Louise-Marie Simon (30 November 1903 – 7 March 1990), pen name Claude Arrieu, was a prolific French composer. She wrote hundreds of works in varying formats, including stage works, concert works, and movie scores. She was also a teacher, and worked as a producer and assistant head of sound effects at French Radio.

Biography

Born in Paris, Arrieu was a classically trained musician from an early age. Her mother,

Cecile Paul Simon Cecile Paul Simon (April 12, 1881 - January 3, 1970) was a French composer who published under at least two pseudonyms and was the mother of composer Louise Marie Simon (also known as Claude Arrieu). Simon was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine. Little ...

, was also a composer. Arrieu became particularly interested in works by

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...

and Mozart, and later, Igor Stravinsky. However, Gabriel Fauré, Claude Debussy, and Maurice Ravel provided her the most inspiration. Dreaming of a career as a virtuoso, she entered the

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 ...

in 1924. She became a piano student of

Marguerite Long Marguerite Marie-Charlotte Long (13 November 1874 – 13 February 1966) was a French pianist, pedagogue, lecturer, and an ambassador of French music. Life Early life: 1874–1900 Marguerite Long was born to Pierre Long and Anne Marie Antoin ...

and took classes from Georges Caussade, Noël Gallon, Jean Roger-Ducasse and

Paul Dukas Paul Abraham Dukas ( or ; 1 October 1865 – 17 May 1935) was a French composer, critic, scholar and teacher. A studious man of retiring personality, he was intensely self-critical, having abandoned and destroyed many of his compositions. His b ...

. In 1932, she received first prize for

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

. From this point on, she developed her personal style. She was particularly interested in the evolution of musical language and various technical means available. In 1935, she joined the French Radio Broadcasting Program Service (« Service des programmes de la Radiodiffusion française »), where she was employed to 1947. She participated in the development of a wide range of programming, including Pierre Schaeffer's experimental

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...

series, ''La Coquille à planètes'' (1943–1944). In 1949, she won the

Prix Italia The Prix Italia is an international Television, Radio-broadcasting and Web award. It was established in 1948 by RAI – Radiotelevisione Italiana (in 1948, RAI had the denomination RAI – Radio Audizioni Italiane) in Capri and is honoured with the ...

of the

RAI RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

for her score ''Frédéric Général''. She wrote music in all styles, composing works of "pure music" as well as music for

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

, film, radio, and music hall, contributing her own voice to every situation, dramatic or comic, with a particular taste for

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular re ...

and imagery. Her musical gift is typified by its ease of flow and elegance of structure. Vivacity, clarity of expression, and a natural feel for melody are her hallmarks. Arrieu composed concertos for

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 ...

(1932), two pianos (1934), two concertos for

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 ...

(1938 and 1949), for flute (1946),

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 ...

and strings (1965). She also wrote ''Petite suite en cinq parties'' (1945), "Concerto for wind quintet and strings" (1962), ''Suite funambulesque'' ("Tightrope Walker's Suite") (1961), and "Variations for classical strings" (1970). Among her important chamber music compositions are her Trio for Woodwinds (1936), Sonatina for two violins (1937), and Clarinet Quartet (1964). Her Sonatine for flute and piano made a big impression at its first radio performance in 1944 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 Western concert flute, flute the popularity as a solo classical instrument it had not held since the 18th ce ...

and H. Moyens. Although Arrieu's instrumental works strongly contributed to her legacy, it is vocal music that most markedly distinguish her career. Voice inspired her to set many poems to music, including those by

Joachim du Bellay Joachim du Bellay (; – 1 January 1560) was a French poet, critic, and a founder of the Pléiade. He notably wrote the manifesto of the group: '' Défense et illustration de la langue française'', which aimed at promoting French as an a ...

, Louise Levêque de Vilmorin,

Louis Aragon Louis Aragon (, , 3 October 1897 – 24 December 1982) was a French poet who was one of the leading voices of the surrealist movement in France. He co-founded with André Breton and Philippe Soupault the surrealist review ''Littérature''. He ...

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the s ...

Jean Tardieu Jean Tardieu (born in Saint-Germain-de-Joux, Ain, 1 November 1903, died in Créteil, Val-de-Marne, 27 January 1995) was a French artist, musician, poet and dramatic author. Life and career He earned a degree in literature and worked for a publ ...

, Stéphane Mallarmé, and

Paul Éluard Paul Éluard (), born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel (; 14 December 1895 – 18 November 1952), was a French poet and one of the founders of the Surrealist movement. In 1916, he chose the name Paul Éluard, a matronymic borrowed from his maternal ...

. Examples include ''Chansons bas'' for voice and piano based on poems by Mallarmé (1937); ''Candide'', radio music on texts by Jean Tardieu based on

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—es ...

