Arthur Honegger
20th Century · 1892–1955
Arthur Honegger was born in Le Havre, France, to Swiss parents, and kept both identities all his life, living in Paris while remaining a Swiss citizen. In the 1920s he was grouped with five other young Paris composers under the label Les Six, though his taste for big, serious statements never quite matched the group's playful reputation.
He loved machines, sport, and locomotives above all; he once said he loved them as other men love horses. Pacific 231, a short orchestral piece from 1923, turns the sound of a steam engine gathering speed into music, and it made him famous. He also wrote large works for chorus and orchestra, including Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher, a staged telling of Joan of Arc's story.
Pacific 231 is the natural first stop: under ten minutes, vivid, unmistakable. Then try the Symphony no. 3, the "Liturgique," written in the shadow of the Second World War.
87 works in the catalog, across 5 genres. Log what you listen to with Opus, the classical music journal for iPhone.
Chamber
- 3 Contrepoints, for flute, English horn, violin and cello, H.43
- Cello Sonata, H.20
- Cello Sonatina
- Danse de la chèvre, for solo flute, H.39
- Intrada, for trumpet and piano in C major, H.193
- Musique de scène pour la tragédie musicale Antigone, for oboe and harp
- Sonata, for cello and piano in D minor, H.32
- Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor, H.32
- Sonata for Solo Violin, H.143
- Sonatina for 2 Violins, H.29
- Sonatine for Clarinet and Piano, H.42
- Sonatine for Violin and Cello, H.80
- Trio in F minor, for violin, cello and piano, H.6
- Violin Sonata in D minor, H.3
- Violin Sonata no. 1, H.17
- Violin Sonata no. 2, H.24
Keyboard
- 2 Esquisses, for piano, H. 173
- 2 Pieces, for Organ, H14, "Fugue' and 'Choral"
- 3 Pieces, for piano, H.23
- 7 Pieces breves, H.25
- Berceuse, for piano, H.95
- Hommage a Albert Roussel, H.69
- Le Cahier Romand, suite for piano, H. 52
- Matamore, for piano, H.166b, no. 1
- Petite Pièce in G major, H.213
- Prelude, Aria, and Fugetta on the Name of Bach, H.81
- Sarabande, for piano, H. 26
- Scenic Railway, for piano, H. 115
- Souvenir de Chopin, for piano, H. 183a/1
- Toccata et variations, H.8
Orchestral
- Pacific 231, H.53
- Pastorale d'été, symphonic poem for chamber orchestra, H.31
- Rugby, H.67
- Symphony no. 2, for strings and trumpet ad lib in D major, H.153
- Symphony no. 3, H.186, "Liturgique"
- Symphony no. 4, H.191, "Deliciae Basiliensis"
- Symphony no. 5 in D major, H.202, "Di Tre Re"
- 3 Mouvements Symphoniques, H.53, 67, and 83
- Cello Concerto in C major, H.72
- Chant de joie, H.47
- Concertino for Piano and Orchestra, H.55
- Concerto da camera, for flute, cor anglais and orchestra
- Hymne
- Largo, H.105
- Le chant de Nigamon
- Le Grand Barrage, sound picture, H.162
- Pastorale d'ete
- Prélude, Arioso and Fughette sur le nom de Bach, for piano, H. 81
- Prélude et fugue de J. S. Bach, in C, H.68b
- Prélude pour La Tempête, H.48a
- Symphonie mimée pour orchestre, "Horace victorieux"
- Symphony no. 1 in C major, H.75
Stage
- Amphion, ballet-melodrama, for speaker, vocal soloist, 4-part female vocal quartet, chorus and orchestra, H. 71
- Cavalcade d'Amour, H.136a
- Crime et Châtiment, H.94
- Farinet
- L'Idée, for ondes martenot and chamber orchestra, H.87
- L'impératrice aux rochers, incidental music for solo voice, chorus and orchestra, H. 60
- La Roue, H.44
- Le Deserteur, H.134
- Le Dit des Jeux du Monde, ballet for chamber orchestra, H.19
- Le Démon de l'Himalaya,, H.91
- Les Miserables, film score suite, H.88a
- Les Misérables, H.88
- Mayerling, H.101
- Mermoz, suite from film score no. 1, 'La traversée des Andes', H.167a1
- Mermoz, suite from film score no. 2, 'Le vol sur l'Atlantique', H.167a2
- Napoléon, film score suite, H.64
- Regain, H.117
Vocal
- Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher, H.99
- 3 Psalms, psalm settings for voice and piano, H.144
- 4 Chansons pour voix grave, H.184
- 4 Poèmes, song cycle for voice and piano, H.7
- 6 Poèmes d'Apollinaire, song cycle for voice and piano, H.12
- 6 Saluste de Bartas, H.152
- Le roi David, for narrator, 3 solo voices, 2 choruses and chamber orchestra, H.37b
- Mimaamaquim, H.192
- Nature morte, song for voice and piano, H.11
- Panis Angelicus, sacred song for voice and piano in B major, H.169
- Petit Cours de morale, for voice and piano
- Petit Cours de Morale, song cycle for voice and piano, H.148
- Poèmes de Claudel, H.138
- Poèmes de Paul Fort, H.9
- Poésies de Jean Cocteau, H.51
- Une Cantate de Noël, for vocal soloist, chorus, children's chorus, and orchestra, H.212
- Vocalise-Étude, for untexted voice and piano, H.70
- Ô temps suspends ton vol, H.178
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