Three song cycles of Jacques Leguerney: Examples of his significantcontribution to the French melodie tradition Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Sannerud, Lawrence D. 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 09:40:53 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/280744 THREE SONG CYCLES OF JACQUES LEGUERNEY: EXAMPLES OF HIS SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO THE FRENCH MELODIE TRADITION by Lawrence David Sannerud A Docxmient Submitted to the Faculty of the SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND DANCE In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS WITH A MAJOR IN MUSIC In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2004 UMI Number: 3158149 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI UMI Microform 3158149 Copyright 2005 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA ® GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Final Examination Committee, we certify that we have read the document prepared by Lawrence David Sannerud entitled THREE SONG CYCLES OF JACQUES LEGUERNEY: EXAMPLES OF HIS SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO THE FRENCH MELODIE TRADITION and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Musical Arts J .rXAyi^ Larry J. Day Grayson Hirst Faye Robinson 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. 1 hereby cenify that I have read this document prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the requirement. Director Larry J. Day 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 the rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this document are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledge 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 head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I v/ish to thank the members of my graduate committee. Dr. Larry Day, Professor Grayson Hirst, and Professor Faye Robinson, for their expertise, time, guidance, and support. I could not have done this without their help and good will. I would also like to extend my thanks for the encouragement and support from Dr. Josef Knott and Lyneen Elmore; you are greatly appreciated by so many of us who have benefited from your hard work. I also wish to acknowledge the support and encouragement from my colleagues and my students at California State University, Northridge. Professor Jerry Luedders, and Professor Francoise Regnat were instrumental in keeping me inspired and on the right path. I am eternally grateful to Dr. Carol Kimball whose passion for Leguemey's music and for the man himself started me on this journey of discovery of such marvelous music and the completion of my degree. Finally, I would not have been able to complete this degree without the inspiration and support of my parents, Marilyn Sannerud-Walgraeve and Richard Walgraeve. My degree and dissertation are the result of your love and encouragement. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES 6 LIST OF TABLES 8 ABSTRACT 9 INTRODUCTION 10 Chapter 1-DEVELOPMENT AND INFLUENCES 12 Chapter 2--COMPARISON AND CONTRAST WITH SIMILAR SETTINGS 19 Les Ormeaux and Debussy's Aupres de Cette Grotte Sombre Paisible et solitaire nuit... and Debussy's En Sourdine Le Camaval and Poulenc's Caprice Chapter 3-TECHNICAL EXPERTISE IN COMPOSING FOR THE BARITONE VOICE 38 Range and tessitura Passaggi Setting of vowels in the upper range SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 61 REFERENCES 64 6 LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES Example 1, Les Ormeaux, mm. 1-3 21 Example 2, Aupres de Cette Grotte Sombre, mm. 1-2 21 Example 3, Les Ormeaux, mm. 11-13 22 Example 4, Aupres de Cette Grotte Sombre, mm. 5-6 22 Example 5, Les Ormeaux, mm 21-23 23 Example 6, Aupres de Cette Grotte Sombre, m. 5 24 Example 1, Paisible et solitaire nuit..., m. 1 28 Example 8, En Sourdine, mm. 1-3 28 Example 9, Paisible et solitaire nuit..., mm 10-12 29 Example 10, En Sourdine, m. 11, m. 18 29 Example l\. En Sourdine, mm. 24-26 30 Example 12, Paisible et solitaire nuit..., m. 9 31 Example 13, En Sourdine, mm. 40-43 32 Example 14, Le Carnaval, mm. 1-8 35 Example 15, Caprice, mm. 149-153 35 Example 16, Le Carnaval, mm. 140-145 36 Example 17, Le Carnaval, mm. 157-161 36 Example 18, Caprice, mm. 221-225 37 Example 19, Corine, mm. 16-17 44 Example 20, Lugubre courrier du destin..., mm. 17-18 48 7 Example 21, La Belle Brune, mm. 5-8 51 Example 22, Le Carmval, mm. 33-50 53 Example 23, Le Grotesque, mm 21-25 56 Example 24, Tous ces vents qui soufflaient si fort, mm 24-26 57 Example 25, A la Foret, mm 7-9 58 Example 26, Les Ormeaux, mm. 12-13 59 Example 27, Les Ormeaux, mm 25-26 59 Example 28, Lugubre courrier du destin..., mm. 7-10 60 8 LIST OF TABLES Table 1, Les Ormeaux and Aupres de Cette Grotte Sombre 19 Table 2, Paisible et solitaire nuit... and En Sourdine 26 Table 3, Le Carnaval and Poulenc's Caprice 33 Table 4, A Sa Maitresse 39 9 ABSTRACT This study focuses upon three song cycles by Jacques Leguemey (1906-1997), whose importance as a composer and a contributor to the French melodie tradition has gained increasing recognition. The three cycles to be considered. La Solitude, La Nuit, and Le Carnaval come from his maturity and exemplify his mastery as a composer. The study highlights important influences that were present in his musical development and his musical associations. The study compares and contrasts Leguemey's approach to text-setting in these song cycles with comparable melodies written by French contemporaries. Moreover, it considers topics such as vocal range, passaggi, and vowel setting, and illuminates Leguemey's remarkable ability to compose for the baritone voice in his songs composed for that voice type. 10 INTRODUCTION In Pierre Bemac's The Interpretation of French Song,^ published in 1970, the only reference to Jacque Leguemey is a brief statement located in the final chapter entitled, "Other Composers." In 1998, I was invited by Dr. Carol Kimball^ to sing excerpts of Leguemey's songs in a lecture she presented at the national convention of the National Association of Teachers of Singing held in Toronto, Canada. Leguemey's considerable output of 97 melodies, his intriguing setting of text, and his clear understanding of the baritone voice impressed me. Dr. Kimball urged me to explore Leguemey's song cycles as a possible topic for my DMA lecture-recital. She felt more scholarship was warranted and further exploration would contribute to the recent revival of interest in the composer. This revival began in the 1980's largely in North America, with recitals of his works and increased scholarship. Spearheading this movement has been Dr. Carol Kimball, co-author of Interpreting the Songs of Jacques Leguemey, a Guide for Study and Performance,^ along with Mary Dibbem and Patrick Choukroun. Their scholarship presents a biography of the composer, a comprehensive overview of his solo vocal output, and serves as a guide to interpretation. 'pierre Bemac, The Interpretation of French Song, (New York: W.W. Norton, 1970). ^Dr. Carol Kimball is Professor of Music and a Barrick Distinguished Scholar at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. ^Mary Dibbem, Carol Kimball and Patrick Choukroun, Interpreting the Songs of Jacques Leguemey, (Hillsdale: Pendragon, 2001). 11 In contrast, this document focuses on three song cycles within the composer's output, compares his settings with similar settings by French contemporaries and examines his expertise at composing songs for the baritone voice. Leguemey's mastery as a conposer and his significance as a contributor to the French melodie tradition is evident in this examination of three of his song cycles. La Solitude, La Nuit and Le Carnaval. 12 Chapter 1 DEVELOPMENT AND INFLUENCES Factors such as early identification of musical abilities and the encouragement to develop those abilities are significant elements that initiate an artist's journey to pursue his craft. Just as significant is the developing artist's personal and professional associations, and his financial stature. Jacques Leguemey's (1906-97) artistic journey began through the support and encouragement of family members.