Martin, Frank (1890 - 1974)

[Suffolkcoastal]

Today - Frank Martin:

Petite Symphonie Concertante 1945
Passacaglia for organ 1944
Songs of Ariel 1950
Cinq Chansons 1951
Piano Concerto No 2 1969
Violin Sonata No 1 1913
Mass for Double Choir 1926
8 Preludes for piano 1948
Ballade for Trombone & Piano 1940
Cello Concerto 1965
Golgotha - Part I (excerpts) 1948
Petite Couleur du Temps 1920

Frank Martin is a composer, that excepting a handful of works, seems to have largely passed me by. Stylistically his music is distinct but difficult to pin down, I don't think it is music that reveals itself to easily at first and does really need repeated listening to 'get into'. The Petite Symphonie Concertante (which is hardly petite in length!) is probably his best known work along with the Mass for Double Choir, which is a real gem of a piece, I'd quite forgotten how stunningly beautiful the work is. I can't recall ever hearing the 2nd Piano Concerto or even the better slightly better known Cello Concerto before. The latter makes more of an impact with its searching and poignant slow movement. Golgotha, following a more recent recording, has become better known, and it is a substantial score of real quality.

[Suffolkcoastal]

I try my best with my alphabetical listen through 300 or so composers. I was surprised that there weren't any comments back after I suffered Mahler for a day a few days ago and posted on the usual What are You Listening to now thread. It is interesting to see which composers provoke a discussion and which don't, after listening to Frank Martin on Friday and posting, not a single comment, has anyone listened to any of his music recently?

[visualnickmos]

.....after listening to Frank Martin on Friday and posting, not a single comment, has anyone listened to any of his music recently?

Your mention of "suffering Mahler for a few days" is pricelessly wonderful! That is exactly what makes these boards the eclectic platform that it can be. But Frank Martin; I have one solitary CD of his work;

Concerto for 7 wind instruments, Percussion and Harp
Studies for String Orchestra
Erasmi monumentum

LPO, Mathias Bamert

I need and now want to re-listen to it! I bought it on a whim about 3 years ago chez Gramex, not knowing anything of what was recorded therein. Many of my favourite purchases are thus made.

SC, I always read and am fascinated by your listening, your thoughts, opinions and descriptions of your musical odyssey. I rarely - if indeed, ever comment for the simple reason that I do not have the musical knowledge and background that many of our fellow-posters possess, so my contributions would be pretty pointless.

[Roehre]

Today - Frank Martin:

Petite Symphonie Concertante 1945
Passacaglia for organ 1944
Songs of Ariel 1950
Cinq Chansons 1951
Piano Concerto No 2 1969
Violin Sonata No 1 1913
Mass for Double Choir 1926
8 Preludes for piano 1948
Ballade for Trombone & Piano 1940
Cello Concerto 1965
Golgotha - Part I (excerpts) 1948
Petite Couleur du Temps 1920

Frank Martin is a composer, that excepting a handful of works, seems to have largely passed me by. Stylistically his music is distinct but difficult to pin down, I don't think it is music that reveals itself to easily at first and does really need repeated listening to 'get into'. The Petite Symphonie Concertante (which is hardly petite in length!) is probably his best known work along with the Mass for Double Choir, which is a real gem of a piece, I'd quite forgotten how stunningly beautiful the work is. I can't recall ever hearing the 2nd Piano Concerto or even the better slightly better known Cello Concerto before. The latter makes more of an impact with its searching and poignant slow movement. Golgotha, following a more recent recording, has become better known, and it is a substantial score of real quality.

Martin is a composer with an own style, which I think can best be described as sober, linear (sometimes 12-note devices are used, but very disguised, as in the Symphony or the Passacaglia), though colourful and with its emotion hidden for the superficial listener. But as with good wine (or for that matter: whisky!), the bouquet develops as soon as you are open to it.
Sometimes, as in the Ouverture en hommage à Mozart the humour is straightforwardly enjoyable.

