#tailleferre

Tailleferre - Fleurs de France (1930)

This lovely suite is full of open and colorful harmonies where each piece is a short painting of a different type of flower. Each flower and region is also given its own character. The opening, jasmines from Provence, has a kind of arabesque flow to it, maybe a nod to the Mediterranean. The Guyenne poppy is upbeat like a child's song. The Anjou rose, is a little more austere than Romantic, maybe here leaning more into the Medieval side of the region. The sunflower of Languedoc is another coastal picture with a hint of Spain and sounding like street fair music. Roussillon chamomille sounds like a carefree lullaby. Haute-Provence lavender has the same pastoral writing that came up in the jasmine movement near the same region. The next flower, "Volubilis de Béarn", isn't from Béarn at all. It's from the Latin American tropics. I'm guessing that they'd been imported to France since colonial days, but even with the 'exotic' touch this piece is more tame. The last piece sounds much better in French (a "bleuet" is a cornflower), and is also a symbol for veterans and war survivors. Overall the suite is pretty light and charming but I do love the kind of impressionist drawings of associations between places and objects and music.

Movements:

1. Jasmin de Provence

2. Couquelicot de Guyenne

3. Rose d'Anjou

4. Tournesol du Languedoc

5. Anthémis du Roussillon

6. Lavandin de Haute-Provence

7. Volubilis de Béarn

Tailleferre - Sonata for solo harp (1957)

I’m not sure why the harp’s repertoire isn’t more popular...I guess because it’s a large and immovable instrument that makes a relatively ‘small’ sound, much easier to listen to and play and literally “pick up” classical guitar. Even so, when one reddit user asked about music to put in an autumn playlist, another responded with this work for its slow movement. Overall, the sonata is “tranquil” (again, mostly because of the harp), and is neoclassical, a style that was more of a fad than anything during the 20s and 30s. A woman writing music in an ‘outdated’ style on an archaic instrument...what compelled her to draw from the past? The opening movement is pretty straightforward, a light bubbly bounce in the rhythm. The Lento movement is a pretty melody over guitar-like strumming, with subtle dissonances and modal movement, I’m not sure if I agree with ‘autumn’ as much as ‘late summer’, very warm with glowing sunlight. And maybe this also makes me think of it as being like Spanish music, the textures and rhythm and mood being so similar to the guitar repertoire. The middle is cut by a loud glissando, and the end kind of drifts away in a haze. The last movement is a perpetuum mobile, not nearly as ‘hectic’ and mechanical as most pieces with this title have. Probably because of the harp’s warmer and softer sound. The shifting from minor and major and it’s fast pace makes this feel more like Mediterranean music, and it gives the work and impressive end.

Movements:

1. Allegretto

2. Lento

Women’s History Month is upon us, and every weekday this month we’ll be looking at women in classical music.  Today, we’re looking at the only female member of Les Six.

Germaine Tailleferre Sonatine pour violon et piano (1946) I. Moderato II. Andantino III. Allegro, gaiement