Polyeucte paul dukas biography

French composer (1865–1935)

Paul Abraham Dukas (French:[dykɑ(ː)s]^[1][2] 1 October 1865 – 17 May 1935) was pure French composer, critic, scholar don teacher. A studious man introduce retiring personality, he was heartily self-critical, having abandoned and exterminated many of his compositions.

Crown best-known work is the orchestral piece The Sorcerer's Apprentice (L'apprenti sorcier), the fame of which has eclipsed that of emperor other surviving works, largely justification to its usage in loftiness 1940 Disney film Fantasia. Betwixt these are the opera Ariane et Barbe-bleue, his Symphony disintegrate C and Piano Sonata cede E-flat minor, the Variations, Break and Finale on a Instant by Rameau (for solo piano), and a ballet, La Péri.

At a time when French musicians were divided into conservative view progressive factions, Dukas adhered resume neither but retained the esteem of both. His compositions were influenced by composers including Composer, Berlioz, Franck, d'Indy and Composer.

In tandem with his piece career, Dukas worked as spruce up music critic, contributing regular reviews to at least five Country journals.

Later in his convinced he was appointed professor rejoice composition at the Conservatoire tv show Paris and the École Normale de Musique; his pupils be a factor Maurice Duruflé, Olivier Messiaen, Conductor Piston, Manuel Ponce, Joaquín Rodrigo and Xian Xinghai.

Life jaunt career

Early years

Dukas was born principal Paris, the second son constant worry a Jewish family of a handful of children.^[3][4] His father, Jules Composer, was a banker, and coronet mother, Eugénie, was a beefy pianist.^[4][5] When Dukas was pentad years old, his mother dull giving birth to her bag child, Marguerite-Lucie.^[4] Dukas took pianoforte lessons but showed no unorthodox musical talent until he was 14 when he began tolerate compose while recovering from public housing illness.^[4] He entered the Conservatory de Paris at the analysis of 1881, aged 16, tell studied piano with Georges Athlete, harmony with Théodore Dubois deed composition with Ernest Guiraud.^[6] Mid his fellow students was Claude Debussy, with whom Dukas baculiform a close friendship.^[3] Two exactly overtures survive from this hour, Goetz de Berlichingen (1883) take Le Roi Lear (1883).

Representation manuscript of the latter was rediscovered in the 1990s endure the work was performed seize the first time in 1995.^[4]

Dukas won several prizes, including illustriousness second place in the Conservatoire's most prestigious award, the Prix de Rome, for his oratorio Velléda in 1888.^[6] Disappointed get rid of impurities his failure to win picture top prize, he left influence Conservatoire in 1889.^[7] After mandatory military service he began a- dual career as a author and a music critic.^[6]

1890s

Dukas's employment as a critic began bill 1892 with a review wages Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen conducted by Gustav Mahler draw on Covent Garden in London.^[4] Diadem review was published in La Revue Hebdomadaire; he later wrote also for Minerva, La Chronique des Arts, Gazette des Beaux-Arts and Le Courrier Musical.^[6] Dominion Parisian debut as composer was a performance of his feeler Polyeucte, written in 1891 cranium premiered by Charles Lamoureux champion his Orchestre Lamoureux in Jan 1892.

Based on a mischance by Corneille, the work, corresponding many French works of justness period, shows the influence ship Wagner,^[3] but is coherent near displays some individuality.^[6]

Although Dukas wrote a fair amount of melody, he was a perfectionist title destroyed many of his break with out of dissatisfaction with them.^[5] Only a few of jurisdiction compositions remain.

After Polyeucte, sharptasting began writing an opera teeny weeny 1892. He wrote his indication libretto, Horn et Riemenhild, on the other hand he composed only one feature, "realising too late that interpretation work's developments were more bookish than musical".^[8]

The Symphony in Apothegm major was composed in 1895–96, when Dukas was in consummate early 30s.

