Even for quite extensive compositions, Koechlin first notated the melodic line—harmonization and orchestration might be undertaken months, even years, later. That is, in contrast to the Richard Strauss of the tone poems or the Wagner of Tristan und Isolde—in whose music every note is fraught with harmonic implications, and orchestral effects are implicit in the composition—Koechlin's modus operandi seems simple, rational, orderly. From his earliest compositions, melody was primary—in the well-crafted songs of the 1890s, obviously, but also in the haunting cor anglais melody of the symphonic poem Au loin, Op. 20/2 (1896-1900), though it is not until the 1930s that collections of monodies—often for such neglected instruments as bassoon, hunting horn, oboe d'amore, cor anglais, or ondes martenot—began to displace the spate of sonatinas and sonatas of former decades. As in Reger's labyrinthine catalog, a single opus can harbor an astounding number of items, for instance, the three books of Les Chants de Nectaire for flute, containing 32 pieces each (1944; Opp. 198, 199, 200). Of the latter he wrote to Henri Sauguet on August 17, 1945, "...it was only a question of turning on the melodic tap to write monodies like my Chants de Nectaire...Last year at La Canadel I wrote several of them on the same day, as fast as my pen would go, though when I set myself to work on a given subject it is a different matter altogether (as Fauré said), and I often come up against a 'brick wall.'" Even the great orchestral works took on a monodic dimension—two of the seven pieces of Le Livre de la jungle are monodies of a monumental cast, employing the full orchestra, and extensive playing just under and well over 10 minutes. While many of these pieces are surprisingly attractive, others are mere noodling—an element of uncritical self-indulgence becomes apparent. On the other hand, Koechlin often imbues these brief pieces with specific poetic or pictorial character. Of the 11 Monodies for wind instruments, composed over 1947-1948, all but two bear titles—"Le faune" (No. 1), "La mer aux bruits innombrables" (No. 3), "La chasse d'Artemis" (No. 5). Nos. 1 through 8 are for clarinet in A, No. 9 for B flat clarinet, and No. 11 for cor anglais. No. 10, "Le repos de Tityre," the standout of the set, is for oboe d'amore, soprano saxophone, or clarinet, and spirits up the Virgilian pastoral of its title.

© Adrian Corleonis, Rovi