Henri Sauguet

Henri Sauguet had an effective profession in France, though he previously considerably less international popularity. His music is normally psychologically restrained, deceptively basic, and formally apparent. Blessed Jean Pierre Poupard, he had taken his mother’s maiden name as his professional surname. He exhibited early curiosity about and skill at music and was presented with piano lessons. Being a guy, his preferred composers had been Schumann, Bizet, and Debussy. He examined body organ with Paul Combes, after that obtained employment in a little cathedral near Bordeaux. Then continuing his musical schooling by studying structure with J.P. Vaugourgin and Joseph Canteloube. The music of Igor Stravinsky as well as the great simpleness of Erik Satie’s music thrilled him. When Jean Cocteau dubbed several Paris-based composers “Les Six,” Sauguet began writing to 1 of its associates, Darius Milhaud. Sauguet also begun to contact himself and two Bordeaux close friends (another composer and a poet) “Les Trois.” The correspondence with Milhaud resulted in the composer requesting Sauguet to send out him a few of his functions. Sauguet composed a piano collection known as Trois Françaises and delivered it to Milhaud. For an early on effort, these sensitive portraits are extremely worthwhile, already displaying the characteristic clearness of Sauguet’s musical idea. Milhaud was impressed, and suggested that younger guy should proceed to Paris. Milhaud released Sauguet to composer Charles Koechlin, who became a instructor to Sauguet also to Satie. Although Satie was under no circumstances Sauguet’s instructor, he was among the most powerful affects on Sauguet’s music. Sauguet and some close friends who also adored Satie (Henri Cliquet-Pleyel, Maxime Jacob, and Roger Désormière — later on a popular conductor) established an organization to put up a concert. They known as it the “College of Arcueil,” called after the area of Satie’s house. Satie backed the group if they structured the concert, and released them at that starting. This resulted in Sauguet’s first essential commission whenever a Mme. Beriza asked him to get a stage function, Le Plumet du colonel (The Colonel’s Helmet). Specialists on Sauguet state this bright and frequently comic piece offers several cases of misjudged orchestration and additional flaws. Once more, the École du Arcueil offered a concert, which resulted in another stage commission payment. Sauguet wrote a ballet rating known as Les Roses, where the marks of his inexperience and insufficient conservatory training had been left out. This success resulted in his establishment in his selected career when popular ballet impresario Serge Diaghilev commissioned a fresh function from him. The task, Le Chatte (The Kitty) was choreographed from the youthful Georges Balanchine and was an enormous achievement. Sauguet was right now able work regular at his music, although he also published perceptive music criticism throughout his profession. Sauguet’s greatest well-known success is at ballet. The very best of his ballets, and the task by which he’s best known beyond France, was Les Forains (The Strolling Players) (1945), about some skilled, somewhat tattered, but eventually hopeful music artists. He was a talented and essential vocal composer. He worked well a decade on Le Chartreuse de Parme (The Charterhouse of Parma), lots opera that experienced a status in France as his most significant work. Internationally, nevertheless, operagoers discover his functions in that type to be brief on feelings and episode. He wrote several functions for radio, tv, stage, and film, four numbered symphonies, many wonderful concertos for varied instruments, and a big level of chamber and additional instrumental functions, including solos for harmonica and musical noticed. He continued to be a tonal composer, although sometimes he utilized an expanded type of tonality and constructed some musique concrète.