Open Writing

It is always interesting to learn a little about the composers of the music one enjoys, and about the works themselves. Here are brief introductions to three French composers, works written by them for flute and piano, and the poems I wrote to introduce each work when performing in public.

Philippe Gaubert – 1879 – 1941

Philippe Gaubert studied flute at the Paris Conservatoire of Music – arguably the best place in the world to learn the instrument. He stayed on to become Professor of the flute at the Conservatoire, one in a long line of famous flautists and teachers, including Marcel Moyse and Jean-Pierre Rampal.

He wrote a fair amount of music for the flute, and is regarded as one of the best of the modern composers for the instrument. As a flautist himself, he knew how to create those lovely, rich, silvery sounds that are the hallmark of modern flute-playing.

His “Madrigal” is a particularly delightful little work. The madrigal, as a musical form, began life as an unaccompanied, secular song for two or three voices. In more recent times, composers gave the names of such older forms of music to instrumental works when they were composed in a similar style.

Madrigal

Listen now –
A story in music we’ll tell:
A magical tale,
told
by spirits of composers
ancient and modern.
They sing in our hearts,
And through us they come,
A message to you from the past.

Melody and harmony,
And,
Here and there,
A little dissension –
To add to the tension!
So open your souls,
Let the sounds pour in –
Join us today,
Let the musical saga
Begin!

Gabriel Fauré – 1845 – 1924

Gabriel Fauré worked for many years as a church musician, his final such posting being as the organist at the church of the Madeleine in Paris. At the same time, he became a professor of composition at the Paris Conservatoire of Music – he would have known and possibly taught Philippe Gaubert. He eventually became Director of the Conservatoire.

His composition output was large, including many songs and a lot of chamber music.

The “Fantaisie” for flute and piano is written in two sections – a pensive introduction, marked “Andantino”, followed by bright, dancing music marked “Allegro”. The musical form referred to as “fantasy” leaves the audience with the feeling that music is being composed as it is being played.

A Summer Fantaisie

The sky is gray
And hanging on the tree-tops…
The air is cold,
and winter wants to stay.
Here – and there,
Spring paints the trees –
Their arms still bare –
With pink and crimson.
And the jacarandas,
Root-deep in their petal-puddles,
Reach towards the looming clouds,
black branches bearing purple prayers -
Crying out - “Remember,
“oh! remember summer!”
Yes!
Remember!
Summer’s here –
We’re children –
laugh and play…
We shout – “I’m here!”
And softer from a distance –
“No – I’m here…”
Through painted, perfumed air we move -
A game of Magic Footsteps:
“LOOK – it’s GI-ANT STEPS,”
“No – let’s do lightly-tripping fairy steps…”
“No – GI-ANT STEPS
and running and dancing –
It’s so much fun!”
“I can swing HIGH,
and also low…”
Skipping through the sunny days:
“I can sing sweet songs
And dance with unicorns –
Dance and dance,
And whirl and twirl…”
“I can sing sweeter than you!”
“I can dance faster than you!”
Swinging-and-singing-and-dancing-and-running
And-chuckling-and-gurgling-and –
FUNNING!

Cécile Chaminade – 1857 – 1944

Cécile Chaminade was one of a still-rare breed – a woman who composed music. In the time during which she lived and performed, women were not permitted to study at the Paris Conservatoire of Music, and were definitely not permitted to make a living as composers! Although her ambitions were frowned upon by her family, she persisted with her musical studies under private tutors. The critics of the first half of the 20th Century classified her compositions as “charming salon music” – though none of it is easy to play!

Chaminade was a skilful pianist who toured widely. Living in Paris in the days of Gaubert and the brilliant flautists who came after him, she composed several works for flute. The most challenging is a “Concertino” – a small concerto.

A Woman’s Life

The songs of life
Sing in her heart,
The grand and sweeping tunes
Of joy and youth,
Of love,
Of birth.
The pulse of life
beats with her heart,
strong and sure,
Through grief and pain;
On and pure,
Incessant,
Insistent.
The songs of life
Sing in her heart,
The rushing, flying pulse of life,
of fears and tears -
And strength;
Of breath after breath,
through it all, until death...
and beyond.
The songs of life
Are a woman’s life,
Of dignity,
Integrity;
Always striving;
In the end -
Triumphant!

Happy listening to these French flute masterpieces!

Until next week – “here comes Treble!”

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