UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Date:___________________ I, _________________________________________________________, hereby submit this work as part of the requirements for the degree of: in: It is entitled: This work and its defense approved by: Chair: _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ MAGIC AND EVOCATION IN THE CINQ INCANTATIONS POUR FLÛTE SEULE BY ANDRÉ JOLIVET A document submitted to the Division of Research and Advanced Studies of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS (D.M.A.) in the College-Conservatory of Music 2005 by Jennifer Carol Parker-Harley B.M., Eastman School of Music, 1993 M.M., Michigan State University, 1995 Committee Chair: Dr. Mark Ostoich ABSTRACT The Cinq incantations pour flûte seule by André Jolivet are the manifestation of many of the philosophical, spiritual, and musical ideas that occupied the composer early in his career. Somewhat of an auto-didact in philosophical matters, through his studies Jolivet became convinced of the power of music to affect the listener in such a way as to be a means of communication between people, a pathway to self-knowledge and a bridge to spiritual transcendence. He sought to capture the ‘magic’ that would allow a composition to work on the psyche, and even the physiology, of the listener. This document will first describe the influences that impacted the development of Jolivet’s early style: a fascination with other cultures (especially their music and ritual practices), an interest in ethnology, and studies in spirituality. These three interests resulted in the development of the musical philosophy that became the impetus for the compositions from his early period, 1934-1939, when the Cinq incantations were written. An in-depth analysis of each incantation follows, concentrating on motivic development and how these motives work to express his extra-musical ideas. Next, the document examines two specific compositional techniques which most obviously serve to further Jolivet’s aims of creating a ‘magic spell’: repetition and juxtaposition of contrasting elements. Repetition has long been used as a means of reaching altered or ecstatic states; it works in these pieces in a similar way, serving to focus the mind like a chanted prayer or mantra. The juxtaposition of contrasting elements is so effective because it heightens the awareness of the listener while mimicking the constant motion and flux of our own inner lives. The document concludes that Jolivet is successful in his aim of capturing both the programmatic theme of each incantation (evocations of singular moments in the life of a person and community, such as inter-personal communication, childbirth, daily labor, spirituality and death) and, on a deeper level, accessing the resonance of universal experiences. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, my thanks go to Göran Marcusson for his 1999 performance of the Cinq incantations. Your thoughtful interpretation and powerful communication have inspired this paper and continue to inspire my own flute-playing. I would like to thank Madame Françoise Minnich for her hours of effort in supervising my translation of many of the French-language sources used for this document. The sources were often difficult, philosophical works and you were tireless in working to find the ‘perfect’ words. To my mother and editor-in-chief, your help and unflagging encouragement have been invaluable. To Mike, for your patience, insights, and love, words of thanks are inadequate. CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES . 2 LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES . 3 Chapter I. INTRODUCTION . 5 II. INFLUENCES ON STYLE . 7 III. TECHNICAL AND REFERENTIAL ANALYSIS OF THE CINQ INCANTATIONS . 11 Pour accueillir les négociateurs _ et que l’entrevue soit pacifique. Pour que l’enfant qui va naître soit un fils. Pour que la moisson soit riche, qui naîtra des sillons que le laboureur trace. Pour une communion sereine de l’être avec le monde. Aux funérailles de chef _ pour obtenir la protection de son âme. IV. REPETITION AND JUXTAPOSITION OF CONTRASTING ELEMENTS . 30 V. CONCLUSION . 36 BIBLIOGRAPHY . 39 1 FIGURES Figure Page 1. Form of Pour une communion sereine de l’être avec le monde. From Cinq incantations pour flûte seule. 22 2 MUSICAL EXAMPLES Example Page 1. Pour accueillir les négociateurs _ et que l’entrevue soit pacifique. From Cinq incantations pour flûte seule (mm. 1-2). 13 2. Pour accueillir les négociateurs _ et que l’entrevue soit pacifique. From Cinq incantations pour flûte seule (mm. 13-17). 14 3. Pour que l’enfant qui va naître soit un fils. From Cinq incantations pour flûte seule (mm. 1-3). Motive A. 15 4. Pour que l’enfant qui va naître soit un fils. From Cinq incantations pour flûte seule (mm. 3-5). Motive B. 16 5. Pour que l’enfant qui va naître soit un fils. From Cinq incantations pour flûte seule (mm. 15-19). 