Strange that that we dismiss many early-20th century composers as dead Europeans who wrote downtown music, but find Hitler's record collection so interesting. Neither new music nor discrimination ended in the ruins of Berlin in May 1945, and they both deserve some of the attention devoted to Adolf's proto-Classic FM playlist in the last few days.Equality and contemporary music converged here in two recent paths about young audiences and the controversial Calliopé cover seen above right. Below are extracts from an inspirational letter received by William J. Zick over at his AfriClassical blog. Read the complete letter here. It is much more relevant to engaging with those important young people than Chaliapin singing Boris Godunov.
Dear Mr. Zick, I have regularly visited AfriClassical with interest and admiration. I am myself passionately interested in the Chevalier de Saint-Georges (portrait above left) and therefore the questions raised by the cover of the Calliope CD retained my attention. That’s why I feel a need to express my point of view.
As the Principal of a junior high school near Vichy, France, I staged a theatre show on the life and music of Saint-Georges this year with the collaboration of several primary and secondary schools, music schools and a fencing school. This show was exclusively interpreted by 14 year old students. The progam included a theatre performance, music, singing, dancing and fencing.
Saint-Georges was first introduced to our children through Saint-Georges raconté aux enfants (Saint-Georges told to children), J.C. Halley’s book, and then we adapted Le Divin Saint-Georges, Daniel Marciano’s play. Most of our students, not particularly inclined to 18th century music, often due to an unfavorable family environment for symphonic music, worked on the show during the whole academic year. It was a hard job and they were at times discouraged.
However, when they started rehearsing with costumes - perfect replicas of the period - things changed. A surprising phenomenon of identification took place: the children became Saint-Georges, Nanon, Georges de Bologne, Texier La Boëssière, d’Eon etc. The fencers tried extra hard to cross blades with style and even their attitudes were those of another century; the singers interpreted Saint-Georges’s Romances with greater conviction and the actresses and actors became different people when playing their roles.
However the highlight of the show was the participation of a group of children who came to Vichy with the Mayor of the birthplace of Saint-Georges in Guadeloupe. The encounter of these two worlds was a great event for both the children of Saint-Yorre and Baillif. In this instance, we may talk about the shock of cultures but also about a spontaneous current of sympathy which was established between the children in the presence of the parents who all wanted to take home one of the Baillif children.
I find the cover of the (Calliopé) CD utterly distasteful. It is, on the one hand, ambiguous and scornful (even racist), and on the other hand, vulgarity is not likely to attract the curiosity of children. They are far more discriminating than one may think!
To add a few more words about our show which was a success – at a secondary school level of course – we are proud of the participation of 150 children, 30 musicians, 20 fencers and 70 young choristers. Over 1000 spectators of the region of Vichy attended the show and I think I can say that it was an opportunity to introduce Saint-Georges’ music to the whole region.
With all my admiration for your work and beautiful website.
Catherine Pizon, Principale du collège Victor Hugo, Saint-Yorre
I make that more than 1270 people who were introduced to the music of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges in Saint-Yorre alone. I wonder how many people will buy the Calliopé CD?
Discover some important new music composed under the Third Reich and not in Hitler's record collection here, and more inspirational community music making from France here.
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