Oscar Arthur Honegger (Le Havre, 10 March 1892 - Paris, 27 november 1955) was a Swiss composer. He remained all his life Swiss citizen, although he sometimes more associated with France. He was a member of the Groupe des Six and wrote around 200 pieces, of which Pacific 231 (1923) is probably the most performed. In this work the Orchestra imitates the sound of a steam locomotive.
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Life Course[Edit][]
Arthur Honegger was born in Le Havre from Swiss parents. His father was an importer of tea there. He learned to play violin and began to compose at an early age. In1909 he went violin and music theory study at the Conservatory of Zurich. In 1911 he returned to France to his studies in Paris at the famous Paris Conservatoire to prosecute at among others Charles-Marie Widor and Vincent d'Indy. He completed his studies In 1918 and he wrote the ballet Le dit des jeux du monde, which is considered his first characteristic work. On his twenty-eighth he became world famous with the oratorio Le Roi David .
In the interwar period was Honegger very productive: he wrote among other things nine ballets and three opera's. the opera Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher (1935) is considered one of his best works.
Honegger has always kept in touch with Switzerland, but when the Second World War broke out and the Nazi's invaded France, he could not leave Paris. He continued his work, but it is assumed that he became very depressed by the war. Yet he wrote between 1940 and his death some symphonies (numbers 2 to 5), which is still pretty much run.
Arthur Honegger died of a heart attack on 27 november 1955 and was interred in the Cimetière Saint-Vincent in the Montmartre district of Paris.
Although a Honegger was a member of the "Groupe des Six", his playfulness and simplicity characteristic for this group. In addition, resisted Honegger itself-in contrast to the other members-not against the romanticism of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss, but was influenced by these composers.
Outside of this group had Honegger contact with artists like Paul Claudel, Jean Cocteau, Max Jacob, Pierre Louÿs, Pablo Picasso, Paul Valéryand Erik Satie , whose work served him sometimes to inspiration.
Serge Ivanoff painted his portrait in Paris in 1944.
Compositions[Edit][]
Works for Orchestra[Edit][]
Symphonies[Edit][]
- 1930 Symphony No. 1
- 1941 Symphony No. 2, for trumpet and String Orchestra
- 1945-1946 Symphony No. 3 "Liturgique"
- 1946 Symphony No. 4 "Deliciae basilliensis"
- 1951 Symphony No. 5 "Di tre re"
Concertos for solo instrument and Orchestra[Edit][]
- 1925 Concertino, for piano and Orchestra
- 1934 Concert, for cello and Orchestra
- 1948 Concerto da camera, for flute, English Horn and strings
Other orchestral works[Edit][]
- Aglavaine et Sélysette 1917 , prelude to Maurice Maeterlinck
- Le chant de Nigamon 1917
- Danse macabre 1919
- 1919 nocturne et Entrée, berceuse, for piano and Chamber Orchestra
- 1920 Pastorale d ' été
- 1921 Marche funèbre
- 1923 Chant de joie
- 1923 La tempête, prelude to William Shakespeare
- 1923 Pacific 231 (Mouvement symphonique No. 1)
- 1928 Rugby (mouvement symphonique No. 2)
- 1930 Les noces d'Amour et de Psyché, to Bach's French Suites
- 1932-1933 Mouvement symphonique No. 3
- 1936 Nocturne
- 1936 Prélude, arioso et fugue (on the name BACH)
- La construction d'une cité 1937
- 1937 Regain, suite
- 1943 Jour de fête de Suisse (Schwyzer Fäschttag), suite
- La traversée des Andes 1943 , suite
- 1943 Le vol sur l'Atlantique, suite
- Sérénade à Angélique 1945 , for small Orchestra
- 1948 ' fugue Prélude et postlude (from the movie Amphion)
- Monopartita 1951
- Suite archaique 1952
- 1952 Toccata
Works for wind Orchestra[Edit][]
- 1921 Le Roi David (King David), dramatic psalm for choir and wind Orchestra
- 1936 Marche sur la Bastille incidental music for the 3rd Act of Bastille Day -text: Romain Rolland
- 1940 Grad us-And avant
- Marche des Ambassadeurs
Oratorios, cantatas[Edit][]
- 1918/1922 Cantique de Pâques, for soprano, mezzo soprano, contralto, 3 voices women choir and Orchestra-text: by the composer
- 1921 Le Roi David (King David), dramatic psalm for choir and wind Orchestra-premiere: 11 June 1921, Mézières (Vaud), Théâtre du Jorat
- 1930-1931 , Cris du Mondeoratorio-premiere: may 3, 1931, Solothurn
- 1935-1937 Rev.1944 , Jeanne d'Arc au bûcheroratorio dramatique with Prologue and 11 scenes for two Sopranos, Alto, tenor, speaking voices, mixed choir, children's choir and Orchestra [H 99][1] - 12 may 1938,1st perf.: Basel (Switzerland); 13 June Zurich 1942 on the scene – libretto: Paul Louis Charles Marie Claudel
- 1938 La Danse des Morts, Cantata for soprano, contralto, baritone, sacrée, mixed choir and Orchestra-libretto: Paul Louis Charles Marie Claudel
