A STUDY OF ARTHUR HONEGGER

CONTBMPORABY composers may be divided into three groups. There are

those who happen to be living at the present moment, but who write
in terms of the accepted (more or less recent) past; and those who
are living at the same time with them but who think in terms of the
present, which is referred to by the great majority of people as the
' future.' Bartok is definitely one of these. If we compare him with
any living English composer we feel that, harmonically, he is con-
siderably beyond our comprehension. Many of us relegate him to

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that convenient future, thus hoping to avoid the worry of explaining
his sounds to others and to ourselves. Honegger presents a third
problem : the composer who writes in terms we are not at all accus-
tomed to, but who yet gives us an uncomfortable sensation that these
uslovi
terms are very easy to understand and to enjoy once we have the
indicija
clue to them. We know we cannot read Hungarian, but we do know
we can read French if we take the trouble.
There is no denying that Arthur Honegger is popular. This is all
upečatljivije
the more striking when we consider the relative unpopularity of his
vršnjaci
harmonic and rhythmic peers—Strawinsky, Schonberg, Prokofieff, or
Hindemith. Honegger has never sacrificed his modern idiom for da bi
the
sake of being understood, but in some way his music excites admira-
žestok
tion which is different from the rather fierce and conscious klicanje
acclama-
tion accorded to Strawinsky. We like Honegger spontaneously because
he gives us something more than a sense of experiment: his music
rests on foundations which we know to be of good stuff.
Honegger regards himself as Swiss, and it is therefore not surprising
to find in his music French and German elements. We must not,
however, make too much of this. One of the most noticeable features
izuzetan
in his music is its lack of national colour, all the more remarkable
usred
to-day in the midst of so many French, German, Russian, Spanish,
and Slav schools. I shall refer to this again. At present there are
two distinct Honeggers. The well-known and more popular Honegger
wrote ' Pacific 231,' ' Rugby,' ' The Tempest '; a different Honegger
composed the string quartet, ' King David,' and the Cahier
Romand. I think that the latter Honegger will prove to be of more
permanent worth.
Let us examine a few features of Honegger's technique : We notice
first of all rasprostranjenost
the prevalence of contrapuntal writing which is often very
odvažan
bold and effective. And it is possible that this contrapuntal element
odgovoran za deo
accounts for much of Honegger's popularity, since a ftieme, or scrap of
da se razume
iheme, repeated in quick succession is easier to grasp than block
 A STUDY OF ARTHUR HONEGGER 373

chords or intellectual development. The three main themes of

' Pacific ' are all used in counterpoint. Here is an example :—
Ell
fto}uar
C V

^^J^^^-^Yt^rW^
and BO on for three more entries. The scheme of ' Bugby ' is almost

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identical to ' Pacific ' and in places the dissonances are more acute.
These two tone poems are brilliantly written and undoubtedly ' come
off.' Their extreme vitality carries us along, but when we examine
the scores we doubt if BO much counterpoint is suitable to the context
and if it is altogether worth while. The orchestration is often thick
and muddy, especially in the lower strings and woodwind, and the
scores contain far too many notes. The following example shows a
very favourite device; the instruments can hardly speak and anyway
are drowned by the rest of the orchestra:—

But, as I have hinted, this is the less important Honegger. ' King
David,' for example, shows an economy of material—even ia its
revised orchestral form—and the counterpoint of the vocal writing ie
not only effective but also singularly beautiful. The ' Alleluias ' at
the end of Part I and of Part 2 are a case in point:—
374 MUSIC AND LETTERS
The same theme is used in the Lamentations of Gilboa with different
accompaniment. Counterpoint is again used in the Psalm of Penitence.
In fact, Honegger produces magnificent volume and quality of sound
by writing horizontally for the voice parts and vertically for the
orchestra.
providnost
Another likeable characteristic of Honegger's music is its limpidity.
sklonost čistoća
His fondness for fourths and fifths makes for clearness and easily
savladive
assimilable dissonances.

