Maurice Jaubert (3 January 1900 – 19 June 1940) was a French composer.Grove Music Online - Jaubert, Maurice by Mark Brill
accessed 2 June 2020. A prolific composer, he scored some of the most important films of the early sound era in France, including

Jean Vigo Jean Vigo (; 26 April 1905 – 5 October 1934) was a French film director who helped establish poetic realism in film in the 1930s. His work influenced French New Wave cinema of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Biography Vigo was born to Emil ...

’s '' Zero for Conduct'' and '' L’Atalante'', and

René Clair René Clair (11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981), born René-Lucien Chomette, was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. He wen ...

’s '' Quatorze Juillet'' and '' Le Dernier Milliardaire''. Serving in both world wars, he died in action during World War II at the age of 40.

Life and career

Born in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative ...

on 3 January 1900, he was the second son of François Jaubert, a lawyer who would become the president of the Nice bar. Jaubert grew up in a musical household, and began playing the piano aged five. Landormy, Paul. ''La Musique française après Debussy'' – Chapter X – De Droite et de Gauche (Suite): Maurice Jaubert. Gallimard, 1943, p318-322. After gaining his baccalaureat from the Lycée Masséna in 1916, he enrolled at the Nice Conservatory of music where he studied harmony, counterpoint and piano. He was awarded the first

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 keyboa ...

prize in 1916.

Early career

Jaubert left for Paris and studied law and literature at the Sorbonne. When he returned to his native town in 1919, he was the youngest lawyer in France. His first compositions date from this period but soon after he undertook his military service and became officer in engineering. Demobilized in 1922, Jaubert decided to give up law practice and devote all his time to music. The next year, he completed his musical education in Paris with Albert Groz, while undertaking a variety or music related jobs such as proof correction and checking Pleyela rolls. Jaubert's compositions in the early 1920s include songs, piano pieces, chamber music, and divertissements. He wrote his first stage music in 1925 for a play by Calderon, ''Le Magicien prodigieux,'' using the Pleyela. He was then hired by Pleyel to record rolls on the Pleyela, a revolutionary player piano at the time. Indeed, Jaubert was always attracted by technical innovations that could serve his artistic aspirations. While working on this play, he met a young soprano, Marthe Bréga, who would sing most of his vocal composItions. They married in 1926, with

Maurice Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...

as Jaubert's best man. They had a daughter, Françoise, in 1927. His 'poème chorégraphique' ''Le Jour'' was premiered by the Orchestre Symphonique de Paris under

Pierre Monteux Pierre Benjamin Monteux (; 4 April 18751 July 1964) was a French (later American) conductor. After violin and viola studies, and a decade as an orchestral player and occasional conductor, he began to receive regular conducting engagements in ...

in 1931, while a ''Suite française'' was premiered by

Vladimir Golschmann Vladimir Golschmann (16 December 18931 March 1972) was a French-American conductor. Biography Vladimir Golschmann was born in Paris. He studied violin at the Schola Cantorum in Paris. He was a notable advocate of the music of the composers ...

St Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

the following year.

Film scores

In 1929, while pursuing his work for the concert hall and the stage, Maurice Jaubert began writing and conducting for cinema. Among his most important collaborations in the following decade were

Alberto Cavalcanti Alberto de Almeida Cavalcanti (February 6, 1897 – August 23, 1982) was a Brazilian-born film director and producer. He was often credited under the single name "Cavalcanti". Early life Cavalcanti was born in Rio de Janeiro, the son of a ...

’s ''Le Petit Chaperon Rouge''; Jacques and Pierre Prévert's ''L'Affaire est dans le sac'';

’s '' Zero for Conduct'' and '' L’Atalante'';

’s ''Quatorze Juillet'' and ''Le Dernier Milliardaire''; Julien Duvivier’s ''Carnet de bal'' (Life Dances On) and ''La Fin du Jour'' (The End of a Day);

Henri Storck Henri Storck (5 September 1907 – 17 September 1999) was a Belgian writer, filmmaker and documentarist. In 1933, he directed, with Joris Ivens, ''Misère au Borinage'', a film about the miners in the Borinage area. In 1938, with Andre Thirifays ...

’s

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

documentaries A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...

''LÎle de Pâques'' and ''Regards sur la Belgique ancienne''; and Marcel Carné’s ''Drôle de drame'', ''Hôtel du Nord'', ''Quai des brumes'' (Port of Shadows), and ''Le Jour se lève'' (Daybreak). He also worked briefly in the UK, scoring '' We Live in Two Worlds'' directed by

and produced by John Grierson.

