# Barraqué, Jean (1928-1973)



## science

One composer whose name comes up from time to time that I haven't tried at all is Jean Barraqué. Evidently he was basically a serialist, although he had his personal "proliferating series" technique in which he gradually varied the tone rows he used.

According to wikipedia: Harry Halbreich has written that "Barraqué's whole work is marked by terrible despair, lightened by no religious or ideological faith, and entirely dominated by the great shadow of Death."

So he has that going for him.

I think I will begin my exploration of his work with the CPO disk:

View attachment 43585


I wonder, what have you heard? Is there any particular recording you'd recommend?


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## Prodromides

Hi, science.

I have that CPO album, and I think another older disc from a French label.

Even though I've owned these for years, the music of Jean Barraqué has not yet penetrated my mind.

Perhaps you'll have a better response to his music...


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## Mandryka

For the piano sonata -- which is a major masterpiece IMO -- I recommend you hear Herbert Henck's CD. I didn't enjoy Litwin's performance in that CPO box very much.


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## PetrB

Mislabeled and on Youtube:

'Piano Concerto'

In the comments we get the correct appellation of the work in the link:
"Concerto for clarinet, vibraphone and six instrumental groups.﻿"

"The serialist composer Jean Barraqué never wrote a "Piano Concerto". This work is his "Concerto for six instrumental groups and two soloist instruments" (1968)."





Upon second hearing, I am still liking what I hear, though one could now say (as one could also say about anything by Beethoven) "it is dated," (i.e. it has characteristics which distinguish it as of and from its time.)

The Wiki article mentions a complete set of his works now recorded. 
"In 1998 the record company CPO issued his entire output on CD, in performances by the Austrian ensemble Klangforum Wien."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Barraqu%C3%A9

I am curious about his long-term project, a cycle _La Mort de Virgile_, based on Hermann Broch's novel _The Death of Virgil_.


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## Mandryka

PetrB said:


> Mislabeled and on Youtube:
> 
> 'Piano Concerto'
> 
> In the comments we get the correct appellation of the work in the link:
> "Concerto for clarinet, vibraphone and six instrumental groups.﻿"
> 
> "The serialist composer Jean Barraqué never wrote a "Piano Concerto". This work is his "Concerto for six instrumental groups and two soloist instruments" (1968)."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Upon second hearing, I am still liking what I hear, though one could now say (as one could also say about anything by Beethoven) "it is dated," (i.e. it has characteristics which distinguish it as of and from its time.)
> 
> The Wiki article mentions a complete set of his works now recorded.
> "In 1998 the record company CPO issued his entire output on CD, in performances by the Austrian ensemble Klangforum Wien."
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Barraqu%C3%A9
> 
> I am curious about his long-term project, a cycle _La Mort de Virgile_, based on Hermann Broch's novel _The Death of Virgil_.


I have tried several times to read the book in translation, both in English and French, but I've never made it past the first fifty pages.


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## aleazk

I'm only familiar with the Piano Sonata, which I enjoy.

Color note: Barraqué and Michel Foucault were lovers and both were known for their public support of... er... sadomasochism, lol.


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## science

Mandryka said:


> For the piano sonata -- which is a major masterpiece IMO -- I recommend you hear Herbert Henck's CD. I didn't enjoy Litwin's performance in that CPO box very much.


Thanks! I might get both after all - as we said on the other thread, I like Henck.

I wonder if I can persuade you to verbalize a little of what made you like Henck's recording better?


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## Mandryka

The classic recording is Roger Woodward's, which he made with Barraque's input and approval. I think it's also outstanding but I prefer Henck (most of the time) in the first movement because it's less hectic than Woodward's. Anyway Woodward's never been commercially off LP though I have a good private transfer.


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## PetrB

aleazk said:


> I'm only familiar with the Piano Sonata, which I enjoy.


If you Listen to the _Concerto for six instrumental groups and two soloist instruments (clarinet, vibraphone.)_ 





My guess is you will be much entertained


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## Jobis

Thanks for the introduction, so far I find his music rocks!


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## dgee

^^^^ That concerto is really nice!


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## Mandryka

Jobis said:


> Thanks for the introduction, so far I find his music rocks!


Indeed. I listened to Henck playing the sonata last night and was very moved by it, when it finished I wanted to hear it again. One reason I favour Henck is that he makes the pauses between the notes sound deep, more so than Woodward I would say.

I've just ordered Chen's CD.


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## Mandryka

My rough and rapid translation of part of an interview with Jean Barraqué, Claude Helffer and Florence Mothe, 30 April 1969.

FM: Jean Barraqué , because Claud Helffer is with us, I would like to ask you the following question: Do you need an interpreter?

