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1892-1983 Commémoration at Quincy-Voisins (Seine et Marne), France Novembre 30, 2003 Of the 20th anniversary of the composer's death
at 16 h00 Inauguration of the Allée Germaine Tailleferre at 17h00 Concert organised by the Conservatoire de Musique of Quincy-Voisins, with Danielle MONGIN, piano : Paola CANCELLIERI, piano, Pierre CESMAT, violin, Olivier DYGAS, piano, Benjamin GARNIER, violoncello, Alain GUILLOUZO, choral director, Brigitte LION, flute, Christine LOTON, piano, Maude SOMERS, harp, Alain TROUCHARD, clarinet, Paul WEHAGE, saxophone and Michèle ABAUZIT, actress Organised by the City of Quincy-Voisins with support from the SACEM Free Entrance From November 23 to au December 13, 2003 at the Library of the Centre Culturel André Malraux : Exposition “Germaine Tailleferre , An exceptional life...” Commemorations are often seen as a pompous second funeral service. It would seem that one of the distinctions of artists is not to die, at least, according to Charles Trenet, “ longtemps, longtemps, longtemps, après que les poètes ont disparu…”but one could say the same of all people who we love. Why then should we go through the trouble of burying them a second time? We have decided to celebrate the life of Germaine Tailleferre in a way in which she would without a doubt have appreciated, far from academic speechs and numbing funeral odes, simply by performing her own music at a stone's throw from her grave, and in entrusting this concert not to international virtuosi (who have not manifested much interest in her music to begin with....) nor to those who have proclaimed themselves Vestales or High-priests of her cult but rather to teachers at a rural music school, their students and especially their directress who understood from the beginning who Germaine Tailleferre was and what her place was in the music of the 20th century. It is therefore in the village of Quincy-Voisins where she is buried that the elected officials, the talented musicians and of course all who appreciate her music will honor her on November 30. This project has the approval of the person who knew her best during her lifetime, Tailleferre's Grand-daughter and heir, Elvire de Rudder. Our objective here is not to write a biography nor to make a musicological thesis (for more biographical information, please consult this page on our site), but rather to simply propose a certain number of elements which will permit the visitor to know Tailleferre as a friend, through small touchs of daily life, in the same way as one can view the objects in the exposition. Through a note left on the fridge, through an early book of sketchs, through manuscripts of scores which are elegant and exceptionally clear....Photos of friends, not necessarily musicians, famous or not ( Charlie Chaplin, Arthur Rubinstein etc.) . Various souvenirs of important colleagues: Apollinaire, the Two Pauls, Valéry and Claudel on whose texts Tailleferre wrote major works ( La Cantate du Narcisse, Sous le Rempart d’Athènes), also Lise Deharme the muse surréaliste, Henri Jeanson le satiriste… Marguerite Duras with whom Tailleferre tried to write Popular songs ( because Sartre had done that…) and the younger friend Tardieu ,her younger brother in poetry and fantasy (Jean Tardieu would have been 100 this year...). It would be impossible not to mention Ravel who made her play the piano for him for hours at his home in Montfort-L'Amaury, the exotic Stravinksy, Satie who adopted the Young Tailleferre as his "musical daughter", Darius and Madelaine Milhaud the faithful friends, Poulenc aka Poupoule who visited his Bidulette regularly. Another faithful friend who stood by Tailleferre until the end of her life was Bernard Lefort, a famous Baritone who became Director of the Paris Opera and who formed a mythical duo with Tailleferre in the 1950s....but also friends who were more painful, Paul Morland for example whose antisemitism and compromises with the occupying Nazi force lead Tailleferre to break her friendship with him. Among these more difficult friends were the "Hussards" who Tailleferre knew through her daughter Françoise and whose political choices during the War in Algéria were a great source of pain to this woman of Leftist political convinctions (whose fidelity to her friends Louis Durey, Jean Wiener and Marie-Claude Vaillant-Couturier lead her to join the Communist Party in protest to the problems that these friends had because of their political views). Among these young writers, Antoine Blondin wrote Tailleferre beautiful letters, Nimier who had less time, wrote telegrammes and Albert Vidale included a member of Tailleferre's immediate family in one of his most famous song texts which was written for Serge Reggiani. Tailleferre's aptitude to remain completely up to date lead her to meet one of the most brilliant representatives of the New Novel, Robert Pinget who gave her Eleven Short Poems to set as songs. Her home in Saint Tropez (in the same way that the home of Colette in the same City had been earlier) became something like Georges Sand's home Nohant in the 19th century : a place of welcoming cheer where one would see at dinner all of the emerging and established talents of the artistic life of the time......because for Tailleferre, the criteria of talent is the only thing that counts when it comes with heartfelt intelligence. At her table, one could meet Princes and Peanut Sellers from the Beach.......some of whom were both at the same time. One of the rare mistakes that Cocteau made was to assimilate the music of Tailleferre with the paintings of Marie Laurencin. In the dangerous game of comparisons, it is clear that Tailleferre's music is closer to the painting of Sonia Delaunay rather than the charming watercolours of Laurencin. There is a quality of "fauvisme" in the music of Tailleferre.....and those who have had the luck of participating with Elvire de Rudder in the (re)discovery of certain pieces have found well-contructed works with definite charactor, which avoid unnecessary sweetness and are concise. When Tailleferre wanted to do which is known in France as "ouvrages de dame", she did real examples of this: Tapestries, hand-painted decoration on doors and furniture, sewing with Marguerite Duras..... Inspite of what one would have us believe, for whatever reason, Tailleferre's music is not part of this catagory of activities... As with any composer who has left a large catalogue of works over the span of a lifetime, there are minor works in Tailleferre's catalogue, “ bidules ” as she joked with Poulenc, a title which she gave to a small cycle of pieces for young pianists (Bidules à danser or "Thingamagigs to Dance", literally) ; her most important works can be put beside the works of any composer, male or female . This will be proved in the course of the concert at Quincy-Voisins or in listening to the important discography which presents Tailleferre's music (about 70 CDs). We are very happy to know that a route in Quincy-Voisins will shortly have the name of Germaine Tailleferre....Street? Avenue? Boulevard? Non, simply allée, chemin or promenade, three works which evoke a notion of a dreamlike movement like poetry. The tree-lined Allée which leads to the old Chateau is exactly right in these terms. An address : Centre Culturel André Malraux, allée Germaine Tailleferre. The Author of L'Espoir who liked to visit the homes of talented women would appreciate without a doubt that welcoming posthumous and unexpected gesture.... Jean-Thierry Boisseau |
