Eugène Joseph Bozza (4 April 1905 – 28 September 1991)Grove Music Online: "Bozza, Eugène"; accessed 20 September 2014, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/03791. was a French composer and violinist. He was one of the most prolific composers of

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small num ...

for wind instruments. Bozza's large ensemble works include five

symphonies A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...

operas Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...

ballets Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form o ...

, large

choral A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which s ...

work,

wind band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion famil ...

music,

concertos A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The typ ...

, and many works for large brass or woodwind ensembles. Outside of France, he is best known for his chamber music, rather than his larger works.

Biography

Childhood and early years (1905–1915)

Bozza was born in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

to an Italian musician and a French woman. His father, Umberto Bozza, was a

violinist The following lists of violinists are available: * List of classical violinists, notable violinists from the baroque era onwards * List of contemporary classical violinists, notable contemporary classical violinists * List of violinist/compose ...

who made his living playing in French casinos along the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

coast. His mother's name was Honoré Molina. With a professional musician for a father, Bozza was exposed to music early on. He began studying the violin with his father when he was only five years old.L. Kuyper-Rushing: "Reassessing Eugène Bozza: Discoveries in the Bibliothèque Municipale de Valenciennes Archive", in ''Notes'', vol. 69 no. 4 (2013), pp. 716–720. Under such expert tutelage, Bozza became an outstanding young violinist and would occasionally go with his father to performances and play with the orchestra. In 1915, at the age of ten, Bozza and his father moved to Italy to avoid the turmoil of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

Formative years (1915-1934)

In Italy, Bozza studied violin, piano, and solfège in Rome at the

Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia ( en, National Academy of St Cecilia) is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, founded by the papal bull ''Ratione congruit'', issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two saints promi ...

. He graduated in 1919 with a diploma as Professor of Violin. Bozza then returned to France and enrolled in the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

in 1922 where he studied

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

with Édouard Nadaud. After two years of study, he earned the Conservatory's Premier Prix for violin and secured the chair of concert master at the Pasdeloup Orchestra in 1925. He married Juliette Arnaud, his first wife, in 1924 and had a son, Pierre, in 1925. After five years of touring Europe with the orchestra, Bozza resigned and returned to the Conservatory to study conducting with

Henri Rabaud Henri Benjamin Rabaud (10 November 187311 September 1949) was a French conductor, composer and pedagogue, who held important posts in the French musical establishment and upheld mainly conservative trends in French music in the first half of th ...

. His wife once confided that, "In fact, he was haunted by stage fright". Continuing his pattern of excellence, Bozza ended his study of conducting in 1931 by winning another Premier Prix, this time for conducting. Bozza was hired as the conductor for the

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Russian Revolution, Revolution ...

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino i ...

where he stayed for only a year before returning the Paris Conservatoire for a third and final time in 1932 to study musical composition. Following another two-year study with Henri Büsser, Bozza again won the Premier Prix for his area.

Middle years and career (1934–1950)

Bozza won the

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

in 1934 for his work ''La Légende de Roukmani'', a one-act cantata. As part of the prize, he lived in Rome at the Villa de Medici for the following four years and five months so he could focus on growing as a composer, developing a voice, and honing his art. In Rome, Bozza composed several large-scale works such as his opera ''Leonidas'', his ''Psalms'', and the ''Introduzione and Toccata'' for piano and orchestra. He then returned to Paris after being appointed to conduct the

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief rival, the Comédie-Italienn ...

from 1938 to 1948.

Academic career and later life (1950–1991)

In 1950,, he was appointed the director of the École Nationale de Musique in Valenciennes and maintained the position until his retirement in 1975. The years spent at the École Nationale were extremely productive for Bozza. He composed many of his books of

étude An étude (; ) or study is an instrumental musical composition, usually short, designed to provide practice material for perfecting a particular musical skill. The tradition of writing études emerged in the early 19th century with the rapid ...

s and solo works during this time for students and staff at his school. Additionally, he was made a Chevalier of the

Légion d’Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

in 1956. He divorced Juliette Arnaud in the early 1950s. Also during this time he met his second wife, a

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, j ...

named Nelly Baude, and they had a daughter, Cécile, who went on to study at the Paris Conservatory and become a harp teacher in Denain. After retirement in 1975, Bozza stayed in Valenciennes and continued to write music. He fell ill late in life and died in Valenciennes aged 86.

Compositions

: See '' List of compositions by Eugène Bozza'' Bozza was a prolific composer throughout his life. Beginning in the mid-1930s, he published at least one new work each year until just a few years before his death. Though a trained violinist, Bozza wrote an enormous amount of music for wind instruments during his life. Most of his wind music was composed and published during his time in Valenciennes. There are over 250 known published works as well as a wealth of manuscripts. During a posthumous assessment of the archives of Bozza's music over 70 unpublished manuscripts were found as well as several dozen that are no longer in print. During his studies music in the inter-war period, the musical styles in Paris were moving away from Romanticism and Impressionism and towards the ideas of wit and eclecticism as laid out in

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the s ...

's 1918 manifesto ''Le Coq et l’Arlequin''. Cocteau said, "We have had enough clouds, waves, aquaria, watersprites, and nocturnal perfumes". These ideals of music being sharp, cutting, and always new are present in nearly all of Bozza's music. Additionally, Bozza's works are widely known to be very sensitive to the techniques of the instrument(s) for which they are written. His style shows many traditions of the French Impressionist school mixed with the fundamental mastery of harmony of

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

. His compositions can be placed within the Neo-Classicist genre which is also populated by

Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...

and

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...

