Arthur Honegger

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Arthur Honegger

Arthur Honegger (March 10, 1892 – November 27, 1955) was a Swiss composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, usually in the medium of musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music....
, who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris

Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
. He was a member of Les Six

Les Six

Les Six is a name, inspired by The Five, given in 1923 by critic Henri Collet in an article titled ?Les cinq Russes, les six Fran?ais et M. Satie? to a group of six composers working in Montparnasse whose music is often seen as a reaction against Richard Wagner and Impressionist Music....
. His most frequently performed work is probably the orchestra

Orchestra

An orchestra is an Musical ensemble, usually fairly large with string, brass, woodwind sections, and possibly a percussion section as well. The term orchestra derives from the name for the area in front of an theatre of ancient Greece reserved for the Greek chorus....
l work Pacific 231
Pacific 231

Pacific 231 is an orchestral work by Arthur Honegger, written in 1923. It is one of his most frequently performed works today.The popular interpretation of the piece is that it depicts a steam locomotive, an interpretation that is supported by the title of the piece....
, which is interpreted as imitating the sound of a steam

Steam engine

File:Steam-powered fire engine.jpgA steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines have a long history, going back at least 2000 years....
locomotive

Locomotive

A locomotive is a Rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin language loco - "from a place", Ablative case of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine,....
.

Oscar-Arthur Honegger (the first name was never used) in Le Havre, France

Le Havre

Le Havre is a city in the northwest region of France situated on the right bank of the mouth of the Seine River as it outlets into the Bay of the Seine section of the English Channel....
, he initially studied harmony

Harmony

In Western music, harmony is the use of different pitches simultaneously, and chord s, actual or implied, in music. The word is related to the word "harmonic" which implies related wavelengths of waves....
and violin

Violin

The violin is a Bow string instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello....
in Paris

Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
, and after a brief period in Zurich, returned there to study with Charles Widor and Vincent d'Indy

Vincent d'Indy

Paul Marie Th?odore Vincent d'Indy was a French composer and teacher....
.

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Encyclopedia

Arthur Honegger (March 10, 1892 – November 27, 1955) was a Swiss composer

Composer

Paris

Les Six

Orchestra

Steam engine

Locomotive

Biography

Born Oscar-Arthur Honegger (the first name was never used) in Le Havre, France

Le Havre

Harmony

Violin

Paris

Vincent d'Indy

Paul Marie Th?odore Vincent d'Indy was a French composer and teacher....
. He continued to study through the 1910s, before writing the ballet

Ballet (music)

Ballet as a musical form is a musical composition intended for Ballet. The same music can be used for several different ballet Choreography....
Le dit des jeux du monde in 1918, generally considered to be his first characteristic work. In 1926 he married Andrée Vaurabourg

Andrée Vaurabourg

Andr?e Vaurabourg was a French pianist and teacher. She was the wife of Swiss-French composer Arthur Honegger , whom she met at the Paris Conservatoire in 1916....
, a pianist and fellow student at the Paris Conservatoire. They had one daughter, Pascale, born in 1932. Honegger also had a son, Jean-Claude (1926-2003), with the singer Claire Croiza

Claire Croiza

Claire Croiza was a French mezzo-soprano and an influential teacher of singers....
.

In the early 1920s Honegger shot to fame with his "dramatic psalm" "Le Roi David" ("King David"), which is still in the choral repertoire. Between World War I

World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
and World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, Honegger was very prolific. He composed the music for Abel Gance's

Abel Gance

Abel Gance was a France film director, film producer, writer, actor and film editor best remembered for his work in silent film.Napol?on is among his most innovative works....
epic 1927 film, Napoléon. He composed nine ballets and three vocal stage works, amongst other works. One of those stage works, Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher
Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher

Jeanne d'Arc au B?cher is an oratorio by Arthur Honegger originally commissioned by Ida Rubinstein. The title translates to, "Joan of Arc at the Stake." The drama takes place during the heroine's trial and execution, with flashbacks to her younger days....
(1935), a "dramatic oratorio

Oratorio

An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and solo ists. The oratorio was somewhat modeled after the opera. Their similarities include the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable Fictional character, and arias....
", is thought of as one of his finest works. In addition to his works written alone, he collaborated with Jacques Ibert

