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Showing papers by "Linda Hutcheon published in 2001"



Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 2001

4 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jun 2001-Notes
TL;DR: In this article, the authors place key works by Langlais in the broader context of his professional development and personal life, which is especially appropriate for a composer whose creative energies were often inspired by people, places, or events.
Abstract: balance, Labounsky writes compellingly about worthwhile but neglected pieces, while frankly admitting that others (unspecified) should have remained unpublished: “Langlais could not objectively decide what to throw away. . . . Instead of reworking sketches for months at a time, he usually sent them to the copyist as soon as they were finished, without a second thought” (p. 330). Labounsky’s decision to place key works by Langlais in the broader context of his professional development and personal life is especially appropriate for a composer whose creative energies were often inspired by people, places, or events. Sometimes the inspiration is obvious, as in the highly programmatic pieces bearing descriptive titles and clear thematic allusions. In other works, like those containing motives melodically encoded from names of family members, friends, and lovers, the author’s explanations are especially welcome, even though one is inclined to agree that in these pieces, “[t]he pleasure of discovering the name motifs and performing his music is sometimes greater for the performer than for the listener” (p. 330). While Labounsky’s presentation of Langlais’s organ works leaves open the question of whether the best of them will eventually be ranked with those of Franck and Tournemire, her assertion that “[a]bove all Langlais should be recognized as a significant composer of sacred music” (p. 331) is substantiated by generous and informative coverage of the prominence of chant melodies and modes in his compositions and improvisations. Moreover, several of Langlais’s important compositions (including some intended for concert performance) were—like the organ works of his friend and contemporary Olivier Messiaen —inspired by Roman Catholic liturgy and teachings. And even though opposed (philosophically, at least) to the Second Vatican Council’s pronouncements on church music, Langlais contributed an important body of music for use in the new rites. Thus the composer’s lifelong commitment to expressing his ardent Roman Catholicism through music may form his strongest link to the so-called SainteClotilde Tradition. Benjamin Van Wye Skidmore College

3 citations