Messagesquisse: Difference between revisions
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| Messagesquisse | |
|---|---|
| by Pierre Boulez | |
| Composed | 1976 |
| Performed | 3 July 1977 |
| Published | 1976 |
| Movements | 1 |
| Scoring | solo cello and six cellos |
Messagesquisse (Message-Sketch) is a 1976 composition for solo cello and six cellos by Pierre Boulez.
Background
In 1976, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich commissioned twelve composers (Conrad Beck, Luciano Berio, Boulez, Benjamin Britten, Henri Dutilleux, Wolfgang Fortner, Alberto Ginastera, Cristóbal Halffter, Hans Werner Henze, Heinz Holliger, Klaus Huber and Witold Lutosławski) to write pieces celebrating the 70th birthday of conductor and patron Paul Sacher.[1][2] The composers were asked to base their works on the Sacher hexachord, in which Sacher's last name is spelled out as musical notes: eS-A-C-H-E-Re is translated into E♭-A-C-B-E-D (Es is E♭ in German; H is B♮ in German; Re is D♮ in French).[3][4] These compositions were collected under the title 12 Hommages à Paul Sacher, and published together in the book Dank an Paul Sacher (Thanks to Paul Sacher).[1][2] The complete cycle was not performed in its entirety until 9 May 2011, at a concert by cellist František Brikcius at the Convent of Saint Agnes, part of the National Gallery Prague, Czech Republic.[3]
Boulez's contribution to the tribute, Messagesquisse, is dedicated to Sacher "with deep and faithful affection," and is a single-movement work scored for solo cello accompanied by an ensemble of six cellos, with a duration of roughly seven minutes.[5] Its title is a portmanteau word that combines "messages" and "esquisse" ("sketch" in English).[6] The work's pitch material is based on rotations of the Sacher hexachord, while its rhythms are derived from the letters of Sacher's last name represented in Morse code.[7] Boulez biographer Dominique Jameux noted the work's "clearly perceptible design,"[8] while musicologist Susan Bradshaw described it as "a birthday telegram written in an easily decipherable musical code that relates everything to the single cell of an initiating series drawn from the letters of its dedicatee's name."[9]
Boulez would go on to base a series of compositions on the Sacher hexachord: Répons (1980, revised and expanded 1982 and 1984); Dérive 1 (1984); Incises (1994, revised and expanded 2001); and Sur Incises (1996–98).[10][11]
Premiere and publication
Messagesquisse was premiered on 3 July 1977 in La Rochelle, France, with soloist Pierre Penassou and conductor Michel Tabachnik.[12] It was published by Universal Edition.[5]
Alternate versions
In 2000, Boulez prepared a version of Messagesquisse for solo viola and six violas; it was premiered on 25 June 2000 in Aix-en-Provence, France, with soloist Christophe Desjardins accompanied by conservatory students,[13] and is published by Universal Edition.[14] An additional version for solo viola and tape was prepared in 2016; it was premiered on 23 January 2021 at a concert in Paris, France, with soloist Adrien La Marca.[15][16]
Reception
Reviewing a 1999 performance at Carnegie Hall, Bernard Holland called Messagesquisse "a charmer, exploiting the sound of a single instrument multiplied seven times and doing it with great delicacy." He also acknowledged the fact that the audience "loved this piece."[17] Regarding a 2016 performance at New York's 92nd Street Y, Anthony Tommasini described the work as "music of wondrous precision and vibrant color."[18]
References
- ^ a b Stowell 1999, p. 144.
- ^ a b Stephenson 2002, p. 239.
- ^ a b "eSACHERe World Premiere of unique set of 12 works, solo cello: František Brikcius". MFiles. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ Potter 2024, p. 176.
- ^ a b "Boulez - Messagesquisse for violoncello solo and 6 violoncellos". Universal Edition. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ Keillor n.d.
- ^ Bonnet 1987, p. 174.
- ^ Jameux 1991, p. 197.
- ^ Bradshaw 1986, p. 222.
- ^ Campbell 2000, p. 206.
- ^ Potter 2024, p. 177–181.
- ^ "Pierre Boulez (1925-2016) / Messagesquisse (1976) for solo cello and six cellos, named after Paul Sacher". IRCAM. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Pierre Boulez (1925-2016) / Messagesquisse (2000) version for solo viola and six violas". IRCAM. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Boulez - Messagesquisse for viola solo and 6 violas". Universal Edition. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Pierre Boulez (1925-2016) / Messagesquisse (2016) version for viola and tape". IRCAM. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Pierre Boulez / Messagesquisse / 2021 / Premiere". IRCAM. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ Holland 1999.
- ^ Tommasini 2016.
Sources
- Bonnet, Antoine (1987). "Ecriture and perception: on Messagesquisse by Pierre Boulez". Contemporary Music Review. 2 (1): 173–209.
- Bradshaw, Susan (1986). "The Instrumental and Vocal Music". In Glock, William (ed.). Pierre Boulez: A Symposium. New London: Eulenberg Books.
- Campbell, Edward (2000). Boulez, Music and Philosophy. Cambridge University Press.
- Holland, Bernard (23 November 1999). "Music Review: Savoring the Phases of Boulez's Art". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- Jameux, Dominique (1991). Pierre Boulez. Harvard University Press.
- Keillor, John (n.d.). "Pierre Boulez: Messagesquisse, for solo cello & 6 cellos". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- Potter, Caroline (2024). Pierre Boulez: Organised Delirium. The Boydell Press.
- Stephenson, Lesley (2002). Symphony of Dreams: The Conductor and Patron Paul Sacher. Scarecrow Press.
- Stowell, Robin (1999). "Other solo repertory". In Stowell, Robin (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to the Cello. Cambridge University Press.
- Tommasini, Anthony (12 June 2016). "Review: NY Phil Biennial's Ambitious Wrap-Up, From Boulez to Bolcom". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 April 2024.