Maximilien-Paul-Marie-Félix d'Ollone (13 June 1875 – 15 May 1959) was a 20th-century French composer.

Life and career

Born in

Besançon Besançon (, ; , ; archaic ; ) is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerland. Capi ...

, d'Ollone started composing very early, entering the

Paris Conservatoire The Conservatoire de Paris (), or 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 Jean Ja ...

at 6, winning many prizes, receiving the encouragement of

Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

, Saint-Saëns,

Massenet Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are ''Manon'' (1884 ...

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

and Delibes. His teachers at the Conservatoire were Lavignac, Massenet, Gédalge and Lenepveu; he 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 1897. He was director of music in

Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...

, professor at the Paris Conservatoire and director of the

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...

. His work was part of the music event in the art competition at the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...

. In 1932 he wrote three important articles for ''

Le Ménestrel ''Le Ménestrel'' (, ''The Minstrel'') was an influential French music journal published weekly from 1833 until 1940. It was founded by Joseph-Hippolyte l'Henry and originally printed by Poussièlgue. In 1840 it was acquired by the music publishe ...

'' (29 July, 9 and 16 December) arguing for a more populist approach to composition. At the time of the German occupation of France during World War II, d'Ollone was a member of the

Groupe Collaboration The Groupe Collaboration was a French collaborationist group active during the Second World War. Largely eschewing the street politics of many such contemporary groups, it sought to establish cultural links with Nazi Germany and to appeal to the hi ...

. In addition to the works listed below, d'Ollone produced a number of song cycles (including "Les Chants d'Ailleurs"; " Les Chants d'Exil"; "Impressions d'Automne"), which demonstrate a considerable mastery of the French mélodie. There are several works for orchestra, solo instrument and orchestra, and piano works.

Works

Stage works

* ''Jean'' (

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

in five acts, 1900–1905). * ''Bacchus et Silène'' (

ballet 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 of ...

, 1901, Béziers). * ''Le Retour'' (drame lyrique in two acts to his own libretto, 1911, Angers). * ''Les Amants de Rimini'' (opera in four acts to his own libretto). * ''L'Étrangère'' (opera in two acts, 1913). * ''Les Uns et les Autres'' (comédie lyrique in one act with text by

Paul Verlaine Paul-Marie Verlaine ( ; ; 30 March 1844 – 8 January 1896) was a French poet associated with the Symbolism (movement), Symbolist movement and the Decadent movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the ''fin de siècle'' ...

, 6 November 1922, Opéra-Comique). * ''L'Arlequin'' (comédie lyrique in five acts, 22 December 1924, Paris Opera). * ''George Dandin'' (

opéra comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular ''opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Théâtre de la foire, Fair Theatres of St Germain and S ...

in three acts after

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

, 1930). * ''Le Temple abandonné'' (one-act ballet, 1931, Monte Carlo). * ''La Samaritaine'' (opera in three acts after Rostand, 1937, Paris). *''Sous les Saules'' (musical comedy in four acts after

Andersen Andersen () is a Danish- Norwegian patronymic surname meaning "son of Anders" (itself derived from the Greek name " Ανδρέας/Andreas", cf. English Andrew). It is the fifth most common surname in Denmark, shared by about 3.2% of the populati ...

, 1950). * ''Olympe de Clèves'' (opera in four acts after Dumas, unpublished).

Orchestral

*''Les villes maudites'', symphonic poem (1895). *''Lamento'' (1908). *''Au cimetière'', Symphonic Poem (1908). * ''Le Roi des Aulnes'', Film score (1930).

Concertante

*''Fantaisie'' for piano and orchestra in E-flat major (1897) *''Le menetrier'', poem for violin and orchestra (published by Heugel, 1911)

Voice and Orchestra

*''Daphné'' (cantata composed for the

(1894). *''Frédégonde'', Lyrical Scene after Charles Morel (1894). *''Melusine'', Lyrical Scene after Beissier (1894). *'' Clarissa Harlowe'', Cantata (1895). * ''La Vision de Dante'' (Lyrical Poem for soloists, choir and orchestra (1899). *''Saint François d'Assise'', Oratorio (1910) *''Elévation'' (1912). *''Hymne du matin'', for soprano et orchestra after

Lamartine Alphonse Marie Louis de Prat de Lamartine (; 21 October 179028 February 1869) was a French author, poet, and statesman. Initially a moderate royalist, he became one of the leading critics of the July Monarchy of Louis-Philippe, aligning more w ...

(1943).

Chamber music

*String Quartet in D major (1898) *Piano Quartet in E minor *Fantaisie orientale for clarinet and piano (premiered 1913) *Piano Trio in A minor (published 1921) *''Andante et Allegro en style ancien'' for flute and piano (dedicated to Philippe Gaubert, published 1926)

