a lasting influence on future generations. But perhaps the most impressive record of confluence between enduring artistic greatness and a commitment to teaching through formal instruction may be found in the French musical tradition. Indeed, the history of French music reflects the consequences of a dramatic centralization of institutions of art and learning that began in earnest under Louis XIV, continued through the French Revolution, and was largely completed by Napoleon. Paris was among the first modern national cultural capitals where in contrast to Washington, DC or Brasilia secular culture, religion, and political power flourished symbiotically in the same locale. The institutions of French music of the Conservatoire, the Prix de Rome, the great churches with their imposing organs, and the opera and public concert life all created a framework that acted as a magnet for ambitious, international talents. Paris, far more than London, was a cultural center at the start of the post-napoleonic era and was home to the likes of Chopin, Liszt, Meyerbeer, Wagner, and Offenbach. In the last third of the nineteenth century, as France expanded as an imperial power, Paris also became a central gateway to the non-western world: Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. Operatic life in the first part of the nineteenth century was dominated by Italians, ranging from Cherubini and Rossini to Verdi. French romanticism in music by native composers stood with the sole exception of Berlioz in the shadow of two foreigners, Chopin and Liszt. This took the form of the profound French enthusiasm for the music of Wagner. One of the most influential instruments of cultural influence was none other than the journal Revue Wagnerienne, and the rabid partisanship for Wagner that extended from Charles Baudelaire to the young Claude Debussy. Two composers who were popular with audiences around the world but not particularly in France, Brahms and Mahler, suggest the unique and distinct Wagnerian vision among the French. The Wagnerian co-existed alongside a parallel French attraction for the exotic from a French point of view that extended to Spanish and Russian music. This highly simplified and reductive account can nevertheless help us understand commonplace German prejudices about French music as decidedly superficial: In the context of the deadly political rivalry and conflict between France and Germany that came to a head in with the Franco-Prussian War, and which was revisited in various crises from the Dreyfus Affair to the most brutal of all, the First World War, there was an understandable and intense search among French musicians and intellectuals after to define a contemporary concert musical culture that was distinctly French Page 3

4 and independent of German influence. And indeed, a self-consciously French school of composition did emerge. With broad brush strokes one might paint a narrative canvas that links Franck to Messiaen and Dutilleux. Interwoven into the continuity of that line is a French engagement with Catholicism and sacred music in a manner that was distinctively characteristic. It includes an impressive output of music for choir and, above all, the organ. In no other nineteenth-century European culture has the most grand, traditional, and pre-modern of instruments held such sway. One thinks immediately of Charles Marie Widor Franck inspired through his music a French penchant for cyclical structure and an intense interest in color and the spatial atmosphere of sound. If German-speaking Europe confidently evinced superiority in music during the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century an arrogance that extended from Mozart to Schoenberg, it was during precisely that same time period that the French dominated the European scene in the visual arts in architecture, sculpture, and painting, as well as the decorative arts of design and fashion. Their predominance in the visual dimension also made the French pioneers in the area of photography and early film. It is therefore not surprising that so many observers have commented on the affinities between French music and the visual experience. The use of music in a painterly fashion by the French pioneered a direction in the creation of instrumental sound in which Debussy would come to occupy a preeminent place. It is this attachment to visual culture that might be adduced as one of the inspirations for the unique modern tradition of French musical orchestration and harmonic usage. When it came to the large dramatic form, Franck himself excelled in the oratorio. Paul Dukas, himself an influential teacher whose most famous pupil was Messiaen, was pathologically self-critical and left only a handful of works to posterity. There is sadly not a single work by Magnard that has received regular attention by performers and listeners. But the Franck Symphony became one of the pillars in what emerged as the standard repertory in the twentieth century. It benefited from the advent of recording. Its popularity during the mid-twentieth century was almost extreme and excessive. Few works were so generously represented on the old 78 rpm format and on the long-playing record. It is relegated more often than not to the margin of near-pops concerts. Get Updates Sign up for s about special offers, upcoming concerts, new recordings and more. Page 4

