September 30, 2013.Paul Dukas and Marc-Antoine Charpentier.The French composer Paul Dukas is know mostly for his orchestral poem The Sorcerer's Apprentice, but it’s such a lovely piece that it alone places Dukas’ name alongside the best French composers of the late 19th century.Paul Dukas was born in Paris on October 1,1865 into a well to do Jewish family; his father was a banker.Apparently Dukas didn’t show any special musical talents till the age of 14, when, while recovering from an illness, he started composing.Two years later he entered the Paris Conservatory, where he met Claude Debussy; the two became close friends.In 1888, Dukas failed to win the prestigious Prix du Rome (Debussy had won it four years earlier) and disappointed, left the Conservatory.After a stint in the army he started his second career as a music critic.As a composer, Dukas was very self-conscious and, if dissatisfied, would destroy his own music: the list of pieces he rejected is almost as long as those that he published.His first big composition, Symphony in C Major, was premiered in1896 to mixed reviews.Then, a year later, he wrote The Sorcerer's Apprentice, a symphonic piece inspired by Goethe’s poem by the same name.The poem describes an apprentice of an old sorcerer, who, when left alone, performs small magic, making a broom fetch water for him.Unfortunately, he doesn’t know how to break the spell and almost drowns, but the old sorcerer arrives just in time to restore order.The work is programmatic and almost literally descriptive in the way it follows the development of Goethe’s poem (in this it reminds one of Richard Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, with it’s Till’s theme and the representation of people and events).The music immediately became very popular, eclipsing everything else Dukas wrote either before or after.In 1899 he composed a rather successful opera Ariane et Barbe-bleue.He continued writing music till 1912, after which he turned to teaching.Maurice Duruflé, Olivier Messiaen, Manuel Ponce, Joaquín Rodrigo were among his students.Dukas died in 1935 aged 69.You can hear The Sorcerer's Apprentice in the recording by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Jesús López-Cobos conducting.
We’ll stay in France for a little longer to salute another composer who lived two centuries earlier: Marc-Antoine Charpentier (who should not be confused with another Charpentier, Gustave, a contemporary of Dukas and the author of the opera Louise).We don’t know his date of birth, except that it was in 1643.Marc-Antoine was probably born in Paris, got a good education and spent some time in Rome, studying with the then-famous Roman composer Giacomo Carissimi.Upon returning to Paris he found employment at the court of Mademoiselle Guise, the daughter of Charles, Duke of Guise and a cousin of King Louis XIV.Charpentier lived and worked in Hôtel de Guise for the next 17 years.He wrote music to the plays of Molière and Corneille and had his operas staged, even though Jean Baptiste Lully had a virtual monopoly over theatrical music.In 1679 Charpentier became the court composer for Grand Dauphin, the eldest son of the King and in 1698 he was appointed maître de musique for the Royal choir of Sainte-Chapelle.Charpentier died on February 24, 1704 in Sainte-Chapelle and was buried in the cemetery behind the choir.Here is one of the most famous of Charpentier’s compositions, the motet Te Deum.Charpentier wrote several settings, all between 1688 and 1698.This performance is by the Orchestra and the chorus of Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia, Myung-Whun Chung conducting.
Dukas and Charpentier, 2013
September 30, 2013. Paul Dukas and Marc-Antoine Charpentier. The French composer Paul Dukas is know mostly for his orchestral poem The Sorcerer's Apprentice, but it’s such a lovely piece that it alone places Dukas’ name alongside the best
French composers of the late 19th century. Paul Dukas was born in Paris on October 1, 1865 into a well to do Jewish family; his father was a banker. Apparently Dukas didn’t show any special musical talents till the age of 14, when, while recovering from an illness, he started composing. Two years later he entered the Paris Conservatory, where he met Claude Debussy; the two became close friends. In 1888, Dukas failed to win the prestigious Prix du Rome (Debussy had won it four years earlier) and disappointed, left the Conservatory. After a stint in the army he started his second career as a music critic. As a composer, Dukas was very self-conscious and, if dissatisfied, would destroy his own music: the list of pieces he rejected is almost as long as those that he published. His first big composition, Symphony in C Major, was premiered in1896 to mixed reviews. Then, a year later, he wrote The Sorcerer's Apprentice, a symphonic piece inspired by Goethe’s poem by the same name. The poem describes an apprentice of an old sorcerer, who, when left alone, performs small magic, making a broom fetch water for him. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know how to break the spell and almost drowns, but the old sorcerer arrives just in time to restore order. The work is programmatic and almost literally descriptive in the way it follows the development of Goethe’s poem (in this it reminds one of Richard Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, with it’s Till’s theme and the representation of people and events). The music immediately became very popular, eclipsing everything else Dukas wrote either before or after. In 1899 he composed a rather successful opera Ariane et Barbe-bleue. He continued writing music till 1912, after which he turned to teaching. Maurice Duruflé, Olivier Messiaen, Manuel Ponce, Joaquín Rodrigo were among his students. Dukas died in 1935 aged 69. You can hear The Sorcerer's Apprentice in the recording by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Jesús López-Cobos conducting.
We’ll stay in France for a little longer to salute another composer who lived two centuries earlier: Marc-Antoine Charpentier (who should not be confused with another Charpentier, Gustave, a contemporary of Dukas and the author of the opera Louise). We don’t know his date of birth, except that it was in 1643. Marc-Antoine was probably born in Paris, got a good education and spent some time in Rome, studying with the then-famous Roman composer Giacomo Carissimi. Upon returning to Paris he found employment at the court of Mademoiselle Guise, the daughter of Charles, Duke of Guise and a cousin of King Louis XIV. Charpentier lived and worked in Hôtel de Guise for the next 17 years. He wrote music to the plays of Molière and Corneille and had his operas staged, even though Jean Baptiste Lully had a virtual monopoly over theatrical music. In 1679 Charpentier became the court composer for Grand Dauphin, the eldest son of the King and in 1698 he was appointed maître de musique for the Royal choir of Sainte-Chapelle. Charpentier died on February 24, 1704 in Sainte-Chapelle and was buried in the cemetery behind the choir. Here is one of the most famous of Charpentier’s compositions, the motet Te Deum. Charpentier wrote several settings, all between 1688 and 1698. This performance is by the Orchestra and the chorus of Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia, Myung-Whun Chung conducting.