Works which I would like to add to SC's list are the other Ballades for solo instrument and orchestra (or piano, the last one for viola, winds and percussion, 1972), his Maria tryptichon (1968, of which a part is for soprano and violin solo) , the Symphony (1937) and the orchestrated version of the Passacaglia (1944, originally for organ, later set for string orchestra 1954 and later still for full orchestra, 1962). then there is a kind of twin work to the [petite] symphonie concertante (1945; there is a full orchestral version, for which Martin dropped the "petite" in its name), the Concerto for 7 wind instruments, percussion and strings,1949.
An relatively early work, but very enjoyable and showing the qualities I described before is his Piano trio on Irish Airs.

For choral/vocal works there is his impressive final work, the chamber cantata Et la Vie l'Emporta (1974) as well as the 1972 Requiem. The composition of the latter coincides with his last orchestral work, the Polyptique for violin-solo and two string orchestras, which can be considered to be a kind of summary of writing for strings in the 20th Century.

If one likes to define his output, then I'd say Swiss/Dutch protestant economy with French clarity and Germanic profoundness.

[Suffolkcoastal]

Some of the Martin I listened to was new to me, including the Cello Concerto, I'm always fascinated to find out what others think of the pieces/composers, even after several weeks. Have we had a thread recently about pieces you've heard for the first time this week for example? I'm still surprised but what I don't know, Massenet to which I'll be listening in a few days I'm not very familiar with apart from the odd piece/extract and Mascagni, I've only ever heard Cav and a couple of arias from L'amoco fritz so that will be a voyage of discovery for me. Spotify and youtube have of course been priceless in all of this discovery, we really are in an enviable position these days so that even a lacklustre R3 doesn't impede musical discovery.

PS: The Martin Mass for Double Choir is absolutely gorgeous!

[Serial_Apologist]

I would describe the music of composers such as Massenet and Martin as beige, there being nothing whatever wrong with beige music, beige being a very liveable colour, but it would explain why not many people have much to say about their music.

[Hornspieler]

Like a previous poster I am not musically trained and have little useful to contribute to the majority of posts. I will certainly pitch in when I think my expertise will be useful, but crop protection doesnt come up very often ...

Concerning Frank Martin, I once had an enthusiasm for this composer and have twenty CDs entirely or partly devoted to his work. I certainly dont find his music beige or white. It seems to me to be ascetic, and if it was any colour it would be a sort of steely grey. I dont think he will ever be a popular composer, but I found him very rewarding and must try some of them again, I havent played any of those discs for ages.

I remember that in the 1963 Edinburgh Festival, we played Frank Martin's Piano concerto (I think his second) with David Wilde as soloist, for a performance with the Stuttgart Ballet. Can't say it rang any bells for me as far as I recall.

The only other work I heard was his "Petite Sinfonia Concertante" for harp, harpsichord, piano and strings (1945) which was given in the Ulster Hall, Belfast in 1965 with the strings of the Ulster orchestra.
The Harpist was Derek Bell and Harpsichord was played by George Malcolm.
I don't remember who the pianist was - it could have been Havelock Nelson.

HS

[umslopogaas]

#47 HS, I dont have recordings of either of Martin's piano concertos, but there is a CD, so I shall order it. I do have a CD of the Concert pour clavecin et petit orchestre, must remind myself of it. The Petite Symphonie Concertante is one of his better known works, and as I recall, very enjoyable.

[Richard Tarleton]

IIt is interesting to see which composers provoke a discussion and which don't, after listening to Frank Martin on Friday and posting, not a single comment, has anyone listened to any of his music recently?

His Quatre Pièces Brèves for guitar was played only the other day - I'm ashamed to say it's the only Martin piece I know - in Julian Bream's 1993 recording. I like it very much, it was on Bream's ground-breaking 1966 "20th Century Guitar" LP. Written with Segovia in mind (Martin and Segovia were both living in Geneva in 1933), Segovia disliked it as he did anything at all modern and crossed the street to avoid having to talk to Martin. He later asked for a copy after all, having "lost" the first one, which FM, disgusted with him by this stage, refused to give him.