- Nicolas de Flue, 1939 dramatic legend about the Swiss national Saint in 3 acts-lyrics: Denis de Rougemont -premiere: 26 October 1940, Solothurn
- 1952-1953 Une Cantate de Noël, Cantata for baritone, mixed choir, children's choir and Orchestra
Music Theatre[Edit][]
Operas[Edit][]
| Completed in | title | acts | Premiere | libretto |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1903 | Philippa, op. 1 | not run | of the composer | |
| 1904 | Sigismond | not run | ||
| 1907 | La Esmeralda | unfinished | not run | to Victor Hugo, «Notre-Dame de Paris» |
| 1918 | La Mort de sainte Alméene | 1 Act, 2 scenes | 30 October1920, Paris | Max Jacob |
| 1924-1927 | Antigone | 3 acts | 28 december1927, Brussels, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie | Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau to Sophocles |
| 1926 | Judith | 3 acts | 13 February1926, Monte Carlo (Monaco) | René Taken Part |
| 1936-1937 | L'Aiglon (The Eagle)
joined by: Jacques Ibert |
5 acts | 10 March1937 Monte Carlo (Monaco), Opéra | Henry Cain, to Edmond Rostand |
| 1943-1944 | Charles le téméraire | may1944, Mézières |
Ballets[Edit][]
| Completed in | title | acts | Premiere | libretto | choreography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | Le Dit des Jeux du Monde | Paul Méral | |||
| 1920 | Vérité-mensogne | ||||
| 1920 | Horace victorieux-symphonie mimée | ||||
| 1921-1922 | Skating Rink-Symphonie chorégraphique | ||||
| 1922 | Fantasio | 3 scenes | |||
| 1924-1925 | Sous-Marine (scene mimée) | ||||
| 1928 | Roses de métal | ||||
| 1929 | Amphion | 23 June1931, Paris, Opéra Garnier | Paul Valéry | Léonide Massine | |
| 1933-1934 | Sémiramis | 3 acts and 2 among games | Paul Valéry | ||
| 1936-1937 | Le Cantique des Cantiques | Gabriel Boissy | |||
| 1937 | Un oiseau blanc s'est envolé | ||||
| 1940 | La naissance des couleurs | ||||
| 1941 | Le fat the rêves | ||||
| 1943 | L'Appel de la Montagne | R. Favre le Bret | |||
| 1946 | Shota rustaveli (L'homme à la peau de léopard); cooperation with Tcherepnin |
||||
| 1950 | De la musique |
Operettas[Edit][]
| Completed in | title | acts | Premiere | libretto |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929-1930 | Les aventures du Roi Pausole | 3 acts | 12 december1930, Paris, Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens | Albert Willemtz, based on the novel by Pierre Louÿs |
| 1931 | La Belle de Moudon | 5 acts | 30 may1931, Mézières (Vaud), Théâtre du Jorat | René Taken Part |
| 1937 | Les Petites Cardinal; joined by: Jacques Ibert |
2 acts, 10 scenes | 13 February1938, Paris, Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens | Albert Paul Brach, Willemetzen to Ludovic Halévy |
Spectacle and works[Edit][]
- 1921 La Noce massacrée (marche funèbre pour "Les Mariés de la Tour Eiffel")
- Saul 1922
- Liluli 1923
- 1925 Imperatrice aux rochers "
- Phoedre, 1926 (stage work by Gabriele D'Annunzio)
- 1936 Danton et le 14 juilliet
- Liberté 1937
- 1937 Les mille et une nuits (1001 nights), spectacle
- L'ombre de la ravine 1941
- 1941 800 mètres (A Obey)
- 1941 La ligne d'horizon
- Les suppliantes, 1941 to Aeschylus
- 1942 La mandragora, to Niccolò Machiavelli
- Le soulier de satin 1943 , to Paul Claudel
- Sodome et Gomorrhe 1943
- Les démons de l'aube 1944
- 1946 to William Shakespeare, Hamlet, translation by André Gide
- Oedipe-roi 1948 Sophocles
- L ' état de siège 1948
- 1951 On ne badine pas avec l'amour
Radiophonic work[Edit][]
- 1935 Radio Panoramique (mouvement symphonique), for soprano, tenor, mixed choir, organ and Orchestra
- Christophe Colomb 1940 , for tenor solo, mixed choir and Orchestra-text: William Aguet morning
- Musique pour Pasiphaé, 1943 for two Oboes, two Clarinets, alto saxophone and two Bassoons
- 1944 Battements du Monde, for Narrator, soprano, children's voice, women's Chorus and Orchestra-text: William Aguet morning
- 1948-1949 Saint François d'Assise, for Narrator, tenor solo, mixed choir and Orchestra-text: William Aguet morning
- 1949-1950 Tête d'or, for Orchestra
- 1951 La Rédemption de François Villon, for two male voices and Orchestra-text: José Bruyr
Chamber Music[Edit][]
- 1912 H 3 Sonata for violin and piano No. 0 in d minor
- 1917 H 15 String Quartet nr. 1 in c minor
- 1918 H 17 Sonata for violin and piano No 1 in c-sharp minor
- 1919 H 24 Sonata for violin and piano No. 2 in B-flat major
- 1921 H 39 Danse de la chèvre for solo flute
- pour violon 1929 H 214 Arioso et Piano
- 1935 H 103 String Quartet No. 2 in D
- 1937 H 114 String Quartet nr. 3 in E
- 1940 H 143 Sonata for violin in D minor
- 1945 Morceau de concours pour violon et piano H 179
Trivia[Edit][]
Honneger's is the statement: "the public want no new music: the most important thing that the audience of a composer requires, is that he is dead."
