Paru le 26/08/2022 | Broché 342 pages
Tout public
English translation by Carolyn Shuster Fournier and Connie Glessner
Understanding His Musical Genius
Jehan Alain (1911-1940), internationally renowned French composer, was one of the most inspired creative personalities of the musical world in the interwar period. A cavalryman in World War II, he died in action during a reconnaissance mission near Saumur, France, on 20 June 1940.
Jehan Alain sought artistic expression, which he called at one point « the only form of happiness, » not only in music, but also in drawing and in poetry. His personality was characterized by a deep sensitivity and an extraordinary acuity. Essential qualities of his music are poetry, rhythm, color, movement and youthful freshness. A student of Paul Dukas and Marcel Dupre, he has left us nearly 120 compositions, of which Litanies has become famous throughout the world. Evoking the fate of this accomplished artist, the French composer Henri Dutilleux stated in June 1980 :
In less than ten years, Jehan Alain managed to compose works whose density and specificity have always struck me as remarkable. Many of his pieces reflect an inner life of rare depth and clearly develop numerous elements that were adopted by post-war composers : in particular, a tendency to highlight tone color (in certain organ pieces and their registrations) and a personal conception of structuring musical time, which deviates from the criteria of rational metrics.
Helga Schauerte's biography is the first comprehensive treatment of the life and work of this fascinating composer in the English language. Based on unpublished primary source materials, including a catalog of his manuscripts, it offers deep reflections on the composer's personality, his works and the editorial problems of his works.
Helga Schauerte-Maubouet is a German-French organist, writer and editor of music. She has published scholarly editions of the complete organ works of Jehan Alain, Léon Boëllmann, Theodore Dubois and Louis Vierne, as well as of vocal music of Marc-Antoine Charpentier and Gabriel Fauré. Organist at the German Lutheran Church in Paris and professor at the Conservatoire Nadia et Lili Boulanger, she has recorded some 40 CDs featuring the complete organ works of Jehan Alain, Dietrich Buxtehude and J. S. Bach. Her biography is included in the International Who's Who in Music (1990) and in 2000 Outstanding Musicians of the 20th Century (2002), both Melrose Press. The Federal Republic of Germany awarded her the Order of Merit and the French Cultural Minister the distinction of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