5 Chapter 3 : Nocturnes (Debussy) Revolvy Title / Author Type Language Date / Edition Publication; 1. Five great French composers: Berlioz, Cà sar Franck, Saint-Saëns, Debussy, Ravel; their lives and works. I recall being highly motivated by the subject, reading and researching as much for my own enjoyment as for this paper. It is dated June, and received an A. Chamber music had never been an integral part of French music until the end of the nineteenth century. There were some notable works such as the trios and sonatas by Rameau, Couperin, and Leclair, but never was any emphasis placed on the chamber medium. The events and individuals who led to the rise of chamber music in France at the end of the nineteenth century shall be the subject of this paper. A reasonable figure with which to begin such a study would be Cesar Franck. Because he is often hailed as the father of modern French chamber music, his contribution and influence shall be a point at which to begin such a discussion. This paper, however, shall delve a generation beyond Franck to examine his influences, and to gain a better understanding of what may have led to his interest in chamber music. Reicha as composer is best remembered for his chamber music. He was friends with Haydn and Beethoven, and studied with Salieri and Albrechtsberger. This rebellious side must have also appealed to the young Franck. A young composer such as Franck surely must have been impressed by the credentials of his teacher, not to mention the company with whom he associated. Other than Reicha, the Conservatoire remained extremely traditional in its stress of classical models of composition. This was an ambiguous arena in which Franck was obliged to study the proper Austro-German models, yet follow the guidance of a man determined to make new innovations. This is nearly identical to the evetual reputation Franck achieved in which he employed progressive ideas within conventional models. This method of composition C in which a theme recurs or is transformed in two or more movements of a piece C is a path Franck chose to take repeatedly until the end of his life. Curiously, however, Franck did not engage himself in the composition of any more chamber music for more than thirty years. This is perhaps due to his performing career and his appointment as organist of the church of Sainte-Clotilde where he had already been choir-master for two years. During these years, Franck delighted in composition for organ and piano, while also composing for various church medium such as motets, oratorios, and other smaller works. Another figure whose importance should neither be overlooked nor overestimated is Charles Gounod A friend of Franck, Gounod is not remembered as a chamber music composer, but did contribute six chamber works to the repertory after the war of He composed a quartet which, though it proposed no new ideas, had a certain degree of appeal. It was first performed in One of these was Anglo-French composer Georges Onslow Largely forgotten, he was one of the few composers of his time who sought to end the German dominance of chamber music, writing thirty-four piano quintets and thirty-six quartets. Also a student of Reicha, Onslow played the cello and studied the classics. He developed an affinity for chamber music at a young age, and devoted himself to composing for small groups at a time when most composers were preoccupied with a theatrical works. For the most part, these ensembles existed primarily as an attempt to gain acceptance for the medium. Another group, founded by Pierre Chevillard in, sought to acquaint the public with the late Beethoven quartets. One figure who played a dual role in the rise of French Chamber music, as performer and composer, was Edouard Lalo It was for this group that Lalo wrote three trios, though in the style of the traditional German school of Schumann and Weber. He abhorred the new trends of Germany, and especially the domination of German music in France. As the Armingaud Quartet took shape, so did the career of a young composer. Though he wrote his first chamber work at age 7, his first mature attempt at this medium was in with his Quintette for piano and string quartet. It was a classically written work, perhaps categorized as a student â or at least early â work. His next significant chamber work was the Trio, No. This is a light-hearted and youthful work probably inspired during a trip in the Pyrenees. This is one of many organizations that began to appear at this time. Most of their programs included performances of string quartets. This gave the growing number of quartets in France an opportunity to Page 5

6 perform, and an avenue by which the public could become comfortable with the idea of modern chamber music. The intent of this group was to perform works by French composers. Though the existence of such a group was important, they continually faced the problem of finding quality music to add to their repertory. Soon after the outbreak of the war, he took refuge in London where he found Gounod and other compatriots in exile. These concerts were a vehicle by which the cause of chamber music was furthered. Gone are the light-hearted moments of his youthful composition. By Franck had already achieved a considerable amount of notoriety as a distinguished performer. He had been the organist at Sainte-Clotilde since, and was gaining recognition for his sacred works as well as his works for piano and organ. He was soon to be appointed organ professor at the Conservatoire, a position which allowed him to exert even more influence over the young composers in France at this time, many of whom had already studied with him before his appointment. Though Castillon died at an age when his music had just started to mature, his contribution to the medium is nonetheless significant. Aside from the few composers aforementioned, Castillon was directing his efforts in a direction other than what was normal at this time. Though it is an amateur composition, it does represent the first of four chamber works written before his introduction to Franck. His output of chamber music during this year represented some of his finest yet: It was also in this year that the Schumann Society introduced his quintet. This is because he was an admirer of the Austro-Germanic tradition, and strove to follow the musical language of his favorite composers C namely Schumann. His Cello Sonata showed a certain degree of skill at a time when chamber music was still not widely accepted in France. Though these two composers were easily more Wagnerian than Duparc, it was his excitement for the new sounds in Germany that led him to be labeled a Wagnerite. The motto adopted was Ars Gallica. Their first order of business was to draft a constitution, a task entrusted the Castillon. The first program consisted of a Franck trio. In a gifted nineteen-year old organ and composition student won the Prix de Rome with a cantata entitled Edith. Gabriel Pierne was seen as a model student at the Conservatoire. He was a gifted student in composition, conducting, and organ. His pre chamber works were not signifcant, but his Violin Sonata, Op. The two works from were his Romance for horn and piano, Op. Both of these were also issued in orchestral versions. It is a more calmed atmosphere since his Sonata, completed just after the war, and is the most significant of the four pieces written at this time. The other piece written in was the Allegro Appassionato for cello and piano, Op. Instead, he opted to concentrate on writing music for voice. It was his first of two attempts at writing for piano and three stringed instruments. This successful piece was followed in the same year by his Berceuse, Op. It is prominent for its striking melodic charm. It quicky became a staple in the chamber repertory. He wrote six more chamber works between then and This was, however, interrupted by the war in which he served. After his term of duty, he resumed his commitment to composition. He was one of many composers who made excursions to Bayreuth to hear the music of Wagner. It was during one of these trips to Bayreuth that Lekeu to be discussed later fainted after the prelude to Tristan, and Chabrier burst into tears before a performance of the same work because he had waited so long to hear it. In, Franck wrote one of his most influential works, the Piano Quintet in F minor. His first chamber work in over thirty years proved to be one of great mastery. He introduced his modern cyclical style of composition, a system to which nearly all his students eventually adhered. An eighteen year old composer made a modest debut in Claude Debussy displayed his first chamber work, Trio in G major for piano, violin, and cello. Though is was an immature work, young Debussy attracted the attention of his teacher, Guiraud, by his progressive musical language. Faure was also to begin his Andante for flute and piano at this time, which was not completed for another seventeen years. It was an attractive and well-received work. This was a work of undeveloped talent, however. His first mature chamber work C his Concert in D Major for piano, solo violin, and string quartet C did not come until ten years later. Franck was then offered the office of President, which he declined. It was only his second chamber work, eight years after the first. It was an immediate success. Lekeu, like Franck, was a Belgian who moved to France with his family at the age of nine. Along with music, he was well-versed in science and philosophy. He only began studying harmony and theory nine years before his death. The two men met privately twice a week for several months. Page 6