; and ''À la Libération'', cantata of seven poems on love in war, on poems by Paul Éluard. Her first

opéra bouffe Opéra bouffe (, plural: ''opéras bouffes'') is a genre of late 19th-century French operetta, closely associated with Jacques Offenbach, who produced many of them at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens, inspiring the genre's name. Opéras bouff ...

, ''Cadet Roussel'' with a libretto by André de la Tourasse after Jean Limozin, was presented at the Opéra de Marseille on 2 October 1953. In 1960, ''La Princesse de Babylone'', an opéra bouffe after the work of Voltaire adapted by Pierre Dominica, was praised for its lyrical originality and spectacle. Noteworthy

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

s include: ''Les Gueux au paradis'' (1946), ''Crèvecoeur'' (1955), ''Niok l'éléphant'' (1957), ''Marchands de rien'' (1958), ''Le Tombeur'' (1958), and ''Julie Charles'' (for

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

, 1974). Pierre Schaeffer wrote: "Claude Arrieu is part of her time by virtue of a presence, an instinct of efficiency, a bold fidelity. Whatever the means, concertos or songs, music for official events, concerts for the elite or for a crowd of spectators, she delivered emotion through an impeccable technique and a spiritual vigilance, finding the path to the heart."

Notable Compositions

Trio d'anches / Reed Trio, 1936 1. Allegro. 2. Pastorale et Scherzo. 3. Final. 9 mins. Ob, cl, bn Arrieu was 33 when she wrote the Reed Trio; it was commissioned by the ''Trio D’Anches de Paris''; Poulenc (1926), Milhaud (''Suite d’après Michel Corrette'', op 161, 1937) Ibert (1935), and Auric (1938) had also composed for them. However, her Trio shows the care she took with the part writing, sharing the material equally between the three instruments. The opening ''Allegretto ritmico'' is a swaggering mock march, with contrasting, nostalgic episodes. Initially the ''Pastorale et Scherzo'' is tender and swaying; the 3-time continues, faster and cheekily, and includes its own ‘middle section’. The Final, ''Allègrement'', emulates the military manner, even in 3-time; then comes a ‘proper’, 4-time, steadier parade. Her wittiness is mischievous, producing teasingly foiled expectations in a mildly anarchic manner. Published by Amphion Editions. The Ambache CD recording is on ''Liberté, Egalité, Sororité''. It can be bought on Ambache Recordings Liberté, Egalité, Sororitéhttp://womenofnote.co.uk/recordings/: . Wind Dixtuor. 1967 Wind Dixtuor, 1967 (rev. 1989) 1. Allegretto moderato. 2. Moderato - Allegro scherzando - Andante - Tempo primo. 3. Andante - Allegro scherzando. 2 fl, ob, 2 cl, 2 bn, hn, tpt, tbn The humorous first movement has slightly grotesque leaps in the main theme. An intermezzo quality characterizes the outer sections of the second movement, around a brief scherzando. Next, a pastoral 6/8 precedes a bustling second scherzando. The singing wind writing is taken up again in the Cantabile, and the whole is rounded off with an energetic finale, which ends in a characteristically French gesture - with surprising gentleness. This piece was premiered at RTF by the Birbaum Ensemble.

Works List

Opera *''Noé'', 1931–1934 (imagerie musicale, 3 acts, A. Obey), f.p. Strasbourg Opéra, 29 January 1950 *''Cadet Roussel'', 1938–1939 (opéra bouffe, 5 acts, André de la Tourasse after Jean Limozin), f.p. Marseilles, Opéra, 2 October 1953 *''La Coquille à planètes'' (opéra radiophonique, Pierre Schaeffer), RTF (

Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française (RTF; ''French Radio and Television Broadcasting'') was the French national public broadcaster television organization established on 9 February 1949 to replace the post-war "''Radiodiffusion Française''" ...

), 1944 *''Le deux rendez-vous'', 1948 (opéra comique, P. Bertin after G. de Nerval), RTF, 22 June 1951 *''Le chapeau à musique'' (opéra enfantine, 2 acts, Tourasse and P. Dumaine), RTF, 1953 *''La princesse de Babylone'', 1953–1955 (opéra bouffe, 3 acts, P. Dominique, after Voltaire), Rheims, Opéra, 3 March 1960 *''La cabine téléphonique'' (opéra bouffe, 1 act, M. Vaucaire), RTF, 15 March 1959 *''Cymbeline'', 1958–1963 (2 acts, J. Tournier and M. Jacquemont, after Shakespeare), ORTF, 31 March 1974 *''Balthazar, ou Le mort–vivant'', 1966 (opéra bouffe, 1 act, Dominique), Unperformed *''Un clavier pour un autre'' (opéra bouffe, 1 act, J. Tardieu), Avignon, Opéra, 3 April 1971 *''Barbarine'', 1972 (3 acts, after A. de Musset), incomplete *''Les amours de Don Perlimpin et Belise en son jardin'' (imaginaire lyrique, 4 tableaux, after F. Garcia Lorca), Tours, Grand Théâtre, 1 March 1980 Chamber Music * ''Cinq mouvements'', 1964 (clarinet quartet: E-flat, two B-flat, and bass), premiered by the Belgian Clarinet Quartet in Aix-la-Chapelle, Germany * ''Concerto en ut'', 1938 (2 pianos and orchestra) * ''Deux pieces'', 1966 (string quintet, harp, horn, and percussion), premiered at ORTF under the direction of Freddy Alberti * ''Fantaisie lyrique'', 1959 (

