Dutilleux, Henri
Dutilleux, Henri
Dutilleux, Henri, distinguished French composer and teacher; b. Angers, Jan. 22, 1916. He was a student at the Paris Cons. (1933–38) of J. and N. Gallon (harmony and counterpoint), Biisser (composition), and Emmanuel (music history), winning the Grand Prix de Rome in 1938. He pursued his career in Paris, where he worked for the French Radio (1944–63) and was a prof, of composition at the École Normale de Musique (1961–70). In 1970–71 he was a guest prof, at the Paris Cons. In 1967 he was awarded the Grand Prix National de la Musique. In 1987 he received the Prix Maurice Ravel for his complete works. He was awarded the Praemium Imperial of Japan in 1994. In 1995 he was composer-in-residence at the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music. Dutilleux developed a thoroughly individualistic contemporary style of composition, marked by a meticulous craftsmanship.
Works
DRAMATIC L’anneau du roi, lyric scene (1938); Les Hants de Hurle-vent, incidental music (1945; orch. suite, 1945); La Princesse d’Elide, incidental music (1946); Monsieur de Pourceaugnac, incidental music (1948); Hernani, incidental music (1952); Le Loup, ballet (Paris, March 18, 1953); film
scores. ORCH.: Sarabande (1941); Danse fantastique (1943); 2 syms.: No. 1 (Paris, June 7, 1951) and No. 2, Le Double (1957–59; Boston, Dec. 11, 1959); Metaboles (1962–64; Cleveland, Jan. 14, 1965); Tout un monde lointain…, cello concerto (1967–70; Aix-en-Provence, July 25, 1970); Timbres, espace, mouvement ou “La nuit etoilee” (1977–78; Washington, D.C., Jan. 10, 1978); L’Arbre des songes, violin concerto (1980–85; Paris, Nov. 5,1985); Mystere de I’insant for 24 Strings, Cimbalom, and Percussion (1986–89); The Shadows of Time (Boston, Oct. 9,1997). CHAMBER : Sarabande et cortege for Bassoon and Piano (1942); Flute Sonatine (1943); Oboe Sonata (1947); Choral, cadence et fugato for Trombone and Piano (1950: Ainsi la nuit, string quartet (1974–76); Trois strophes sur le nom de SACHER for Cello (1982); Les Citations, diptyque for Oboe, Harpsichord, Double Bass, and Percussion (1991). Piano : Sonata (1946–8); Blackbird (1950); Tons les chemins (1961); Resonances (1965); figures de Resonances for 2 Pianos (1970); Deux Préludes (1973–88); Petit air a dormir debout (1983); Le jeu des contraires (1988). VOCAL: Gisele, cantata for Soprano, Tenor, Bass, and Orch. (1936); Quatre melodies for Medium Voice and Piano (1942; also for Medium Voice and Orch., 1954); La Geole for Medium Voice and Piano or Orch. (1944); Deux Sonnets for Medium Voice and Piano (1944–50); Chanson de la deportee for Voice and Piano (1945); (2) Chansons de bord for Children’s Chorus (1950); San Francisco Night for Soprano and Piano (1963).
Bibliography
P. Mari, H. D. (Paris, 1973; 2nd ed., 1988); R. Jacobs, H. D. (Paris, 1974); D. Humbert, H. D.: L’oeuvre et le style musical (Paris, 1985); C. Glayman, H. D.: Mystere et memoire des sons (Paris, 1993; 2nd ed., rev., 1997); C. Potter, H. D.: His Life and Works (Aldershot, 1997).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire