Paul Flem

The French type-setter Paul Flem was born with Lézardrieux (Coast-with Armor) the March 18th 1881 and died in Tréguier the July 31st 1984 at the 103 years age.

Biography

Orphan at twelve years, Flem was a brilliant pupil of the college of Brest and learned as an autodidact the rudiments from the music. Joseph Farigoul, band master of the Crews of the Fleet, after having heard its small parts, which he considers promising, encourages it to gain Paris as of 1899 to be registered with the Conservatoire. It also obtained a license of philosophy to the Sorbonne, where it followed the courses of Henri Bergson. In 1902, it left like tutor to Moscow and learned Russian there. Eighteen months later, it was registered with the Schola Cantorum , where it studied with of Indy and Roussel. In 1923, succeeding Roussel, he became professor of counterpoint until in 1939 and had as pupils Erik Satie and André Jolivet. Of 1905 to 1913, it composed its first important works and then knew an extremely fertile creative period which stopped with its mobilization during the Great War. Of 1921 with 1937, it ensured musical criticism the daily newspaper Comœdia and recognized the talent of Igor Stravinski and Darius Milhaud. Of a sharp intelligence and a large open-minded, it defended any work having held its attention, was it distant from its tastes. It could however always pay without ostentation a tribute at its Breton origins, for example while being registered with the Breton artistic movement of the Thirties, the Seiz Breur. Avoiding the quarrels of schools, nationality or generation, he did not hesitate to send his pupil André Jolivet to work near Edgard Varèse, then completely scorned. In parallel, he exerted as chief of chorus and pedagog. He recovered to compose in 1936 and had to stop in 1975 because of his blindness.

Its work

Works of Flem reveal the influence of the music of the 16th century, the Breton folklore and, especially, Debussy.

In its early works, it composed especially for the instruments, in particular a Sonate for Violon and Piano , a Quintette with cords and four large parts for piano: By Moors, Strikes, Old Martyrdom and April. For the Orchestra, it composed a Symphonie , a Fantaisie with piano solo , the Voices of Broad the and, inspired by a Breton canticle, For Deaths (1913). In addition to some melody S and choruses, he wrote Aucassin and Nicolette (1909), accompaniment for representation of Chinese shades transcribes for the scene in 1924.

Works of maturity reflect fine at one creative idle period of almost twenty years and related to especially the lyric art. In 1938, it composed its first opera, the Nightingale of Saint-Malo , which was created in the Op3era Comique in 1942. Its second opera, the Clearing of the Fairies (1944), was never played. It drew from the Magician of the sea (1954), which was a failure, two Interludes , rare instrumental pages created during this time, with the 2nd Symphonie (1956).

During its old age, Flem composed of the vocal works ( Morvenn Gaelic and Hommage to Branch ), an atonal work, the Concertstück for violin and orchestra (1964), a 3rd Symphony (1971), a 4th Symphony (1975), Cursed the , opera ever represented and its Préludes for orchestra (unfinished, 1976).

See too

List of Breton type-setters

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