Arthur Honegger

"Honegger" redirects here. For other uses, seeHonegger (surname).

Arthur Honegger in 1928

Arthur Honegger(French:[aʁtyʁɔnɛɡɛːʁ];10 March 1892 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss composer who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris.A member ofLes Six,his best known work is probablyAntigone,composed between 1924 and 1927 to the FrenchlibrettobyJean Cocteaubased on the tragedyAntigonebySophocles.It premiered on 28 December 1927 at theThéâtre Royal de la Monnaiewith sets designed byPablo Picassoand costumes byCoco Chanel.However, his most frequently performed work is probably the orchestral workPacific 231,which was inspired by the sound of asteamlocomotive.

Biography

Plaque at the Honegger home in Le Havre

BornOscar-Arthur Honegger(the first name was never used) to Swiss parents inLe Havre,France, he initially studiedharmonywithRobert-Charles Martin(to whom he dedicated his first published work) and violin in Le Havre. After studying for two years at theZurich Conservatory,he enrolled in theParis Conservatoirefrom 1911 to 1918, studying with bothCharles-Marie WidorandVincent d'Indy.He made his Paris compositional debut in 1916 and in 1918 wrote theballetLe dit des jeux du monde,generally considered to be his first characteristic work.

In 1926, he marriedAndrée Vaurabourg,a pianist and fellow student at theParis Conservatoire,on the condition that they live in separate apartments because he required solitude for composing. Andrée lived with her mother, and Honegger visited them for lunch every day.They lived apart for the duration of their marriage, with the exception of one year from 1935 to 1936 following Vaurabourg's injury in a car accident, and the last year of Honegger's life, when he was not well enough to live alone. They had one daughter, Pascale, born in 1932. Honegger also had a son, Jean-Claude (1926–2003), with the singerClaire Croiza.

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 and World War II, Honegger was very prolific. He composed the music forAbel Gance's epic 1927 film,Napoléon,which was preceded byJ'accuse(1919) andLa Roue(The Wheel) (1923). He composed nine ballets and three vocal stage works, amongst other works. One of those stage works,Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher(1935), a "dramaticoratorio"(to words byPaul Claudel), is thought ofas one of his finest works. In addition to his pieces written alone, he collaborated withJacques Iberton both an opera,L'Aiglon(1937), and anoperetta.During this time period, he also wroteDanse de la chèvre(1921), which has become a staple in the flute repertoire. The work dedicated toRené Le Royand written for solo flute.

Arthur Honegger, as portrayed bySerge Ivanoff,Paris, 1944

Honegger always remained in touch with Switzerland, his parents' country of origin, until the outbreak of the war and the invasion of theNazismade it impossible for him to leave Paris. He joined theFrench Resistanceand was generally unaffected by the Nazis themselves, who allowed him to continue his work without too much interference. He also taught composition at theÉcole Normale de Musique de Paris,where his students includedYves Ramette.However, he was greatly depressed by the war. Between its outbreak and his death, he wrote his last foursymphonies(numbers two to five), which are among the most powerful symphonic works of the 20th century. Of these, the second, for strings, featuring a solo trumpet that plays a chorale tune in the style ofBachin the final movement, and the third, subtitledSymphonie Liturgiquewith three movements that evoke theRequiem Mass(Dies irae,De profundis clamaviandDona nobis pacem), is probably the best known. Written in 1946, just after the end of the war, it has parallels withBenjamin Britten'sSinfonia da Requiemof 1940. In contrast with this work is the lyrical, nostalgic Symphony No. 4, subtitled "Deliciae Basilienses" ( "The Delights of Basel" ), 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(a depiction of a steam locomotive) gained him early notoriety in 1923.

Many of Honegger's works were championed by his longtime friendGeorges Tzipine,who conducted the premiere recordings of some of them (Cris du Mondeoratorio,Nicolas de Flüe).

In 1953 he wrote his last composition,A Christmas Cantata.After a protracted illness, he died at home in Paris of a heart attack on 27 November 1955 and was interred in theSaint-Vincent Cemeteryin theMontmartreQuarter. He was given a state funeral by the French government, although he remained a Swiss national and never took French citizenship.

The principal elements of Honegger's style are Bachiancounterpoint,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 inLes 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 memberDarius Milhaudwere close friends, having studied together at theParis Conservatoire.Milhaud dedicated his fourth string quintet to Honegger's memory, whileFrancis Poulencsimilarly dedicated hisClarinet Sonata.

Legacy

Honegger was pictured on the Swisstwenty franc banknote(eighth series), issued October 1996 and replaced in 2017.

Honegger's symphonic movementRugbywas recorded with him conducting theParis Symphony Orchestrain a 1929 electrical recording.Many of Honegger's recordings as conductor of his music have been reissued on CD by Pearl and Dutton.

For Honegger's notable students, seeList of music students by teacher: G to J § Arthur Honegger.

The ice hockey playerDoug Honeggeris his grandnephew.