Conductor

Although Jaubert understood and appreciated film, composing and scoring them was but one of Jaubert's creative activities. As music director of Pathé-Nathan studio, he conducted the film scores of several other composers, including

Arthur Honegger Arthur Honegger (; 10 March 1892 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss composer who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. A member of Les Six, his best known work is probably ''Antigone'', composed between 1924 and 1927 t ...

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 ...

. In the 1930s he gained a reputation as a conductor in France and abroad, most notably for the final season of Marguerite Bériza's opera company and the season of opéras-bouffes for the 1937 exposition (where he also led the premiere of his ''Jeanne d’Arc'', opus 61, a 'Symphonie concertante pour soprano et orchestre'). At the Comédie des Champs-Élysées, in 1937 he conducted the premiere of ''Philippine'', an opérette, by Delannoy with libretto by Henri Lyon and Jean Limozin. His music was written in a style of clarity, frankness and freedom, in which he did not seek novelty for the sake of it and in which his spontaneity is not weighed down by pedantic formulas. His writings comprise articles and lectures, as well as a large number of letters that capture his political opinions. how he viewed his times, and his musical tastes (for example, he was a strong supporter of Kurt Weill when that composer was widely misunderstood).

Death

War, however, disrupted Jaubert's artistic path. Mobilized in September 1939, he joined an engineering company he would command as a reserve captain. His letters to his wife reflect a spirit of sacrifice tinged with deep humanism. Jaubert did not live to hear his last two compositions, written at his base camp. He was fatally wounded after having successfully blown up a bridge, he died a few hours later at the Baccarat Hospital on 19 June 1940.

Concert works

* ''Impromptu (?)'' : for piano * ''6 Inventions'' (?) : for piano * ''Suite en la'' (?) : for cello and piano * ''4 Romances'' (1924) : for voice and piano * ''Cinq chants sahariens'' (1924) : for voice and small ensemble * ''Les Pêcheurs'' (1925) : ballet * ''Chants de la Côte'' (1925) «Popular Songs from Provence and Nice county» harmonized for one voice and piano * ''Contrebande'' (1927) : chamber opera based on a text by

Georges Neveux Georges Neveux (1900–1982) was a French dramatist and poet. Neveux's first notable work was the play ''Juliette ou la clé des songes (Juliet or the key to dreams)'', written in 1927 and produced in 1930. It became the basis of Theodor Schae ...

* ''The Lie of Nina Petrovna'' (1929) : suite for piano taken from the cinematic score * ''Intermezzo'' (1929) : for piano and orchestra, taken from his cinematic score ''The Lie of Nina Petrovna'' * ''Cinq danses de l'Amazonie'' (1930) : for orchestra * ''Le jour'' (1931) : choreographic poem for symphony orchestra * ''Suite française'' (1932) : for orchestra * ''Quatorze Juillet'' (1933) : suite of danses for piano taken from his cinematic score * ''Ode à la Montagne'' (1933) : for orchestra * ''Deus Abraham'' (1934) : motet * ''Ballade'' (1934) : «Symphonie de Lewis» for orchestra, taken from ''Tessa'' * ''The Little Riding Hood'' (1935) : suite for piano, burlesque suite for 12 instruments * ''Nativité'' (1935) : cantate for soli, choir and orchestra * ''Cantate pour le temps pascal'' (1935) : for soli, choir and orchestra * ''Trio italien'' (1935) : for violin, viola and cello * ''Sonate a due'' (1936) : for violon, cello and string orchestra * ''Concert flamand'' (1936) : for orchestra * ''Intermèdes'' (1936) for string orchestra * ''Normandie'' (1937) : ballet for orchestra * ''Géographies'' (1937) : for choir and orchestra * ''Jeanne d'Arc'' (1937) : symphonie concertante for soli, choir and orchestra * ''Proses'' (1938) : pour mixed choir and orchestra * ''L'Eau vive'' (1938) : « 5 chants de métier from Haute-Provence» based on texts by

Jean Giono Jean Giono (30 March 1895 – 8 October 1970) was a French writer who wrote works of fiction mostly set in the Provence region of France. First period Jean Giono was born to a family of modest means, his father a cobbler of Piedmontese descent a ...

* ''Caprice italien'' (1938) : concerto for string orchestra * ''Saisir'' (1939) : five melodies for soprano and small orchestra * ''Trois Psaumes pour le temps de guerre'' (1940) : for women choir, harp and piano

Filmography

* 1926: ''

Nana Nana, Nanna, Na Na or NANA may refer to: People and fictional characters * Nana (given name), including a list of people and characters with the given name * Nana (surname), including a list of people and characters with the surname * Nana ( ...