17 6. Pour que l’enfant qui va naître soit un fils. From Cinq incantations pour flûte seule (mm. 23-28). 18 7. Pour que la moisson soit riche qui naîtra des sillons que le laboureur trace. From Cinq incantations pour flûte seule (m. 1). Motive C. 20 8. Pour que la moisson soit riche qui naîtra des sillons que le laboureur trace. From Cinq incantations pour flûte seule (m. 2). Motive D. 20 9. Pour une communion sereine de l’être avec le monde. From Cinq incantations pour flûte seule (m. 1). Motive E. 22 10. Pour une communion sereine de l’être avec le monde. From Cinq incantations pour flûte seule (m. 1). Motive F. 22 11. Aux funérailles du chef _ pour obtenir la protection de son âme. From Cinq incantations pour flûte seule (mm. 68-75). 27 12. Aux funérailles du chef _ pour obtenir la protection de son âme. From Cinq incantations pour flûte seule (mm. 5-7). 27 13. Aux funérailles du chef _ pour obtenir la protection de son âme. From Cinq incantations pour flûte seule (mm. 15-16). 28 14. Pour accueillir les négociateurs _ et que l’entrevue soit pacifique. From Cinq incantations pour flûte seule (mm. 1-2). Motive G. 28 3 15. Pour accueillir les négociateurs _ et que l’entrevue soit pacifique. From Cinq incantations pour flûte seule (mm. 1-2). 34 4 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION At the 1999 Cincinnati Flute Symposium, I attended a performance of the Cinq Incantations pour flûte seule of André Jolivet given by the noted Swedish flutist, Göran Marcusson. The music I heard was powerful—so much so that I left the performance determined to learn more about the composer and the piece. This paper is a result of the study that followed. Upon beginning my research, I discovered that most of the sources which dealt specifically with the Cinq incantations were available only in French. I hope that the translations presented here will make accessible some information about this work previously unavailable to non-French speakers. My analysis owes much to the system of ‘eclectic analysis’ developed by Dr. Lawrence Ferrara, professor at New York University, and outlined in his book, Philosophy and the Analysis of Music. Although this paper does not implicitly follow the ten steps required by Dr. Ferrara’s method, I approached the analysis of this piece through the lens of his analytic techniques. Eclectic analysis is exactly what the name would suggest. It is a comprehensive approach to the study of a piece of music which considers the historical, syntactical, and referential aspects of the composition. Considering the underlying philosophical nature of Jolivet’s compositional style, and how directly his interests and reading informed his compositional language, this type of analysis seemed to be especially fitting. Chapter Two, “Influences on Style,” details the most significant extra-musical influences on Jolivet’s compositions. Chapter Three, a “Technical and Referential Analysis,” focuses on Jolivet’s use of pervasive motives or motivic cells (the most significant ones described here are identified as Motives A through G) throughout each movement to provide both unity and 5 contrast. Finally, Chapter Four, “Repetition and Juxtaposition of Contrasting Elements,” elaborates on two of the most significant characteristics of Jolivet’s compositional style. Jolivet stated that his goal as a composer was to affect the ‘psycho-physiological’ impulses of the listener. Through certain of his characteristic compositional techniques, he achieves this aim. Repetition of small amounts of musical material results in an intensity akin to the tribal music that always fascinated him. By the juxtaposition of vastly different musical elements he mimics the changeable nature of our inner experiences, imbuing his music with great communicative power. Ultimately, in the Cinq Incantations Jolivet proves successful in capturing both the programmatic theme of each incantation (evocations of singular moments in the life of a person and community, such as inter-personal communication, childbirth, daily labor, spirituality and death) and, on a deeper level, accessing the resonance of universal experience. 6 CHAPTER TWO INFLUENCES ON STYLE The Cinq incantations pour flûte seule (1936) exemplify what Jolivet biographer Serge Gut calls the composer’s ‘revolutionary period’ (1934-1939). Many of Jolivet’s works written during the late 1930s are characterized by an interest in the spiritual power of music as well as an adventurous tonal language.1 His compositional aim during his early career was to “return to the original sources of music when it was an expression of the magic and incantation of primitive religious groups.”2 Three main influences helped to form Jolivet’s early ideas about music and musical philosophy: his fascination with the music of other cultures, study of ethnology, and reading in spirituality. It is easy to see how each interest led logically to the next. His youthful captivation with non-Western cultures was the impetus to study ethnology.