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First section of the composer's notes to 'La Mort des Artistes'.

La  Mort des Artistes.

This is the second piece in a group entitled Etude de Couleur et Lumière (Study in Colour and Light) and is also inspired by the symbolist French poet Charles Baudelaire. 

It is divided into three parts, the first being a piece for audio tape entitled Avant La Mort des Artistes (Before The Death of the Artists) and last for a mixed ensemble entitled Après La Mort des Artistes (After The Death of the Artists).  These two works are the frame of the main piece, a song for solo alto, La Mort des Artistes.  This work deals more closely with the poetry of Baudelaire than the previous work La Cloche Felée in which the vowel stresses and the intonation of the poem were used to produce a plan of the inner structure of the work.  This piece, however, comprises a much more detailed analysis of the poem La Mort des Artistes which was originally intended to end his collection of poetry Les Fleurs du Mal (The Flowers of Evil). 

The other poems Les Morts des Amants (The Death of the Lovers) and La Mort des Pauvres (The Death of the Poor) all follow a strict structural pattern which also includes a strict rhyming scheme which is common in French poetry.  Even the intonation of the poem - the exact rise and fall of the vowel sounds - is accurately reflected in the music.  In fact, every element of the poetry is represented musically.  This work forms an important evolutionary step in my musical output, unifying the two opposing directions of timbralism and colourism.


I  Avant "La mort des Artistes"
For audio tape (6 voices doubled tracked)

II "La mort des Artistes
Solo song

III Apres "La mort des Artistes".
Small ensemble.

Each section last roughly 6 minutes.

This work deals more closely with the poetry of Baudelaire than "La Cloche Felee".  In that work,  the vowel stresses and the intonation formant was produced in order to plan the 'inner' structure of the work.  In this piece, however, there is a much more detailed adherence to the poem.   "La mort des Artistes"  is one of a set of three poems which was originally intended to end the collection of poetry called "Les Fleurs du Mal".  The other two poems;"La mort des Amants"(The death of lovers) and "La mort des Pauvres"(The death of the poor) all follow a strict structural pattern.  Typical of French poetry of this time they follow a strict twelve syllable per line scheme.
Each poem has 2 four line verses followed by  2 three line verses.  This is how the rhyming scheme looks:

FirstVerse                        Second Verse
A                                       A`
B                                       B`
C                                       C`
D                                       D`
The next section will follow soon...

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