By Eugenio Monjeau @2023
Eugenio Monjeau is a writer, translator, editor, and professor of music history and appreciation. He has written notes for Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. He is a two-time winner of Princeton University Concerts Creative Reactions Contest.
The group of composers known as “Les Six” was born as an avant-garde proposal by French playwright Jean Cocteau, who anointed them as the representatives of what French music should be—without the composers themselves perhaps being so conscious about it. The group was not precisely defined—there could have been more (or less) than six, and some names could have been others—until January 1920, when journalist Henri Collet christened them Les Six and chose its participants. According to composer Darius Milhaud, a member of Les Six, Collet selected the names “arbitrarily,” “simply because we knew each other and we were pals and appeared on the same musical programs.”
Although Cocteau himself said, “The group known as Les Six was never much more than a group of six friends whose pleasure it was to meet and work together,” he expected something concrete from these young composers: the development of a music that “had to be French, from France.” This was not only a declaration of war against Wagner or Beethoven, but even against French impressionism, which Cocteau considered a French masque for Russian nationalist music. “Enough of hammocks, garlands and gondolas; I want someone to build me music I can live in, like a house.” In the words of Collet, “Les Six is a response to a desire for lucidity, of formal measure and perfection, expressing a latent classicism always secretly present among French musicians … For the French, this return to classicism is really a searching of the soul.”
The group had six members: Georges Auric (1899–1983), Louis Durey (1888–1979), Arthur Honegger (1892–1955), Darius Milhaud (1892–1974), Francis Poulenc (1899–1963), and Germaine Tailleferre (1892–1983). As writer Robert Shapiro points out, “each of the six composers wrote examples of what can reasonably be considered music in a Les Six idiom: one that stresses clarity, with a grounding in melody and sparse harmony, all the while … embracing a certain joie de vivre.”
Darius Milhaud, Suite for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano, Op. 157b (1936)
The Ouverture from Milhaud’s suite brings together the neoclassical spirit with the atmosphere of a Western movie. The second movement embodies what Cocteau envisioned for his project: beautiful melodies and unobtrusive harmonies. The Jeu continues in the playful, cinematic spirit of the first movement. The last movement is the most somber but manages to regain a certain levity thanks to its Brazilian flavor, which Milhaud might have discovered while serving as secretary to Paul Claudel, the French ambassador to Brazil in 1916.
Arthur Honegger, Three Poems of Paul Fort, H. 9 (1916)
Honegger’s Three Poems of Paul Fort were written in 1916, just as the group was beginning to form, and do not stray too far from the tradition of Debussy songs. However, the accompaniment of all three songs has similarities with a march, not in a military but mechanical sense, as if something had been set and could not be stopped. In particular, the piano part in “Le chasseur perdu en forêt” makes us think that the hunter lost in the forest is lamenting because he will miss his train. In 1923, Honegger composed Pacific 231, where the orchestra embodies a steam locomotive. “I have always loved locomotives passionately. For me they are living creatures and I love them as others love women or horses,” Honegger famously said.
Georges Auric, Trio for Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon (1938)
Auric may not be the best-known of Les Six, but his music is one of the most representative of the group’s spirit. The Trio for Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon was premiered on November 28, 1938. Remarkably, the original recording of the work by the Trio d’Anches de Paris is available on disc and streaming platforms. It is not possible to describe this work in a more synthetic manner than one of the original reviewers of the concert, Paul Bertrand, perfectly aligned with Cocteau’s philosophy: “A first lively movement, sparkling with malice and mischief; a romance, seductive by its nonchalant grace; and a tense finale, with a brilliant rhythmic and thematic freshness.”
Germaine Tailleferre, Adagio for Violin and Piano (1924); Rondo for Oboe and Piano (1972); Arabesque for Clarinet and Piano (1973)
American socialite Winnaretta Singer, aka the Princesse Edmond de Polignac, was an American-born heiress to the Singer sewing machine fortune. She used this to fund a wide range of causes, notably a musical salon where her protégés included Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. She commissioned Germaine Tailleferre to write a piano concerto, completed in 1923. Tailleferre wrote the following about the concert: “The classic form I have used in this work may be regarded, in a way, as a reaction against Impressionism and Orientalism and as an indication of an attempt to discover a purely musical mode of expression, exempt from literary implications.” Its Adagio was transcribed for piano and violin and published as a separate piece, included in this afternoon’s concert. It is more neo-Baroque than neoclassical, and the emotion it exudes makes us think of those Baroque works (Bach arias or Scarlatti sonatas) that seem to prefigure Romanticism of the 19th century.