'' by Jean Renoir * 1929: ''

The Lie of Nina Petrovna ''The Lie of Nina Petrovna'' (French: ''Le mensonge de Nina Petrovna'') is a 1937 French drama film directed by Viktor Tourjansky and starring Isa Miranda, Fernand Gravey and Aimé Clariond.Gundle p.131 It is a remake of the 1929 silent film ''The ...

'' (''Die wunderbare Lüge der Nina Petrowna'') by

Hanns Schwarz Hanns Schwarz (11 February 1888 – 27 October 1945) was an Austrian film director. He was born in Vienna on 11 February 1888. Biography He directed twenty four films between 1924 and 1937 in both English and German. During the late silent and ...

* 1930: '' The Little Riding Hood'' by

* 1931: ''La Vie d'un fleuve, la Seine'' short feature documentary by Jean Lods * 1931: '' Au pays du scalp'' (documentary) by Robert de Wavrin * 1932: '' L'affaire est dans le sac'' by Pierre Prévert * 1933: '' L'Homme mystérieux'' short feature by Maurice Tourneur * 1933: '' Bastille Day)'' by

* 1933: '' Zero for Conduct'' by

* 1933: '' Mirages de Paris'' by

Fedor Ozep Fedor Ozep or Fyodor Otsep (russian: Фёдор Алекса́ндрович О́цеп, ''Fyodor Aleksandrovich Otsep''; February 9, 1895 – June 20, 1949) was a Russian-American film director and screenwriter, born in Moscow. An important earl ...

* 1934: ''L'Île de Pâques'' documentary by John Fernhout and

* 1934: ''

L'Atalante ''L'Atalante'', also released as ''Le Chaland qui passe'' ("The Passing Barge"), is a 1934 French film written and directed by Jean Vigo, and starring Jean Dasté, Dita Parlo and Michel Simon. After the difficult release of his controversial ...

'' by

* 1934: ''

The Last Billionaire ''The Last Billionaire'' (French: ''Le dernier milliardaire'') is a 1934 French comedy film directed by René Clair and starring Max Dearly, Marthe Mellot and Renée Saint-Cyr. The film is based on a fictional small European kingdom which is on ...

'' by

* 1935: ' by Maurice Tourneur (Orchestra conducting) * 1936: ''

Mayerling Mayerling is a small village (pop. 200) in Lower Austria belonging to the municipality of Alland in the district of Baden. It is situated on the Schwechat river, in the Wienerwald (''Vienna woods''), southwest of Vienna. From 1550, it was in t ...

'' by

Anatole Litvak Anatoly Mikhailovich Litvak (russian: Анатолий Михайлович Литвак; 21 May 1902 – 15 December 1974), better known as Anatole Litvak, was a Ukrainian-born American filmmaker who wrote, directed, and produced films in vari ...

* 1936: '' Barbe-Bleue'' (animated short feature) by Jean Painlevé * 1936: '' La Vie parisienne'' by

Robert Siodmak Robert Siodmak (; 8 August 1900 – 10 March 1973) was a German film director who also worked in the United States. He is best remembered as a thriller specialist and for a series of films noirs he made in the 1940s, such as ''The Killers'' (194 ...

* 1937: '' We Live in Two Worlds'' short feature documentary by

* 1937: '' Un carnet de bal'' by Julien Duvivier * 1937: ''

Drôle de drame ''Bizarre, Bizarre'' (french: Drôle de drame) is a 1937 French comedy film directed by Marcel Carné. It is based on the 1912 novel '' His First Offence'' by J. Storer Clouston. Plot At a meeting in London, Bishop Soper denounces scandalous l ...

'' by Marcel Carné * 1938: '' Les Filles du Rhône'' by Jean-Paul Paulin * 1938: '' Port of Shadows'' by Marcel Carné * 1938: '' Altitude 3200'' by Jean Benoît-Lévy and Marie Epstein * 1938: ''

Hôtel du Nord ''Hôtel du Nord'' is a 1938 French drama film directed by Marcel Carné that stars Arletty, Louis Jouvet, Annabella, and Jean-Pierre Aumont. It tells the story of two couples in Paris, one being a prostitute and her pimp and the other two you ...

