''Chant de Linos'' is a work for flute and piano written by French composer

André Jolivet André Jolivet (; 8 August 1905 – 20 December 1974) was a French composer. Known for his devotion to French culture and musical thought, Jolivet drew on his interest in acoustics and atonality, as well as both ancient and modern musical influe ...

in 1944 as a commission for a

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

competition which was subsequently won by

Jean-Pierre Rampal Jean-Pierre Louis Rampal (7 January 1922 – 20 May 2000) was a French flautist. He has been personally "credited with returning to the flute the popularity as a solo classical instrument it had not held since the 18th century." Biography Ea ...

.Musicweb-international.com CD Review, Dominy Clements
/ref> He transcribed it for flute, violin, viola, cello and harp the same year. The piece has since become a staple of the modern flute repertoire.''

Sarah Louvion Sarah Louvion (born 1976) is a French classical flautist. The award-winning player has been the principal flute of the Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester from 2002, and is active as a soloist and chamber musician. She has given internationa ...

: Œuvres pour flûte de Jolivet, Bauzin, Roussel, Ibert'' – Farao Classics CD (2008) �
liner notes
"''Chant de Linos'' d'André Jolivet composé en 1944 et depuis une pièce phare du répertoire moderne pour flûte". Both versions last about 10 minutes.

Overview

Jolivet's musical ambition was to Ancient myths from around the world were one of his sources of inspiration. Thus, ''Chant de Linos'' is based on the mythological musician

Linus Linus, a male given name, is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Linos''. It's a common given name in Sweden. The origin of the name is unknown although the name appears in antiquity both as a musician who taught Apollo and as a son of Apollo who di ...

, who taught music to

Orpheus Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with Jaso ...

and

Heracles Heracles ( ; grc-gre, Ἡρακλῆς, , glory/fame of Hera), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive ...

. Jolivet described the work as an ancient Greek mourning chant consisting of laments interspersed with cries and dances. In the work, the laments are usually in while a strongly accented ostinato in sets the dance sections apart. The piece is based on an archaic-sounding

modal scale In music theory, the term mode or ''modus'' is used in a number of distinct senses, depending on context. Its most common use may be described as a type of musical scale coupled with a set of characteristic melodic and harmonic behaviors. It ...

(G, A, B, C, D and F). Although it is in one

movement Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

, it consists of several parts. After the improvisatory introduction, there are four main sections with variations, differing meters and tempos. They can be sketched as follows *Section A – slow in *Section B – moderate in *Section C – fast in *Section D – moderate in The overall structure is AB A′B′ CD A″B″ C′. The work displays a wide range of techniques including

flutter-tonguing Flutter-tonguing is a wind instrument tonguing technique in which performers flutter their tongue to make a characteristic "FrrrrrFrrrrr" sound. The effect varies according to the instrument and at what volume it is played, ranging from cooing soun ...

, extreme dynamic changes, and irregular phrases.

Recordings

Piano version * Robert Aitken (flute), 1988, Bis Records – 184. *

Emmanuel Pahud Emmanuel Pahud (born 27 January 1970) is a Franco-Swiss flautist. He was born in Geneva, Switzerland. His father is of French and Swiss background and his mother is French. The Berlin-based flutistPatrick LamEmmanuel Pahud – The showcase behi ...

(flute), 1997, EMI Classics – 7243-5-56488-2-2. * Juliette Hurel (flute), 2002, Naïve Records – V4925. *

Patrick Gallois Patrick Gallois (born 1956) is a French flutist and conductor. Gallois was born in Linselles near the town of Lille in the north of France. At the age of 17 he began studies at the Conservatoire de Paris with the celebrated flutist Jean-Pierre Ra ...

(flute), 2005, Naxos Records – 8557328. *

Sharon Bezaly Sharon Bezaly ( he, שרון בצלי; born 1972) is a flutist. Bezaly was born in Israel, but lives presently in Sweden. She has been an international performer since 1997, when she began her solo flute career. She made her solo debut at 13 w ...

(flute), 2006, ''Masterworks For Flute And Piano'', Bis Records – 1429. *

Denis Bouriakov Denis Viktorovich Bouriakov (russian: Денис Викторович Буряков; born 25 October 1981, in Simferopol, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, USSR) is a flautist. He is currently principal flutist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. ...

(flute), 2012, ''Prokofiev, Copland, Debussy,'' Nami 4988071010196. Ensemble version * Philippe Racine (flute), 1990, Claves Records – 50-9003. * Manuela Wiesler (flute), 1996, ''André Jolivet – Complete Flute Music, Volume 2'', Bis Records – 739. * Pierre-André Valade (flute), 2003, ''Jolivet, L'oeuvre pour Flûte'', Recorded in 1993, Accord Records – 4722982. * Eline van Esch (flute), 2005, ''André Jolivet, Incantations'', Etcetera Records – KTC1322. *

(flute), 2008, Farao Classics – B108032.

References

{{authority control Compositions by André Jolivet Compositions for flute 1944 compositions