Although Tailleferre composed her Rondo and her Arabesque in the 1970s, that should not lead us to believe that these works do not stand as a testament to Les Six for two reasons. First, Tailleferre saw her career as a quarry, with materials that could always be re-mined. Arabesque is based on an opera, La petite sirène (The Little Mermaid), which Tailleferre composed in 1957. Second, even if this were not the case and these were entirely new materials, the disarming simplicity of their melodies represents the best tradition of Les Six.
Louis Durey, Le bestiaire for Voice and Piano, Op. 17a (1919)
Louis Durey left Les Six in 1921, but before doing so he completed one of the most monumental works ever to emerge from the group. It is, however, a peculiar monument, a sculptural group composed of many miniatures. Durey decided to set all twenty-six poems in Guillaume Apollinaire’s Bestiaire to music. “In these brief but satisfying works, each species is evoked, along with the sentimental association we have with them; and not one is like any other. Such variety within the confines of a single idea is remarkable,” says Collet in the second of his articles on Les Six. We can take as an example one of the songs included in this afternoon’s concert:
| La sauterelle
Voici la fine sauterelle,
La nourriture de Saint Jean.
Puissent mes vers être comme elle,
Le régal des meilleures gens. |
The grasshopper
Here is the fragile grasshopper,
the nourishment of Saint John.
May my verses be like it:
a treat for the very best people. |
Apollinaire focuses on the tenderness of the grasshopper instead of highlighting the more monstrous aspects present in any insect. Durey’s music is fully aligned with Apollinaire’s poetry and with what Cocteau would have expected: it does not disturb and only serves to reflect all that tenderness and become “a treat for the very best people.”
Francis Poulenc, Sextet (1932–9)
Finally, Francis Poulenc’s Sextet is one of the best-known works of the composer, who was also the best known of Les Six. Circus music was an essential influence on Les Six. In 1921, Georges Auric wrote that this music, like that of the music hall and American orchestras, had been “an awakening” for them. The first part of the first movement is circus music. It is not purely playful but filled with suspense (will the tightrope walker fall off the rope?), so much so that it sometimes reminds us of the music of film composer Bernard Hermann. The central part of the movement features a melody first on the bassoon that is bursting with melancholy. This movement seems at times to pay homage to the trio for horn, violin, and piano written by Johannes Brahms. The second movement, meanwhile, is also an homage, or perhaps a parody, of a slow movement that could have been written by Mozart—as neoclassical as it gets, with a twist of irony. Like a negative of the first movement, here is the central part that seems circus-like. The final movement does not abandon the circus, but its coda is filled with a languor worthy of the best Ravel.
Further reading about Les Six
Benjamin Ivry, Francis Poulenc (1996)
Colin Roust, Georges Auric (2020)
Robert Shapiro, Les Six: The French Composers and their Mentors Jean Cocteau and Erik Satie (2011)
Richard Taruskin, Stravinsky and the Russian Traditions (1996)
Translation of “La sauterelle” by Christopher Goldsack
About the Artists
Richardson Chamber Players Founded during the Princeton University Concerts 1994–1995 centennial season, the Richardson Chamber Players is our resident ensemble comprised of performance faculty, distinguished guest artists, and supremely talented students. The performance faculty share the artistic direction and seek to present repertoire of works for singular combinations of instruments and voices, which would otherwise remain unheard. Today’s program was conceived and organized by mezzo-soprano Barbara Rearick.
Bart Feller, flute
Bart Feller is Principal Flute of the New Jersey Symphony and Santa Fe Opera Orchestras. He has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Bargemusic and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Among the summer festivals he has participated in are the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Marlboro Music Festival, OK Mozart International Festival, Colorado College Chamber Music Festival, and the Grand Teton Music Festival. Mr. Feller is Professor of Flute at Rutgers University/Mason Gross School of the Arts, and teaches in the Pre-College Division of The Juilliard School.
