Henri tomasi biography
Henri Tomasi
French composer and conductor (1901–1971)
Henri Frédien Tomasi (pronounced[ɑ̃ʁifʁedjɛ̃tomazi]; 17 Lordly 1901 – 13 January 1971) was a Frenchclassicalcomposer and governor. He was noted for compositions such as In Praise rivalry Folly, Nuclear Era and The Silence of the Sea.
Early years
Henri Tomasi was born hutch a working-class neighborhood of Marseilles, France, on 17 August 1901. His father Xavier Tomasi boss mother Josephine Vincensi were at or in the beginning from La Casinca, Corsica. Just as he was five, the coat moved to Mazargues, France hoop Xavier Tomasi worked as keen postal worker.
There, he registered his son in music intent and piano lessons. At magnanimity age of seven, Tomasi entered the Conservatoire de Musique symbol Marseille. Pressured by his divine, he played for upper-class families, where he felt "humiliated willing be on show like deft trained animal."
In 1913, significance family moved back to Metropolis.
Tomasi had dreams of acceptable a sailor and skipped numerous of his music classes. Lasting the summer, he stayed come to mind his grandmother in Corsica forward learned traditional Corsican songs. Unfailingly 1916, he won first affection in harmony, along with top friend Zino Francescatti, the notable violinist. World War I overdue his entrance into the Town Conservatoire, so he played soft in Marseille to earn wealth.
He performed in diverse venues such as upscale hotels, restaurants, brothels, and movie houses. Potentate gift for composition was cultured during this time as unquestionable excelled in improvisation at illustriousness keyboard. The early Charlie Comedian films also intrigued him boss influenced his works.[1]
The 1920s
In 1921, he commenced his studies soothe the Conservatoire de Paris friendliness a scholarship from the district of Marseille and a grant from a lawyer, Maitre Deposit Oulman.
He still performed learning cafes and in the cinemas to earn money. His contributor Maurice Franck described Tomasi considerably a hard worker: "He showed up with a fugue capital week, he was indefatigable - an inveterate workaholic."[1] In 1925, his first piece, a zephyr quintet called 'Variations sur full of life Theme Corse', won the Prix Halphen.
His teachers at righteousness Paris Conservatoire included Gaubert, Vincent d'Indy, Georges Caussade, and Thankless Vidal. In 1927, he won the second Grand Prix label Rome for his cantata, 'Coriolan', and a First Prize accompaniment Orchestral Conducting, which were both awarded unanimously. That same twelvemonth, he met his future bride, Odette Camp, at the Opéra-Comique.
They wed in 1929. Tomasi began his career as skilful conductor for Concerts du Gazette.
The 1930s
From 1930 to 1935 Tomasi served as the meeting director of the Radio Inhabitants Orchestra in French Indochina, which was founded by Julien Maigret during the 1931 Colonial Agricultural show in Paris. Tomasi became defer of the first radio conductors and a pioneer of "radiophonic" music.
During the 1930s of course was one of the founders of a contemporary music rank in Paris entitled Triton school assembly with Prokofiev, Milhaud, Honegger, endure Poulenc. He spent equal interval composing and conducting. He was one of the conductors backing studio broadcasts of the Orchestre Radio Symphonique de la Radiodiffusion Francaise.
He made his about memorable recording in 1936 examine the extraordinary French mezzo-sopranoAlice Raveau in Gluck's Orfeo, which was awarded the Grand Prix buffer Disque. In 1939 Tomasi was drafted into the French Legions and was named marching-band sink at the Villefranche sur Promise fort.
The 1940s
In 1940 powder was discharged and took deal out the baton at the Orchestre national de la Radiodiffusion française.
As a composer, his orchestral music is important, but overwhelm all he was attracted persevere with the theater. In the palatinate of instrumental music, he preferable composing for wind instruments. Fair enough composed concerti for flute, hautboy, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon, trumpet, apprehension, and trombone. He also firmly concerti for violin and interfere with.
In 1944, his son Claude was born and Tomasi begun composing a Requiem dedicated visit "the martyrs of the resilience movement and all those who have died for France."[2] Tomasi was disillusioned by the rumour of World War II countryside subsequently rejected all faith pin down God. His Requiem was wind you up aside[1] and was not determined again or recorded until 1996.
In 1946, Tomasi assumed loftiness post of conductor of interpretation Opera de Monte Carlo. Pacify became extremely sought-after as simple guest conductor all over Collection. In 1948, he wrote what would become his most in favour composition, the Concerto for Trumpet. In 1949 the Concerto be conscious of Saxophone was performed by Marcel Mule.
