A funny thing happened on my way to listen to Boieldieu’s Harp Concerto in C. However, before I explain that, let me say that I chose the Harp Concerto this week because I thought I’d listen to a work for an instrument that I rarely, if ever, listen to -- and the harp certainly fit that bill. When does one ever listen to a piece for harp? And to be honest, in this case, I had never even heard of the composer, François-Adrien Boieldieu. Have you ever heard of him (and how in the world do you pronounce that last name)? Born in 1775 in Rouen, France, François-Adrien Boieldieu received his musical education first from the choirmaster and then from the organist of the local cathedral. During the Revolutionary period in France, Boieldieu left for Paris and worked as both a piano tuner and a composer. Described as “the spiritual heir” of André Grétry, a French composer most famous for his opéras comiques, Boieldieu “focused on melodies which avoided too much ornamentation, set to light but intelligent orchestration. Hector Berlioz described his music as possessing ‘a pleasing and tasteful Parisian elegance.’” (Info HERE). As such, he came to be known as “the French Mozart.” Boieldieu is mainly known as a composer of operas; however, he also composed other works, including his Harp Concerto in C, now thought to be one of the masterpieces of the harp repertory. Okay, so now the bit of humor. When I went to listen to Boieldieu’s Harp Concerto, I searched for it on YouTube on my cell phone. Various videos popped up, so I selected one, plugged in my ear buds, and listened. The concerto was a very pleasant and lyrical piece, and as it progressed I could not help but notice parallels to Mozart’s music. Some of it even sounded -- what should I say? -- “borrowed” directly from some of Mozart’s works. I did think, though, that Boieldieu made some inspired decisions to keep the orchestra’s accompaniment very light so that the harp could heard. Plus, he often paired the harp’s delicate strains with a flute, so that, again, it could be heard. Well, later in the afternoon, I thought I would listen to the piece once again, and when I went to click “play,” I realized that I hadn’t listened Boieldieu’s Harp Concerto in C at all. Instead, I had unknowingly listened to the Concerto for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra in C major by Mozart. No wonder the piece sounded so much like Mozart’s music. No wonder all the flute. Oops. I re-ran a search on YouTube for “Harp Concerto in C,” but this time I included the name “Boieldieu” -- and this time I made sure I actually listened to Boieldieu’s work. And I did listen. And as you can see from my rating below, I enjoyed it.
The first movement is a joyous piece in C major (not so exuberant as Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, but joyous nonetheless), and Boieldieu composed a piece that is well beyond the bromidic notion of a cherub strumming out chords on a harp. The work is full and mellifluous, and the spirit is light and lively. Why, I even found myself tapping my foot -- to a harp concerto. Can you imagine that?
The second movement shifts to a minor key and is slow and somewhat solemn, but not maudlin. At the end of this movement, a cadenza (a solo passage for the harpist) leads into the final movement, a more pensive and ethereal work -- but fast paced. I was very impressed with Boieldieu's concerto and enjoyed it very much. I cannot imagine what it takes to play something like this on a harp, and I don't even want to think about the calluses harpists must develop on their fingers -- so let’s not! Instead, let’s focus entirely on the beauty, grace and joy such a piece brings to the world. Oh, but there is one other strange and indelicate matter to discuss. When reading about François-Adrien Boieldieu I learned something perhaps more crude than a discussion of harpists' calluses. It turns out that after Boieldieu died in 1834 at age 58 in Varennes-Jarcy, his body was interred in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, but his heart was interred in Rouen, in a tomb paid for by that city. Huh? What’s with that? Was that a thing in the 1800s to bury the heart separate from the body? Okay, enough of this gruesome detail. Let’s think back, instead, to the beauty, the grace, and the joy of Boieldieu's harp concerto. Now would be a good time for you to listen to it if you need to take your mind off of harpists' calluses and entombed hearts. Enjoy!
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A New Hope:As the header above says, each week I will listen to a piece of classical music that I've never heard before, and then I will report out what I thought about it. Archives
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