[french frank]

PS: The Martin Mass for Double Choir is absolutely gorgeous!

Agreed. Heard once on R3 some years ago and bought forthwith. Must investigate further.

PS Love RT's anecdote about FM and Segovia!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It was William Mathias who first introduced me to Frank Martin in 1971/72. Up to that point, having only seen his name in print, I had assumed be was an Englishman.

[french frank]

It was William Mathias who first introduced me to Frank Martin in 1971/72. Up to that point, having only seen his name in print, I had assumed be was an Englishman.

I won't say, no, he was Welsh!

The Mass for Double Choir http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arXmHAsAOSw

Piano concerto (I think all the parts have been posted). Several other works accessible from this page:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5adVv_GVUA

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The Mass for Double Choir http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arXmHAsAOSw

Incredible.

[umslopogaas]

I have a CD of Martin's Mass for Two Unaccompanied Choirs, coupled with some choral pieces by Poulenc. Sung by Christ Church Cathedral Choir, cond. Stephen Darlington. Its on Nimbus NI 5197. It might still be available, though it was published in 1989. The 2010 Penguin Guide recommends Westminster Cathedral Choir, cond. O'Donnell, on Hyperion CDA 67017, which won Gramophone Record of the Year award in 1998.

[Roehre]

Originally Posted by Suffolkcoastal
Today - Frank Martin:

Petite Symphonie Concertante 1945
Passacaglia for organ 1944
Songs of Ariel 1950
Cinq Chansons 1951
Piano Concerto No 2 1969
Violin Sonata No 1 1913
Mass for Double Choir 1926
8 Preludes for piano 1948
Ballade for Trombone & Piano 1940
Cello Concerto 1965
Golgotha - Part I (excerpts) 1948
Petite Couleur du Temps 1920

Frank Martin is a composer, that excepting a handful of works, seems to have largely passed me by. Stylistically his music is distinct but difficult to pin down, I don't think it is music that reveals itself to easily at first and does really need repeated listening to 'get into'. The Petite Symphonie Concertante (which is hardly petite in length!) is probably his best known work along with the Mass for Double Choir, which is a real gem of a piece, I'd quite forgotten how stunningly beautiful the work is. I can't recall ever hearing the 2nd Piano Concerto or even the better slightly better known Cello Concerto before. The latter makes more of an impact with its searching and poignant slow movement. Golgotha, following a more recent recording, has become better known, and it is a substantial score of real quality.

Martin is a composer with an own style, which I think can best be described as sober, linear (sometimes 12-note devices are used, but very disguised, as in the Symphony or the Passacaglia), though colourful and with its emotion hidden for the superficial listener. But as with good wine (or for that matter: whisky!), the bouquet develops as soon as you are open to it.
Sometimes, as in the Ouverture en hommage à Mozart the humour is straightforwardly enjoyable.

Works which I would like to add to SC's list are the other Ballades for solo instrument and orchestra (or piano, the last one for viola, winds and percussion, 1972), his Maria tryptichon (1968, of which a part is for soprano and violin solo) , the Symphony (1937) and the orchestrated version of the Passacaglia (1944, originally for organ, later set for string orchestra 1954 and later still for full orchestra, 1962). then there is a kind of twin work to the [petite] symphonie concertante (1945; there is a full orchestral version, for which Martin dropped the "petite" in its name), the Concerto for 7 wind instruments, percussion and strings,1949.
An relatively early work, but very enjoyable and showing the qualities I described before is his Piano trio on Irish Airs.

For choral/vocal works there is his impressive final work, the chamber cantata Et la Vie l'Emporta (1974) as well as the 1972 Requiem. The composition of the latter coincides with his last orchestral work, the Polyptique for violin-solo and two string orchestras, which can be considered to be a kind of summary of writing for strings in the 20th Century.

If one likes to define his output, then I'd say Swiss/Dutch protestant economy with French clarity and Germanic profoundness.