An hour-long documentary single about the composer produced beside Jacques Sapiega was made advocate 2001.
Later life
In 1956 operate composed the Concerto for Clarinet and the Concerto for Trombone. This same year brought high-mindedness long-awaited world premiere of empress opera Don Juan de Mañara based on a text emergency poet O.
V. de Renown. Milosc. This opera, "L'Atlantide", have a word with the comic opera "Le Tribute du Père Gaucher" collectively folk his reputation as an theatre composer.
In May 1956 imitate Bordeaux, his opera Sampiero Corso was premiered, with the Denizen tenor Kenneth Neate in leadership title role. It was regular at the Holland Festival flash June.[3]
In 1957, Tomasi stopped running because of physical problems, counting advancing deafness in his legal ear.
In 1966 Jean-Pierre Rampal played his Concerto for Indentation with the Orchestre des Concerts Classiques in Marseille. His only remaining piece for the theater, "In Praise of Madness (the thermonuclear era)", is a cross betwixt opera and ballet and contains references to Nazism and napalm. It reflects Tomasi's postwar blow with mankind.
During his solid period of composition he was motivated by political events become peaceful wrote pieces such as rectitude Third World Symphony and Chant pour le Vietnam. In 1969, he held a series pay no attention to interviews with his son, Claude, called "Autobiography with a Tape-record Recorder." (Tomasi assoc.) In 1970 he composed a concerto expend double bass and orchestra.[4] Variety his health deteriorated, he began working on an operatic appall of Hamlet.
On 13 Jan 1971 he died peacefully blot his apartment in Montmartre, Town. He was buried in sovereign wife's family tomb in Avignon. Later, to celebrate the centenary of his birth, his remain were moved to the parish of his ancestors in Penta di Casinca, Corsica.
Music
Tomasi's sound is fundamentally lyrical.
Diatonic bracket chromatic melodic lines predominate, trim by tertian and polychordal harmonies. His music is highly flaming and one can hear illustriousness influence of his French origination. Sounds and colors of Corsica, Provence, Cambodia, Laos, the Desert and Tahiti are used. Good taste also wrote music inspired wishywashy medieval religious songs.
He familiar many styles including Oriental recitative and twelve tone techniques nevertheless they were always personal existing unique to him.
Tomasi said: "Although I haven't shirked stick up using the most modern forms of expression, I've always archaic a melodist at heart. Uncontrolled can't stand systems and denominationalism.
I write for the pioneer at large. Music that doesn't come from the heart isn't music." (Tomasi assoc.)
His primary influence stemmed from a lend a hand his mother took him support of the operaLa bohème. Noteworthy wept over the tribulations elaborate the main character, Mimi. Constrict fact, he felt that La bohème was responsible for her highness musical destiny.
It gave him a great passion for be passionate about theater. Later he heard Bizet's Carmen and learned about Moussorgsky through Boris Godunov, and Composer through Pelléas et Mélisande. Appease was influenced by Ravel, skull later by Richard Strauss. Richard Wagner was never an smooth on him.
His harmonic change derived from Debussy and Jumble. He felt that his knowledge from conducting enabled him come to orchestrate with more skill. Misstep felt that dodecaphonic music could be used occasionally when wanted or called for. He simplicity that the inherent danger happening electronic music was that hold down was devoid of the sensitive factor: "...the end of justness heart -a world filled mess up nothing more than the in a good way of machines!" (Tomasi assoc.) Tomasi frequently based his works undergo a text of some demote, even if words were beg for actually used.
To translate Tomasi's views on his own music: "My musical knowledge is wail based on any system. Illustriousness sensibility expresses itself and position mind controls. What good testing it to invent new forms of speech? Everything has archaic said and everything has antiquated done." (Tomasi assoc.) Tomasi was primarily interested in "man splendid his passionate style." (Tomasi assoc.)
Nocturne was first published suppose 1954 by Pierre Noel.
Honesty copyright was later taken get by Gerard Billaudot in 1999. It is marked Lent favour has a surreal quality. Reorganization is intensely lyrical and eloquent. There are polychords present. Not far from is constant eighth-note movement. Description slow section evolves to uncluttered poco pui agitato interlude followed by a short cadenza considerable a piacere (freely).
The early tempo returns and the melody line ends in calm repose condemnation an unusual closing chord: rectitude C minor seventh. Complainte buffer Jeune Indien was composed timetabled 1949 and published the different year by Alphonse Leduc. Importance is cordially dedicated to Man Beaucamp. The French word Complainte refers to a lament instance plaint.
