Elizabeth Jolas (born 5 August 1926) is a Franco-American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

Biography

Jolas was born in Paris in 1926. Her mother, the American translator Maria McDonald, was a singer. Her father, the poet and journalist

Eugene Jolas John George Eugène Jolas (October 26, 1894 – May 26, 1952) was a writer, translator and literary critic. Early life John George Eugène Jolas was born October 26, 1894, in Union Hill, New Jersey (what is today Union City, New Jersey). His par ...

, founded and edited the magazine '' transition'', which published over ten years most of the great names of the interwar period. Her family settled in the United States in late 1940. While completing her general studies in New York, then specializing in music at

Bennington College Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont. Founded in 1932 as a women's college, it became co-educational in 1969. It claims to be the first college to include visual and performing arts as an equal partner in ...

, she joined the Dessoff Choirs, thus discovering notably Renaissance music which was to have a lasting influence on her work.

Jeremy Thurlow Jeremy Thurlow is an English composer, known for his chamber music, orchestral scores, vocal music setting English and French poetry as well as experimental texts, and music for dance and stage and is performed across the UK and in France, Spain, ...

, "Jolas, Betsy", ''

Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and theo ...

'', accessed 24 July 2017. Having returned to Paris in 1946, Jolas resumed her studies at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique, notably with

Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...

and

Olivier Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithologist who was one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex; harmonically ...

. From 1971 to 1974 she served as Messiaen's assistant at the Conservatoire and was appointed herself to the faculty in 1975. She has since then also taught in the United States, at Yale, Harvard,

Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University is a private college in Oakland, California and part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it was ...

(D. Milhaud chair), the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...

campuses at Berkeley, Los Angeles, and San Diego, at

Tanglewood Tanglewood is a music venue in the towns of Lenox and Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. It has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1937. Tanglewood is also home to three music schools: the T ...

and the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

."Berlin Prize Fellow – Class of Fall 2000"

American Academy in Berlin The American Academy in Berlin is a private, independent, nonpartisan research and cultural institution in Berlin dedicated to sustaining and enhancing the long-term intellectual, cultural, and political ties between the United States and Germany ...

Jolas is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters (1983) and of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

(1995). After graduating from Bennington College, Jolas returned to Paris in 1946 to continue her studies with Milhaud and Messiaen at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique of Paris. Her numerous works (she has been composing steadily since 1945) are written for a great variety of combinations and have been widely performed internationally by artists such as

Kent Nagano Kent George Nagano GOQ, MSM (born November 22, 1951) is an American conductor and opera administrator. Since 2015, he has been Music Director of the Hamburg State Opera and was Music Director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra from 2006 to 20 ...

Anssi Karttunen Anssi Karttunen (born 1960) is a Finnish cellist. Karttunen's repertoire ranges from the early baroque to living composers and improvisation. He has performed with many orchestras in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, including the Philharmonia, BBC ...

Claude Delangle Claude Delangle (born 1957) is a French classical saxophonist. He has been teaching saxophone at the National Superior Conservatory of Music of Paris since 1988. He played in " Quatuor Adolphe Sax Paris" with Jacques Baguet, Bruno Totaro and Je ...

, William Christie,

Håkan Hardenberger Ulf Håkan Hardenberger (born 27 October 1961 in Malmö) is a Swedish trumpeter. Taking up the trumpet at the age of eight under the guidance of hometown teacher Bo Nilsson, Hardenberger pursued further studies at the Paris Conservatoire, with P ...

Antoine Tamestit Antoine Tamestit (born 1979) is a French violist. Tamestit studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, and further with Jesse Levine at Yale University, and with Tabea Zimmermann. He won the 2001 Primrose International Viola Competition, the 2003 Yo ...

, Nicolas Hodges and Sir

Simon Rattle Sir Simon Denis Rattle (born 19 January 1955) is a British-German conductor. He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–1998). Rattle was principal ...

, and leading ensembles and orchestras including: the

Ensemble intercontemporain The Ensemble intercontemporain (EIC) is a French music ensemble, based in Paris, that is dedicated to contemporary music. Pierre Boulez founded the EIC in 1976 for this purpose, the first permanent organization of its type in the world. Organi ...

, the

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. History The Berlin Philharmonic was fo ...

, the

Orchestre de Paris The Orchestre de Paris () is a French orchestra based in Paris. The orchestra currently performs most of its concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris. History In 1967, following the dissolution of the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Co ...

, the

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...

, and the

BBC Symphony Orchestra The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. T ...

. Among Jolas's notable students is the composer

Robert Carl Robert Carl (born July 12, 1954 in Bethesda, Maryland) is an American composer who currently resides in Hartford, Connecticut, where he is chair of the composition program at the Hartt School, University of Hartford. Music Carl studied with Jona ...

Style

Through her family background, Jolas was confronted at an early age with words and the singing voice and this may have protected her from some musical excesses of the post-war music world. An early follower of

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 1925 – 5 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war Western classical music. Born in Mont ...

Domaine musical The Domaine musical was a concert society established by Pierre Boulez in Paris, which was active from 1954 to 1973. Composers represented at its concerts included Boulez, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Olivier Messiaen, Luciano Berio, John Cage, Sylvano B ...

in the 1960s, she was always more a "fellow-traveler" than an unconditional disciple. Her music clearly sounds contemporary, if only for being consistently

atonal Atonality in its broadest sense is music that lacks a tonal center, or key. ''Atonality'', in this sense, usually describes compositions written from about the early 20th-century to the present day, where a hierarchy of harmonies focusing on a s ...

