André Jolivet’s ‘Cinq incantations’ and ‘Chant de Linos’ : analysis, historical context and performance

Abstract

In an investigation of the claim made by researcher Caroline Rae that Jolivet has received limited attention in scholarly literature, this dissertation examines not only the historical and cultural context surrounding Jolivet’s early, middle, and late works, but also his writing for flute and its development over time. By applying the method of embodied analysis, as developed by Fisher and Lochhead, to two of his compositions for flute, this project takes a uniquely performative approach towards Jolivet’s music: it highlights the role of physical gestures in the production of musical meaning, it explores the relationship between gesture and structure, and it uses these observations to theorise on factors influencing the composer’s level of recognition. The study first considers historical events, political movements, and cultural currents that influenced Jolivet’s work and gave his musical language its direction. It then presents the results of embodied analysis of the two chosen works for flute, which are his Cinq Incantations (1936) and Chant de Linos (1944), while commenting on Jolivet’s compositional approach and its development over time. The project also includes a performative element that both informs, and is informed by, the research. Through a series of three concerts, the study considers how performance may be influenced by embodied analysis, and how its more practical aspects go hand in hand with the results of analytical research. The observations made in this study lead to a number of important conclusions. In the first part, the study proposes that Jolivet’s limited presence in the literature may be attributed to the fact that his extra-musical references and sources of influence, which remained distinctly esoteric even in his late career, seem to have lost their revolutionary appeal of the pre-war years; to the fact that most of his activity and recognition was based in France; and to the fact that his career became extremely diversified in the years following the war. Other observations emerge from the application of embodied analysis: one main observation is that Jolivet’s approach to writing for the flute changed significantly between the two works studied. In the earlier work it appears to be driven by the nature and physicality of the instrument, whereas in the later work it emerges as being driven more by structural and compositional principles. This not only provides insight into the evolution of Jolivet’s style, but it also raises questions on whether developments such as this may have affected the impact of Jolivet’s work and, in turn, his position in the western canon.