Georges Migot

Georges Elbert Migot (born February 27, 1891 in Paris , † January 5, 1976 in Levallois-Perret , Département Hauts-de-Seine ) was a French composer , painter and poet.

Life

Georges Migot was born to a doctor in a Protestant family. He received his first piano lessons at the age of seven from his mother. He soon began to compose too, and at the age of 15 his first work entitled "Noël a capella pour quatre voix" was published.

In 1909 he was accepted at the Conservatoire de Paris . His teachers were Jules Bouval (harmony), André Gedalge (fugue theory), Charles-Marie Widor (composition), Alexandre Guilmant and Louis Vierne (organ), Vincent d'Indy (orchestration) and Maurice Emmanuel (music history).

As a soldier in the First World War , Migot suffered a serious war wound near Longuyon (Meurthe et Moselle) in 1914 and was only able to move on crutches for over a year. He has been awarded various prizes for his compositions: the “Prix Lili Boulanger ” (1917), the “Prix Lépaulle” (1919), the “Prix Halfen” (1920) and the Prize of the Blumenthal Foundation (1921). The Rome Prize , for which he applied in 1919 and 1922, was denied to him (like Ravel ).

From 1937 Migot taught at the Paris Schola Cantorum and produced music programs for Radio-Cité (1937–1939). From 1949 to 1961 he was the curator of the instrument museum at the Paris Conservatoire. In 1958 he was awarded the “Grand Prix de la musique française” by SACEM .

In addition to his work as a musician, Migot devoted himself to the study of painting and also proved himself a talent as a painter, which led to the fact that he was able to exhibit in large Parisian galleries in 1917, 1919 and 1923. He was also active as a poet: Almost all of his vocal works were based on his own texts. He also wrote works on music history and music aesthetics.

Musical creation

In Migot's tonal language, influences of the Renaissance and Baroque (Migot particularly valued the French lutenists and Rameau ) mix with those of Fauré , Debussy and Far Eastern music. Like Messiaen, he also used birdsong. Counterpoint , diatonic and a lyrical-cantable basic attitude shape his work. His music, which is often characterized by a subtle play of colors, sometimes led to the accusation that Migot first came to music through painting. Overall, Migot cannot be assigned to any specific contemporary group; it was even spoken of - in contrast to the Groupe des Six - as a "Groupe de Un".

Of Migot's extensive compositional work (among others 13 symphonies and numerous vocal works, including 9 oratorios), only a little is currently available on sound carriers.

List of works

Musical dramatic works

• Hugoromo , Symphonie lyrique et chorégraphique for baritone, choir and orchestra based on a text by Migot and Louis Laloy (premiered Monte-Carlo, May 9, 1922)
• Le Rossignol en amour , chamber opera based on a libretto by Migot (1926–1928; premiered Geneva, March 2, 1937)
• Cantate d'Amour , Opéra de concert based on a libretto by Migot (1949–1950)
• La Sulamite , Opéra de concert based on a libretto by Migot (1969–1970)
• l'Arche , polyphony spatiale for soprano, female choir and orchestra based on a poem by Migot (1971; premiered Marseille, 3 May 1974)

Symphonies

• No. 1 Les Agrestides (1919–1920; premiered Paris, April 29, 1922)
• No. 2 (1927; premiered Festival de Besançon, September 7, 1961)
• No. 3 (1943-1949)
• No. 4 (1946-1947)
• Sinfonia da chiesa pour instruments à vent (1955; premiered Roubaix, 4th December 1955)
• No. 6, for strings (1944–1951; premiered Strasbourg, June 12, 1960)
• No. 7, for chamber orchestra (1948–1952)
• No. 8, for 15 wind instruments and 2 double basses
• No. 9, for strings (unfinished)
• No. 10 (1962)
• No. 11, for wind instruments (1963),
• No. 12 (1954–1964; premiered Lille, May 29, 1972)
• No. 13 (1967)
• Petite symphonie en trois mouvements enchaînés pour orchester à cordes (1970; premiered Béziers, 23 July 1971)

Further orchestral works

• Le Paravent de laque aux cinq images (1920; premiered Paris, January 21, 1923)
• Trois ciné-ambiances (1922)
• La Fête de la bergère (1921; premiered Théâtre Bériza, Paris, November 21, 1925)
• Prelude pour un poète (premiered Paris, June 7, 1929)
• Le Livre des danceries , orchestral suite ( premiered Paris, December 12, 1931)
• Le Zodiaque (1931-1939)
• Phonic sous-marine (1962)
• Dialogue for piano and orchestra (1922–1925; premiered Paris, March 25, 1924)
• Dialogue for violoncello and orchestra (1922–1926; premiered Paris, February 7, 1927)
• Suite for violin and orchestra (1924; premiered Paris, November 14, 1925)
• Suite for piano and orchestra (premiered in Paris, March 12, 1927)
• Suite en concert for harp and orchestra (premiered in Paris, January 15, 1928)
• La Jungle , polyphony for organ and orchestra (1928; premiered Paris, January 9, 1932)
• Piano Concerto (1962; premiered Paris, June 26, 1964)
• Concerto for harpsichord and chamber orchestra (premiered in Paris, December 12, 1967)