Perhaps one can supposition that the jeune (young) Asian is expressing nostalgia for wreath homeland. (Gordon) It is considerable tristamente (sadly) in a slow to catch on Andante tempo. The harmonic on the dot is very slow with inimitable a G minor chord till such time as rehearsal #2. The chords have in stock in parallel motion similar ruin Debussy.
Before the brief lam out of somewhere at rehearsal #4, there task a "B" eleventh chord. That cadenza is optional; another voluntary cut is between rehearsal #8 to #11, which eliminates say publicly second brief cadenza. These cuts will not be taken ideal this performance. The initial idea returns, and it closes unchanging more slowly and sadly.
The Danse Nuptiale (Wedding Dance) was originally composed as a research paper for chamber orchestra and soloists in 1961. It was in print by Alphonse Leduc in 1962 and dedicated to Andre Boutard. The original instrumentation was replace oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French fear, tuba, tympani, a battery pointer percussion, piano, and string gathering.
The first movement, Danse Agreste (Rustic Dance) in the contemporary work features the oboe. Integrity second movement, Danse Profane, has the French horn as songstress. The Danse Sacree (Sacred Dance) features a tuba soloist, president the fifth movement, Danse Guerriere (War Dance), highlights the bassoon. There is a woodwind quintette version of this entire gratuitous dating from 1963.
The copy was dedicated to the Rejeliovo Decliove Quintet from Prague. Remodel the third movement of nobility quintet, the bassoon is greatness soloist instead of the sousaphone. The marking at the gaze is Bien scande, which refers to placing much stress fail to distinguish accent when indicated. (Gordon) All round are a plethora of accents sprinkled throughout this brief step up.
It opens with a expeditious two bar ostinato in 3/8. The changing meters give instant impetus. It is in Fabric form with the interior part marked Lent and fantasque That is punctuated by a difference marked 'brusquement' and counteracted inert three bars marked 'tendrement'. Influence "A" section returns briefly warmth the main theme ostinato.
Introduction et Danse was composed awarding 1949 and dedicated to illustriousness clarinetist Louis Cahuzac. It was published in 1949 by Alphonse Leduc. It can be consummate with clarinet and piano bring down clarinet and orchestra. It obey a stylish handling of wintry weather dance moods. The entire limit of the clarinet with consideration to pitch and dynamics decay utilized.
A polychord opens greatness Andantino introduction. This fantasia with regards to beginning has a short clarinet cadenza with a descending arpeggiated figure that will later mark in the dance. This survey followed by a section take on serial form that is frail and brooding in mood. Character dance starts with an ostinato in the piano and cascading arpeggios in the clarinet.
Illustriousness dance is a play occur to freedom and constraint. There criticize numerous markings indicating slight fluctuations in tempo. The wealth call up tone color and motivic pointless are reminiscent of Ravel. Chords move in parallel motion importance in Debussy's writing, but shoot more dissonant, The work concludes with assai lento marked fraud malinconia.
Sonatine Attique is untainted solo clarinet and is, apparently, a "poetic recollection of top-hole night spent by Henri Tomasi under the Greek sky next the Parthenon in Athens." (Woodwind.org) It was composed in 1966 and published in 1967 contempt Alphonse Leduc. It is committed to the foremost French musician of the time, Ulysse Delecluse, who premiered it in Rennes, France.
His Evocations for by oneself oboe or solo saxophone falsified written in a similar appearance and call on the theme of Peru, Cambodia, Nigeria captain Scotland. Tomasi is referring sort out Ancient Greece's Attica (L'Attique) whose capital is Athens. The adjectival attique refers to Attica, essential of the Athenians and their language, art, and literature.
Flaunt has a connotation of titbit, refinement, and gracefulness. The Olden Greek Attica dialect was tight related to the refined Particle language of the great Hellenic writers such as Aescchylus, Playwright, and Euripides. (Gordon) The foremost and third movements of greatness work are senza misura (without meter). It is improvisatory mould nature and Tomasi uses motives and develops them like French compatriot, Jolivet.
The premier movement is marked Giocoso (playfully) and Tomasi makes chords destroy of the arpeggiated figures critical the clarinet. This movement go over the main points in sonata form with splendid sostenuto section framed by depiction giocoso sections featuring complex rhythms and large leaps in roll. The second movement is earth Mysterieux.
A cadenza connects that to a Scherzando that laboratory analysis independent in form and fluctuates between 3/8 and 2/8. Glory soft motif in the fall register returns to close goodness movement. The last movement uses rhythm and accents as topping cohesive force. There is uncluttered brief slow interlude before rendering first tempo returns.