'' by Marcel Carné * 1939: ''Violons d'Ingres'' short feature by Jacques B. Brunius * 1939: '' The White Slave'' by Marc Sorkin and

Georg Wilhelm Pabst Georg Wilhelm Pabst (25 August 1885 – 29 May 1967) was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He started as an actor and theater director, before becoming one of the most influential German-language filmmakers during the Weimar Republic. ...

* 1939: '' La Fin du jour'' by Julien Duvivier * 1939: ''

Le Jour Se Lève ''Le jour se lève'' (, "The day rises"; also known as ''Daybreak'') is a 1939 French film directed by Marcel Carné and written by Jacques Prévert, based on a story by Jacques Viot. It is considered one of the principal examples of the French ...

'' by Marcel Carné Maurice Jaubert played a small role as an orchestra conductor in '' La Nuit de décembre'' by Kurt Bernhardt, produced in 1939.

Discography

Except for soundtracks on films, his entire catalog consists of posthumously recorded music. * In 1943 three movements from his Intermède pour orchestre à cordes op.55 (Ouverture, Forlane, Musique de nuit) were recorded by the Orchestre Marius-François GaillardMorin, Philippe. Annexe – Collection de 40 disques enregistrés entre le 1er novembre 1943 et le 10 novembre 1943. In: ''La Vie musicale sous Vichy'', ed. Chimènes, Myriam. Éditions Complexe, 2001, p266. * ''

Georges Delerue Georges Delerue (12 March 1925 – 20 March 1992) was a French composer who composed over 350 scores for cinema and television. Delerue won numerous important film music awards, including an Academy Award for '' A Little Romance'' (1980), three C ...

conducts the film music of Maurice Jaubert :'' ''

Le Jour se lève ''Le jour se lève'' (, "The day rises"; also known as ''Daybreak'') is a 1939 French film directed by Marcel Carné and written by Jacques Prévert, based on a story by Jacques Viot. It is considered one of the principal examples of the French ...

'', ''

'', ''Le petit chaperon rouge'', '' Un carnet de bal'', ''

Le Quai des brumes ''Port of Shadows'' (french: Le Quai des brumes , "The dock of mists") is a 1938 French film directed by Marcel Carné. An example of poetic realism, it stars Jean Gabin, Michel Simon and Michèle Morgan. The screenplay was written by Jacques Pr ...

'', Madrid Symphony Orchestra, Disques Cinémusique DCM 110 (recorded live in 1986, P 2003)
Online presentation.
* ''Maurice Jaubert - L'Atalante, Quai des brumes et autres musiques de films'' : also includes excerpts from ''Zéro de conduite, 14 juillet'' and ''L'île de Pâques.'' Orchestras conducted by Patrice Mestral and Serge Baudo. Milan CD CH 274. * ''Suite Française, Intermèdes and other Orchestral Works'' by l'Orchestre de chambre de Nice conducted by Jacques-Francis Manzone. Also includes ''piano pieces'' performed by Yoko Sawai, Disques Cinémusique Classique, recorded in 1989 and 2009, P 2009).

* ''25 ans de musique de cinéma français'', orchestra conducted by Serge Baudo : Excerpts from film music scores, movie songs and piano pieces performed by par Yoko Sawai, Disques Cinémusique DCM 122, (recorded in 1956 and 2009, P 2009). One third of the program is devoted to Maurice Jaubert

* ''Concert Maurice Jaubert (2 CD)'' : ''Ballade, Trois psaumes pour le temps de guerre, Jeanne d'Arc, Géographies, Cantate pour le temps pascal''. Choeur et orchestre national de la RTF conducted by Jean Martinon. Jacqueline Brumaire, soprano. Restored and edited version of a 1952 live recording, Disques Cinémusique Classique (P 2017)
Presentation online.
* A few of his songs have been recorded, by Paul Derenne, and

Felicity Lott Dame Felicity Ann Emwhyla Lott, (born 8 May 1947) is an English soprano. Education Lott was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. From her earliest years she was musical, having started studying piano at age 5. She also played violin and bega ...

References

Sources

Biography attributed to Emmanuel Chamboredon from Milan Records.

External links

bio & filmography

non-film compositions

1985 documentary
by François Porcile
Maurice Jaubert - Catalogue of works. Gérard Billaudot, éditeur, March 1999
accessed 5 June 2020. (Includes a short biography) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jaubert, Maurice 1900 births 1940 deaths People from Nice 20th-century French composers French film score composers French male film score composers French electronic musicians French military personnel killed in World War II Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Burials at Montmartre Cemetery Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur 20th-century French male musicians French Army personnel of World War II French Army officers