7 During this time they became quite close. When Franck died in the Fall of, Lekeu was devastated. Aside from an unpublished work he wrote before studying with Franck, Lekeu published two chamber works: Aside from these two works, he was working on two chamber pieces when he died which were later published: Lekeu was not alone in his remorse at the death of Cesar Franck. Page 7

8 Chapter 4 : Cà sar Franck - Wikipedia Five Great French Composers: Hector Berlioz, Cà sar Franck, Camille Saint-Saëns, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel - Their Lives and Works. Donald Brook. Donald Brook. Books for Libraries. The Music and the Man. University of California Press. Maurice John Edwin Brown. Schubert and His Vienna. Schubert placed in historical perspective in Biedermeier Vienna. Chapters alternate between history and biography. The New Grove Schubert. The excellent biography by Brown is enhanced by the extremely detailed work list including titles and Deutch listings for everything including each song that Schubert wrote. There is an extensive bibliography. Schubert and His World: Memoirs by His Friends. Otto Erich Deutsch Editor. William Schuman Orpheus in Manhattan: Orpheus in Manhattan, a fully objective and comprehensive biography of Schuman, portrays a man who had a profound influence upon the artistic and political institutions of his day and beyond. The winner of the first Pulitzer Prize in Music, Schuman composed music that is rhythmically febrile, harmonically pungent, melodically long-breathed, and timbrally brilliant, and Swayne offers an astute analysis of his work, including many unpublished music scores. Read the Classical Net Review of this book. Voices of Stone and Steel. William Schuman, Vincent Persichetti, and Peter Mennin were three of the most significant American composers of the 20th century, yet their music has largely disappeared from view since their respective deaths. Because they each spent the majority of their careers working at the Juilliard School and Lincoln Center, their music is often viewed as "interchangeable". Walter Simmons provides a thorough examination of the lives and work of these artists, clarifying their considerable individuality both as composers and as human beings. The book begins with a comprehensive introduction summarizing the conventional view of the history of American music, while noting the marginalization of traditionalist composers, those who preferred to work with the musical forms and developmental principles on which the body of Western classical music is based. In the chapters that follow, each composer is presented through a brief overview and a biographical essay, followed by a general description of his style. A selected bibliography and essential discography follows at the end of each chapter. With a photo of each composer and a representative sampling of their music on the enclosed CD, readers will find this book a valuable resource. Chapter 5 : Cesar Franck and the Rise of French Chamber Music Five great French composers: Berlioz, Cësar Franck, Saint-Saëns, Debussy, Ravel: their lives and works / by Donald Brook Brook, Donald, View online Borrow. Chapter 6 : Cesar Franck Diabolus In Musica Nocturnes (L. 91), sometimes Trois Nocturnes or Three Nocturnes, is an orchestral composition in three movements by the French composer Claude theinnatdunvilla.com was completed on 15 December Chapter 7 : Five Great French Composers : Donald Brook : Five Great French Composers by Donald Brook,, available at Book Depository with free delivery worldwide. Chapter 8 : Nocturnes (Debussy) - Wikipedia Greatest: Probably Debussy, with Berlioz a very close second Favorite French works: Symphonie Fantastique, Harold in Italy, Les Troyens, Piano Concerto in G, Daphnis and Chloe, La Mer, Prelude at the Afternoon of the Faun, Gymnopedies, Organ Symphony, Quartet at the End of Time. Page 8

9 Chapter 9 : Cesar Franck Books CÃ sar-auguste-jean-guillaume-hubert Franck (10 December - 8 November ) was a composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher who worked in Paris during his adult life. Page 9