ondes Martenot The ondes Martenot ( ; , "Martenot waves") or ondes musicales ("musical waves") is an early electronic musical instrument. It is played with a keyboard or by moving a ring along a wire, creating "wavering" sounds similar to a theremin. A player ...

and piano), contest piece for the Paris Conservatory * ''Impromptu II'', 1985 (oboe and piano) * ''Passe-pied'', 1966 (cello and piano) * ''Quintette en ut'', 1952 (wind quintet), premiered by the French Wind Quintet in Sarrebrück, Germany, 1952 * ''Suite en trio'', 1955 (bamboo pipes: soprano, alto in A or G, and bass) * ''Suite en quatre'', 1980 (flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon), premiered by the Soni Ventorum Ensemble in Washington, U.S., 19 January 1980 Vocal Music * ''A traduire en esthionen'', 1947 (René Chalupt) * ''Ah! Si j'étais un oiseau'', 1946 (choir: three equal parts, Samivel) * ''Attributs'', 1947 (René Chalupt) * ''Chanson de Marianne'', 1947 (soprano and/or baritone and piano, Max Jacob) * ''Dix Chansons: Folklore de France'', 1957 (unison choir, flute, oboe, clarinet, percussion, and strings) * ''Rondeaux de Clément Marot'', 1950 (choir: three equal parts) * ''Rue des Ormeaux'', 1953 (music for radio, Claude Roy) Teaching Pieces * ''Caprice'', 1976 (B-flat or C trumpet and piano) * ''Cerf-volant'', 1976 (piano) * ''Conte d'hiver'', 1976 (bass trombone and piano) * ''Escapade'', 1976 (piano) * ''Intermède'', 1966 (B-flat or C trumpet and piano) * ''Introduction'', scherzo et choral, 1986 (tenor trombone and piano) * ''La fête'', 1976 (clarinet and piano) * ''La poupée casée'', 1976 (piano) * ''Le cœur volant'', 1976 (horn and piano) * ''Lectures pour piano'', 1968 (piano) ** Volume 1: I. Nonchalance, II. L'hiver est fini, III. Bavardes, IV. Carnet de bal ** Volume 2: V. Ingénue, VI. Capricieuse, VII. Malicieuse, VIII. Péronelle * ''L'enfant sage'', 1976 (piano) * ''L'étourdi'', 1979 (B-flat or C trumpet and piano) * ''Manu militari'', 1979 (B-flat or C trumpet and piano) * ''Ménétrier'', 1965 (B-flat or C trumpet or cornet and piano) * ''Nocturne'', 1976 (oboe and piano) * ''Nostalgie'', 1980 (flute and piano) * ''Pauvre Pierre'', 1976 (flute and piano) * ''Petit choral'', 1980 (clarinet and piano) * ''Petit récit'', 1976 (piano) * ''Prélude pastoral'', 1976 (piano) * ''Promenade mélancolique'', 1976 (piano) * ''Questionnaire'', 1976 (piano) * ''Retour au village'', 1986 (B-flat or C trumpet and piano) * ''Rêverie'', 1979 (B-flat or C trumpet and piano) * ''Six-huit'', 1965 (Bb or C trumpet and piano) * ''Trois duos faciles'', 1977 (two flutes) * ''Trois duos faciles'', 1977 (flute and bassoon) * ''Trois duos faciles'', 1977 (two oboes) * ''Un jour d'été'', 1976 (clarinet and piano) * ''Valse'', 1948 (piano) * ''Voyage en hiver'', 1976 (flute and piano)

References

Sources

*Sadie, Stanley (Ed.)

992 Year 992 ( CMXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Worldwide * Winter – A superflare from the sun causes an Aurora Borealis, with visibility as fa ...

(1994). The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, vol. 1, A-D, chpt: "Arrieu, Claude" by Richard Langham Smith, New York: MacMillan. .
IMDb: Claude Arrieu - Filmography
* Fr.Wikipedia: Claude Arrieu
Editions Billaudot: Claude Arrieu

External links

Radio France
oxfordmusiconline.com
Nearly Complete Catalogue
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arrieu, Claude 1903 births 1990 deaths 20th-century classical composers 20th-century French composers 20th-century French women musicians Women opera composers French women classical composers French film score composers French women film score composers French opera composers 20th-century women composers Pseudonyms