''Pacific 231'' is an orchestral work by
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 ...
, written in 1923.
It is one of his most frequently performed works.
Description
The popular interpretation of the piece is that it depicts a
steam locomotive, one that is supported by the title of the piece alongside film versions. Honegger explained that he wrote it as an exercise in building momentum while the tempo of the piece slows. He originally titled it Mouvement Symphonique, only giving it the name ''Pacific 231'', a class of
steam locomotive designated in
Whyte notation
Whyte notation is a classification method for steam locomotives, and some internal combustion locomotives and electric locomotives, by wheel arrangement. It was devised by Frederick Methvan Whyte, and came into use in the early twentieth cen ...
as a
4-6-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. The locomo ...
, with four pilot wheels, six driving wheels, and two trailing wheels (in France, where axles rather than wheels are counted, this arrangement is designated 2-3-1) after it was finished. Honegger was widely known as a train enthusiast, and once notably said: "I have always loved locomotives passionately. For me they are living creatures and I love them as others love women or horses."
Form
The work consists of five main sections, all of which are delineated consecutively through musical
motifs,
ostinatos, and other textural demarcations. Each of the sounds are elements of a train and the different
soundscapes generated before, during, and at the conclusion of its trip.
# Standstill
# The start of the locomotive
# Increasing speed
# Driving at top speed
# Deceleration and stop
Accompanying the 1923 published score, Honegger described the long-range form of the work:
Orchestration
The orchestra consists of: 2
flutes
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...
,
piccolo flute, 2
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.
...
s,
English horn, 2
clarinets,
bass clarinet, 2
bassoons,
contrabassoon – 4
French horns, 3
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
s, 3
trombone
The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...
s,
tuba
The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...
, –
4 percussionists (
tenor drum A tenor drum is a membranophone without a snare. There are several types of tenor drums.
Early music
Early music tenor drums, or long drums, are cylindrical membranophone without snare used in Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music. They consi ...
,
cymbal,
bass drum,
tam tam) –
strings.
''Pacific 231'' is the first in Honegger's series of three symphonic movements. The other two are ''Rugby'' and ''Mouvement Symphonique No. 3''. Honegger lamented that his "poor ''Symphonic Movement No. 3'' paid dearly for its barren title." Critics generally ignored it, while ''Pacific 231'' and ''Rugby'', with more evocative titles, have been written about in depth.
In film
A 1949 award-winning French film, ''Pacific 231'', directed by Jean Mitry, used the orchestral work as the sound track for a tribute to the steam locomotive, and included close-up footage of driving wheels, running gear and railroad operations, mostly taken at speed, and cut/choreographed to the music.
References
# Honegger, Arthur (1951), trans. Clough, Wilson O. and
Willman, Allan Arthur (1966). ''I am a Composer''. London: Faber and Faber Ltd.
# Study score, Salabert, Paris, (1924)
;Specific
External links
The 1949 Cannes-winning film on Internet ArchiveThe 1931 Russian version on YouTube''Pacific 231'' (1949)
on IMDb
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
{{italictitle
Compositions by Arthur Honegger
Symphonic poems
1923 compositions
Works about rail transport
1949 films
French short films
Rail transport films