# Unknown Composer #1: Déodat de Séverac



## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

I'm delighted to be hosting the first thread in the Unknown Composer series, a project organized by mmsbls.

Déodat de Séverac (1872-1921) was born to an aristocratic family in Toulouse, France. He studied with Vincent D'Indy in Paris at the Schola Cantorum. Throughout his career, he retained a strong nationalistic interest in Provençal folk music.

Séverac composed many picturesque piano works, as well as two operas, several symphonic poems, and some songs. His approach to cyclic form and thematic development was influenced by D'Indy, Camille Saint-Saëns and César Franck. His harmonic language has some affinities with impressionism.

*Suggested listening:*

Cerdaña: 5 Études Pittoresques 




En Languedoc, Suite Pour Piano 




Les Hiboux 




*Suggested reading:*

Robert F. Waters, Déodat de Séverac: Musical Identity in Fin de Siècle France (Ashgate, 2008)

(If you read French): Jean-Bernard Cahours d'Aspry, Déodat de Séverac, 1872-1921: musicien du soleil méditerranéen (Séguier, 2001)

Please contribute to this thread with comments on Séverac's musical works, style, cultural context, and anything else that interests you. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on Séverac!


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

I'm not sure I'd ever heard any of Séverac's msuic. I listened to his _Cerdaña: 5 Études Pittoresques_ and his Piano Sonata (on Naxos Music Library). The Cerdaña was very enjoyable. The sonata seemed rather mundane in comparison. There certainly were Impressionistic aspects to the Cerdaña though much less so in the sonata.

I looked for any symphonic poems (Autumn in Winter and one based on La Fontaine's fable of the frogs) but could not find any on youtube or Naxos. I will listen to some more piano music.


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## Heliogabo (Dec 29, 2014)

I discovered this composer "par hasard", when I found this set in a record store:

Ñ









I didn't knew about him, but I'm a Ciccolini fan, specially when he plays french piano music, so I was inmediately interested.
While is music that clearly inserts in the french piano music tradition, I find his compositions and language highly original.
He clearly deserves attention.


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

mmsbls said:


> I'm not sure I'd ever heard any of Séverac's msuic. I listened to his _Cerdaña: 5 Études Pittoresques_ and his Piano Sonata (on Naxos Music Library). The Cerdaña was very enjoyable. The sonata seemed rather mundane in comparison. There certainly were Impressionistic aspects to the Cerdaña though much less so in the sonata.
> 
> I looked for any symphonic poems (Autumn in Winter and one based on La Fontaine's fable of the frogs) but could not find any on youtube or Naxos. I will listen to some more piano music.


Glad you enjoyed some of the piano works! Sadly, it appears as though the symphonic poems have never been recorded. However, Naxos does have a recording of Séverac's opera Le Coeur du moulin: http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=1C1176


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## Pianistikboy (Mar 18, 2017)

Oh, I'm french and didn't know this composer !! Shame ! Thank you for sharing his beautiful piano works !


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## pjang23 (Oct 8, 2009)

I discovered Deodat de Severac in our Art Song project a few years back. He produced some fine mélodies.

His music can be hard to find on youtube, though you can find much of it through spotify.

His most famous song: Ma Poupée Chérie
https://play.spotify.com/track/4nh3BdvXCMh6levbHALUeQ





Considered one of his finest: À l'aube dans la montagne
https://play.spotify.com/track/6gv9bNtYkLVTOWqMDN6a77


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## Norma Skock (Mar 18, 2017)

Truly great composer. You have won me over.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

I have listened to his opera "Le Cœur du moulin":










And some of his mélodies, too. He wrote them with texts not only in French, but also in Catalan and Occitan.

My favorite is this _Ma poupée chérie_, a cradle song based on a poem by Séverac himself, and sung by the great Corsican soprano Martha Angelici.


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## cimirro (Sep 6, 2016)

I heard few pieces by him, "Cerdaña" in my favorite (No.4 is lovely) and "Les Naïades et le Faune Indiscret"
Time to listen more!
Thank you for the posts!!!!!


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

I like the pieces I heard on various sites, I definitely going to buy some piano music.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Heliogabo said:


> I discovered this composer "par hasard", when I found this set in a record store:
> 
> Ñ
> 
> ...


Just bought this one, still one EMI €14.00 delivered to front door.


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

I listened to several songs:

Ma Poupée Chérie
À l'aube dans la montagne
Les hiboux
Chanson pour le Petit Cheval

The first two have links in pjang23's post. All were very nice though I did like Ma Poupée Chérie (supposedly his most famous) the most.


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

mmsbls said:


> I listened to several songs:
> 
> Ma Poupée Chérie
> À l'aube dans la montagne
> ...


Yes, Séverac's vocal music is lovely. In addition to his art songs, he also composed some sacred choral music, probably influenced by his studies at the Schola Cantorum. Here's his setting of a poem written by St. Aquinas, called Tantum Ergo:


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## Norma Skock (Mar 18, 2017)

Bettina said:


> Yes, Séverac's vocal music is lovely. In addition to his art songs, he also composed some sacred choral music, probably influenced by his studies at the Schola Cantorum. Here's his setting of a poem written by St. Aquinas, called Tantum Ergo:


Beautiful piece.


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## Meyerbeer Smith (Mar 25, 2016)

_Le cœur du moulin_

Pièce lyrique en 2 actes. First performed at the Opéra-Comique (3e salle Favart), 8 December 1909. Libretto by Maurice Magre.

SETTING: Languedoc, 18th century.

PLOT: Jacques (tenor) returns to his native village to find that in his absence Marie (soprano) has married his friend Pierre (tenor). Jacques and Marie decide to run away, but the Old Miller (bass) persuades Jacques to leave the village.

A wistful, attractive little opera about the impossibility of returning to childhood and the need to move on with one's life. The score incorporates folk songs and dances based on Languedocian folk tunes, but also shows the influence of Debussy (particularly _Pelléas_).

Mixes local color (grape harvesters and trellis dances) with spirits of nature, singing owls, and childhood memories (Father Christmas, fairies of wheat and a beggar). Presumably the composer and librettist drew on their own experiences - both Séverac and his librettist Magre came from Languedoc, and Magre was a champion of the Occitan revival.

The recording here (Ossonce) is nicely sung.


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## Casebearer (Jan 19, 2016)

Thanks for kicking the series off Bettina. I like his piano and vocal music. Glad I know his name now!


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## Zingara62 (Apr 20, 2017)

I remember I heard something by Severac in a concert long ago, and I was not impressed, 
now I'm enjoying listening these examples, Cerdana is pure beauty!


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## Dulova Harps On (Nov 2, 2018)

de Séverac is one of my very favourite composers!
Blanche Selva and Aldo Ciccolini are fine interpreters of his piano pieces. 
But i love this recording by Helene Boschi :






from this LP: 
https://www.notrehistoire.ch/medias/115735


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