Jean Françaix
Jean Françaix (born May 23, 1912 in Le Mans as Jean René Désiré Françaix , † September 25, 1997 in Paris ) was a French composer and pianist .
life and work
Jean Françaix, born into a family of musicians, won the Paris Conservatoire Prize at the age of 18 and studied composition with Nadia Boulanger . His first important work, which he composed at the age of 20, Concertino for piano , was a great success. In addition to solo works for various instruments, he wrote several concerts , including for piano, two pianos, violin , clarinet and flute . His vocal works include the oratorio L'Apocalypse de Saint-Jean (The Apocalypse of St. John) and the cantata La Déploration de Tonton (chien fidèle) (Lamentation of the Faithful Dog Tonton) based on a text by Georges Ravon for mezzo-soprano and string orchestra .
He composed a lot for wind instruments, for example a saxophone quartet , a sonatina for trumpet and piano, two wind quintets or the nine characteristic pieces for ten wind instruments . The Insectarium for harpsichord , the Eight Exotic Dances for two pianos, the Marche solennelle (solemn march) for organ and the piano sonata are particularly well known for his music for keyboard instruments .
Françaix also wrote some operas and film music for twelve films. His music is characterized by elegance, inventiveness and rhythmic finesse. According to his own statement, he always endeavored to compose “musique pour faire plaisir (music that brings joy)”.
Françaix was also a piano virtuoso, but he mainly devoted his creative power to composing. His works are original, funny, rhythmically complex, the harmonies are simple. He coined the term "Hell Orchestra" for an instrument group that is characterized by a loud, monstrous and "rasping" sound. Bassoon, clarinet, electric guitar, timpani, percussion and accordion were assigned to this group.
In 1979 he received the Ludwig Spohr Prize from the city of Braunschweig .
Catalog raisonné
- Orchestral works
- Sérénade pour petit orchester, 1934
- Musique de cour, 1937
- Les Bosquets de Cythère, 1946
- La Douce France, 1946
- Symphonie d'archets, 1948
- Les Zigues de Mars, 1950
- Symphony in G major, 1953
- Au musée Grévin, 1956
- L'Horloge de flore, 1959
- Le Dialogue des carmélites, 1960
- Jeu poétique en six mouvements, 1969
- Les Inestimables chroniques du bon géant Gargantua, 1971
- Portraits d'enfants, 1971
- La ville mystérieuse, 1973
- Cassazione, 1975
- Chaconne, 1976
- Psyché, 1981
- Mozart new look or 'Don Giovanni meets Carmen', 1981
- Ode à la Liberté, 1985
- Pavane pour un génie, 1987
- 85 Mesures et un Da Capo, 1991
- Instrumental concerts
- Concertino, 1932 (piano)
- Quadruple concerto, 1935
- Concerto, 1936 (piano)
- Concerto, 1959 (harpsichord)
- Concerto, 1965 (piano)
- Concerto, 1966 (flute)
- Concerto, 1967 (clarinet)
- Violin Concerto No. 1, 1968
- Concerto pour contrebasse et orchester, 1974
- Concerto grosso, 1976
- Concerto, 1978 (harp)
- Concerto, 1979 (bassoon)
- Violin Concerto No. 2, 1979
- Concerto, 1982 (guitar)
- Concerto, 1983 (trombone)
- Concerto pour quinze solistes, 1988
- Concerto pour accordéon, 1993
- Concerto del cock black big hrsn, 1994
- Operas
- Le diable boiteux, 1937
- L'Apostrophe, 1940
- La Main de gloire, 1945
- Paris à nous deux, 1954
- La Princesse de Clèves, 1961
- Ballets
- Scuola di Ballo, 1933
- Beach, 1933
- Les Malheurs de Sophie, 1935
