- Date: 1947
- Composer: André Jolivet
- Period: Modern (1910-1949)
Review
This is a short and ecstatic hymn of praise in song form for soprano and organ. Using scale formations that are at once tonal and exotic, it expresses a spiritual quality that is both rapturous and formal.In 1936 Jolivet (1905 - 1974) had joined with three other composers and musicians of similar age (Yves Baudrier, Olivier Messiaen, and Daniel Lesur) under the name Jeune France (Young France). One of the hallmarks of their music was to be artistic sincerity, avoiding "revolutionary clichés" and academic formulae alike.
His earliest music was almost aggressively non-conformist, but he soon realized that the audience was a function of musical communication that should not be alienated. He thought that anyone should be able to hum or play music, or at least be such that one could listen to it "while recognizing his own feelings as a man."
According to Hilda Jolivet (in her book Avec André Jolivet), this work originated as the composer's offering to an annual meeting held at the home of a Madame Knecht. She was a friend of theirs and a music lover who every year on St. Andrew's Day hosted a party of musicians all named André or Andrée.
The text is in Latin, and was given to Jolivet by Monseigneur Chevrot. It was given its first public performance on November 28, 1948, at the Dominican Chapel in Paris. It praises God for honoring those who love him, for granting children to follow after them, and for loving Saint Andrew.
The song lasts about four minutes. It is in a consistent texture of a flowing vocal line in exotic scales, with a rhythm that constantly shifts between triplet and duplet note values. This quality gives it an improvisatory and ecstatic quality. Jolivet's path to avoiding both academic and revolutionary ideas in music was to write works that seem to recapture the original ritualistic or magical qualities of music, and an element of that feeling is strong in this lovely work.
Meanwhile, the organ part is calm, in smooth, even, and sometimes unusual chord progressions. At the end, when the soprano sings Alleluias, the organ drops out to allow the work to conclude on a vocalise (singer alone). ~ Joseph Stevenson, All Music Guide
Albums with Complete Performances of the Work
| Title | Date |
| Jolivet: Hymne à St. André/Hymne à l'Univers/Mandala |
