Jean Françaix

Jean Françaix (* May 23, 1912 in Le Mans as Jean René Désiré Françaix, † September 25, 1997 in Paris) was a French composer and pianist.

Life and work

Jean Françaix, born into a family of musicians, won with 18 years the price of the Paris Conservatory and studied composition with Nadia Boulanger. His first important work, which he composed at age 20, Concertino for Piano, was a great success. Besides solo works for various instruments he wrote several concerts, including for piano, two pianos, violin, clarinet and flute. Among his vocal works, the oratorio L' Apocalypse de Saint -Jean include ( The Apocalypse of St. John) and the cantata La deploration de Tonton ( chien fidèle ) ( Lamentation of the faithful dog Tonton ) on a text by Georges Ravon for mezzo-soprano and string orchestra.

He composed a great deal for wind instruments, such as a saxophone quartet, a Sonatina for trumpet and piano, two wind quintets or the Nine characteristic pieces for ten wind instruments. From his music for keyboard instruments are the Insectarium for Harpsichord, the eight exotic dances for two pianos, the Marche solennelle ( solemn march ) for organ and the piano sonata particularly known.

In addition Françaix wrote several operas and film music for twelve films. His music is characterized by elegance, inventiveness and rhythmic sophistication. By his own admission, he was always anxious to " musique pour faire plaisir ( music that gives pleasure ) " to compose.

Françaix was also a piano virtuoso, but he devoted his creative energy mainly his compositional activity. His works are original, witty, rhythmically complex, the harmonies are simple. He coined the term "hell orchestra " for a group of instruments, which is characterized by a loud, monstrous and " buzzing " sound impression. So this group were assigned other bassoon, clarinet, electric guitar, drums, percussion and accordion.

List of Works

• Orchestral works Pour petit orchester sérénade, 1934
• Musique de cour, 1937
• Les Bosquet de Cythère, 1946
• La Douce France, 1946
• Symphonie d' archets, 1948
• Les Zigues de Mars, 1950
• Symphony in G Major, 1953
• Au musée Grevin, 1956
• L' Horloge de flore, 1959
• Le Dialogue des Carmelites, 1960
• Jeu de poétique six Movements, 1969
• Les chroniques du bon Inestimables géant Gargantua, 1971
• Portraits d' enfants, 1971
• La ville mystérieuse, 1973
• Cassation, 1975
• Chaconne, 1976
• Psyché, 1981
• Mozart new-look or ' Don Giovanni meets Carmen ', 1981
• Ode à la Liberté, 1985
• Pavane pour un genie, 1987
• 85 Mesures et un Da Capo, 1991

• Instrumental concerts Concertino, 1932 ( Piano)
• Quadruple concerto, 1935
• Concerto, 1936 (piano)
• Concerto, 1959 ( harpsichord)
• Concerto, 1965 ( Piano)
• Concerto, 1966 (flute)
• Concerto, 1967 ( clarinet)
• Violin Concerto No. 1, 1968
• Concerto pour contrebasse et orchester, 1974
• Concerto grosso, 1976
• Concerto, 1978 ( harp)
• Concerto, 1979 ( bassoon)
• Violin Concerto No. 2, 1979
• Concerto, 1982 ( guitar)
• Concerto, 1983 ( trombone)
• Concerto pour quinze solistes, 1988
• Concerto pour accordéon, 1993

• Operas Le diable boiteux, 1937
• L'Apostrophe, 1940
• La Main de gloire, 1945
• Paris à nous deux, 1954
• La Princesse de Clèves, 1961

• Ballets Scuola di Ballo, 1933
• Beach, 1933
• Les Misfortunes of Sophie, 1935
• Le Roi nu, 1935
• La Lutherie enchantée, 1936
• Le Jeu sentimental, 1936
• Le Jugement d'un fou, 1938
• Verreries de Venise, 1938
• Les Demoiselles de la nuit, Cat's - from an idea by Jean Anouille, 1948
• The camellias, 1950
• A la Françaix, 1951
• Le Roi Midas, 1952
• La Dame dans la lune, 1957
• Adages et Variations, 1965
• Le Croupier amoureux, 1967
• Pierrot ou les secrets de la nuit, 1980

• Suites Suite 1934
• Scuola di ballo, 1950
• Si Versailles m'était conté, 1953
• Napoléon, 1954
• Si Versailles m'était conté, 1954
• Suite carmelite, 1960
• Suite for flute, 1962
• Suite pour harpe, 1978
• Suite profane, 1984
• Suite extraite de l' Apocalypse selon Saint- Jean, 1994

• Divertimenti Divertissement, 1935
• Divertissement for bassoon and string quintet, dedicated to William Waterhouse, 1942
• Divertissement, 1947
• Divertimento for flute et piano, 1953
• Divertimento pour cor et orchester, 1959
• Divertimento for flute and orchestra, 1974

• Variations Variations de concert, 1950
• Thème et variations, 1971
• Tema con variazioni, 1974
• Variations sur un thème plaisant, 1976
• Thème varié, 1976
• Tema con variazioni, 1978
• Tema con variazioni 8, 1980
• Huit variations sur le nom de Johannes Gutenberg, 1982