- Le Roi nu, 1935
- La Lutherie enchantée, 1936
- Le Jeu sentimental, 1936
- Le Jugement d'un fou, 1938
- Verreries de Venise, 1938
- Les Demoiselles de la nuit, Katzenfuge - based on an idea by Jean Anouille, 1948
- The camellias, 1950
- A la Françaix, 1951
- Le Roi Midas, 1952
- La Dame dans la lune, 1957
- Adages et Variations, 1965
- Le croupier amoureux, 1967
- Pierrot ou les secrets de la nuit, 1980
- Suites
- Suite, 1934
- Scuola di ballo, 1950
- Si Versailles m'était conté, 1953
- Napoleon, 1954
- Si Versailles m'était conté, 1954
- Suite carmelite, 1960
- Suite pour flûte, 1962
- Suite pour harpe, 1978
- Suite profane, 1984
- Suite extraite de l'Apocalypse selon Saint-Jean, 1994
- Divertimenti
- Divertissement, 1935
- Divertissement for bassoon and string quintet, dedicated to William Waterhouse , 1942
- Divertissement, 1947
- Divertimento pour flûte et piano, 1953
- Divertimento pour cor et orchester, 1959
- Divertimento pour flûte et orchester, 1974
- Variations
- Variations de concert, 1950
- Thème et variations, 1971
- Tema con variazioni, 1974
- Variations sur un thème plaisant, 1976
- Thème varié, 1976
- Tema con variazioni, 1978
- Tema con 8 variazioni, 1980
- Huit variations sur le nom de Johannes Gutenberg, 1982
- Chamber music
- String trio, 1933
- Quartet for flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon, 1933
- Quintet for flute, violin, viola, violoncello and piano, 1934
- Sonatine pour violon et piano, 1934
- Quartet for 4 saxophones, 1935
- String Quartet, 1938
- Mouvement perpétuel, Duo 1944
- L'heure du berger 1947
- Wind quintet No. 1, 1948
- Berceuse, Duo 1953
- Rondino-staccato, Duo 1953
- Scuola di celli, 1960
- Scuola di Ballo, Duo 1966
- Quartet, 1970
- Trio pour flûte, harpe et violoncelle, 1971
- Octet, 1972
- 9 Pièces caractéristiques (wind instruments) 1973
- Le gay Paris 1974
- Aubade 1974
- Prelude, Sarabande et Gigue, 1975
- Cinque piccoli duetti, 1975
- Clarinet Quintet 1977
- Quasi improvisando, 1978
- Quintet for 5 violins, 1979
- Duo baroque, 1980
- Sonate pour flûte à bec et guitare, 1984
- Musique pour faire plaisir, 1984
- Piano trio, 1986
- Notturno for 4 horns, 1987
- Wind quintet No. 2, 1987
- Noël nouvelet, 1987
- Deux improvisations pour 12 violoncelles, 1987
- Dixtuor, Dezett 1987
- Quintet for flute, 2 violins, violoncello and harpsichord, 1988
- Le Colloque des deux perruches, Duo, 1989
- Trio pour clarinette, alto et piano, 1990
- Quartet for 2 clarinets, basset horn and Bb clarinet, 1992
- Pour remercier l'Auditoire, 1994
- Trio pour hautbois, basson et piano, 1994 (for William Waterhouse )
- Quartet for clarinet, basset horn, bass clarinet and piano, 1994
- Trio pour flûte, clarinette et piano, 1995
- Trio pour flûte, violoncelle et piano, 1995
- Célestes Schubertiades, 1996
- Trois duos: Les oiseaux, Prière de Sulpicia, Les Grenouilles
- Piano works
- Cinq portraits de jeunes filles, 1936
- Éloge de la danse, 1947
- Danse des trois harlequins, 1958
- Piano Sonata, 1960
- Cinq "Bis", 1965
- 15 Portraits d'enfants, 1971
- Dix pièces pour enfants, 1975
- La Promenade d'un Musicologue éclectique, 1987
- Works for organ
- Carmélite Suite, 1960
- Marche solennelle, (Marche du sacre) 1956
- Suite profane, 1960
- Messe de Mariage, 1986
- Works for harpsichord
- L'Insectarium 1953
- Deux pièces 1977
- Works for bassoon
- Fantaisie, 1935
- Works for guitar