Jacques Ibert

Jacques Fran?ois Antoine Ibert was a French composer of european classical music....
on both an opera

Opera

Opera is an Performing arts in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work which combines a text and a musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition....
, L'Aiglon
L'Aiglon

L'Aiglon was the nickname of Napoleon I of France son, Napoleon II of France. The name is French language for "eaglet" .It is also the name of a play, L'Aiglon, by Edmond Rostand about Napoleon II's life....
(1937), and an operetta

Operetta

Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre....
. During this time period he also wrote Danse de la Chèvre
Danse de la Chèvre

Danse de la Ch?vre H. 39 is a piece for solo flute by Arthur Honegger, written in 1921 as incidental music for dancer Lysana of Sacha Derek's play La Mauvaise Pens?e....
(1921), an essential piece of flute repertoire. Dedicated to René Le Roy and written for flute alone, this piece is lively and young, but with the same directness of all Honegger's work.

Honegger had always remained in touch with Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
, his parents' country of origin, but with the outbreak of the war and the invasion of the Nazis

Nazism

Nazism, officially National Socialism , refers to the ideology and practices of the National Socialist German Workers? Party under Adolf Hitler, and the policies adopted by the dictatorial government of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945....
, he found himself unable to leave Paris. He joined the French Resistance

French Resistance

File:Croix de Lorraine2.svgThe French Resistance is the collective name used for the French resistance movements which fought against the Nazi Germany German occupation of France in World War II and the collaborationist Vichy Regime during World War II....
and was generally unaffected by the Nazis themselves, who allowed him to continue his work without too much interference. However, he was greatly depressed by the war. Between its outbreak and his death, he wrote his last four symphonies

Symphony

A symphony is a musical composition, often extended and usually for orchestra. "Symphony" does not imply a specific form. Many symphonies are tonality works in four movement with the first in sonata form, and this is often described by music theorists as the structure of a "Classical period " symphony, although even some symphonies by the ac...
(numbers two to five) which are among the most powerful symphonic works of the 20th century. Of these, the third, subtitled Symphonie Liturgique
Symphonie Liturgique

Symphonie Liturgique is the Third Symphony by the Swiss composer Arthur Honegger.Composed in the aftermath of World War II it is one of Honegger's best-known works....
with its three movements evoking the Latin Mass

Mass

In physical science, mass refers to the degree of acceleration a body acquires when subject to a force: bodies with greater mass are accelerated less by the same force....
(Dies Irae
Dies Irae

Dies Irae is a famous thirteenth century Latin hymn thought to be written by Tommaso da Celano. It is a medieval Latin poem, differing from classical Latin by its accentual stress and its rhymed lines....
, De profundis clamavi and Dona nobis pacem
Dona nobis pacem

Dona nobis pacem is a phrase in the Agnus Dei section of the Roman Catholic Church mass . It was set as a separate, final movement in Johann Sebastian Bach Mass in H Minor ....
), is probably the best known. Written in 1946 just after the end of the war, it has parallels with Benjamin Britten

Benjamin Britten

Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, Order of Merit Order of the Companions of Honour was an England composer, conducting, viola and pianist....
's Sinfonia da Requiem
Sinfonia da Requiem

Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20 for orchestra is a symphony written by Benjamin Britten in 1940 at the age of 26. It was one of several works commissioned from different composers by the Japanese Government to mark the 2,600th anniversary of the founding of the Japanese Empire ....
of 1940. In complete contrast with this work is the lyrical, nostalgic Symphony no. 4, subtitled "Deliciae Basilienses" ("The Delights of Basel") and written as a tribute to days of relaxation spent in that Swiss city during the war.

Honegger was widely known as a train enthusiast, and once notably said: "I have always loved locomotives passionately. For me they are living creatures and I love them as others love women or horses." His "mouvement symphonique" Pacific 231
Pacific 231

Pacific 231 is an orchestral work by Arthur Honegger, written in 1923. It is one of his most frequently performed works today.The popular interpretation of the piece is that it depicts a steam locomotive, an interpretation that is supported by the title of the piece....
(a depiction of a steam locomotive) gained him early notoriety in 1923.