Allison Brewster Franzetti, piano
Grammy® and Latin Grammy® Nominee, pianist Allison Brewster Franzetti has received international acclaim for her stunning virtuosity and musicality as soloist and chamber musician. Performances include the Grammy® Awards Classical Music Tribute to Earl Wild and Lang Lang, Latin Grammy® Awards live broadcast, and concertos with The Buenos Aires Philharmonic, Janacek Philharmonic, City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, English Sinfonia, European Women’s Orchestra, Queens Symphony Orchestra, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Long Island Philharmonic, Denver Symphony, Colonial Symphony, New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestra, Apex Ensemble and Adelphi Orchestra. An accomplished collaborative pianist, she has worked with Sir James Galway, Julius Baker, Nestor Torres, Ransom Wilson, Eugenia Zukerman, Paquito D’Rivera, Wenzel Fuchs, Benny Goodman, composers John Corigliano, Stephen Paulus, David Maslanka, Carlos Franzetti, Lowell Liebermann, Robert Aldridge, and Herschel Garfein, and singers Ruben Blades and Robert White, amongst others. Her recordings are available on Naxos, Parma, Sono Luminus, Sunnyside, Chesky, and Amapola Records.
Francine Kay, piano
Noted for “ardent lyricism” (Gramophone) and “rare sonic magic” (Le Devoir), pianist Francine Kay made her solo debut at Carnegie Hall under the auspices of the New York Pro Piano Competition as Winner and Recitalist of the Year. Since then, Ms. Kay has performed in major halls across Europe and North America as a recitalist, chamber musician and soloist with orchestra, with appearances in Paris, Berlin, New York, Chicago, London and Washington D.C. She is a regular guest at international festivals in the U.S., Poland, France, Canada and Czechia. Francine Kay’s recordings have received international accolades, including a JUNO nomination for her Debussy recording. Things Lived and Dreamt (Analekta), released in January 2023, has garnered widespread acclaim and is being broadcast world-wide. Francine Kay is a faculty member in the Music Department of Princeton University.
Alexandra Knoll, oboe
Alexandra was born in Zimbabwe and emigrated to South Africa at age eleven. After graduating from high school, she worked professionally for two years in the Natal Philharmonic Orchestra and then moved to the United States for further studies. She is an alumna of the Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School. Alexandra is much in demand as an oboist in New York City. She is Associate Principal Oboist of the New York City Ballet Orchestra, Principal Oboist of the American Symphony Orchestra and a member of New York City Opera. As well as playing with the Metropolitan Opera, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, ABT and the Orchestra of St. Lukes, she is also active on the Broadway scene. She was the oboist for “Mary Poppins”, “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Miss Saigon”. She subs on Sweeney Todd and has been featured on recordings by Rufus Wainwright, Lenny Kravitz, Antony and the Johnsons and Baby Dee. Alexandra is on the oboe faculty of the Bard College Conservatory of Music. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Maxim Moston, their daughter and cats.
Christopher Komer, horn
Proudly performing in his 7th season as Principal Horn of the New Jersey Symphony, and his 13th year teaching Horn at Princeton University, Chris Komer keeps up an extremely active and diverse musical life outside of his duties with the NJS and PU. These include performances with the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, The New York City Ballet, The American Ballet Theater, and the New York City Opera. Outside of NYC he has been a frequent guest Principal Horn with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and also guest Principal Horn with the Milwaukee Symphony. He is currently a member of the Burning River Brass which is one of the premier brass ensemble in the U.S. and a member of the Nu-Deco Ensemble which is a gender-bending chamber orchestra based in Miami, Florida. Considered one of the top ‘jazz’ hornists in the country, he is also a member of the Jamie Baum Septet Plus and the All Ears Orchestra and has played at prestigious jazz festivals such as the Monterrey Jazz Festival, the London Jazz Festival, the North Sea Jazz Festival, Jazz Topad (Finland), performances in Poland, Germany, and Amsterdam and a recent stop at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola and Birdland. His studio recording credits include Barbra Streisand, Natalie Cole, Sting, Harry Connick Jr., J.J Johnson, Elvis Costello, David Byrne, Audra McDonald, Tony Bennet, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra and many Movie Soundtracks and television commercials.
