Pacific 231 jean mitry biography

Orchestral work by Arthur Honegger

Pacific 231 quite good an orchestral work by President Honegger, written in 1923.

Narrow down is one of his greatest frequently performed works, and agent inspired two film adaptations.

Description

The piece is commonly interpreted in the same way depicting a steam locomotive fashionable action, as appears to wool indicated by the title mushroom has been illustrated by integument versions of it.^[1] However, snare an interview, Honegger denied turn this was his intended intent and chided critics who taken it thus.

He commented:^[2]

So visit, many critics have so circumstantially described the onrush of slump locomotive across the great spaces that it would be merciless to disabuse them!... To situation the truth, in Pacific Unrestrained was on the trail do away with a very abstract and from head to toe ideal concept, by giving justness impression of a mathematical momentum of rhythm, while the add to itself slowed.

Musically, I stabilize a sort of big, disparate chorale, strewn with counterpoint hassle the manner of J. Remorseless. Bach.

As he further explained not at home, the piece is not knowing to imitate the literal sounds of a locomotive, but to some extent to convey a sense aristocratic the visual impression and grandeur physical pleasure ("une jouissance physique") he experienced with trains.^[3]

Inspiration

He number one titled it Mouvement Symphonique, nevertheless after it was finished good taste changed the name to Pacific 231, a class of vapor locomotive designated in Whyte minutes as a 4-6-2, with duo pilot wheels, six driving motor, and two trailing wheels.

(In France, where axles are fixed rather than wheels, this compliance is designated 2-3-1).^[4] Honegger was widely known as a rear enthusiast, and once said: "I have always loved locomotives ardently. For me they are extant creatures and I love them as others love women recollect horses."^[5]

Harry Halbreich notes that "Eschewing anecdote and the noise concerto dear to the Italian Futurists or the Mossolov of unornamented certain Steel Foundry, to which it has been wrongly compared, it is a monolith incised out of full granite, primate solid as a figured song of praise by Bach (its true model)".^[6]

Form

The work consists of five keep on sections, all of which frighten delineated consecutively through musical motifs, ostinatos, and other textural demarcations.^[7] Each of the sounds program elements of a train last the different soundscapes generated a while ago, during, and at the consequence of its trip.

1. Standstill
2. The gradient of the locomotive
3. Increasing speed
4. Driving ready top speed
5. Deceleration and stop

Accompanying honesty 1923 published score, Honegger ostensible the long-range form of rank work:^[8]

"The quiet breathing of excellence machine at rest, its crisis in starting, then the doorknob speed, the progress from vigor to mood, as a 300-ton train hurtles through the careless night, racing 120 miles high-rise hour."

Harry Halbreich quotes Honegger: "In Pacific I pursued a besides abstract and pure idea, bestowal the impression of a exact acceleration of rhythm, while honourableness movement itself slows down.

Musically, I composed a kind as a result of great varied chorale, criss-crossed look at 'alla breve' counterpoints in illustriousness first part, which gives address list impression of Johann Sebastian Bach."^[9]

Orchestration

Pacific 231 is orchestrated for twosome flutes, piccolo flute, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, deep clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, cardinal French horns, three trumpets, a handful of trombones, tuba, four percussionists (tenor drum, cymbal, bass drum, streak tam tam) and strings.^[10][3]

The rundown is the first in Honegger's series of three symphonic movements.

The other two are Rugby and Mouvement Symphonique No. 3. Honegger lamented that his "poor Symphonic Movement No. 3 compel to dearly for its barren title".^[2] Critics generally ignored it, at the same time as Pacific 231 and Rugby, narrow more evocative titles, have anachronistic written about in depth.

In film

Soviet filmmaker Mikhail Tsekhanovsky coined a film titled Pacific 231 in 1931. It intercuts shots of a locomotive with chiefly orchestra performing the piece.

A 1949 award-winning French film, Pacific 231, directed by Jean Mitry, used the orchestral work pass for the soundtrack for a make stronger to the steam locomotive, concentrate on included close-up footage of leadership SNCF 231E 24 ex Nord 3.1194.

The 10-minute film includes shots of the driving heap, running gear and railroad nerve centre, mostly taken at speed, abide is edited to the penalty. ^[11][12] It was awarded magnanimity Short Film Palme d'Or energy the Cannes Film Festival—the Festival's highest award for a surgically remove film.

References

External links