His works were championed by his long time friend Georges Tzipine

Georges Tzipine

Georges Samuel Tzipine was a France violinist, Conducting and composer. He was of Russian origin.He was trained as a violinist at the National Conservatory of Music in Paris, winning a first prize in 1926, but moved to conducting in 1931 after support from Reynaldo Hahn....
, who conducted the premiere recordings of some of them (Cris du Monde oratorio, Nicolas de Flüe).

In 1953 he wrote his last composition, A Christmas Cantata
A Christmas Cantata

A Christmas Cantata is a cantata composed by Arthur Honegger in 1953; it is reportedly Honegger's last composition ever. It requires a mixed choir, a baritone soloist, an Organ , an orchestra and a children's choir, and it describes the Christmas story....
. Arthur Honegger died at home of a heart attack on November 27, 1955 and was interred in the Cimetière Saint-Vincent in the Montmartre

Montmartre

Montmartre is a hill which is 130 metres high, giving its name to the surrounding district, in the north of Paris in the 18eme arrondissement, Paris, a part of the Rive Droite....
Quarter of Paris.

The principal elements of Honegger's style are: Bachian counterpoint, driving rhythms, melodic amplitude, highly coloristic harmonies, an impressionistic use of orchestral sonorities, and a concern for formal architecture. His style is weightier and more solemn than that of his colleagues in Les Six. Far from reacting against German romanticism as the other members of Les Six did, Honegger's mature works show evidence of a distinct influence by it. Despite the differences in their styles, he and fellow Les Six

Les Six

Darius Milhaud

Darius Milhaud was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six - also known as the Groupe des Six - and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century....
were close friends, having studied together at the Paris Conservatoire. Milhaud dedicated his fourth string quintet to Honegger's memory, while Francis Poulenc similarly dedicated his Clarinet Sonata

Clarinet Sonata (Poulenc)

Francis Poulenc's Clarinet Sonata for clarinet and piano dates from 1962 and is one of the last pieces he completed. Because Poulenc died before the piece was published, editors have had to guess as to the identity of some notes, as well as missing dynamics and articulations....
.

Honegger is currently featured on the Swiss twenty franc banknote

Swiss franc

The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian Enclave and exclave Campione d'Italia....
.

Notable students

Eugene Kurtz
Eugene Kurtz

Eugene Allen Kurtz was an United States composer of contemporary classical music.He received an M.A. in music from the Eastman School of Music in 1949....
Lester Trimble
Lester Trimble

Lester Albert Trimble was an American music critic and composer of contemporary classical music.Encouraged by Schoenberg, who had seen some of his scores, Trimble entered the Carnegie Institute of Technology ....

Notable compositions

Opus number

Opus, from the Latin word opus meaning "work", is usually used in the sense of "a work of art".The Latin plural of opus, "opera", is used to refer to the genre of music drama ....
s originate from the complete catalogue by Harry Halbreich

Harry Halbreich

Harry Halbreich is a Belgian musicologist.He studied with Olivier Messiaen at the Paris Conservatoire, and became professor of musical analysis at the University of Mons....
.

Orchestral Music :

Symphonies
Symphony

A symphony is a musical composition, often extended and usually for orchestra. "Symphony" does not imply a specific form. Many symphonies are tonality works in four movement with the first in sonata form, and this is often described by music theorists as the structure of a "Classical period " symphony, although even some symphonies by the ac...
:

1930 : H 75 First Symphony in C 1941 : H 153 Second Symphony for strings and trompet in D (Symphony for Strings) 1946 : H 186 Third Symphony (Symphonie Liturgique
Symphonie Liturgique

Symphonie Liturgique is the Third Symphony by the Swiss composer Arthur Honegger.Composed in the aftermath of World War II it is one of Honegger's best-known works....
) 1946 : H 191 Fourth Symphony in A (Deliciae basiliensis) 1950 : H 202 Fifth Symphony in D (Di tre re)

Symphonic Movements :

