''Hérodiade de Stéphane Mallarmé: Recitation orchestrale'' is a composition by

Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ' ...

written in June 1944 on commission from Martha Graham, supported by funds from the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation. The ballet premiered under the title of ''Herodiade'' (but had originally been titled ''Mirror before Me'') in the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Auditorium at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

in Washington DC. The premiere took place on 30 October 1944, sharing the program with

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...

's ''

Appalachian Spring ''Appalachian Spring'' is a musical composition by Aaron Copland that was premiered in 1944 and has achieved widespread and enduring popularity as an orchestral suite. The music, scored for a thirteen-member chamber orchestra, was created upon c ...

'' and

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 ...

's ''Jeux du printemps'' (Graham's ballet title was ''

Imagined Wing ''Imagined Wing'' is a ballet choreographed by Martha Graham to ''Jeux de Printemps'' by composer Darius Milhaud. The piece was first presented on October 30, 1944, in the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress, Washingto ...

''), with Martha Graham and

May O'Donnell May O'Donnell (May 1, 1906 – February 1, 2004) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. Born in Sacramento, California, May O'Donnell studied dance in San Francisco with Estelle Reed and performed in Reed's company before moving to New ...

in the leading roles. The choreography was by Martha Graham, stage design was by the Japanese American sculptor

Isamu Noguchi was an American artist and landscape architect whose artistic career spanned six decades, from the 1920s onward. Known for his sculpture and public artworks, Noguchi also designed stage sets for various Martha Graham productions, and severa ...

, and costumes by Edythe Gilfond.

Composition

The piece uses Stéphane Mallarmé's poem "

Hérodiade ''Hérodiade'' is an opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Paul Milliet and Henri Grémont, based on the novella ''Hérodias'' (1877) by Gustave Flaubert. It was first performed at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels ...

" as a basis for the dramatic narrative flow of the piece without using the more common fusion of poetry and music, a song. Neither does the subtitle "orchestral recitation" imply an actual recitation of the poetry with the music as in a melodrama. This misunderstanding has led to some misguided performances and recordings. In a letter to Willy Strecker, Hindemith further confirms that "The 'Hérodiade' is not to be spoken! The melodic lines in the orchestra ... are themselves the recitation." Likewise, Hindemith did not set the text as a song because he felt the voice would be a distraction from the dance.Hindemith, Paul. ''Hérodiade de Stéphane Mallarmé ; récitation orchestrale'' : 1944. Mainz: Schott Music, 1955. He chose to give the melodic lines of the singer to the instruments of the orchestra, often giving the instruments rhythms that mimic the cadences of French poetry and the declamation of the Mallarmé poem. It is this that results in the subtitle "orchestral recitation" and not any intent to actually include a recitation of the poem.

Instrumentation

The instrumentation is similar to Copland's ''Appalachian Spring'', with the addition of oboe and horn and the reduction of strings to one on a part (as opposed to pairs): 1 flute, 1

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

, 1 clarinet, 1 bassoon, 1

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

, 1

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

, 2

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

s, 1

viola ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

, 1

violoncello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D ...

, 1

string bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar ...

Structure

The music is in one continuous movement but divided into 11 sections. # A short Prèlude in the strings, followed be a wide-spun melody with the full ensemble, ending with a wind instrument repetition of the opening phrase # A short string quartet # A longer section (Modéré), flute and oboe featured # A return to the string quartet Nurse's music # A loud outburst, full ensemble, (Vif) # Another return to the string quartet Nurse's music # An aria for the clarinet # Energetic, full ensemble, (Agité) # Triumphant waltz, (Vif et passioné) # An aria for the bassoon # A brief, pathetic Finale Section 1 – Prèlude Section 1 – Melody \relative c'' Section 2 – Nurse: "Tu vis! ou vois-je ici l'ombre d'une princesse?" Section 3 – Hérodiade: "Reculez. Le blond torrent de mes cheveux immaculés...") Section 4 – "Sinon la myrrhe gaie..." Section 5 – Hérodiade: "Laisse la ces parfums" \relative c'' Section 6 – Nurse: "Pardon! l'âge effaçait" Section 7 – Hérodiade's scene before the mirror, "O miroir! Eau froide par l'ennui dans ton cadre gelée" \relative c'' Section 8 – Hérodiade: "Arrête dans ton crime" \relative c'' Section 9 – Hérodiade: "Oui, c'est pour moi, pour moi, que je fleuris, déserte!" \relative c'' Section 10 – Hérodiade: "Non, pauvre aieule" \relative c'' Section 11 – "Vous mentez, ô fleur nue de mes lèvres" \relative c''

References

Notes

External links

Library of Congress review clipping
from ''

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 d ...

''
Library of Congress clipping
from ''

Christian Science Monitor Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρισ ...

'' for a Boston performance
Article by Jürgen Thym in the Moldenhauer Archives at the Library of Congress

Letter to Willy Strecker

and list of performances, Schott Music
"Literature, Modernism, and Dance" at Google Books

Martha Graham: special issue
journal ''Choreography and Dance'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Herodiade (ballet) Ballets by Martha Graham Ballets by Paul Hindemith Ballets with sets by Isamu Noguchi 1944 ballet premieres Ballet music Adaptations of works by Stéphane Mallarmé Cultural depictions of John the Baptist

Composition

Instrumentation

Structure

References

Further reading

External links