- Serenata, 1978
- Passacaille
- Instrumentations
- Emmanuel Chabrier : Souvenir de Munich, 1960
- Francis Poulenc : L'Histoire de Babar, 1962
- Carl Maria von Weber : Preludio et momento capriccioso, 1964
- Frédéric Chopin : 24 Preludes (op. 28), 1967
- Franz Schubert : Six impromptus et moments musicaux, 1973
- Domenico Scarlatti : Cinq sonates, 1975
- Emmanuel Chabrier: Huit pièces pittoresques, 1984
- Emanuel Chabrier: Habañera, 1985
- Franz Schubert: Trois Marches Militaires, 1987
- Emmanuel Chabrier: Cortège burlesque 1989
- Frédéric Chopin: Trois Écossaises et Variations, 1989
- Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne et Polonaise, 1995
- Choral works
- Cinq chansons pour les enfants, 1932
- Trois Poèmes de Paul Valéry: Aurore, Cantique des colonnes, Le sylphe, 1982
- Songs
- Trois épigrammes: À une demoiselle malade, 1938
- Trois épigrammes: Levez ces couvre-chefs, 1938
- Trois épigrammes: Belaud, mon petit chat gris, 1938
- L'Adolescence clémentine, 1941
- Cinq poèmes de Charles d'Orléans, 1946
- Invocation à la volupté, 1946
- Prière du soir - Chanson, 1947
- Juvenalia, 1947
- Huit anecdotes de Chamfort, 1949
- La Cantate de Méphisto, 1952
- Déploration de tonton, 1956
- La Chatte Blanche, 1957
- La Grenouille qui veut se faire aussi große que le boeuf, 1963
- Le Coq et le Renard, 1963
- La Promenade à Versailles, 1976
- La Cantate des Vieillards, 1978
- Triades de toujours, 1991
- Other works
- Scherzo, 1932
- Sérénade, 1934
- Scherzo impromptu, 1938
- L'Apocalypse selon St. Jean, oratorio 1939
- Rhapsody, 1946
- Nocturne, 1951
- Sérénade BEA, 1955
- Huit danses exotiques, 1957, rev. 1981
- Six grandes marches, 1957
- Cinq danses exotiques, 1961
- Sei preludi, 1963
- Sept Danses, 1971
- Sept impromptus [Seven Impromptus], 1977
- Petite valse européenne, 1979
- Impromptu, 1983
- Hommage à l'ami Papageno (for wind ensemble and piano), 1984
- Elegy (Commémoration de la mort de Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) 1990
- Les vacances
- Nocturne, 1994
Filmography
- 1937: The pearls of the crown (Les perles de la couronne)
- 1942: (Le lit à colonnes)
- 1950: (Les fêtes galantes (Watteau))
- 1953: Versailles - Kings and Women (Si Versailles m'était conté)
- 1954: Napoleon (Napoléon)
- 1956: (Si Paris nous était conté)
- 1957: murderers and thieves (Assassins et voleurs)
- 1958: (Musée Grévin)
- 1959: The first night (La prima notte)
- 1960: The sacrifice of a nun (Le dialogue des Carmélites)
- 1962: (La croix et la bannière)
- 1965: Lady L (Lady L)
Web links
- Jean Françaix jeanfrancaix.org
- Jean Françaix (1912–1997) klassika.info
- Short biography, current performances, works, audio samples Schott
- Jean Françaix in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Literature by and about Jean Françaix in the catalog of the German National Library
Individual evidence
- ^ Works by Jean Françaix according to the genre klassika.info (with additions)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Françaix, Jean |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Françaix, Jean René Désiré (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French composer and pianist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 23, 1912 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Le Mans |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 25, 1997 |
| Place of death | Paris |