Arthur Honegger, Les Six

Swiss-born French Composer, Teacher, Conductor and Accompanist

Apr 21, 2007 Tel Asiado

Brief biography of French composer Arthur Honegger, a neo-classicist known for "Le Roi David" and "Pacific 231."

Arthur Honegger was a French composer, teacher, conductor and accompanist. He was a member of the famous 'Les Six' group of French composers. He is famous for dramatic psalm "Le Roi David" and steam locomotive symphony "Pacific 231" although he considers opera Antigone his masterpiece.

The Early Life of Arthur Honegger

Born of Swiss Protestant parentage in Le Havre on March 10, 1892, he lived in Paris most of the time. He married Andree Vaurabourg, a pianist and fellow student at the Paris Conservatoire. They had one daughter, Pascale, born in 1932. He also had a son, Jean-Claude, with Claire Croiza, a singer.

He studied at the conservatory in Zürich from 1909 to 1911 and then to Paris Conservatoire (from 1911), where his teachers included d'Indy for orchestration and Widor for composition. Then he returned to Switzerland for military service.

The 'Les Six' French Composers

It was in Paris that he met the other members of the famous 'Les Six' composers including Darius Milhaud and Francis Poulenc. The other "Les Six" members were Germaine Tailleferre, Georges Auric and Louis Durey.

'Les Six' ('The Six') group of French composers was formed in 1917 and the name 'christened' in 1920. Jean Cocteau, a leading figure in European Modernism, was a spokesman of the group, and Eric Satie its adopted guru. It is said that Honegger, however, did not join in the other members' regard for Satie. He was a great admirer of J.S. Bach.

Honegger's Major Works

• Oratorio Le Roi David (King David)
• Symphonic program music Pacific 231 (1923)
• Opera Antigone (1927)
• Symphonic Rugby (1928)
• Symphonic Mouvement symphonique no. 3 (1933)
• Symphony No.3 Symphonie liturgique evokes a sense of striving for peace
• Symphony No.4 Deliciae basilienses
• Symphony No.5 Di tre re, each movement based on the note D.

Honegger visited the USA several times although Paris remained his home. In his last years, despite ill-health, he still taught at the Ecole Normale in Paris. Some of his earlier works showed a neo-Romantic style with overtones of Baroque influence from his admiration of Johann Sebastian Bach, but his music remained tonal. He considered the opera Antigone (1927) his greatest achievement.

Honegger's other Works

• Ballet Skating Rink (1922)
• Opera Judith (1925)
• Oratorio Jeanne d’Arc au bucher (Joan of Arc at the Stake) (1934-35, also presented in 1950 at Teatro San Carlo in Naples, with Ingrid Bergman in the role of Joan, directed by Rossellini)
• Operetta Les aventures du roi Pausole (The Adventures of King Pausole, 1930)
• Music for plays
• Chamber music
• Choral music

Trivia

It's been said that because Honegger required complete solitude to compose, he resided separately from his wife for most of their married life. Eclectic in taste, he also enjoyed jazz and composed the incidental music for Abel Gance’s silent movie classics La Roue (The Wheel, 1923) and Napoleon (1927). He died in Paris on November 27, 1955.

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Arthur Honegger, French COmposer Member of Les Six