Arthur Honegger

1434 Pages·1999·7.13 MB·English

by  Harry Halbreich

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Page 3
Arthur Honegger
By
Harry Halbreich
Translated by
Roger Nichols
Reinhard G. Pauly, General Editor
Page 4
Translation of this book into English was made possible by grants from
the French government, the Paul Sacher Foundation, and the Pro
Helvetia Foundation, Arts Council of Switzerland.
Music examples for this edition rendered by Peter Huszagh. Music
examples for the original French edition rendered by Gunnar Cohrs.
Copyright © 1992 as Arthur Honegger: Un musicien dans la cité des
hommes by Librairie Arthème Fayard, Paris
Translation copyright © 1999 by Roger Nichols. All rights reserved.
ISBN 1-57467-041-7
Printed in Hong Kong
Translation published in 1999 by
Amadeus Press (an imprint of Timber Press, Inc.)
The Haseltine Building
133 S.W. Second Avenue, Suite 450
Portland, Oregon 97204, U.S.A.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Halbreich, Harry
[Arthur Honegger, un musicien dans la cité des hommes. English]
Arthur Honegger / by Harry Halbreich; translated by Roger Nichols;
Reinhard G. Pauly, general editor.
p. cm.
Translation of: Arthur Honegger, un musicien dans la cité des hommnes.
Discography: p.
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 1-57467-041-7
1. Honegger, Arthur, 18921955. 2. ComposersBiography. 3. Honegger,
Arthur, 18921955Bibliography. I. Pauly, Reinhard G. II. Title.
ML410.H79H313 1999
780¢.92dc21
780¢.92dc21
[B] 98-14759
CIP
MN
Page 5
CONTENTS
Dedication 7
Preface 9
Acknowledgments 11
Introduction 13
Part One: Chronicle of a Life 15
Chapter 1 17
Turly (18921910)
Chapter 2 25
The Paris Conservatory and Honegger's Earliest Works
(19111918)
Chapter 3 53
Six or Swiss? From Le Dit Des Jeux Du Monde to Le Roi
David (19191922)
Chapter 4 90
"King Arthur": Dramas and Triumphs (19231931)
Chapter 5 126
Reversal of Fortune: In the Trough of the Wave
(19321933)
Chapter 6 132
Toward the Summit: Claudel and the Cinema (19341940)
Chapter 7 162
The War and After: Climax of a Career (19411947)
Chapter 8 192
Catastrophe and Reprieve: The Final Harvest (19481952)
Chapter 9 216
Epilogue: Life's Setting Sun (19531955)
Part Two: Inventory of Works 231
Chapter 10 237
Chamber Music
Music for Piano, Two Pianos, and Organ (Category 1) 237
Music for One or Two Pianos from Stage and Film 246
(Category 1A)
String Quartets (Category 2) 249
Sonatas and Sonatinas (Category 3) 260
Other Chamber Music (Category 4) 272
Chamber Works from Stage and Film (Category 4A) 277
Page 6
Art Songs (Category 8) 281
Art Songs from Stage and Film (Category 8A) 298
Chapter 11 300
Orchestral Music
Symphonies (Category 5) 302
Concertos (Category 6) 337
Other Orchestral Works (Category 7) 344
Orchestral Works from Stage and Film (Category 7A) 367
Chapter 12 393
Theater and Musical Frescoes
Cantatas and Oratorios (Category 10) 394
Operas (Category 11) 450
Ballets (Category 13) 473
Chapter 13 500
Incidental Music
Music for the Stage (Category 14) 501
Music for Radio (Category 15) 514
Music for Film (Category 16) 523
Chapter 14 547
Light Music
Popular Songs (Categories 9 and 9A) 548
Operettas (Category 12) 552
Various Unclassifiable Works (Category 17) 563
Part Three: Gathering the Threads 565
Chapter 15 567
Honegger's Physique and Character
Chapter 16 573
Two Countries, Three Cultures
Chapter 17 580
Political and Social Ideas; The Role of the Composer
Chapter 18 588
The Problem of Faith
Chapter 19 593
Tastes and Influences
Chapter 20 603
Ethics, Aesthetics, and Craft: The Mission of the Creative
Artist and the Mystery of Creativity
Chapter 21 610
The Musical Language
Chapter 22 621
Honegger's Place in the Twentieth Century
Chapter 23 627
Epilogue
Appendix 1 629
Chronological List of Works
Appendix 2 638
Note on Recordings
Notes 639
Selected Bibliography 649
Index of Names 653
Index of Works 668
Photographs Follow Page 176
Page 7
IN TE DOMINE SPERAVI NON CONFUNDAR IN
AETERNUM
(In Thee, Lord, have I trusted, Let me never be confounded)
To Paul Sacher To Pascale Honegger To Elisabeth Buzzard
To Switzerland, in memory of 6 October 1942
To Paul Sacher, man of vision and action, man of heart and culture,
man of enthusiasm and faith in the Spirit, who put his trust in me a
second time, more than a quarter of a century after helping me to
produce my book on Bohuslav Martinu
*. Many years ago he expressed his wish to see me write the present
volume. The moment I was ready to start work, his generosity allowed
me to devote myself to it entirely. He enabled me to pursue my
research at the foundation that bears his name, and gave me access to
the vast number of letters sent to him by a composer to whom, as he
himself admits, he has always felt closer than any other.
To Pascale Honegger, a woman of enthusiasm and strong will, who
has also contributed in large measure to this project to which she has
given her blessing. She has allowed me full access to the immense
treasure store of autograph scores, letters, and personal documents
that she administers so capably. Her generosity allowed the major part
of this volume to be written in the peaceful retreat of Arolla, in the
heart of the Upper Valais, some seven thousand feet up in the
mountains, which, taking no account of frontiers, are my real
homeland. Her generosity also permitted the publication of this work.