Honegger, Arthur (b Le Havre, 1892; d Paris, 1955). Swiss composer. Member of group of Fr. composers known as Les Six from 1920. His Le Roi David won him wider fame in 1921, but this was eclipsed in 1924 by f.p. of his representation of a locomotive in Pacific 231. From these works he moved nearer to a neo-romantic style with overtones of baroque influence from his admiration for Bach. His mus. remained tonal and often has strong emotional impact, as in his dramatic oratorio, based on a Claudel ‘mystery play’, Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher. His syms. were championed by the cond. Charles Munch. He visited the USA several times and despite ill-health taught in his last years at the École Normale in Paris. Prin. works:

THEATRE: Le Roi David, dramatic psalm (1921); Judith, biblical opera (1925); Antigone (1927); Amphion, ballet-melodrama, speaker, bar., 4 female vv., ch., orch. (1929); Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher, stage oratorio (1934-5); L'Aiglon, 5-act opera with Ibert (1935); Charles le téméraire (1943-4).

BALLETS: Les Mariés de la Tour Eiffel (with Les Six) (1921); L'appel de la montagne (1945).

ORCH.: Pastorale d'été (1920); Chant de Joie (1923); Pacific 231 (1923); concertino, pf., orch. (1924); Rugby (1928); vc. conc. (1929); syms., No.1 (1929-30), No.2, str., tpt. (1941), No.3 (Liturgique) (1945-6), No.4 (Deliciae basiliensis) (1946), No.5 (Di tre re) (1951); Mouvement symphonique No.3 (1932-3); Nocturne (1936); La Construction d'une cité (with Milhaud) (1937); concerto da camera, fl., ca., str. (1948); Monopartita (1951).

VOICE AND ORCH.: Chanson de Ronsard, with fl. and str. (1924); 3 Chansons populaires (1926).

CHORAL: Cantique des Cantiques (1926); Les Cris du Monde (1930-1); La Danse des Morts (Claudel), solo vv., ch., orch. (1938); Chant de libération (1944); Une Cantate de Noël (1941/1953).

CHAMBER MUSIC: str. qts., No.1 (1916-17), No.2 (1936), No.3 (1936-7); sonatas for pf. and vn., No.1 (1916-18), No.2 (1919); va. sonata (1920); vc. sonata (1920); vn. sonatina (1932); vn. sonata (1940).

Also incid. mus. for plays, mus. for films (incl. Les Misérables (1934), Mayerling (1935), and Pygmalion (1938)), radio mus., many songs, and pf. pieces.