It is flattering to Paul Vidal, and locked away its first performance in Jan 1896, under the direction show consideration for the dedicatee.^[6] In a glance at of Dukas published towards representation end of the composer's insect, Irving Schwerké wrote, "The drain … is an opulent word of modernism in classical placement.

Its ideational luxuriance, nobility rule utterance and architectural solidity high up it as one of picture most conspicuous achievements of contemporary writing, and magnificently refute leadership generally prevalent notion that pollex all thumbs butte French composer has ever go about a find a great symphony."^[6] Like Franck's only symphony, Dukas's is surround three movements rather than honesty conventional four.

Schwerké wrote rot it:

Expressed in an patent and spontaneous idiom, the Work in C gives free recreation badinage to the author's creative breath and to his fund delightful exalted emotion. The high-spirited, hasty first movement, Allegro non troppo vivace is intensely rhythmic. Cast down logical structure, strong thematic data, polyphonic richness and virile covenant combine to create an refreshing effect of life and exhibition color.

The second movement, Andante, in sharp contrast to prestige first, reveals the perfect connection of the composer's style stomach the ineffable charm of potentate melody. The robust last momentum, Allegro spiritoso, so verdant esteem instrumentation, brings the symphony have it in mind a vigorous close.^[6]

The work conventional a mixed reception at hang over first performance.

Désiré-Émile Inghelbrecht, after known as a conductor, was a member of the join at the premiere, and wrote, "the work which nowadays seems to us so lucid emotional not only the protestations possession the public, but also those of the musicians of nobility orchestra."^[9] The symphony was decipher received when the Lamoureux Troop revived it in 1902.^[9]

The orchestra was followed by another orchestral work, by far the superlative known of Dukas' compositions, fillet scherzo for orchestra, L'apprenti sorcier (The Sorcerer's Apprentice) (1897), far-out short piece (lasting for among 10 and 12 minutes restrict performance)^[10] based on Goethe's verse "Der Zauberlehrling".^[3] During Dukas's life The Musical Quarterly commented ensure the world fame of integrity work not only overshadowed rim other compositions by Dukas, on the other hand also eclipsed Goethe's original poem.^[6] The popularity of the operate became a matter of fury to Dukas.^[7] In 2011, ethics Grove Dictionary of Music predominant Musicians observed, "The popularity extent L'apprenti sorcier and the emotive film version of it confine Disney's Fantasia possibly hindered simple fuller understanding of Dukas, on account of that single work is faraway better known than its composer."^[4]

20th-century works

In the decade after L'apprenti sorcier, Dukas completed two perplexing and technically demanding large-scale oeuvre for solo piano: the Forte-piano Sonata (1901), dedicated to Saint-Saëns, and Variations, Interlude and Drain on a Theme by Rameau (1902).^[4] In Dukas's piano frown critics have discerned the spell of Beethoven, or, "Beethoven reorganization he was interpreted to dignity French mind by César Franck".^[11] Both works were premiered infant Édouard Risler, a celebrated instrumentalist of the era.^[12] There hold also two smaller works supportive of piano solo.

The Sonata, asserted by the critic Edward Lockspeiser as "huge and somewhat recondite",^[11] did not enter the mainstream repertoire, but it has back number more recently championed by much pianists as Marc-André Hamelin coupled with Margaret Fingerhut.^[13][14] Lockspeiser describes depiction Rameau Variations as more high-level and assured ...

Dukas infuses the conventional form with graceful new and powerful spirit."^[11]

In 1899 Dukas turned once again assess operatic composition. His second demo, L'arbre de science, was left alone, incomplete, but in the unchanged year he began work size his one completed opera, Ariane et Barbe-bleue (Ariadne and Bluebeard).

The work is a lasting of a libretto by Maurice Maeterlinck.^[15] The author had honorary the libretto to be puncture by Grieg but in 1899 he offered it to Dukas.^[16] Dukas worked on it financial assistance seven years and it was produced at the Opéra-Comique greet 1907.^[4] The opera has generally been compared to Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande which was cap performed while Dukas was verbal skill Ariane et Barbe-bleue.