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nevolje
Here Honegger has abandoned the ineffective fussiness of Ex. 2.
A further example, taken from the Five Piano Pieces written in 1928,
is typical Honegger :—

I would, draw your attention to the chromatic formations for the

right hand at A, and to the last bar with its careful izostavljanje
omission of the
third. These characteristics are to be found throughout Honegger's
compositions.
In most of his work the themes are easily recognisable and can
be committed to memory, since they are short and diatonic, though
there may be, as in ' Pacific ' and ' Rugby,' one or more juxtaposi-
vinuti se
tions of tonality. They soar their way through and above the texture.
Who could fail to notice or to forget the locomotive theme tearing
along at top speed : —

Ex 6 J-Ht
 A STUDY OF ARTHUR HONEGGER 375
which is continued and developed contrapuntally. Or again the Eugby
theme :—

«t

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The finest themes of all are to be found in the string quartet. Per-
sonally, I think this is Honegger's best work so far. It is in three
movements. The writing for the instruments is throughout perfectly
suitable to them. There is no padding, each instrument has something
important to say all the time; the thematic texture is very close. In
the first movement (violent et tormei\t€) one might almost say that
there is no accompaniment in the usual sense. The instruments play
themes in counterpoint, canon, development, inversion, etc. Three
complete themes are employed together frequently and without
apparent difficulty; sometimes we find four.

Ex.

Ac

The second movement (trei lent) and the third (rude et rythmique)
contain passages of great beauty. It would be meaningless to talk
of French and German influences; we shall have to admit that this is
 376 MUSIG AND LETTERS
' Honegger,' no more and no less. Here is one of the themes from
the first movement: Ex. 8 is the continuation of it. It is an instance
of the vigorous sweep of Honegger's themes.

Movement three contains this beautiful melody :—

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Ei W

The slow movement is exceptionally beautiful. This is the first

theme:—

I have quoted enough to give you some indication of the chief

characteristics of Honeggei's music. Let us now consider his output
as a whole.
We are struck firstly by his individuality or, Bhall we say, per-
sonality. So much of modern music might be written by any one of
half a dozen young men following closely the lead of a contemporary
' master.' The ' Rite of Spring ' still exercises its driving power over
many; Schonberg accounts for more, and at the moment neo-classicism
is claiming most. Honegger stands out in relief. This is not to
say that he has never been influenced by his contemporaries; all
young composers should be. Perhaps ' Pacific 231 ' would not have
been written without the ' Eite of Spring '; traces of Schonberg can
be found in movement one of the string quartet. But Honegger is
master of what he has absorbed from others. He alone would have
written the piano pieces and the string quartet; they are unmistakably
 A STUDY OF ARTHUR HONEGGER 377
and individually Honegger. In other words Honegger has already
created his own style, which is the first important development for a
young composer to make and should enlist our interest in him.
He has not produced work of a consistently high level, naturally.
The songs, though effective enough, are not on the whole above the
rather vague atmospheric type in vogue in France. I cannot judge
the sonatas since I hare not heard good performances; they are
interesting, but require clear cut form which is not Honegger'9 strong
suit. Nor have I heard ' Horace Victorieux,' described in the
Dictionary of Modern Musicians as ' of epic inspiration.' I ought not

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to omit mention of the ' Pastoral d'Et6 ' since it is well known in
England : it is an early work and cannot be regarded as typical
Honegger. ' Pacific ' and ' Rugby ' are likely to remain popular for
some time if only on account of their titles. We are apt to be chary
of ascribing permanent value to music even ever so slightly program-
matic. Honegger himself has definitely denied the programme basis
to his symphonic poems, and ' Rugby,' at least, can be treated as
pure music as much as a Strauss tone poem. At present we welcome
their exuberant vitality and must admit that they do fulfil a popular
need.
' King David ' has no right to succeed in performance. It consists
of ' snippets ' joined together quite arbitrarily by the recitation of a
narrator. The music is by turns Handel, Strawinsky, Mendelssohn,
and Honegger. Before each performance I have been prejudiced
against it and each time I have been convinced of its success. It is
a dramatic work but never descends to the theatrical. The Psalm
of Penitence and the Hebrews' and Philistines' marches are astonish-
ingly successful. The beauty of the final choruses to Parts 1 and 2
help to give the final favourable impression. It will be .interesting to
hear Honegger's work in progress—' Amphion ' for female voices and
orchestra.
I have already praised the string quartet. (Readers may be especially
recommenfled to study it on Columbia records.) I consider the
quartet some of the finest music the younger generation has yet
produced. It by no means shirks dissonance, but the discords are
never used for ' effect.' We are all wanting a composer to graft
the new harmonic technique on to a sound basis and this string
quartet seems to be a step in the right direction. Honegger may
show us that it is possible to develop the classical tradition without
becoming heo-classic, whatever that may purport. Is it too much to
say that in Honegger's music we can sense inspiration rather than
the clevernflsa thnt is the be-nll and end-all of too much contemporary
composition?
A. Q. BBOWNB.