Vocal music

* ''Frédégonde'', winning cantata for the Prix de Rome in 1897

Recordings

* ''Le temple abandonné'' (2023); William and Mary Symphony Orchestra, 2023. * ''Les villes maudites'' (2023); William and Mary Symphony Orchestra, 2023. * ''Les funérailles du poète'' (2023); William and Mary Symphony Orchestra, 2023. * ''Fantaisie'', for piano (2023); Daniel Inamorato, piano; William and Mary Symphony Orchestra, 2023. * ''Cantates et chœurs pour le prix de Rome''; Brussels Philharmonic, Flemish Radio Choir, Hervé Niquet; Palazzetto Bru Zane; Ediciones Singulares, 2013. * ''Les Villes Maudites'', for orchestra; Brussels Philharmonic, Flemish Radio Choir, Hervé Niquet; Palazetto Bru Zane; Ediciones Singulares, 2013. * ''Le Ménétrier'', for violin and orchestra (1910); Mark Kaplan, Orchestra Simfonica de Barcelona i National de Catalunya, Lawrence Foster, Claves 2003. * ''Lamento'', for orchestra (1908); Orchestra Simfonica de Barcelona i National de Catalunya, Lawrence Foster, Claves 2003. * ''Fantaisie'' for piano and orchestra (1999); François-Joël Thiollier, Orchestra Simfonica de Barcelona i National de Catalunya, Lawrence Foster, Claves 2003. * ''La Samaritaine'', opera (1937); Berthe Monmart, soprano; Tony Aubin, direction; Orchestre Lyrique de la Radio Diffusion Française et des Choeurs de la RTF, 1955, INA. * ''Le Retour'', opera (1912);

Alain Pâris Alain Pâris (born 22 November 1947) is a French conductor and musicologist. Biography Born in Paris, Alain Pâris was trained as a pianist and has a law degree. He studied conducting with Pierre Dervaux, Paul Paray and Georg Solti and won the ...

, direction; Choeur et orchestre Lyrique de Radio France, 1975. * Mélodies vol. 1, including the cycle In Memoriam, Didier Henry, baryton, Patrice d'Ollone, piano, Maguelone. * Mélodies Vol. 2, Elsa Maurus, mezzo-soprano; Didier Henry, baryton; Patrice d'Ollone, piano; Maguelone. * Trio for piano, violin and cello (1920); Quatuor Athenæum Enesco and Patrice d'Ollone, piano; éd. disques Pierre Verany, Arion, 1999. * Quartet for piano and strings (1949); Quatuor Athenæum Enesco and Patrice d'Ollone, piano; Discs Pierre Verany, Arion, 1999. * String quartet (1898); Athenæum Enesco Quartet; Disques Pierre Verany, Arion, 1999. * Trio for piano, violin and cello (1920); Trio Anima Mundi, Melbourne. * Trio pour piano, violin and cello (1920); Dimitris Saroglou, piano; Gérard Poulet, violin; Dominique de Williencourt, cello; Europe et Art, 2011. * Chamber music; Alessandro Carbonare, clarinet; Philippe Pierlot, flute; Régis Poulain, bassoon; Elisabeth Glab, violin; Jean-Luc Bourré, Emmanuel Petit, Emma Savouret, Stéphane Manent, cello; Isabelle Perrin, harp; Parisii Quartet; Patrice d'Ollone, piano; Angéline Pondepeyre, piano; Maguelone, 2005. * ''Fantaisie orientale'' (1913); Sylvie Hue, clarinet; Roger Boutry, piano, REM. * ''Andante et scherzo'', for three cellos (1933); Gürzenich Cello Trio, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Köln, ANA records. * ''Andante et scherzo'', for three cellos (1933); Members of Orchestra Simfonica de Barcelona i National de Catalunya, Claves 2003. * ''Romance et tarentelle'' (1928); Régis Poulain, bassoon; and Angeline Pondepeyre, piano; Maguelone, 1996. * ''Etudes de concert'' (1904); Dimitris Saroglou, piano; Europe et Art, 2011.

References

Biographies

* Alexandre Dratwicki and Patrice d'Ollone: Max d'Ollone and the

(Venise, Palazetto Bru-Zane, 2013). * Georges Favre: Silhouettes du Conservatoire : Charles-Marie Widor, André Gédalge, Max d'Ollone (La Pensée universelle, 1986). * Henri Rabaud: Correspondance avec Daniel Halévy et Max d'Ollone et écrits de jeunesse. * Euridyce Jousse and Yves Gérard: Lettres de compositeurs à Camille Saint-Saëns (Symétrie, 2009). * Julia Lu and Alexandre Dratwicki: Le concours du prix de Rome de musique (Symétrie et Palazetto bru-Zane, 2011). * Brigitte François-Sappey and Gilles Cantagrel: Guide de la mélodie et du lied (

Fayard Fayard (complete name: ''Librairie Arthème Fayard'') is a French Paris-based publishing house established in 1857. Fayard is controlled by Hachette Livre. In 1999, Éditions Pauvert became part of Fayard. Claude Durand was director of Fayar ...

, 1994). * René Dumesnil: La musique en France entre les deux guerres, (Editions du milieu du monde, 1946). * Karine Le Bail: La musique au pas, être musicien sous l'occupation (CNRS Editions, 2016). * Yannick Simon: Composer sous Vichy (Symétrie, 2009). * Rose-Noëlle Lenain: Max d'Ollone ou les partances vaines, mémoires de musicologie (Université Paris-Sorbonne, 1989).

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ollone, Max d 1875 births 1959 deaths Musicians from Besançon French opera librettists French opera managers French opera composers French male opera composers French classical composers French ballet composers French theatre directors French male dramatists and playwrights Groupe Collaboration members Pupils of Jules Massenet Conservatoire de Paris alumni Academic staff of the Conservatoire de Paris Art competitors at the 1912 Summer Olympics Prix de Rome for composition