A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF THREE FRENCH WORKS FOR CHAMBER WINDS FROM THE CONDUCTOR’S PERSPECTIVE A CREATIVE PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE MASTER OF MUSIC BY MADISON ARGO DR. THOMAS CANEVA - ADVISOR BALL STATE UNIVERSITY MUNCIE, IN MAY 2021 Argo 1 A Descriptive Analysis of Three French Works for Chamber Winds from the Conductor’s Perspective The development of the modern-day wind band has progressed over several centuries and gained acclaim throughout the world. Prior to the establishment of these independent wind bands, composers wrote for the wind sections of the orchestra that consisted of only wind instruments. Beginning around the eighteenth century, this style of chamber music was known in the military as “harmoniemusik” and provided some of the earliest compositions available for winds only. The instrumentation for harmoniemusik varied depending on the geographic location of the ensemble, but was based on a core group of approximately four to six instruments. Eventually, the instrumentation for harmoniemusik ensembles was recognized as eight players, consisting of two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons and two horns.1 With the contributions made by French composers Francois-Joseph Gossec and Charles- Simon Catel, harmoniemusik ensembles began performing more frequently at outdoor entertainment concerts during the French Revolution.2 Gossec, Catel, and Bernard Sarrette – a National Guard captain who had no musical training or experiences – insisted on creating an ensemble for performing at festivals in 1789.3 This ensemble consisted of approximately forty- five musicians and was given the name: Corps de musique de la Garde nationale – National Guard Band.4 The National Guard Band and similar ensembles grew in size, with the major benefit that they were able to produced large sounds in outdoor venues without the complications 1 Stephen Rhodes, “Revolution and Nineteenth-Century Europe,” A History of the Wind Band, Lipscomb University, 2007, https://ww2.lipscomb.edu/windbandhistory/rhodeswindband_05_19thcenturyeurope.htm. 2 Ibid. 3 Adam Kehl, “Critical Editions and Comparative Analysis of Three Representative Wind Band Works from the French Revolution,” Dissertation, University of South Carolina, 2014. 4 Kehl, 3. Argo 2 of the string instruments.5 Other French composers that contributed to the wind repertoire during the French Revolution include Luigi Cherubini, Hyacinthe Jaden, Louis Emmanuel Jadin, and Ètienne Méhul.6 Music performed by winds, both small chamber and larger ensembles, became quite popular during the French Revolution and established the medium as relevant music. Although modern bands and wind music have historically been primarily associated with the United States for entertainment purposes and association with nationalism, wind music was growing and developing all over the world in the centuries following the French Revolution. Several composers began writing for the wind medium, including composer Hector Berlioz who produced the Symphonie Funèbre et Triomphale (1840), which showcased a large-scale version of the ensemble Gossec and Catel had previously established. Berlioz’s composition for band featured more than one hundred wind musicians.7 Later, Felix Mendelssohn composed Overture for Wind Band, Op. 24 (Notturno) in 18248 – a composition that is now recognized as a standard work in the chamber winds repertoire. Numerous notable French composers including Darius Milhaud, Oliver Messaien, Edgard Varese, Francis Poulenc, Arthur Honegger, Jean Françaix, and Pierre Boulez contributed to the wind medium over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Additionally, one important large ensemble work, Dionysiaques, Op. 62 was composed by Florent Schmitt. In addition to being a significant region for the early development of wind music, France was also the epicenter for new trends in all artistic mediums throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Paris Conservatory was one of the most sought-after music programs in the world, and students came from all over the world to study with one of the 5 Rhodes. 6 Kehl, 6. 7 Rhodes. 8 Rhodes. Argo 3 leading composition teachers at the time – Nadia Boulanger. In addition, French music culture drew inspiration from the growing genre of jazz in the United States after Darius Milhaud began using jazz idioms in his compositions in the early twentieth century.9 Other French composers, such as Pierre Boulez and Olivier Messiaen, were exploring new developments in twelve-tone and serialism practices, which was far different than traditional Western music and caused discord in the world of music. As a result of the outreach and exploration of the French music industry, it seemed that French composers were at the forefront of what was new, advanced, and in some regards, elegant. It is only natural that composers are influenced by culture and their local surroundings, things including politics, art, landscapes, and