Teaching Stravinsky by Kimberly A. Francis;

Teaching Stravinsky by Kimberly A. Francis;

Author:Kimberly A. Francis;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: OUP Premium
Published: 2015-02-15T00:00:00+00:00


1

Together

1942–1945

Once again Stravinsky and Boulanger found themselves close geographically, and the letters dry up from 1942 to 1945, rendered unnecessary by the pair’s proximity and regular in-person meetings. After Boulanger’s arrival in California, without a steady teaching commitment, she ceased keeping diaries, or if she did write on a regular basis, the evidence is no longer extant. The few documents that do remain from this time reveal a distinct shift in both musicians’ tones after Boulanger installed herself at the Sachses’ Featherhill Ranch in Montecito, California. To find evidence of their dialogue, however, one must turn to the annotated corners of scores—incomplete sketches, autographs, photostats of originals, and published works—that Stravinsky gave to Boulanger from September 1942 until she finally returned to the East Coast in August 1945. The bulk of these scores were donated by Boulanger’s executors to the Bibliothèque nationale de France, but they were not cataloged as belonging to the fonds Boulanger. Instead, they were subsumed into the Stravinsky collection. Only by sifting through the card catalog of Stravinsky scores and cross-referencing the gift number listed on each with that of the Boulanger donation does one find this fascinating series of inscribed documents.

Stravinsky sent Boulanger scores as one would send greeting cards. Christmas holidays, birthdays—these milestones were regularly accompanied by musical offerings from Stravinsky to Boulanger with some witty or thoughtful annotation written on the cover page. There is something deeply moving about Stravinsky’s awareness of Boulanger’s love for his music, and in his gifts he seems to border on seeking her professional approval. Imbedded in the musical evidence we find Stravinsky’s most touching words, and they mark the site of music making from 1942 to 1945 as a profoundly important space for Boulanger and him. Moreover, because Stravinsky typically sent Boulanger works that were at a relatively advanced stage of completion, if not recently published, at a time when she was no longer active as a conductor, teacher, or impresario, I argue that this shows Stravinsky clearly valued and sought out her analytical feedback and praise.

Stravinsky presented Boulanger with the first of these scores on 24 September 1942. It was a photostat copy of the orchestral score for his recently completed Four Norwegian Moods. On the inside cover he wrote: “For Nadia’s first visit, this little present (the next time will be more expensive), Your I. Str.”1 That same month, and possibly during the same visit, Boulanger received from him a first-edition copy of his Poétique musicale.2 She had spent November of 1940 through March of 1941 negotiating with Dumas Malone of Harvard University Press about the publication of Stravinsky’s Charles Eliot Norton Lectures in French. Well aware of the central importance of Boulanger’s efforts, Stravinsky presented her with a first printing of the book inscribed “With all of my affection.”3 Leafing through the pages of her extraordinarily well-worn volume, one encounters Boulanger’s numerous annotations and translations. This text is likely a key to understanding the influence Boulanger had on Stravinsky’s rewrite of these lectures for



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