Les Apaches
Encyclopedia
Les Apaches or was a group of French musicians, writers and artists which formed around 1900. Members of the group included:
The name was taken up by the group after inadvertently bumping into a newspaper seller who exclaimed "Attention les apaches". They soon adapted the name, which literally refers to the Native American apache tribe, but had the additional meaning in French of 'hooligans'. Ravel suggested that they adopt the first melody of the Borodin
2nd Symphony as their theme, an idea with which they all agreed. The group met each Saturday, most often at the home of Sordes; alternatively, they would meet at that of Klingsor.
The group had rallied around Claude Debussy's opera Pelléas et Mélisande
in a particularly controversial effort. Ravel dedicated the movements of his piano work Miroirs
to members of the Apaches.
- Edouard Benedictus, painter and composer
- M.D. Calvocoressi, writer and music critic
- Maurice DelageMaurice DelageMaurice Delage was a French composer and pianist.Delage was born and died in Paris. A student of Ravel and member of Les Apaches, he was influenced by travels to India and the East. Ravel's "La vallée des cloches" from Miroirs was dedicated to Delage.Delage's best known piece is Quatre poèmes...
, composer - Manuel de FallaManuel de FallaManuel de Falla y Matheu was a Spanish Andalusian composer of classical music. With Isaac Albéniz, Enrique Granados and Joaquín Turina he is one of Spain's most important musicians of the first half of the 20th century....
, composer - Léon-Paul FargueLéon-Paul FargueLéon-Paul Fargue was a French poet and essayist.He was born in Paris, France on rue Coquilliére. As a poet he was noted for his poetry of atmosphere and detail. His work spanned numerous literary movements...
, poet - Lucien Garban, publisher
- Désiré-Emile InghelbrechtDésiré-Emile InghelbrechtDésiré-Émile Inghelbrecht was a French composer, conductor and writer.- Life and career :Inghelbrecht was born in Paris, the son of a viola-player. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire and made his debut as a conductor in 1908 at the Théâtre des Arts.Inghelbrecht entered the Conservatoire aged 7...
, conductor - Pierre Haour
- Gomez de Riquet (an imaginary member)
- Tristan KlingsorTristan KlingsorTristan Klingsor, birth name Léon Leclère , was a French poet, musician, painter and art critic, best known for his artistic association with the composer Maurice Ravel.His pseudonym, combining the names of Wagner's hero Tristan and his villain Klingsor...
, poet, painter, art theorist - Maurice RavelMaurice RavelJoseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
, composer and pianist - Florent SchmittFlorent SchmittFlorent Schmitt was a French composer.-Early life:A Lorrainer, born in Meurthe-et-Moselle, Schmitt originally took music lessons in Nancy with the local composer Gustave Sandré. Subsequently he entered the Paris Conservatoire. There he studied with Gabriel Fauré, Jules Massenet, Théodore Dubois,...
, composer - Paul SordesPaul SordesPaul Sordes was a painter and a member of Les Apaches, a group of artists in early 20th-century Paris whose most famous member was Maurice Ravel; it was at his home that the group regularly met on Saturdays....
, painter - Igor StravinskyIgor StravinskyIgor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
, composer - Ricardo ViñesRicardo ViñesRicardo Viñes was a Spanish pianist. He first publicly performed many important works by Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, Erik Satie, Manuel de Falla, Déodat de Séverac and Isaac Albéniz. He was also the piano teacher of composer Francis Poulenc and pianist Léo-Pol Morin.He was born in Lleida,...
, pianist - Emile Vuillermoz, music critic
The name was taken up by the group after inadvertently bumping into a newspaper seller who exclaimed "Attention les apaches". They soon adapted the name, which literally refers to the Native American apache tribe, but had the additional meaning in French of 'hooligans'. Ravel suggested that they adopt the first melody of the Borodin
Alexander Borodin
Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five , who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music...
2nd Symphony as their theme, an idea with which they all agreed. The group met each Saturday, most often at the home of Sordes; alternatively, they would meet at that of Klingsor.
The group had rallied around Claude Debussy's opera Pelléas et Mélisande
Pelléas et Mélisande (opera)
Pelléas et Mélisande is an opera in five acts with music by Claude Debussy. The French libretto was adapted from Maurice Maeterlinck's Symbolist play Pelléas et Mélisande...
in a particularly controversial effort. Ravel dedicated the movements of his piano work Miroirs
Miroirs
Miroirs, or "Reflections" is a suite for solo piano written by French impressionist composer Maurice Ravel between 1904 and 1905. First performed by Ricardo Viñes in 1906, Miroirs contains five movements, each dedicated to a fellow member of the French impressionist group, Les...
to members of the Apaches.