dialect. French music may inherently display unique characteristics in composition and aesthetic. Dr. Chin Ting Chan, Professor of Composition and Theory at Ball State University, gave this brief statement as to why French music might have these specific characteristics: …French music, [when compared] to German, sounds more fluid (influence from the language), and less about form/structure. Phrases tend to be long and not so motif-driven. The harmonic progression is not so much about direction, but more about fluid movement/motion. Also, it values more on individual timbres of instruments… The use of scales/harmonies shouldn’t be the ‘cause’ of what the music sounds like; they are [a] means for composers to convey their aesthetics. ....to me, French music generally is less emotional than Russian and German music, but it is more about depicting an atmosphere.10 While many recognize bands as an American staple based on the contributions of John Philip Sousa and the development of the wind ensemble by Fredrick Fennell, France must be acknowledged for the inception of wind bands and the contribution to the wind repertoire. 9 Joseph Auner, Music in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013), 99-100. 10 Chan, email message from composition professor, October 29, 2020. Argo 4 The goal of this research is to gather information and gain a better understanding about the development of French wind band music through a descriptive analysis of the three works for chamber winds written by French composers. The works are the “Fanfare” from La Péri by Paul Dukas, Dixtuor pour Instruments á Vent by Claude Arrieu, and Petite Symphonie by Charles Gounod. In addition, this project will serve the researcher by providing the experience of studying, rehearsing, and conducting three pieces. “FANFARE” FROM LA PÉRI – PAUL DUKAS Paul Dukas was born on October 1, 1865, in Paris, France. Although Dukas was interested in playing piano at a young age, his family struggled financially, and he was unable to take lessons. Because of his families financial constraints, he had to use his neighbor’s piano when given the opportunity. In 1882, he enrolled in the Paris Conservatory to pursue composition.11 He was later enlisted into the French military, where he continued his musical development by studying music from earlier time periods and the scores of Richard Wagner, which afforded him new insight about composition.12 Dukas spent most of his career as a composer, music critic, and teacher, but he also educated himself about worldly topics such as politics, history, and philosophy.13 Paul Dukas passed away on May 18, 1935, in Paris. The “Fanfare” from La Péri was composed in 1912 and is an extension or excerpt taken from what Dukas called a symphonic poem for dancing – an opera/ballet.14 Dukas was known to 11 Manuela Schwartz and G.W. Hopkins, “Dukas, Paul,” Grove Music Online, 2001, Accessed 18 Nov. 2020, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/ omo-9781561592630-e-0000008282. 12 Norman E. Smith, Program Notes for Band (Chicago: GIA Publications, 2002), 181-182. 13 Schwartz. 14 Smith, 182. Argo 5 be very critical of his own work and burned the manuscripts of some of his larger works prior to his death, believing they did not live up to his standards and expectations. Of the twelve major works that survived, La Péri was Dukas’ last major published work along with his most famous work, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.15 La Peri tells the story of Alexander the Great (Iskender) and a fairy in the service of Ormuzd, the god of light. In the original Perisian translation, Péri means “genie” or “elf.” This translation has been adjusted and modified as it has been carried to various parts of the world.16 Dukas, along with other composers like Debussy, Ravel, and Falla, conceptualized the ballet with the intention of it being performed at Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes – a famous ballet company in France. Unfortunately, La Péri was never performed at Ballets Russes because of too many disagreements between the parties involved.17 Because of the typical noise and chatter that came before performances, Dukas wrote this particular fanfare as a prelude in order to quiet the audience before the start of the ballet.18 The fanfare occurs between the two larger sections of the ballet, similar to an entr’acte at the end of the intermission of a musical. However, unlike the overture or reprise in musical theatre, there is no thematic similarity between the fanfare and the section of the ballet that follows.19 Elizabeth and Joseph Kahn shared the following information in regard to the “Fanfare” from La Peri and Dukas’ compositional technique: 15 Elizabeth Kahn and Joseph Kahn. “Fanfare from La Péri,” Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Program Notes, Last modified 2016. https://www.hhso.org/program-notes/january15/index.htm. 16 Ibid. 17 Schwartz. 18 Nikk Pilato, “Fanfare pour precede ‘La Peri’,” The Wind Repertory Project, Accessed on Aug.