Honegger’s “Horace Victorieux” — Exception to the ‘Rule?’
In response to our class discussion this past Thursday, as well as in other past classes, I decided to look for evidence explaining the Arthur Honegger’s place within the early 20th Century’s French musical group, Les Six. This group famously included five French composers: Darius Milhaud, Francis Poulenc, Georges Auric, Louis Durey, Germaine Tailleferre; and one Swiss composer: Arthur Honegger. Though it is well-known that these composers did not compose similarly, given our recent discussions about increased nationalistic identity leading up to the beginning of WWII, I was curious if there was a reason why the Parisian composers ‘allowed’ a Swiss-born composer into their group. Come to find out, this was pretty simply answered. Though Honegger was born to Swiss parents, he received most of his musical training in Paris, and was even classmates with Milhaud at the Paris Conservatoire. In his January 6, 1929 article in the New York Times entitled, “Arrival of Arthur Honegger”, Olin Downes raves about the then-young Honegger and how he, as a part of Les Six, fought against the older French Impressionistic composers Debussy and Ravel.
Though Downes emphasizes Les Six as a group dedicated to bringing their music into the public’s eye (through advertisement and publicity), the group was also seen as a set of composers with common interests, specifically taking down the Impressionist movement of prior decades. Composers such as “that old villain, dreamer, farceur and half-composer, Erik Satie” represented the ongoing development of Debussy and Ravel’s work that would later influence the creation of Minimalism. (Downes, Middle Column, Second Paragraph). The overt seriousness of the prior decades was combatted with in many cases joking and sarcastic music that was then advertised to the music-consuming public as ‘something new’.
In our continuing studies of 20th Century Art Music, we have come to view two distinct branches of musical composition emerge out of the Romantic Era: the Austro-German tradition, and the French tradition. Though this is certainly not to say there were only two regions active in Art Music’s composition during this time, stereotypical figures responsible for this split (Impressionist vs. Second Viennese School) were and could now be seen as polar opposite sides of the spectrum. Though Honegger was trained and composed a majority of his music in France, a further examination of Downes’ article raised a few questions as to the extent of this musical dichotomy. As a person who often questions any attribution of a strict two-sided argument, my goal was to find a piece of Honegger’s music that can be heard as a ‘middle-ground’ between these two traditions.
Downes writes, “[Honegger was] one if not the strongest talents of the former ‘Groupe des Six’.” (Downes, Left Column, First Paragraph) Many of his pieces showcase a sarcastic or joking mentality, especially compared to the pieces composed by his Parisian predecessors. “Pacific 231” (1923) is a Mouvement Symphonique written about a train, which Honegger is known to have been very interested in. A piece I performed a few years ago, “Rugby” (1928) is another symphonic movement that brings out the ‘dirtiness’ of competitive sport into the concert hall. A first-time listening to either of these pieces would likely result in many mixed answers as to who composed it.
The ‘most un-French’ of Honegger’s compositions, however, appears to be “Horace Victorieux” (1921). This work was originally conceived as a ballet, but was then performed as a symphonic work with a clear intention of danceability, leading to its labeling as a “mimed-symphony”. To preface this work’s description, Downes writes “Honegger is not regarded in France as a specifically French composer which, indeed, he is not.” (Downes, Right Column, Second Paragraph). Is this specifically in reference to Honegger’s ability and willingness to take on elements of the Austro-German tradition in his “Horace Victorieux?”
Downes writes, “First Debussy and later Florent Schmitt affected him. Henry Pruniéres also discovers the influences of Wagner, Richard Strauss, and Schönberg.” (Downes, Right Column, Second Paragraph). Though I cannot make any definite remarks about Honegger or “Horace Victorieux”, perhaps the more practical application for this information is to allow for a spectral view of this 20th Century musical era. Downes writes a prediction for the future, “We are certain that [Ravel, Bartok, Milhaud] departed our shores much as they were, psychologically speaking, when they reached them, whereas we feel. . . that Mr. Honegger will leave us a somewhat different man than he came.” (Downes, Left Column, First Paragraph).
Performance of “Horace Victorieux”
Downes Article (requires ProQuest sign in information)
Program Notes from the New York Philharmonic’s November 11, 1927 performance of “Horace Victorieux”
#Mus533
