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The wartime melodies of André Caplet. Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Allen, Marie-Christine Catherine. Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 01/10/2021 02:46:01 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/186676 INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. 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Contact UMI directly to order. U·M·I University Microfilms International A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor. M148106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Order Number 9426309 The wartime melodies of Andre Caplet Allen, Marie-Christine Catherine, n.M.A. The University of .Arizona, 1994 Copyright @1994 by Allen, Marie-Christine Catherine. All rights reserved. D-Mal 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Arbor, MI48106 THE WARTIME MELODIES OF ANDRE CAPLET by Marie-Christine Catherine Allen copyright C Marie-Christine Catherine Allen A Document Submitted to the Faculty of the SCHOOL OF MUSIC In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS WITH A MAJOR IN PERFORMANCE In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 199 4 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Final Examination Committee, we certify that we have read the document prepared by Marie-Christine Catherine Allen The Wartime M€lodies of Andre Caplet entitled--------------------------------------------------------------- and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the requirements Doctor of Musical Arts Date /.2 Date .47 rzz: Date Date Final approval and acceptance of this document is contingent upon the candidate's submission of the final copy of the document to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this document prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the requirement. 7 Director Date 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This document has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this document are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the members of my committee, Dr. Larry Day, Dr. Paula Fan, and Professor Elizabeth Mosher, for their guidance throughout my doctoral program; Kelly stuart for his excellent musical insights; the many friends and relatives who have been my support system; and above all my parents, who have been my inspiration, and for whose presence in my life I am grateful to God. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE .................................•.......... 1 FINAL COMMITTEE APPROVAL FORM •••••••••••••••••.•.•.••• 2 ~T~T][tI~~ 1i1C l\1JTII()Il ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 4 ~1\l3~~ ()~ ~()~~IiT~..................................... 5 ABSTRACT •••••••••••••.••••••••••••••.••••••••••••..•.• 6 INTRODUCTION .......................................... 8 BIOGRAPHY ..•..•..••.•.••.•..•.•..............•...•... 10 CONFLUENCE OF PAINTING, LITERATURE AND MUSIC IN THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY .............. 28 THE MUSICAL LANGUAGE OF IMPRESSIONISM ................ 31 THE MUSICAL AESTHETIC OF CAPLET ...................... 33 TilE Gli~~T liAR ..•...........•.................•..•.... 37 LES MELODIES: LA POESIE, LA HUSIQUE ................. 43 French Versification .•..... • .44 "Nuit d'Automne............ .47 "Quand reverrai-je, helas! .. .58 liLa Croix Douloureuse" .. • .64 "Priere Normande ....... • .72 "In Una Selva oscura... • .79 "Foret" .............. ...... 87 "Symbole des Apotres ... • ••• 93 "Detresse" ............ • ••• 98 A SINGER'S COMPOSER .••.••••••.•••••••••.••••.••.•.•• 106 CONCLUSION •••.••..............•.........•.•.•••.•.•. 109 REFERENCES ••.••••••••.••••••••••••••..•••••••••.•••• 111 6 ABSTRACT Andre caplet (1878-1925) was a major figure on the musical scene for the first quarter of the twentieth century. He contributed substantially to the repertoire of the solo voice, and to that of choral and chamber music. He was moreover an acclaimed conductor; besides extensive engagements in Par is, Caplet was the conductor of French repertoire at the Boston Opera Company from 1910-14. His career was tragically cut short when he was forty-six years of age because of war-related injuries. An in-depth look at the compositions he left behind reveals a brilliant intellect, meticulous attention to detail, a tremendous ear for color, and keen sensitivity to poetic nuance. The richness of his poetic imagination and his technical resources resulted in a variety of oeuvres of originality and depth. He is unsurpassed as a text-painter in the history of me10die. The name of Andre Caplet should be added to those of Debussy and Ravel as an important representative of musical impressionism. This paper examines the exquisite text setting of Caplet. I have chosen the wartime melodies because of the depth and range of their emotional and musical content. Moreover, they are loosely linked by the undercurrents of war which, with their ever-changing, reflecting and refracting surfaces, run through these melodies like an impressionistic stream. Caplet 7 wrote predominantly for the mezzo-soprano voice during this period, perhaps using a richer voice to more richly express the depth of his experiences. These melodies thus represent a wonderful addition to French repertoire for this Fach. 8 INTRODUCTION Andre Caplet (November 23rd, 1878-April 23rd, 1925) was a major figure on the musical scene for the first quarter of the twentieth century. He contributed substantially to the repertoire of the solo voice, and to that of choral and chamber music. He was moreover an acclaimed conductor; besides extensive engagements in Paris, Caplet was the conductor of French repertoire at the Boston Opera Company from 1910-14. His career was tragically cut short when he was forty-six years of age because of war-related injuries. An in-depth look at the compositions he left behind reveals a brilliant intellect, meticulous attention to detail, a tremendous ear for color, and keen sensitivity to poetic nuance. The richness of his poetic imagination and his technical resources resulted in a variety of oeuvres of originality and depth. He is unsurpassed as a text-painter in the history of melodie. The name of Andre Caplet should be added to those of Debussy and Ravel as an important representative of musical impressionism. This paper examines the exquisite text setting of Caplet. I have chosen the wartime melodies because of the depth and range of their emotional and musical content. Moreover, they are loosely linked by the undercurrents of war which, with their ever-changing, reflecting and refracting surfaces, run 9 through these melodies like an impressionistic stream. Caplet wrote predominantly for the mezzo-soprano voice during this period, perhaps using a richer voice to more richly express the depth of his experiences. These melodies thus represent a wonderful addition to French repertoire for this Fach. 10 BIOGRAPHY Andre Leon Caplet was born in Le Havre on November 23, 1878, to Leon Henry Caplet, a commerce employee (Spencer The Influence 6), and Marie-Franyoise-Antoinette Betton. He was the youngest of seven children in a simple family that was highly esteemed by this sea-side Norman community. Nonetheless, his childhood was not an easy one; he became familiar early on with poverty, sickness, and death (Yves Marc,1 La Revue Musicale 38-54). According to Gouverne, Caplet was: "as Norman as one can be, his physique and his temperament doubly revealing the influence of his land of origin. ,,2 He loved the sea, and a year before his death told Gouverne that: IYves-Marc is the literary pseudonym of Yvonne Gouverne, a friend and colleague