• Chamber Music String Trio, 1933
• Quartet for flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon, 1933
• Quintet for flute, violin, viola, cello and piano, 1934
• Sonatina for violin and piano, 1934
• Quartet for 4 Saxophones, 1935
• String Quartet, 1938
• Mouvement perpétuel, Duo 1944
• L' heure du berger 1947
• Wind Quintet No. 1, 1948
• Berceuse, Duo 1953
• Rondino - staccato, Duo 1953
• Scuola di celli, 1960
• Scuola di Ballo, Duo 1966
• Quartet, 1970
• Trio for flute, harpe et cello, 1971
• Octet, 1972
• 9 Pièces caractéristiques (Winds ) 1973
• Le gay Paris 1974
• Aubade 1974
• Prélude, Sarabande et Gigue, 1975
• Cinque piccoli duetti, 1975
• Clarinet Quintet in 1977
• Quasi improvisando, 1978
• Quintet for 5 Violins, 1979
• Duo baroque, 1980
• Sonata for flute à bec et guitare, 1984
• Musique pour faire plaisir, 1984
• Piano Trio, 1986
• Notturno for 4 Horns, 1987
• Wind Quintet No. 2, 1987
• Noël nouvelet, 1987
• Deux improvisations pour violoncelles 12, 1987
• Dixtuor, Dezett 1987
• Quintet for Flute, 2 Violins, Cello and Harpsichord, 1988
• Le Colloque des deux perruches, duo, 1989
• Trio for clarinet, alto et piano, 1990
• Quartet for 2 clarinets, basset horn and Bb clarinet, 1992
• Pour l' remercier Auditoire, 1994
• Trio pour haut bois, bassoon and piano, 1994 ( for William Waterhouse )
• Quartet for clarinet, basset horn, bass clarinet and piano, 1994
• Trio for flute, clarinet et piano, 1995
• Trio for flute, cello et piano, 1995
• Célestes Schubertiades, 1996
• Trois Duos: Les oiseaux, Prière de Sulpicia, Les Grenouilles

• Piano Works Cinq de jeunes filles portraits, 1936
• Éloge de la danse, 1947
• Danse des trois harlequins, 1958
• Piano Sonata, 1960
• Cinq "To", 1965
• 15 Portraits d' enfants, 1971
• Dix pièces pour enfants, 1975
• La Promenade d'un Musicologue éclectique, 1987

• Works for Organ Suite Carmelite, 1938
• Marche solennelle, ( Marche du sacre ) 1956
• Suite profane, 1960
• Messe de Mariage, 1986

• Works for Harpsichord L' Insectarium 1953
• Deux pièces 1977

• Works for Bassoon Fantaisie, 1935
• Hommage à l' ami Papageno, 1984

• Works for Guitar Serenata, 1978
• Passacaille

• Instrumentation Emmanuel Chabrier: Souvenir de Munich, 1960
• Francis Poulenc: L' Histoire de Babar, 1962
• Carl Maria von Weber: Preludio et momento capriccioso, 1964
• Frédéric Chopin: 24 Préludes (Op. 28 ), 1967
• Franz Schubert: Six impromptus et moments Musicaux, 1973
• Domenico Scarlatti: Cinq sonates, 1975
• Emmanuel Chabrier: Huit pièces pittoresques, 1984
• Emanuel Chabrier: Habanera, 1985
• Franz Schubert: Three Military Marches, 1987
• Emmanuel Chabrier: Cortege burlesque 1989
• Frédéric Chopin: Trois écossaises et Variations, 1989
• Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne et Polonaise, 1995

• Choral works Cinq chansons pour les enfants, 1932
• Trois Poèmes de Paul Valéry: Aurore, Cantique des colonnes, Le sylphe, 1982

• Songs Trois Epigrammes: À une demoiselle malade, 1938
• Trois Epigrammes: Levez ces couvre Heads, 1938
• Trois Epigrammes: Belaud, mon petit chat gris, 1938
• L' Adolescence clémentine, 1941
• Cinq poèmes de Charles d'Orléans, 1946
• Invocation à la volupté, 1946
• Prière du soir - Chanson, 1947
• Juvenalia, 1947
• Huit anecdotes de Chamfort, 1949
• La Cantate de Méphisto, 1952
• Deploration de tonton, 1956
• La Chatte blanche, 1957
• Le Coq et le renard, 1963
• La Promenade à Versailles, 1976
• La Cantate the Vieillards, 1978
• Triades de toujours, 1991

• Other works Scherzo, 1932
• Sérénade, 1934
• Scherzo Impromptu, 1938
• L' Apocalypse selon St. Jean, oratorio in 1939
• Rhapsody, 1946
• Nocturne, 1951
• Sérénade B E A, 1955
• Huit danses exotiques, 1957, rev. 1981
• Six grandes marches, 1957
• Cinq danses exotiques, 1961
• Be preludi, 1963
• Sept Danses, 1971
• Sept impromptus [ Seven Impromptus ], 1977
• Petite valse européenne, 1979
• Impromptu, 1983
• Elegy ( Commemoration de la mort de Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) 1990
• Les vacances
• Nocturne, 1994

By: * Works by Jean Françaix by genre klassika.info ( with additions)

Filmography