Mihalovici, Marcel

Mihalovici, Marcel, significant Romanian-born French composer; b. Bucharest, Oct. 22, 1898; d. Paris, Aug. 12, 1985. After studies with Bernfeld (violin), Cuclin (harmony), and Cremer (counterpoint) in Bucharest (1908–19), he settled in Paris and completed his training with d’lndy (composition), Saint Requier (harmony), Gastoué (Gregorian chant), and Lejeune (violin) at the Schola Cantorum (1919–25). With Martina, Conrad Beck, and Harsányi, he founded the “École de Paris” of emigrants. In 1932 he helped to organize the contemporary music society Triton. He became a naturalized French citizen in 1955. In 1964 he was elected a member of the Inst, de France. His wife was Monique Haas. Minalo vici’s music presents a felicitous synthesis of French and Eastern European elements, tinted with a roseate impressionistic patina and couched in euphoniously dissonant harmonies.

Works

dramatic : opera:L’Intransigeant Pluton (1928; Paris, April 3, 1939); Phèdre (1949; Stuttgart, June 9, 1951); Die Heimkehr (Frankfurt am Main, June 17, 1954); Krapp ou La Dernière Bande, after Samuel Beckett (1959–60; Bielefeld, Feb. 25, 1961); Les Jumeaux, opera buffa (1962; Braunschweig, Jan. 23, 1963). ba11et :Une Vie de Polichinelle (1923); Le Postillon du Roy (1924); Divertimento (1925); Karagueuz, marionette ballet (1926); Thésée au labyrinthe (1956; Braunschweig, April 4, 1957; rev. version as Scènes de Thésée, Cologne, Oct. 15, 1958); Alternamenti (1957; Braunschweig, Feb. 28, 1958); Variations (Bielefeld, March 28, 1960). Other: Incidental music for plays. orch.:Notturno (1923); Introduction au mouvement symphonique (1923; Bucharest, Oct. 17, 1926); Fantaisie (1927; Liège, Sept. 6, 1930); Cortège des divinités infernales (1928; Bucharest, Dec. 7, 1930); Chindia for 13 Wind Instruments and Piano (1929); Concerto quasi una Fantasia for Violin and Orch. (1930; Barcelona, April 22, 1936); Divertissement (1934); Capriccio roumain (1936); Prélude et Invention for Strings (1937; Warsaw, April 21, 1939); Toccata for Piano and Orch. (1938; rev. 1940); Symphonies pour le temps présent (1944); Variations for Brass and Strings (1946); Séquences (1947); Ritournelles (1951); 5 syms.:Sinfonia giocosa (Basel, Dec. 14, 1951), Sinfonia partita for Strings (1952), Sinfonia cantata for Baritone, Chorus, and Orch. (1953–63), Sinfonia variata (1960), and No. 5 for Soprano and Orch., in memory of Hans Rosbaud (1966–69; Paris, Dec. 14, 1971); Étude en 2 parties for Piano Concertante, 7 Wind Instruments, Celesta, and Percussion (Donaueschingen, Oct. 6, 1951); Elegie (1955); Ouverture tragique (1957); Esercizio for Strings (1959); Musique nocturne for Clarinet, Strings, Harpsichord, and Celesta (1963); Aubade for Strings (1964); Périples for Piano and Orch. (1967; Paris, March 22, 1970); Prétextes for Oboe, Bass Clarinet, and Chamber Orch. (1968); Variantes for Horn and Orch. or Piano (1969); Borne (1970); Rondo (1970); Chant premier for Saxophone and Orch. (1973–74); Follia (1976–77). chamber: 2 violin sonatas (1920, 1941); Piano Quartet (1922); 3 string quartets (1923; 1931; 1943–46); Oboe Sonatina (1924); Serenade for String Trio (1929); Sonata for 3 Clarinets (1933); Viola Sonata (1942); Sonata for Violin and Cello (1944); Egloge for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, and Piano (1945); Sonata for Solo Violin (1949); Sonata for Solo Cello (1949); Wind Trio (1955); Pastorale triste for Flute and Piano (1958); Bassoon Sonata (1958); Clarinet Sonata (1958); Improvisation for Percussion (1961); Dialogues for Clarinet and Piano (1965); Serioso for Bass Saxophone and Piano (1971); Récit for Clarinet (1973); Melopeia for Oboe (1973). P i a n o : 3 Nocturnes (1928); 4 Caprices (1929); Ricercari (1941); 3 pièces nocturnes (1948); Sonata (1964); Cantus Firmus for 2 Pianos (1970); Passacaglia for Piano, Left-hand (1975). VOCAL: La Genèse, cantata (1935–40); Cascando for Voice and Instruments (1962); Cantilène for Mezzo-soprano and Chamber Orch. (1972); motets; songs.

Bibliography

G. Beck, M. M.:Esquisse biographique (Paris, 1954).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire