''Pacific 231'' is an orchestral work by Arthur Honegger, 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 A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

, 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

designated in Whyte notation 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 locomotiv ...

, 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 A soundscape is the acoustic environment as perceived by humans, in context. The term was originally coined by Michael Southworth, and popularised by R. Murray Schafer. There is a varied history of the use of soundscape depending on discipline, ...

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,

piccolo flute The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...

, 2 oboes,

English horn The cor anglais (, or original ; plural: ''cors anglais''), or English horn in North America, is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family. It is approximately one and a half times the length of an oboe, making it essentially an alto ...

, 2

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave bel ...

, 2

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

contrabassoon The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower. Its technique is similar to its smaller cousin, with a few notable differences. Differences from the bassoon The reed is consi ...

– 4

French horns The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...

, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, – 4 percussionists ( tenor drum,

cymbal A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs soun ...

bass drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. Th ...

tam tam The tamtam, sometimes spelled tam-tam, is a type of gong. TamTam, Tam-Tam, tamtam, or tam-tam may also refer to: * ''Tam-Tam'' (album), a 1983 album by Amanda Lear * Tam Tam (''Samurai Shodown''), a character from the fighting game ''Samurai Sh ...

) –

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

. ''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 {{italictitle Compositions by Arthur Honegger Symphonic poems 1923 compositions Works about rail transport 1949 films French short films Rail transport films