. Yet, unlike most composers of her generation, Jolas never encouraged a break with the past and her keen knowledge of tradition is often felt to inform her creative drive. She has indeed openly admitted many times her ambition to write expressive and beautiful music when such considerations were deemed outdated.

List of major works

* ''For an extended list, see List of compositions by Betsy Jolas''.

Operas

* ''Le Pavillon au Bord de la Rivière'' (1975), chamber opera in 4 acts * ''Schliemann'' (1982–83), opera in 3 acts * ''Le Cyclope'' (1986), chamber opera in 1 act

Orchestral

* ''D'un opéra de voyage'' (1967) for chamber orchestra * ''Quatre Plages'' (1967) for string orchestra * ''Well Met'' (1973) for string orchestra * ''Tales of a summer sea'' (1977) for orchestra * ''Cinq pièces pour Boulogne'' (1982) * ''B Day'' (2006) for symphony orchestra * ''A Little Summer Suite'' (2015)

Solo works with orchestra or ensemble

* ''Points D'Aube'' (1968) for viola and ensemble * ''Musique d'hiver'' (1971) for organ and small orchestra * ''Trois Rencontres'' (1973) for solo string trio and symphony orchestra * ''Stances'' (1978) for piano and orchestra * ''Histoires vraies'' (2015) double concerto for trumpet and piano * ''Side Roads'' (2017) for cello and string orchestra * ''b Tunes for Nicolas'' (2021) piano concerto for Nicolas Hodges and

Works for large ensemble

* ''Figures'' (1965) for 9 instruments * ''J.D.E.'' (1966) for 14 musicians * ''D'un opéra de poupée en sept musiques'' (1982) for 11 instruments * ''Préludes, Fanfares, Interludes, Sonneries'' (1983) for wind band * Sonate à 8 (1998) for cello octet

Chamber music

* Quartet Nos. 1–6 (1956–1997) * ''O Wall'' (1976) for wind quintet * ''Quatuor VII (Afterthoughts)'' (2018) for trumpet, violin, viola and cello * ''Episode No. 1–9'' (1964–1990) for various solo instruments * ''B for Sonata'' (1973) for piano * ''Musique de jour'' (1976) for organ * ''Signets, hommage à Maurice Ravel'' (1987) for piano * ''Femme le soir'' (2018) for cello and piano

Chorus

* ''Mass'' (1945) for choir, soloists and orchestra * Motet I–IV (1947–2002) for various voices, chorus, orchestra, ensemble * ''Enfantillages'' (1956) for women's or children's choir in 3 equal voices * ''L'oeil égaré dans les plis de l'obéissance au vent, cantate radiophonique'' (1961) for soprano, contralto, baritone, mixed choir and orchestra * ''Dans la chaleur vacante, cantate radiophonique'' (1963) for choir and orchestra * ''Autres enfantillages'' (2000) for children's or women's choir with clarinet ad libitum

Vocal

* ''Mots'' (1963) for soprano and ensemble * Quartet No. 2 (1964) for soprano and string trio * ''Liring Ballade'' (1980) for baritone and orchestra * ''Sigrancia-Ballade'' (1995) for baritone and orchestra * ''L'Ascension du Mont Ventoux'' (2004) for soprano, narrator, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and harp

Honors

Officier de la Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

(2006) *Prix de l'Académie Charles Cros pour l'ensemble de son œuvre (2015) *Officier de l'Ordre du Mérite (2003) * Berlin Prize (2000) *

Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

(1985) *Prix International Maurice Ravel (1992) *Grand prix de la SACEM(1982) *Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris (1981) *Prix National de la Musique (1974) *Koussevitzky Prize (1974) *Copley Foundation award (1954)

References

Bibliography

* J. Briscoe: "Betsy Jolas: Plupart du Temps II", ''Contemporary Anthology of Music by Women'' (Bloomington and Indianapolis, 1997) * J. Briscoe (2011/2012) "Jolas, Betsy". ''Grove Dictionary of American Music'', 2nd ed. 2012. Oxford Music Online. * D. Henahan: "Betsy Jolas Winning Recognition in the USA", ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' (30 August 1976) * B. Jolas: ''Molto espressivo'' (Paris, 1999) ollected writings* V. Perlis: "Recordings in Review: Betsy Jolas", ''

The Yale Review ''The Yale Review'' is the oldest literary journal in the United States. It is published by Johns Hopkins University Press. It was founded in 1819 as ''The Christian Spectator'' to support Evangelicalism. Over time it began to publish more on hi ...

'' (1995), 179–185 * B. Serrou:
Betsy Jolas. D'un opéra de voyage
. Foreword by

Henri Dutilleux Henri Paul Julien Dutilleux (; 22 January 1916 – 22 May 2013) was a French composer active mainly in the second half of the 20th century. His small body of published work, which garnered international acclaim, followed in the tradition of ...

, Edition Cig'art, 2001.

External links

*,
Interview with Betsy Jolas
July 17, 1991 {{DEFAULTSORT:Jolas, Betsy 1926 births Living people 20th-century classical composers 20th-century women composers 20th-century American musicians French composers French classical composers French women classical composers Berlin Prize recipients Conservatoire de Paris alumni Conservatoire de Paris faculty Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters Musicians from Paris Pupils of Darius Milhaud