Notable compositions

Opus numbersoriginate from the complete catalogue byHarry Halbreich.For a longer list of compositions, seeList of compositions by Arthur Honegger.For a list of select recordings, seeArthur Honegger discography.

• Orchestral music:

Symphonies:

1930:H 75First Symphony

1941:H 153Second Symphony for strings and trumpet in D

1946:H 186Third Symphony (Symphonie Liturgique)

1946:H 191Fourth Symphony in A (Deliciae basilienses)

1950:H 202Fifth Symphony in D (Di tre re)

Symphonic movements:

1923:H 53Pacific 231(Symphonic Movement No. 1)

1928:H 67Rugby(Symphonic Movement No. 2)

1933:H 83Symphonic Movement No. 3

Concerti:

1924:H 55Concertino for piano and orchestra in E major

1929:H 72Concerto for cello and orchestra in C major

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

Others:

1917:H 16Le chant de Nigamon

1920:H 31Pastorale d'été

1923:H 47Chant de joie(Song of Joy)

1951:H 204Monopartita

• Oratorios:

1921:H 37Le roi David(King David) libretto byRené Morax,version for orchestra in 1923

1935:H 99Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher,libretto byPaul Claudel,version with prologue in 1941

1938:H 131La danse des morts,(The Dance of the Dead) libretto byPaul Claudel

1953:H 212Une cantate de Noël(A Christmas Cantata)

• Operas:

1903:Philippa,not orchestrated, performed, or published

1904:Sigismond,lost

1907:La Esmeralda,afterVictor Hugo'sThe Hunchback of Notre-Dame,unfinished and unpublished

1918:La mort de sainte Alméenne,libretto by M. Jacob, unpublished and only Interlude orchestrated

1925:Judith,libretto byRené Morax,premiered at theOpéra de Monte-Carloon 13 February 1925

1927:H 65Antigone,libretto byJean Cocteaubased onSophocles,premiered atLa Monnaieon 28 December 1927

• Operettas:

1925:H 108L'Aiglon,co-written withJacques Ibert;libretto for acts 2–4 by H. Cain, after E. Rostand, libretto for acts 1 and 5 by Ibert, Opéra de Monte-Carlo, 10 March 1937

1930:Les aventures du roi Pausole,libretto by A. Willemetz, after P. Louÿs, premiered 12 December 1930, Paris,Bouffes-Parisiens

1931:La belle de Moudon,libretto by René Morax, Mézières, Jorat, Switzerland, 30 May 1931, unpublished

1937:Les petites cardinal,libretto by Willemetz and P. Brach, after L. Halévy, Paris, Bouffes-Parisiens, 13 February 1938

• Ballets:

1918:H 19Le dit des jeux du monde

1921:H 38Horace victorieux,symphonie mimée

• Chamber music:

1917:H 15String Quartet No. 1 in C minor

1929:H 28Sonata for Viola and Piano

1935:H 103String Quartet No. 2 in D

1937:H 114String Quartet No. 3 in E

1945:H 181Paduanafor cello solo

1947:H 193Intradafor C trumpet and piano

• Piano solo works1910: Three Pieces (Scherzo, Humoresque, Adagio)

1916: Toccata and Variation

1915–9: Three Pieces (Prelude, Homage to Ravel, Danse)

1919–20: Seven Short Pieces

1920: Sarabande (for Album de Six)

1923–4: Le Cahier Romand

1928–9 Hommage to Albert Roussel

1932: Prelude, Arioso and Fughetta on the name BACH

1941: Petits Airs sue une basse celebre

1943–4: Two Sketches

Further reading

• Honegger's biographer wasMarcel Landowski,the French composer and arts administrator, who was greatly influenced by Honegger. His biography appeared in 1978 (ISBN2-02-000227-2) although it has yet to be translated into English.
• Harry Halbreich.Arthur Honegger,translated into English by Roger Nichols. Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1992. Considers both Honegger's life and works. With the cooperation of Honegger's daughter Pascale; Halbreich has fully documented Honegger's life since childhood. All works are treated, more significant ones analyzed in detail.ISBN1-57467-041-7(1999).
• Geoffrey Spratt.The Music of Arthur Honegger.Cork University Press, 1987. Spratt also wrote the entry in Grove Music Online (2001).
• Willy Tappet.Arthur Honegger.Zurich: Atlantis Verlag, 1954.

External links

• Publications by and about Arthur Honeggerin the catalogue Helveticat of theSwiss National Library
• Free scores by Arthur Honeggerat theInternational Music Score Library Project(IMSLP)
• Site Arthur Honegger– The official site on the composer; bilingual (French and English)
• Unlocking the Mystery of Honegger
• Holocaust Music– discusses the controversy of Honegger's role in the Resistance
• Cello Concerto Review
• Drama lírico Bíblico, Judith(audio online y descarga).
• Arthur HoneggerArchived20 August 2013 at theWayback Machine– biography of the composer
• František SlámaArchiveArchived14 September 2019 at theWayback Machine.More on the history of the Czech Philharmonic between the 1940s and the 1980s:Conductors