JB: Of course. A composer always needs an interpreter the same as an interpreter needs a composer, if he is living, to reveal certain secrets of his thoughts.

FM: Just now I saw you make corrections in the run through of your sonata. Do you think that Claude Helffer adds something to your point of view, goes beyond your own idea?

JB: On the one hand you're talking to me about mistakes which were materiel mistakes, in the Bruzzichelli edition. On the other hand, Claude Helffer noticed, at a technical level, some mistakes which he made me aware of. I think he was absolutely right. Having said that Claude Helffer proposes a personal interpretation which I esteem and admire a lot.

FM: Claude Helffer, what special things to you find when you create a contemporary work, specifically in this sonata by Jean Barraqué?

CH: What is interesting when you create a contemporary work, is to approach a new style, and this sonata by Jean Barraqué is very personal so it's enthralling to look deeply into it.

FM: I believe it's not really a sonata

CH: Better ask that question to the composer who gave the title sonata to the piece. I think it's a sonata because oppositions are in it, which are always present in the idea of a sonata, between two opposing forces , in this case between very rapid action [mouvement] and a slow action, which manage to interpenetrate.

FM: Does the composer have the same idea about the work?

JB: Yes. The notion of a sonata [La sonate] does indeed imply a structural duality. Let's take, for example, classical sonatas (first theme, second theme with the bridge.) In my sonata there is a duality of two structures, rapid action and slow action, which are developped in a divergent way all the way through the piece. This is why I kept the term "sonata", and for its anonymous aspect.

FM: Does the title also come from a certain way of treating the piano?

JB: Yes. In the sonata I'd wanted to adopt the grand style of pianism perhaps we knew a century ago. A very luxuriant style of pianism.

FM: This duality, do you also find it at the level of energy [au niveau de la dynamique]?

JB: Yes. The sonata opposes two styles.: on the one hand a free style and on the other a rigorous style. In the free style, the greatest part is achieved by dynamics [dynamique] and by a rhythmic momentum [elan] which opposes some very striking contrasts. In the rigorous style the writing is very contrapuntal, the cells of the base structure are developed by a process of variation which I call " in closed-open circuit." All the variations on rhythmic schemes are superposed sometimes two at a time, even up to four or five voices, and call above all on the integration of silence which, progressively, impregnates the work and the emptiness of its contrapuntal and structural contents [imprègne l'oeuvre et la vide se son contenu contrapuntique et structurel] -- it's music which has slipped away and silences which are of the greatest importance.

FM: Claude Helffer . . .

CH: Listen, I've got nothing to add to what the composer has just said, except that the pianistic style doesn't make it easy. It linear aspect, which is more important than its vertical aspect, makes approaching it difficult. But, when you delve into it, you can really get to the heart of the matter -- this is as true for the performer as it is for the listener.


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## Crudblud

I'm fond of the _Concerto_ and _...au delà du hasard_. As of yet the _Piano Sonata_ remains impenetrable to me.


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## millionrainbows

Here is some info from an Amazon review:

By Ian K. Hughes on July 19, 2001Format: Audio CD Jean Barraque, a pupil of Messiaen, was overshadowed by his famous contemporary Pierre Boulez during his brief life ( 1928-1973 ) and has remained an "underground" figure in the years since his death. The reasons for his obscurity in the musical world have been attributed by some writers to his reclusive nature, battles with alcoholism and a disastrous, short-lived relationship with a famous philosopher. Of course, those not kindly disposed to "dissonant" modern music ( whether "serial" or not ) will most likely point out his music is not well known because it is just plain bad ( I obviously beg to differ ).
I would urge those listeners who have a love ( or respect ) for music composed by earlier 20th century musicians like Bartok & Berg to listen to a few samples of this 3 CD set ( performed by the Klangforum Wien ) of Jean Barraque's complete works. There is a density and compellingly dramatic propulsion to his works ( composed from 1952-1968 ), all ( but one ) large pieces which display a grandeur foreign to most of his contemporaries in the European avant-garde. For all of the unquestionably modern "devices" Barraque employs in his works, one feels a sense of continuity with the "classical" tradition ( IE, if one includes, as I do, Schoenberg and Bartok in that line ); a continuity not present ( for better or worse ) to the same degree in works of the same era by Stockhausen and others.
Barraque's music has often been compared to early Boulez ( timbres, explosiveness, and form ). His teacher Messiaen perhaps had an influence on the vast scale of his compositions. I for one, hear many similarities between Barraque and Elliott Carter in their use of intervals. But stylistically, music critic Paul Griffiths has hit the nail on the head regarding the close aesthetic correlation between Barraque and Luigi Nono. Both composers unite a love for tradition with an urge for innovation. Both display to the highest degree the ability to make abstract music cohere in a gripping and dramatic way ( however, nothing suggests that Barraque was particularly allied with revolutionary political movements ). Barraque and Nono ( particularly in his last works ) searched with the utmost artistic "seriousness" for meaning in what was, for them, "the void". And, whether it's relevant or not, I'm fairly sure Nono himself thought highly of his French contemporary and wrote some laudatory comments about him.
Barraque's two large scale instrumental works "bookend" his short oeuvre. The "Piano Sonata" of 1952 is often compared to Pierre Boulez' 2nd Sonata but is really a unique creation and for me a far more dramatically effective piece. His valedictory "Concerto" from 1968 is one of the great works from the second half of the 20th century, on the level of Carter's "Double Concerto", Ligeti's "Lontano" and Lutoslawski's "Symphony #3". Barraque's "Concerto", a piece vibrantly alive in an almost organic way, builds through steady contrasts ( masterful orchestration and deployment of tension and release ) on a journey alternately despairing and joyful, toward a conclusion which I can only term a "mystery".
Though he composed brilliantly in purely instrumental works, most of Barraque's effort went into a project ( unfinished ) setting music to Hermann Broch's novel "The Death of Virgil". Some of these works are easier to "crack" than others. "Le Temps Restitue" for instance, seems to me to have some connection to Webern's cantatas. Perhaps others hearing this ( tenuous? ) link would find "Le Temps Restitue" easier to manage than other vocal works by Barraque.
As far as the performances ( recorded c. 1996 ), the Klangforum Wien are superior to my ears to the older recording of the "Concerto" and "Le Temps Restitue" by the Ensemble 2e2m (conducted by Paul Mefano ). However, the latter recording, being a single CD, does have the virtue of being less costly for those who are cautious about plunking down a larger amount for the complete set (the 2e2m performances are by no means poor, just less refined than the Klangforum Wien ). I would provide a note of caution regarding the CPO recording of the Piano Sonata, played by Stefan Litwin. Poor Mr. Litwin has received a lot of flack for his extraordinarily extended ( 55 minute ) performance, the sluggishness of which was not helped by his lack of color and drama. I would recommend either Herbert Henck or Pi-Hsien Chen on their vastly superior recordings ( trimmed down to some 45 minutes and played with passion and flair ). (end quote)
______________________________________________________________
I suspect the "famous philosopher" mentioned is Foucault. The first time I heard his music, the piano sonata played by Herbert Henck, I was immediately attracted, because it sounded like serial music not pretending to be anything other than what it is. It seemed very single-line, or counterpoint, with only instances of simultaneous intervals.


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## millionrainbows

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## millionrainbows




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## Albert7

I assume that he wasn't very prolific in his compositions? I don't know anything about him.


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## millionrainbows

Albert7 said:


> I assume that he wasn't very prolific in his compositions? I don't know anything about him.


No; he died too early. I am "into" serial music, and I was unaware of him, until someone posted a YouTube clip. You can get his complete works on that single CPO 2-CD set.


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## Guest

millionrainbows said:


> No; he died too early. I am "into" serial music, and I was unaware of him, until someone posted a YouTube clip. You can get his complete works on that single CPO 2-CD set.


Thank god it's actually 3-CD, but yeah. Very cool composer.


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## millionrainbows

About the Piano Sonata:

...Music comes face to face with her arch-enemy, Silence. In the early passages, Music's essentially dynamic character leaves no room for her enemy, but soon Silence begins to filter in. Silence re-appears in the shape of irrational pauses that grow steadily longer and more threatening...With the cataclysmic events of the closing pages, massive chordal columns are crushed by a remorseless momentum until the work is engulfed by the encroaching void. The promise and defiance of the heroic opening pages and the struggle of its first part in a series of carefully adjusted rapid tempos are progressively sacrificed in its second. Whole slabs of sound crumble and vanish between the all-engulfing ocean of silence, until only the twelve notes of the row remain until even these are plucked off, one by one. --André Hodeir (from his book 'Music after Debussy', 1961)


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## Mandryka

I like the concerto for clarinet and vibraphone and Chant après Chant more than the piano sonata.


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## joen_cph

A future release will apparently include some hitherto unrecorded piano works; I haven't been able to find any specifications yet.

https://www.amazon.fr/Barraque-Espa...544350299&sr=8-1&keywords=barraque+espaces+cd

The Piano Sonata is a tough nut to crack for listeners. Performances vary a lot, from 47 mins to 55 mins for the complete work. It seems to me that Woodward's is probably the most spectacular release, giving a lot of prominence to all voices and with a lot of energy, contrary to the elsewhere often very good Herbert Henck, who' s being more timid or vague? Mandryka obviously prefers Henck, as stated earlier.