Barbara Rearick, mezzo-soprano
Barbara Rearick’s career has taken her around the world singing with orchestras including Chicago, Houston, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Buffalo, Colorado, Pasadena Pops, Hallé, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and the Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester, Berlin. She has performed at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Symphony Space, BAM with the Mark Morris Dance Group and sang in the premiere of Douglas Cuomo’s opera Arjuna’s Dilemma; Lera Auerbach’s The Blind with the American Opera Project for the Lincoln Center White Light Festival, and Chicago Symphony’s “MusicNow” series. Her chamber music credits include performances with The New York New Music Ensemble and The New York Chamber Ensemble. Ms. Rearick has appeared on BBC World Service Radio, WQXR, and NPR. A native of central Pennsylvania, she has been on the performance faculty at Princeton University for 20 years.
Jo-Ann Sternberg, clarinet
Jo-Ann Sternberg leads a diverse musical life in the New York area as a chamber musician, orchestral player, music educator, and interpreter of new music. A member of Borealis, Riverside Symphony, and the orchestras of Oratorio Society of NY, NY Choral Society, and St John the Divine; Jo-Ann also regularly performs with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the ACO, the ASO, Mark Morris Dance, and Musicians from Marlboro; and can often be heard playing in Broadway musicals. A graduate of Tufts University/New England Conservatory’s dual degree program (English/Music) mentored by Peter Hadcock, she continued her studies at Yale University with David Shifrin and at The Juilliard School with Charles Neidich where she was awarded the William Kapell Memorial Award. Currently, Ms. Sternberg serves on the faculties of Princeton University, Rutgers Mason Gross, Juilliard’s MAP, and MSM Pre-College. She is Founder/Artistic Director of The Maine Chamber Music Seminar at Snow Pond for college/graduate level musicians. Ms. Sternberg is a Selmer Artist.
Brennan Sweet, violin
Noted for his “glowing, honeyed tone” according to NJ.com Brennan Sweet has enchanted his audiences with not only his masterful technique but his delightful musicality. Studying with the great master Mr. Joseph Gingold, Sweet had the rare opportunity to be Professor Gingold’s teaching assistant before joining the faculty of Indiana University as a Violin Lecturer in (year). During that time Sweet performed with ensembles including Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and Chicago Sinfonietta and was the concertmaster of several regional orchestras starting his career as an orchestral leader. In 1994 he joined the New Jersey Symphony as Associate Concertmaster, subsequently leading the orchestra for three seasons as Acting Concertmaster under Maestro Zdeněk Mácal. Mr. Sweet has also performed with other ensembles including and Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center, and has served as concertmaster for Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Brooklyn Philharmonic, New York Chamber Symphony and New Jersey Festival Orchestra. As a versatile musician Sweet has also performed on Broadway in Crazy For You, Candide, and High Society. He also has performed extensively as a chamber musician and soloist throughout the tri-state area and was a member of Kean University’s Concert Artists program. Mr. Sweet currently teaches at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and continues to perform as soloist and chamber musician throughout New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area.
Robert Wagner, bassoon
Robert Wagner is Principal Bassoonist of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and a member of the New York Chamber Soloists. He began his studies with Simon Kovar and Norman Herzberg in Los Angeles and graduated from The Juilliard School, where he was a student of Stephen Maxym. He has been a featured performer at the Salzburg Mozarteum and soloist in Richard Wilson’s Concerto for Bassoon and Chamber Orchestra on the CRI label. In April, gave the east coast premiere of Christopher Rouse’s Bassoon Concerto with the NJSO. With the Boehm Quintette, Mr. Wagner can be heard on the New World and Premiere labels, with Orpheus on Deutsche Grammophon, and with the New Jersey Symphony on Delos and New World. He is currently on the Board of League of American Orchestras and the NJ Intergenerational Orchestra.