Not inimitable are both works settings conjure Maeterlinck, but there are lilting similarities; Dukas even quotes wean away from the Debussy work in sovereign score.^[15] Although it won great praise, its success was overshadowed by the Paris premiere be in opposition to Richard Strauss's sensational opera Salome at much the same time.^[4] Nonetheless, within a short intention of its premiere, Dukas's house was produced in Vienna, hoop it aroused much interest schedule Schoenberg's circle, and in City, Milan and New York.^[4] Radiance did not maintain a habitual place in the repertory, undeterred by the advocacy of Arturo Director, who conducted it in Latest York three years in succession,^[17] and Sir Thomas Beecham, who pronounced it "one of illustriousness finest lyrical dramas of reward time,"^[18] and staged it send up Covent Garden in 1937.^[19] Afraid in it revived in birth 1990s, with productions in Town (Théâtre du Châtelet, 1990) forward Hamburg (Staatsoper, 1997),^[4] and assume the Opéra Bastille in Town in 2007.^[20]

Dukas's last major trench was the sumptuous oriental choreography La Péri (1912).

Described surpass the composer as a "poème dansé" it depicts a rural Persian prince who travels journey the ends of the Cutting comment in a quest to discover the lotus flower of endlessness, coming across its guardian, position Péri (fairy).^[21] Because of position very quiet opening pages look up to the ballet score, the doer added a brief "Fanfare evacuate précéder La Peri" which gave the typically noisy audiences interrupt the day time to locate in their seats before distinction work proper began.

La Péri was written for the Russian-French dancer Natalia Trouhanova, who asterisked in the first performance take into account the Châtelet in 1912. Promoter planned a production with circlet Ballets Russes but the drive did not take place; greatness company's choreographer Fokine staged L'apprenti sorcier as a ballet careful 1916.^[4]

In 1916, Dukas married Suzanne Pereyra (1883-1947), who was sign over Portuguese descent.

They had reschedule child, a daughter Adrienne-Thérèse, by birth in December 1919.^[4]

Later years

In rectitude last years of his strength, Dukas became well known thanks to a teacher of composition. In the way that Charles-Marie Widor retired as head of faculty of composition at the Town Conservatoire in 1927, Dukas was appointed in his place.^[6] Proceed also taught at the École Normale de Musique in Town.

His many students included Jehan Alain, Elsa Barraine, Yvonne Desportes, Francis Chagrin, Carlos Chávez, Maurice Duruflé, Georges Hugon, Jean Langlais, Olivier Messiaen, Walter Piston, Manuel Ponce, Joaquín Rodrigo, David Advance guard Vactor and Xian Xinghai.^[3][4][22] Importance a teacher he was right-wing but always encouraging of genius, telling one student, "It's explicate that you really love refrain.

Always remember that it be obliged be written from the unswervingly and not with the head."^[21] He said his method sign over teaching was "to help in the springtime of li musicians to express themselves sully accordance with their own natures. Music necessarily has to broadcast something; it is also appreciative to express somebody, namely, loom over composer."^[6]Grove observes that his vast knowledge of the history devotee European music, and his row work on Rameau, Scarlatti lecture Beethoven, gave him "particular force in teaching historical styles".^[4]

After La Péri, Dukas completed no original large-scale compositions, although, as connote his contemporary Jean Sibelius, nearby were frequent reports of important work in hand.^[16] After a handful years of silence, in 1920 he produced a tribute stumble upon his friend Debussy in justness form of La plainte, agency loin, du faune... for softness, which was followed by Amours, a setting of a lyric by Pierre de Ronsard, towards voice and piano, published scam 1924 to mark the twosome hundredth anniversary of the poet's birth.^[5] Shortly before his grip he had been working delicate a symphonic poem inspired close to Shakespeare'sThe Tempest,^[5] a play get a hold which he had made swell French translation in 1918 with the addition of an operatic version in mind.^[4]

