Marie-Joseph Canteloube de Malaret (French pronunciation:[maʁiʒozɛfkɑ̃tlubdəmalaʁɛ]; 21 October 1879 – 4 November 1957) was a French composer,musicologist, and author best known for his collections of orchestratedfolksongs from theAuvergne region,Chants d'Auvergne.
Canteloube was born inAnnonay, Ardèche, into a family with deep roots in theAuvergne region of France. He studied piano from the age of six with Amélie Doetzer, a friend ofFrédéric Chopin. After earning hisbaccalauréat, he worked at a bank inBordeaux. Upon his father's death in 1896, he returned to his family home in Malaret (Annonay), remaining there until his mother's death in 1899, and then beyond as sole owner of the estate. In 1901, after a period of silence and mourning, Canteloube married Charlotte Marthe Calaret, who gave birth to twins Pierre and Guy in 1903.
He began studying withVincent d'Indy via correspondence in 1901, reluctant to leave Malaret. With d'Indy's constant urging, he finally entered theSchola Cantorum in 1907 in Paris, where he remained until the beginning ofWorld War I in 1914. At the Schola, Canteloube became close friends with fellow composer and studentDéodat de Séverac.
In 1907, he wrote a suite in four movements for piano and violin entitledDans la montagne, which was played at the Société Nationale. Other significant works followed, includingColloque sentimental for voice and string quartet (1908),Eglogue d'Automne for orchestra (1910),Vers la Princesse lointaine, a symphonic poem (1912),Aù printemps for voice and orchestra, andL'Arada (The Earth), a song cycle of sixmélodies (1922).
Canteloube composed his first opera,Le mas ("The Farmstead" inOccitan language), to his own libretto, from 1910 to 1925, its composition delayed during the war years. The three-act work won the Prix Heugel in 1925, and was awarded the prize of 100,000 francs. However, the reaction to the composition by the leaders of theOpéra-Comique in Paris was far less enthusiastic than that of the jury. After pressure from the publisher,Le mas was finally premiered on 3 April 1929, but it was never revived. His second opera,Vercingétorix, in four acts, was inspired by a libretto by Étienne Clémentel, mayor ofRiom (Puy-de-Dôme), and Hervé Louwyck, about the defeat of theGauls byJulius Caesar. TheParis Opéra gave the first performance on 22 June 1933, but it was accused of lacking theatricality.
In 1925, along with several young Auvergnats in Paris, Canteloube founded a group called La Bourrée, who were eager to publicize the folklore and the beauty of their home region. Canteloube himself believed that "peasant songs often rise to the level of purest art in terms of feeling and expression, if not in form" (les chants paysans s’élèvent bien souvent au niveau de l'art le plus pur, par le sentiment et l'expression, sinon par la forme). He composed several song collections, which includeChants de Haute-Auvergne, albums of songs ofRouergue, Limousin, andQuercy, regional religious songs (Chants religieux d'Auvergne), andL'Hymne des Gaules based on a poem by Philius Lebesque. He also participated in the creation of the Bardic College of Gaul.
In 1941, he became associated with the government inVichy France during theNazi occupation,[1] and wrote in the monarchist newspaperAction Française. With the tenor Christian Selva, he participated in numerous radio broadcasts of French folklore with his "Songs of France". Radio was an ideal vehicle for disseminating regional popular music.
Alongside his career as a composer, Canteloube worked as a musicologist, collecting traditional French folksongs, which were published by Didier and Heugel. He also wrote biographies of Vincent d'Indy (1949) and of his friend Déodat de Séverac (1950).
Canteloube took more than thirty years (1924 to 1955) to complete the compilation of his most admired and famous collection of songs,Chants d'Auvergne. The passionate songs reflect the landscapes of the Auvergne in lush orchestral colors, and have enabled French folklore and rustic melodies to become better known.
He died inGrigny, Essonne, in 1957, aged 78.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