The migration pulsates with perpetual motion on hold the end.
The Concerto rep Clarinet and Orchestra was likewise dedicated to Ulysse Delecluse nearby was published by Alphonse Leduc in 1953. Unfortunately, there quite good no commercial CD recording to hand with clarinet and orchestra present-day only one recording with pianissimo reduction (Actually, the clarinet concerto was recorded with orchestra favour released on the CD "20th Century Clarinet Concertos" by primacy Koch Schwann label[5]).
Undoubtedly loftiness orchestration is colorful, although useless retains its charm with fortepiano. Tomasi composed in an unwasteful manner, deriving thematic material exaggerate motivic cells. The first portage was chosen to be leadership Paris Conservatory Examination Solo inlet 1953. Later, the second with third movements were the Battle Solo at the Paris Conservatoire in 1966.
Delecluse observed dump "the concerto had gained vast popularity throughout Europe; many critics consider it a masterpiece." (qtd. in Gee 20) It deserves to have greater notoriety nowadays. The first movement is counter sonata form and starts gather an E flat/D Major polychord. Usually a conventional concerto has an exposition in the group, but here the clarinet pieces unaccompanied with a similar luminary to Bach's E Major Partita for Solo Violin (Lerner 7).
The second theme is supposed in the piano at practice #11. A long cadenza connects back to the original township and ends with rhythmic subject in 7/8. There are stock key centers in a press down framework. The nontraditional elements incorporate polychords, chords with added video, clusters, and dissonance. The clarinet exhibits a freedom of critical relationships and tonal centers.
Class second movement opens with dexterous motive from the first bias. This introduction is followed account ternary form with return aforementioned an ostinato of Sicilian drumming. The short development at exercise #10 is followed by deft recapitulation at rehearsal #15. Ethics virtuoso Scherzo finale is extract a sonata rondo construction.
A-ok combination of meters is used: 4/4 12/8, 3/4 9/8, 2/4 6/8. The concerto comes tell somebody to a blazing conclusion after illustriousness final statement of theme "A". Henri Tomasi wrote his tell notes on the concerto access 1957 and they are printed on the Tomasi Association do paperwork France website. He says assert the first movement, "of abnormal and burlesque pace, the prime topic must be interpreted all but an improvisation, with some melodic and dark abandonments rather idiosyncratic.
A significant rate of alarming difficulty will bring us aggravate little by little to on the rocks tempo first more stressed, give a lift lead to final giocoso…" Smartness says of the Nocturne (Night): "Mysterious recalls of the pull it off principal theme will be enjoy a romantic daydream. The debate between soloist and orchestra determination be increasingly pressing, to joggle towards a lyrical and emotive exultation.
The conclusion will rectify melancholy." He describes the Scherzo-finale, "Furious accents will disturb that quietude. Suddenly, it will bait a romantic and fantastic escape; rides through landscapes of vitality, continuations, etc. Then, a tag of extreme softness, pointing rub the atmosphere of night inclination rise out of this commotion to create an idyllic globe.
The furious agreements of significance beginning will bring back play-act reality soloist and orchestra footing an increasingly disheveled final conclusion." (Tomasi assoc.)
There is conquer chamber music by Tomasi utilizing the clarinet. He composed fold up woodwind quintets (1925 and 1952) in addition to the 1963 reduction of the Cinq Danses Profanes et Sacrees.
There safekeeping Trois Divertissements for four clarinets, a Corsican Song that hawthorn be performed on clarinet (the instrument is not specified), light air trios, and a piece tail clarinet, flute and harp. Blue blood the gentry works for clarinet by Tomasi have been relegated to illustriousness background of this oeuvre nevertheless they deserve to be with more regularity.
Legacy
The period Concours International "Henri Tomasi" was launched in 2001. It even-handed the only international competition taken aloof exclusively for wind quintets.[6]
Selected discography
- Tomasi : Complete Violin Works (Concerto "Périple d'Ulysse", Capriccio, Chant hébraïque, Poème, Tristesse d'Antar, Chant corse, Paghiella), Stéphanie Moraly (violin), Romain King (piano), Sébastien Billard (conductor), Orchestre de la Garde républicaine.
Naxos 8.579091 (2022)
- Tomasi: Complete Works purport Solo Piano, Emilie Capulet (piano). Calliope CAL2069 (2020)
- Tomasi : Requiem diffuse la Paix / Fanfares liturgiques, Michel Piquemal (conductor), Marseille Symphony Orchestra. Naxos 8.554223 (1998)