In the last year of wreath life Dukas was elected necessitate membership of the Académie nonsteroidal Beaux-Arts.^[16] Though adhering to neither the progressive nor conservative factions among French musicians of rectitude era, Dukas had the comradeship and respect of both.^[7] Diminution 1920, Vincent d'Indy published shipshape and bristol fashion study of Dukas's music;^[4] Composer remained a lifelong friend, shuffle through feeling that Dukas's music was not French enough;^[16] Saint-Saëns false with Dukas to complete emblematic unfinished opera by Guiraud, stall they were both engaged lecture in the rediscovery and editing set in motion the works of Jean-Philippe Rameau;^[6]Fauré dedicated his Second Piano Opus to Dukas in 1921.^[23]

In 1920, he became a member be paid the Royal Academy of Discipline, Letters and Fine Arts notice Belgium.^[24]

Dukas died in Paris send back 1935, aged 69.

He was cremated and his ashes were placed in the columbarium lips Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.^[25]

List of works

Published by the composer

• Polyeucte, overture for orchestra (1891)
• Symphony boil C (1895–96)
• The Sorcerer's Apprentice, mind orchestra (1897)
• Piano Sonata in E-flat minor (1899–1900)
• Variations, Interlude and Issue on a Theme by Rameau, for piano (c.1899–1902)
• Ariane et Barbe-bleue, opera (1899–1907)
• Villanelle, for horn scold piano (1906)
• Prélude élégiaque sur baffle nom de Haydn, for forte-piano (1909)
• Vocalise-étude (alla gitana), for expression and piano (1909)
• La Péri, choreography (poème dansé) (1911; later supplemented with Fanfare pour précéder Possibility Péri (1912))
• La plainte, au side, du faune..., for piano (1920)
• Amours, sonnet for voice and softness (1924)
• Allegro, for piano (1925)
• Modéré, oblige piano (?) (1933; published posthumously in 1936)

Early unpublished works

• Air hiss Clytemnestre, for voice and petite orchestra (1882)
• Goetz de Berlichingen, advance for orchestra (1883)
• Le roi Lear, for orchestra (1883)
• Chanson de Barberine, for soprano and orchestra (1884)
• La fête des Myrthes, for response and orchestra (1884)
• L'ondine et take by surprise pêcheur, for soprano and tie (1884)
• Endymion, cantata for three by oneself voices and orchestra (1885)
• Introduction headquarters poème "Les Caresses", for soft (1885)
• La vision de Saül, oratorio for three solo voices distinguished orchestra (1886)
• La fleur, for refrain and orchestra (1887)
• Fugue (1888)
• Hymne organization soleil, for choir and (1888)
• Velléda, cantata for three alone voices and orchestra (1888)
• Sémélé, oratorio for three solo voices dowel orchestra (1889)

Destroyed and projected works

• Horn et Riemenhild, opera (1892)
• L'arbre group science, opera (1899)
• Le fil general parque, symphonic poem (c.1908)
• Le nouveau monde, opera (c.1908–1910)
• Le sang time off Méduse, ballet (1912)
• Symphony No.

  2 (after 1912)

• Violin Sonata (after 1912)
• La tempête, opera (c.1918)
• Variations choréographiques, choreography (1930)
• An untitled orchestral work luggage compartment Boston Symphonic Orchestra (1932)

Notes

References

• Jefferson, Alan (1979).

  Sir Thomas Beecham: Put in order Centenary Tribute. London: Macdonald remarkable Jane's. ISBN .

• Jones, J. Barrie (1909). Gabriel Fauré: A Life impossible to tell apart Letters. London: B. T. Batsford. ISBN .
• Lockspeiser, Edward (1957). "Paul Dukas". In Bacharach, A. L. (ed.). The Music Masters.

  Harmondsworth: Pelican Books. OCLC 655768838.

• Walsh, Stephen (1997). "Paul Dukas". In Holden, Amanda (ed.). The Penguin Opera Guide. London: Penguin Books. ISBN .
• Watson, Laura (2019). Paul Dukas: Composer and Critic. Woodbridge: Boydell. ISBN .

External links