Maurice Emmanuel ‒ Trois Sonatines
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 พ.ค. 2024
- Maurice Emmanuel (1862 - 1938), 3 Sonatines (1893, 1897, 1920)
Performed by Peter Jacobs
Sonatine no 1, Op. 4 "Bourguignonne":
00:00 - I. Allegro con spirito
02:32 - II. Branle a la maniere de Bourgogne
04:10 - III. Andante simplice
05:44 - IV. Ronde a la maniere morvandelle
Sonatine no 2, Op. 5 "Pastorale":
08:16 - I. La Caille
11:47 - II. Le Rossignol
16:18 - III. Le Coucou
Sonatine no 3, Op. 19:
18:18 - I. Moderato
22:09 - II. Andante tranquillo
25:32 - III. Vivace
An exact contemporary of Claude Debussy, he was right from the outset an authentic creator of the avant-garde. It is barely believable that the first two sonatinas date from 1893 and 1897, so in advance are they of their day - more so in fact that what Debussy was producing - with regard to harmony, free polymodality, the emancipation of dissonance, boldness in the rhythmic and instrumental language, formal fantasy, with rigour being in no way excluded. They were, moreover, not published and played until after 1920, when the others were being composed, and with which they form a genuine whole. It is significant that Maurice Emmanuel did not follow Debussy in his ultimate evolution, the results of which he hardly appreciated, following instead his own path, one that was in fact no less radical and complex. It is time, however, to start our examination of these Six Sonatinas that are so many masterpieces.
The First draws its source from the land of the Beaune region, from which Emmanuel was also to draw his precious album of Trente Chansons bourguignonnes. The two odd-numbered movements are inspired by bell chimes, the even-numbered by local dances. As in all the sonatinas, the language is modal, though this by no means excludes the presence of tonics and even, with the sole exception of the Fifth, of a ‘tonical’ (and not tonal) unity, here that of A. It is built on a choirboy chant taken from the three note chime of Notre Dame de Beaune, heard in about 1875 to words that mock an old bellringer, Pierre, “who makes fugues in A minor”, which, as the composer mischievously notes, was impossible for him with the three notes at his disposal! By contrast, the piece develops four variants of the chimes of Saint-Bénigne de Dijon, using four notes of the scale of E minor. There follows a ‘Branle à la manière de Bourgogne’, originally in D dorian, but modulating whimsically, a dance in binary rhythm with four-square periods, of a type that was still being performed around 1875 during the harvesting of the Côte de Beaune when the day was over. The Andante simplice (sic!), in A flat major, but spiced with dissonant harmonies and pedals in fifths, uses a very simple air invented by the old, blind bell-ringer of the Hôtel-Dieu in Beaune. It concludes with a feisty ‘Ronde à la manière morvandelle’ with deliciously unequal periods, into which, as the composer tells us, “is inserted the chime of Saint-Bénigne, in ever more dislocated form”. It ends in the lydian of the opening.
Quite different is the Second Sonatina, dating from 1897. Here, far from the city, we are in the heart of the countryside, as loved by Beethoven: for its three movements, Emmanuel has indeed returned to the singing of the three birds featured towards the end of the ‘Scene by the brook’ in the Pastoral Symphony. The poetry here is more dreamlike and subdued than in the first, with undulating, slightly ‘impressionist’ instrumental writing, at times anticipating the Debussy of Estampes or Images, even the Ravel of Miroirs. The ‘tonical’ unity here is that of G for the two quick movements: ‘La Caille’, with its characteristic dotted call, and ‘Le Coucou’ , a very agile Scherzo in 3/8, while the short but poetic reverie of ‘Le Rossignol’ unfolds in B flat. It is here that the homage to Beethoven is at its most faithful, especially towards the end, with its reminder of ‘La Caille’. On the other hand, this music is scarcely a harbinger of Messiaen (Catalogue d’oiseaux), as might have been thought from the double viewpoint of modality... and ornithology.
Published at the same time as the two preceding sonatinas, the Third Sonatina is nonetheless later than them by almost a quarter of a century. The language has become more complex and more dissonant, the expression both deeper and more abstract: more titles, more borrowings from traditional sources, but pure music, and a certain classicism with regard to form. The Sixth is the closest to the spirit of a Roussel, although the language and the expression remain quite different. The high point of the work, however, is unquestionably to be found in the central Andante tranquillo in 3/8, in C (with a strong lydian pull towards the F mode): this is one of the most significant and advanced pieces by Emmanuel, showing that a certain type of chromaticism is by no means incompatible with his modal ideal. - เพลง
Lovely sonatinas, from a composer I did not know a thing about (and that's my favourite musical period, so I'm almost embarrassed by my ignorance).
It was so odd hearing the DSCH motif popping up in the various sonatinas! Years before Schostakovich. It's strange how coincidences like this happen.
Ce compositeur a apporté un peu de lumière, d'émerveillement et d'humour dans une période d'obscurité et de lassitude dans ma vie. En l'écoutant de nombreuses années plus tard, la sensibilité et l’admiration que je ressentais pour elle grandirent. Il vous entraîne inévitablement dans son univers. Chaque écoute révèle un peu plus son mystère, sa magie ; cette architecture sonore est impériale et tellement féérique !
So today, thanks to you, I have heard all five sonatinas by this composer. And I had not heard any works of this composer before I came across your uploads. Thank you.
This is wonderful! I'm actually doing a grad school paper on Emmanuel and his works, specifically the 1st and 4th of the Sonatines. Where did you get the info on the bells and such? I am finding it difficult to dig up a history on him (how unfortunate!), and was wondering if you could point me in the right direction. What you have shared here is already more than I'd found anywhere else! Thanks so much!
Manejo magnífico de los modos
6:52 note the DSCH motif used before when shostakovich was even born
The incomparable refinement of French music. What do you expect, pianists, to put the works of this magnificent composer to your programs? Thanks to Medtnaculus for sharing.
Really like the last one.
Injusto que este gran compositor esté ta olvidado
13:30, Beethoven sixth symphony... :)
yes, I caught it, to similar to be coincidental, especially with such a big name as Beethoven, he was surely aware how similar it was.
Je découvre avec délices...Où trouver ces trois partitions ?..ou un recueil des trois ? Merci si quelqu'un peut me renseigner .
Espíritu distinto (patios) a ravel
Nada como ravel
Pathos
hahaha,sounds like ravel
Indeed, and the fact the first two were from before the 20th century speaks volumes about how adventurous they are for their time.
I was thinking Poulenc
funny, because they share the same first name
Emmanuel possibly inspired Ravel. At this time, he was famous for beeing a pioneer in the use of modal scales, even before Ravel, Debussy or Koechlin. But I don't know if they knew each others..
Terrible compositions.
good composition technique but no inspiration
BeecolorGames what do you mean by inspiration?
@@neo-eclesiastul9386 that he/she doesn't like it
Blessed are those who hear, the kingdom of bliss is theirs ;-)