Variations sur le nom de Marguerite Long

Variations sur le nom de Marguerite Long is a collaborative orchestral suite written by eight French composers in 1956, in honour of the pianist Marguerite Long.

It was first performed on 4 June 1956 by the Orchestre National de France under Charles Munch in a National Jubilee Concert organized by the French government in Long's honour, staged at the Grand Amphitheatre of the Sorbonne.^[1]

Three of the composers were members of Les Six: Georges Auric, Darius Milhaud and Francis Poulenc. The other five were Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur, Henri Dutilleux, Jean Françaix, Jean Rivier and Henri Sauguet.

In truth, only one of the movements was in the form of variations. Sauguet's Variations en forme de Berceuse pour Marguerite Long was based on the letters EAGG, which come from her name, although not in the order in which they occur there.

Poulenc's Bucolique has become well known and has been recorded several times. The remainder of the suite is little known.

Structure

The suite is structured as follows:^[2]

Jean Françaix: Hymne solennel
Henri Sauguet: Variations en forme de Berceuse pour Marguerite Long
Darius Milhaud: La Couronne de Marguerites ("The Crown of Daisies"), Valse en forme de rondo, Op. 353
Jean Rivier: Nocturne
Henri Dutilleux: Sérénades
Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur: Intermezzo
Francis Poulenc: Bucolique, FP. 160^[3]
Georges Auric: ML (Allegro: Finale)

Notes

Rollo Myers, "Notes from Abroad", The Musical Times, July 1956, p. 380

References

^ Cecilia Dunoyer, Marguerite Long: A Life in French Music, 1874-1966, p. 186. Retrieved 17 May 2016
^ D. Kern Holoman, Charles Munch. Retrieved 17 May 2016
^ Carl B. Schmidt, The Music of Francis Poulenc (1899-1963): A Catalogue. Retrieved 17 May 2016

[1] Cecilia Dunoyer, Marguerite Long: A Life in French Music, 1874-1966, p. 186. Retrieved 17 May 2016

[2] D. Kern Holoman, Charles Munch. Retrieved 17 May 2016

[3] Carl B. Schmidt, The Music of Francis Poulenc (1899-1963): A Catalogue. Retrieved 17 May 2016

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