Variations sur le nom de Marguerite Long (Variations on the name 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.Cecilia Dunoyer, Marguerite Long: A Life in French Music, 1874-1966, p. 186. Retrieved 17 May 2016 "All of Paris" gathered at the venue where Long herself played Fauré's Ballade.
Three of the composers were members of Les Six: Georges Auric, Darius Milhaud and Francis Poulenc. The other five were Henri Dutilleux, Jean Françaix, Daniel Lesur, 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:D. Kern Holoman, Charles Munch. Retrieved 17 May 2016 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 Daniel Lesur: Intermezzo Francis Poulenc: Bucolique, FP 160Carl B. Schmidt, The Music of Francis Poulenc (1899-1963): A Catalogue. Retrieved 17 May 2016 Georges Auric: ML (Allegro: Finale)
Notes Rollo Myers, "Notes from Abroad", The Musical Times, July 1956, p. 380
References