. Another major influence on his compositional style was the result of the cultural infusion, which occurred during and following World War I. Over two million American soldiers were sent to Europe which included roughly 10%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

soldiers.Ted Hale: ''The Influence of Selected Stylistic Elements of Jazz on Seven 20th-Century Solo Trombone Pieces''; PhD. diss., Indiana University, 1996. The influx of American and African American soldiers brought new styles and attitudes about music which were assimilated in French culture. This style of music quickly became part of French popular music and Bozza was introduced to it at an early age. Elements of jazz style and harmony are present in many of his works. Another significant element of Bozza's output was educational methods and étude books. During his tenure as director in Valenciennes, Bozza composed at least 18 étude collections for many instruments including violin, double bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, trumpet, horn, and trombone. This compositional history lends itself as a partial explanation to the popularity of Bozza's music in academic institutions.

Important works

An unaccompanied work for solo flute, ''Image'' is a substantial piece that showcases many elements of flute technique including extreme registral and timbral changes and flutter tongue. The ''Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra'' is a three-movement work and one of 19 concertos written by Bozza. Bozza created a wide repertoire of music for Bassoon. ''Recit, Sicilienne, et Rondo'' is a solo piece with piano accompaniment that explores both the high and low range of the bassoon. Due to its technical demands and lyrical melodies, this piece is a mainstay of the conservatory repertoire for bassoon. ''Aria'', a piece written for alto saxophone and piano, draws inspiration from the works of J. S. Bach, especially the ''Manual for the Fantasy in F'' and the ''Pastorale in F Major'' (BWV 590). It is one of his most frequently played works for saxophone and is also available in an edition for clarinet. The piece was written during Bozza's stay in Rome at the Villa de Medici for French saxophonist

Marcel Mule Marcel Mule (24 June 1901 – 18 December 2001) was a French classical saxophonist. He was known worldwide as one of the great classical saxophonists, and many pieces were written for him, premiered by him, and arranged by him. Many of these piec ...

. Some of the lore around this piece says that it was written very quickly after Bozza was questioned about how much he had accomplished in the first few months in Rome. ''Nuages'' for saxophone quartet is indicative of the Impressionistic side of Bozza. This scherzo focuses on the image of clouds and showcases masterful technique on the saxophone. Written in 1946, this piece comes from his time as the director of the Paris Opéra Comique and had the best instrumentalists available to him. In his horn solo, ''En forêt'', the Impressionistic technique of planing can be seen in the piano part combined with a solo part that is masterfully written for the instrument. Bozza also reminds us of the horn's roots as hunting horns with frequent calls and responses. This piece is one of the mainstays of the solo horn repertoire as well as one of the most difficult pieces overall. ''New Orleans'' for bass trombone and piano is a solo work written in 1962 for bass

saxhorn The saxhorn is a family of valved brass instruments that have conical bores and deep cup-shaped mouthpieces. The saxhorn family was developed by Adolphe Sax, who is also known for creating the saxophone family. The sound of the saxhorn has a c ...

. Since that instrument has fallen to obscurity, this solo is now frequently played on bass trombone or

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th&n ...

. Influenced heavily by the jazz culture of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...

and

dixieland Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ...

. This piece is a major element of the bass trombone solo repertoire and is often called upon for auditions. Bozza's ''Concertino for Tuba and Orchestra'' represents a significant addition to the major solo repertoire for the

Tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th&n ...

Reception

Though he spent much of his life in the central and southern large population centers of Paris and Valenciennes, many of Bozza's stage works were premiered in

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the Nord ...

, located in northeastern France. His work transcended the metropolitan mentality and he felt the music would be well served in this more pastoral area. His large works—such as symphonies, concertos, and operas—are largely unknown outside of central Europe, but his solo and chamber works are fixtures in music schools throughout the world. Bozza's music has largely been a critical and popular success. His style was normally highly accessible to listeners, students, and academics; and he composed such a mass of solo and chamber music that his name is commonly heard in studios. Norman Heim, professor of clarinet at the University of Maryland, may have encapsulated the success of Bozza's work with this:

''"He is a performer's composer, in that the music is well written for the instrument, is challenging to play and enjoyable to rehearse. He is the listener's composer since the music is always interesting, and has a familiarity of melody and tonality that even the untrained ear can enjoy."''''Costal Concerts''; "Borealis Wind Quintet, Program Notes", accessed 11 October 2014; http://www.costalconcerts.org/borealis-program-and-program-notes.html

A testament to the universality of his music is that when Bozza died at midnight on 28 September 1991, his woodwind quintet ''Scherzo'' was being played on Belgian Radio at the request of a listener. Bozza remains frequently played and recorded today (Naxos Music Library lists 126 albums with recordings of his works and a YouTube search for Bozza yields thousands of videos). However, for whatever reason, very little has been written about his life, especially the earlier years. Reference works such as the Grove Music Dictionary have very short entries or sometimes no entries at all. Most modern writing about his past cites a single dissertation, published in 1978, by Denise Rogers Rowen about his bassoon music.

Awards and honors

Premiers Prix du Conservatoire de Paris

* 1924: Premier Prix for violin * 1930: Premier Prix for conducting * 1934: Premier Prix for composition

Other awards

* 1934: Grand Prix de Rome for composition

Honours

* 1956: Chevalier de la Lègion d'Honneur * Officer des Palmes Academiques * Chevalier de la Couronne de Belgique * Officer du Mérite Nationale * Chevalier de la Couronne de Italie * Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Letters * Officer de l'Ordre du Nichaire-Iftukhar * Médaille d'Argent de la Ville de Paris * Grand Croix du Mèrit Musical * Médaille de Vermeil Arts-Sciences-Lettres * Médaille de la Ville de Valenciennes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bozza, Eugene Joseph 1905 births 1991 deaths 20th-century French male classical violinists 20th-century French composers French male composers French ballet composers French opera composers Male opera composers Musicians from Nice Prix de Rome for composition