Saint-Saëns writer
Two books by composer, pianist, musicologist and teacher Karol Beffa have just been published: his presentation of a selection of Saint-Saëns's writings, and a free exploration of some of the leading figures in 20th-century tonal music.
Many composers turned out to be excellent writers, whether by necessity or by taste, intermittently or more regularly. One of them, Saint-Saëns, a prolific letter-writer and author of poems and comedies, wrote countless articles for all kinds of magazines and newspapers, not only on subjects relating to music or art, but also, for example, on astronomy or zoology, two of his passions. Published by Editions Premières Loges, the selection compiled, presented and edited by Karol Beffa focuses on his talents as a musicographer. Among the texts dedicated to his past and present colleagues, we'll note the emotion that shines through in the intimate portrait he sketches of Berlioz, the enthusiasm with which he defends another of his friends, Liszt, or his description of Chopin's rubato, as revealed to him by the singer Pauline Viardot, not to mention other first-hand accounts devoted to Gounod or Bizet, his hesitation in the face of Offenbach or his admiration for Fauré. His 26 writings also include reminiscences of his youth, and essays such as the one in which he criticizes the excesses of Wagner's admirers. Not devoid of vivacity or humor, Saint-Saëns's literary style, initially open to musical innovations before closing up in old age, is marked by clarity and elegant concision.
Karol Beffa's second, more personal work, published by Buchet/Chastel, invites the reader to discover neglected 20th-century composers (Nadia Boulanger, Hahn, Kodály), American minimalists (in particular John Adams, whose orchestral score he analyzes), and more recent composers. El Dorado) and Vladimir Cosma, creator of unforgettable film scores. In the course of a free exploration that also includes research into Proustian musical references and an overview of interwar composers in France, he also evokes his relationship with the works of some of his models, such as Poulenc and Ravel, and denounces the intolerant blinders of those who, just a few decades ago, anathematized anyone who didn't fit into their ideological mold.
Saint-Saëns au fil de la plume, selection, presentation and edition by Karol Beffa, 300 p., € 21.00, Éditions Premières Loges, Paris 2021, ISBN 978-2-84385-368-5
Karol Beffa: L'autre XXe siècle musical, 240p., € 22.90, Éditions Buchet Chastel, Paris 2022, ISBN 978-2-283-03524-5