1923 : H 53 Pacific 231
Pacific 231

Pacific 231 is an orchestral work by Arthur Honegger, written in 1923. It is one of his most frequently performed works today.The popular interpretation of the piece is that it depicts a steam locomotive, an interpretation that is supported by the title of the piece....
(Symphonic Movement No. 1) 1928 : H 67 Rugby (Symphonic Movement No. 2) 1933 : H 83 Symphonic Movement No. 3

Concerti
Concerto

The term Concerto usually refers to a three-part musical work in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra. The concerto, as understood in this modern way, arose in the Baroque period side by side with the concerto grosso, which contrasted a small group of instruments with the rest of the orchestra....
:

1948 : H 196 Concerto da camera, for flute, English horn and strings

Others :

1917 : H 16 Le Chant de Nigamon 1920 : H 31 Pastorale d'été 1923 : H 47 Chant de joie (Song of Joy) 1951 : H 204 Monopartita

Oratorio
Oratorio

An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and solo ists. The oratorio was somewhat modeled after the opera. Their similarities include the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable Fictional character, and arias....
s :

1921 : H 37 Le Roi David (King David) libretto by René Morax, version for orchestra in 1923

1935 : H 99 Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher
Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher

Jeanne d'Arc au B?cher is an oratorio by Arthur Honegger originally commissioned by Ida Rubinstein. The title translates to, "Joan of Arc at the Stake." The drama takes place during the heroine's trial and execution, with flashbacks to her younger days....
, libretto by Paul Claudel

Paul Claudel

Paul Claudel was a French poet, dramatist and diplomat, and the younger brother of the sculpture Camille Claudel. He was most famous for his verse dramas, which often convey his devout Catholic faith....
, version with prologue in 1941

1938 : H 131 La Danse des morts, (The Dance of the Dead) libretto by Paul Claudel

Paul Claudel

1953 : H 212 Une Cantate de Noël
A Christmas Cantata

A Christmas Cantata is a cantata composed by Arthur Honegger in 1953; it is reportedly Honegger's last composition ever. It requires a mixed choir, a baritone soloist, an Organ , an orchestra and a children's choir, and it describes the Christmas story....
(A Christmas Cantata)

Opera
Opera

Opera is an Performing arts in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work which combines a text and a musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition....
s :

1926 : H 65 Antigone, libretto by Jean Cocteau

Jean Cocteau

Jean Maurice Eug?ne Cl?ment Cocteau was a French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, boxing manager, playwright and filmmaker. Along with other Surrealists of his generation Cocteau grappled with the "algebra" of verbal codes old and new, mise en sc?ne language and technologies of modernism to create a paradox: a classical avant-garde....
based on Sophocles

Sophocles

Sophocles was the second of the three classical Greece tragedy whose work has survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus and earlier than those of Euripides....

Ballet
Ballet

Ballet is a formalized type of performative dance, the origins of which date lay in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century France courts, and which was further developed in England, Italy, and Russia as a concert dance form....
s :

1918 : H 19 Le Dit des jeux du monde

1921 : H 38 Horace victorieux, symphonie mimée

Chamber Music
Chamber music

Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber....
:

1917 : H 15 String Quartet
String quartet

A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string instruments — usually two violins, a viola and cello — or a piece written to be performed by such a group....
No. 1 in C minor

1935 : H 103 String Quartet No. 2 in D

1937 : H 114 String Quartet No. 3 in E

Other works

List of compositions by Arthur Honegger
List of compositions by Arthur Honegger

This is a list of compositions by Arthur Honegger....

Media

Selected recordings

Reference is made to Arthur Honegger Discography

Arthur Honegger discography

Selected recordings of compositions by Arthur Honegger...
.

External links

– The official site on the composer; bilingual (French and English)
Performance of Honegger Cello Concerto by Julian Lloyd Webber
Julian Lloyd Webber

Julian Lloyd Webber is one of the world's most renowned solo cellists....
and Yan Pascal Tortelier
Yan Pascal Tortelier

Yan Pascal Tortelier is an internationally renowned France conducting and is the son of the late cellist Paul Tortelier.Born in Paris, he has worked and recorded extensively with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in Manchester — for whom he was Principal Conductor from 1992 to 2003....

Arthur Honegger

Biography

Notable students

Notable compositions

Other works

Media

See also

Selected recordings

Further reading

External links