The birth of "Les Six"

Synopsis

Today marks the anniversary of the creation of a famous classical music nickname, “Les Six”—French for “The Six.” That’s what Parisian music critic Henri Collet dubbed six composers on this day in 1920, in a magazine article.

The composers Collet named include three still often heard today—Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honegger and Francis Poulenc. Performances of the other three composers, George Auric, Louis Durey, and the only woman in the group, Germaine Tailleferre, are still relatively rare.

Though is counted among the neglected half of Les Six, Tailleferre’s music has been having something of a revival lately. Perhaps this is part of a general renewal of interest in concert works written by women composers, or perhaps it’s a belated recognition that much of her best work remains fresh and appealing, like her Violin Sonata No. 1, composed in 1921 and dedicated to the great French violinist Jacques Thibaud.

Born near Paris in 1892, Tailleferre was a prodigy with an astounding memory. Erik Satie proclaimed her his “musical daughter,” and she was also close friends with Maurice Ravel. The Second World War, financial insecurity, and increasing arthritis inhibited Tailleferre’s career in her later years, but she continued to compose and teach until her death at age 91, in 1983.

Music Played in Today's Program

Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983) Violin Sonata No. 1 Renate Eggebrecht, violin; Angela Gassenhuber, piano Troubadisc 1406

On This Day

Births

• 1728 - Italian opera composer Niccoló Piccinni, in Bari;

• 1905 - Spanish composer Ernesto Halffter, in Madrid;

• 1934 - American composer Richard Wernick, in Boston, Massachusetts;

• 1943 - English composer Gavin Bryars, in Goole, Yorkshire;

• 1943 - English composer Brian Ferneyhough, in Coventry;

Deaths

• 1886 - Italian opera composer Amilcare Ponchielli, age 51, in Milan;

• 1891 - French ballet composer Leo Delibes, age 54, in Paris;

• 1957 - Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini, age 89, in New York;

• 1969 - Russian-born American composer and songwriter Vernon Duke (Vladimir Dukelsky), age 65, in Santa Monica, Calif,;

Premieres

• 1724 - Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 155 ("Mein Gott, wie lang, ach lange") performed on the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's first annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1723/24);

• 1739 - Handel: oratorio, "Saul," in London at the King's Theater in the Haymarket (Gregorian date: Jan. 27);

• 1745 - Handel: musical drama "Hercules" (Julian date: Jan. 5);

• 1800 - Cherubini: opera "Les deux journées," in Paris at the Théatre Feydeau;

• 1869 - Borodin: Symphony No. 1, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Jan. 4);

• 1876 - Tchaikovsky: "Serenade mélancolique,"in Moscow (Gregorian date: Jan. 28);

• 1905 - d'Albert: opera "Tiefland" (The Lowlands) (2nd version), in Magdeburg at the Stadttheater;

• 1916 - Prokofiev: "Scythian" Suite (Gregorian date: Jan. 29);

• 1933 - Miaskovsky: Symphony No. 11, in Moscow;

• 1936 - Frank Bridge: "Ovation (Concerto elegiaco)" for Cello and Orchestra, in London, by the BBC Symphony conducted by the composer, with Florence Hooton the soloist;

• 1942 - Britten: "Diversions on a Theme" for Piano Left Hand, by pianist Paul Wittgenstein, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting;

• 1969 - Babbitt: "Relata II," by the New York Philharmonic, with Leonard Bernstein conducting;

• 1983 - Daniel Asia: "Why (?) Jacob" for piano, by Sanford Margolis;

• 1997 - Esa-Pekka Salonen: "L.A. Variations" for orchestra, by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with the composer conducting.