Bibliography[Edit][]
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- Stewart Gordon: French Keyboard Music of the Early Twentieth Century, in: A History of Keyboard Literature. Music for the Piano and its Forerunners, New York: Schirmer Books, 1996, 566 p., ISBN 978-0-534-25197-0
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- Jane f. Fulcher: Musical style, meaning, and politics in France on the eve of the Second World War, Journal of Musicology: 13: 425-53 N4 1995
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- Leighton Kerner: Music 50 years on-American Symphony's concert honoring 50th anniversary of end of World War II and founding of United Nations, Village Voice: 40: 75 May 30 1995
- R. Fellows: Performing Honegger's "Danse de la Chevre", Flute Talk 14: 15-16 Sep 1994
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- Wolfgang Suppan: Lexikon des Blasmusikwesens, 2. eränzte und erweiterte Auflage, Freiburg-Tiengen, Blasmusikverlag Fritz Schulz, 1976
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- Serge m. Zuber: Musique d'un siècle à Genève 1893-1993-Association des artistes musiciens de Genève (AAMG), Geneva: Editions Ariana, 1993, 149 p.
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- Harry Halbreich: Arthur Honegger: l'homme des contrastes, Diapason-Harmonie (now Diapason (France)) N383: 38-46 Jun 1992
- Harry Halbreich: Arthur Honegger, un musicien dans la cité des hommes, Fayard, 1992. ISBN 2-213028370
- Harry Halbreich: L'Oeuvre d'Arthur Honegger: chronology, catalogue raisonné, analyses, discographie, Fayard, 1994. ISBN 2-852032821
- Harry Halbreich: Arthur Honegger: album in the series Les grands Suisses, Slat kine, Geneva 1995.
- Lennart Hedwall: Musikrevy Orkesterkomponisten Honegger, 47: 295 + N7-8 1992
- Bernard Gavoty: Comment you give me justice, Revue Musicale de Suisse Romande 45: 87-86 N2 1992
- Theo Hirsbrunner: Arthur Honegger -Ein Groupe des SixAussenseiter im, Dissonanz/dissonance N31: 19-23 Feb 1992
- I. a. Alexandre: "Jeanne d'Arc au bucher" à l ' Opéra de Paris, Diapason-Harmonie (Currently Diapason (France)) N388: 20 December 1992
- S. Henry: "Jeanne d'Arc au Bucher"-A collaboration between Arthur Honegger and Paul Claudel, Choral Journal 32: 7-14 N8 1992
- S. Henry: The choral music of Arthur Honegger, Voice of Chorus America: 15: N2 between 1991-1992, p. 12-13
- Peter Jost: Den Anspruch ästhetischen in seiner ganzen Schwere und erfüllen: Arthur Honeggers Strict Way zur Symphonie, Das Orchester, 40: 430-35 N4 1992
- Paul e. Bierley, William h. Rehrig: The heritage encyclopedia of band music: composers and their music, Westerville, Ohio: Integrity Press, 1991, ISBN 0-918048-08-7
- Gerhard Kappner: Gottesdienst und Raritäten Aufführungen kirchenmusikalischer, Kirchenmusik N3: 66-70 May-Jun 1991
- Robert p. Morgan: Twentieth-century music-A history of musical style in modern Europe and America, New York: W.W. Norton, 1991, 554 p., ISBN 978-0-393-95272-8
- H. Stephen Wright, James l. Limbacher: Keeping score: film and television music, 1980-1988 (with additional coverage or 1921-1979), Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1991, 928 p., ISBN 978-0-8108-2453-9
- M. Parouty Hilton: Les aventures du Roi Pausole (a) Lausanne, Diapason-Harmonie (Currently Diapason (France)) N368: 30 Feb 1991
- Sequined, Domenico Giovanni Danzuso: Indice Dei Nomi e Dei Titoli della Parte Storica e Appendici Delle, in: Musica e musicisti teatri, a Catania (dal mito alla cronaca), 3rd edizione, Palermo: Publisicula Editrice, 1990, 660 p.,
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