Chamber music

• Les Parques for 2 violins, viola and piano (1909)
• 3 string quartets (1921–1957–1962)
• Quartet for flute, violin, violoncello and piano (1960)
• Quartet for violin, viola, violoncello and piano (1961)
• Quartet for 2 clarinets, basset horn and bass clarinet (1925)
• Saxophone Quartet (1955)
• Quartet for 2 violins and 2 violoncellos (1955)
• Quintet for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon (1954)
• Introduction pour un concert de chambre for 5 wind instruments (1964)
• Trio for oboe, violin and piano (1906)
• Trio for violin, viola and piano (1918)
• Trio avec piano (1935)
• Trio for oboe, clarinet and bassoon (1944)
• String trio (1944–1945)
• Trio for flute, violoncello and harp (1965)
• Sonata for guitar and piano (1960)
• Sonata luthée for harp solo (1949)
• 2 sonatas for solo violin (1951–1959)
• Sonata for violin and piano (1911)
• Dialogue n ° 1 for violin and piano (1923)
• Dialogue n ° 2 for violin and piano (1925)
• Sonata for viola solo (1958)
• Sonata for solo cello (1954)
• Dialogue n ° 1 for violoncello and piano (1922)
• Dialogue n ° 2 for violoncello and piano (1929)
• Sonata for violoncello and piano (1958)
• Sonata for 2 cellos (1962)
• Suite de trois pièces for flute solo (1931)
• Sonata for flute and piano (1945)
• Pastorale for 2 flutes (1950)
• Suite for cor anglais and piano (1963)
• Sonata for clarinet solo (1953)
• Sonata for bassoon solo (1953)

Vocal works

• Cortège d'Amphitrite for choir and strings after a text by Albert Samain
• 6 tétraphones for baritone, flute, violin and violoncello based on a text by Migot (1945)
• 7 Petites Images du Japon for voice and piano (1917)
• Vini vinoque amor (l'amour du vin et par le vin) for 2 voices, flute, violoncello and piano (1937)
• Liturgie œcuménique for 3 voices and organ (1958)
• Chansons de Margot , poems by Philéas Lebesque
• Psaume XIX for choir and orchestra
• Numerous vocal trios and quartets as well as sacred a cappella compositions
• La Mise au Tombeau , oratorio based on a text by Migot (1948–1949) for small choir and wind quintet
• La Nativité de Notre Seigneur , Mystère lyrique for solos, choir and instruments based on a text by Migot (1954)
• La Passion , oratorio in 12 parts (1939–1946; premiered Paris, July 25, 1957)
• Saint Germain d'Auxerre
• L'Annonciation , oratorio (1943–1946)
• Mystère orphique , for voice and orchestra (1951; premiered Strasbourg, March 18, 1964)
• Cantate d'amour , Opéra de concert on texts by Migot (1949–1950)
• La Résurrection , oratorio (1953; premiered Strasbourg, March 28, 1969)
• Du ciel et de la terre , Symphonie spatiale pour un film (1957)
• Le Zodiaque chorégraphie lyrique based on a text by Migot (1958–1960)
• La plate, vaste savane for soprano and instruments (1967)
• 3 chansons de joie et de souci for voice and guitar (1969)
• 3 dialogues for voice and violoncello (1972)
• 5 chants initiatiques for voice and piano (1973)

Other compositions

• Numerous liturgical works
• Several collections of character pieces for piano
• Numerous organ compositions

Literary work

• Essais pour une esthétique générale (Paris, 1920 - 2nd edition 1937)
• Appoggiatures résolues et non résolues (Paris, 1922–1931)
• Jean-Philippe Rameau et le génie de la musique française (Paris, 1930)
• Lexique de quelques termes utilisés en musique (Paris, 1947)
• 2 volumes of poetry (Paris, 1950–1951)
• Matériaux et inscriptions (Toulouse, 1970)
• Kaléidoscope et Miroirs ou les images multipliées et contraires autobiography (Toulouse, 1970)
• Les écrits de Georges Migot , collection of articles (4 volumes, Paris 1932)

bibliography

• Léon Vallas: Georges Migot (Paris, 1923)
• Pierre Wolff: La Route d'un musicien: Georges Migot (Paris, 1933) and Georges Migot, étude générale (Paris, Leduc 1933)
• Maurice Henrion: "La Musique vocale de Georges Migot", in Revue musicale (Nov. 1946)
• Marc Honegger: "Georges Migot", in Revue musicale Suisse (1954) and publisher of the Catalog des œuvres musicales de Georges Migot (Strasbourg, 1977)
• Max Pinchard: Connaissance de Georges Migot musicien français (Les Éditions ouvrières, 1959)
• Alain Pâris: "Georges Migot", in Universalis (1977)
• C. Lathan (Ed.): Georges Migot: the Man and his Work (Strasbourg, 1982)
• René Aigrin: "Le Psaume de Georges Migot", in La Vie Catholique , April 30, 1932
• Clarendon: "La Passion de Migot", in Le Figaro , December 18, 1946
• Paul Le Flem : "La Jungle", in Comœdia , October 11, 1932, and "Le Livre des Danceries", ibid., December 14, 1931

swell

• Dictionnaire biographique des musiciens by Théodore Baker-Nicolas Sloninmsky (Ed.Robert Laffont)
• Histoire de la musique: tome V la première moitié du XXe by René Dumesnil
• Pešek, U., Pešek, Ž .: Flute music from three centuries , Bärenreiter, 1990

Web links

• Biography, list of works, discography etc. (French)
• Migot as a painter (French)