I've got a Woodward download and also an old Loriod mono LP.


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## Mandryka

Listening today to Le temps restitué, my informal impression was that much of this is music is in the spirit of Moses and Aaron.

I’m feeling rather annoyed because I want to have another crack at The Death of Virgil, and I know I have a copy in English and another one in French, but I can’t find either of them! I’m sure I couldn’t have thrown them out in a fit of pique.


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## joen_cph

joen_cph said:


> A future release will apparently include some hitherto unrecorded piano works; I haven't been able to find any specifications yet.
> 
> https://www.amazon.fr/Barraque-Espa...544350299&sr=8-1&keywords=barraque+espaces+cd
> 
> The Piano Sonata is a tough nut to crack for listeners. Performances vary a lot, from 47 mins to 55 mins for the complete work. It seems to me that Woodward's is probably the most spectacular release, giving a lot of prominence to all voices and with a lot of energy, contrary to the elsewhere often very good Herbert Henck, who' s being more timid or vague? Mandryka obviously prefers Henck, as stated earlier.
> 
> I've got a Woodward download and also an old Loriod mono LP.


The new piano CD with Collot has been slightly delayed. But I finally managed to find a list of the exact content
https://www.winterandwinter.com/ -> Collot -> Barraque:

_Sonate pour piano _(1950-1952)
1. Première Partie (Très rapide) 
2. Deuxième Par tie (Lent)

3. _Tristan und Isolde Vorspiel zum dritten Akt _
{Richard Wagner, transcription by Jean Barraqué, probably 1949}

4. _Intermezzo (Lent) (1949)_

_Deux morceaux pour piano _
{the original manuscripts by Jean Barraqué are untitled} (1949) 
5. (Mystérieux et angoissé, avec de brusques éclats)
6. (Allegro)

7._ Thème et variations (Très lent) (1949)_

8. _Pièce pour piano (1949)_

9. _Retour (Andantino) (1947-1948)_

10. _Mouvement Lent « Demeurez en mon amour », St Jean, XV-9 (1947) _

The playing time is 79 minutes, the Sonata takes up only 40 minutes.


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## Mandryka

Collot has a Sciarrino recording, Sciarrino wrote this about him



> There Is a wealth of dissociated articulations in the ex-amples by BOW lez and Stoc<hausen, consisting of very fast leaps.This was around the middle ofthe last century, and they seemed to be difficult passages for the players, de-spite the fact that they did not exceed reasonable di-mensions. Soon they became commonplace and appeared on every page of music written, including those of my youth.
> 
> What would happen though if one group of those was prolonged and stepped out of the range of what is pos-sible? Perception would cry out in alarm and would ap-proach the world of natural phenomena.This is how my Sonata No. 3 begins, the sound material concludes its transformation in a never-ending breath.
> 
> While I was writing this piece, the idea of curved time was still a far-away shadow for the first heroic perform-ers: such is the resistance required for the pianist's coor-dination and the shaping of the sound.
> 
> Now, we have Jean-Pierre Collots interpretations, which transfer the spatial emotion into movement; and beyond the elongation and contraction of the constellations, we may perceive the bend of the dimensional planes, and the foundation of the sound in another music. I admire the discipline Jean-Pierre is capable of in a man-ner only few can achieve. It takes many years to mature the miracle of the language and thought: interpreting does indeed signify discovery and re-discovery, partici-pation with enthusiasm.
> - SALVATORE SCIARRINO (Translation: Sibyl Mar-qua-d-i


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## Mandryka

Any thoughts about what



> Perception would cry out in alarm and would ap-proach the world of natural phenomena.


means in the above Sciarrino quote? The whole quote -- curved time etc -- is enigmatic.


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## millionrainbows

Mandryka said:


> Any thoughts about what
> 
> means in the above Sciarrino quote? The whole quote -- curved time etc -- is enigmatic.


I would surmise that "curved time" is comparable to "curved space" in physics, which throws 2-dimensional ("flat") thinking into a tizzy: the shortest distance between 2 points is no longer a straight line, because we are in curved space. Musically, this could mean that the 2-dimensional "straight line" 1-2-3-4 concept of time is no longer relevant, because we have entered a new dimension of time, which in musical terms could be "a new rhythmic context" such as the dimensional shift which occurs in "nested tuplets" or "nested tuplets within nested tuplets." See this interview with Steve Vai (at 20:19) for further explanation, and refer to Gardner Read's "Music Notation."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Page


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