THE MUSIC OF JEAN-LOUIS FLORENTZ
ETHIOPIAN LITURGY AND MUSICAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE ORGAN WORK DEBOUT SUR LE SOLEIL, OP. 8
Anna Myeong
Introduction Jean-Louis Florentz (1947–2004) is
among the leading French organ com- posers of the past 30 years. His work with Olivier Messiaen was one of the defining influences on his career. Over the course of some 24 years, Florentz built a small but distinguished body of work with a unique style combining mysticism, Middle Eastern influences, language, and theology. In Debout sur le soleil, Op. 8, the Holy Trinity was em- ployed as the main theme, with an ad- ditional focus on the Passion of Christ. Florentz combined African elements— Ethiopian liturgy, bird songs, and dance rhythms—in Opus 8. One unusual fea- ture was his use of Morse code to trans- late the religious meaning into musical expression. Florentz’smusic is notwell known among organists, especially in America. To date, only two English ar- ticles have appeared.1 This article con- sists of two parts: (1) three key elements of Ethiopian liturgy in Opus 8 summa- rized from Florentz’s French article2 (1) four refrains, four invitatoires, and “Midrash” of the Passion, (2) the musi- cal characteristics found in Opus 8: Morse code, irregular rhythms, and triple ascending transposition. In addi- tion, the conclusion examines chal- lenges in performing thiswork and Flo- rentz’s unique style in Opus 8. The music of Jean-Louis Florentz is
unique because it is a product of com- bining his various studies in theology, music, linguistics, and ethnomusicolo- gy. Hewas born in Asnières, a suburb of Paris, on December 19, 1947, and died in Paris on July 4, 2004. He began his musical studies in the 1960s at the height of the period dominated by serialism. After his initial organ studies in Lyon, he moved to Paris and studied organ with Olivier Messiaen and com- position with Pierre Schaeffer and An- toine Duhamel. He taught composition and Occidental African music at the Kenyatta University College in Nairobi, Kenya, and was a professor at the Lyon Conservatory from 1985 until 2000. In 1978, Florentz won the Lili Bou-
langer Composition Prize; and in 1990, he won the Musical Prize of the Foun- dation Prince Pierre of Monaco for his Asún (Assumption Requiem of the Vir- gin), Op. 7, a 50-minute choral work for
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soloists, chorus, children’s chorus, and orchestra. This choral masterpiece is deeply informed by the French sym- phonic tradition since Debussy and by Ethiopian Orthodox music. He was elected as a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts (Institut de France) in 1995. Olivier Messiaen was reported to be deeply impressed with Florentz’s work. Florentz’s numerous field trips in the tropics took him to the West Indies, Polynesia, and Africa, particularly Kenya, where he frequently carried out research in animal acoustics. Florentz’s chronological biography and a sum- mary of his works can be found in the homepage of the Association Jean-Louis Florentz (
Jeanlouisflorentz.com). Florentz composed four organ works:
Les Laudes, Op. 5 (1985); Debout sur le soleil, Op. 8 (1988–91); La Croix du Sud, Op. 15 (1999–2000); and L’Enfant noir, Op. 17 (2001, not completed). In his organ works, African elements such as Ethiopian liturgy, bird songs, and dance rhythms are combined with ele- ments from French symphonic organ music. He also had strong ideas about “the organ of the future,” a characteris- tic feature of which was a large palette ofmutation stops. Florentz chose the or- gan as the best instrument to express Ethiopian liturgy in his composition Debout sur le soleil. The organ has the capacity tomimic vocal colorations (in- cluding the ability to express multiple melodies of liturgical origin in subtly different ways), a quality he had already encountered in scores by composers such as Charles Tournemire (1870– 1939), Maurice Duruflé (1902–86), and Jehan Alain (1911–40). Debout sur le soleil, Op. 8—Chant de
Résurrection is a meditation on the final chapter of Jacques Leclercq’s book De- bout sur le soleil,3 titled “Miserere.” The epigraph for this book comes from the book of Revelation, Chapter 19, verse 17: “Et l’ange s’est dressé debout sur le soleil” (“And the angel stood up on the sun”). Commissioned by Radio France and dedicated to Michel Bour- cier, Debout sur le soleil unfolds over a period of 30 minutes. It was premiered byMichel Bourcier at Saint-Eustache in Paris on March 10, 1991. Florentz in- cluded thiswork and Asmarâ, Op. 9, for a cappella choir in his Livre des En-
chantements. This piece was inspired by three trips to Israel from 1989 to 1990, where Florentz made numerous recordings and photographed life at the Ethiopian orthodox monastery Däbrä- Gännät (Monastery of Paradise). From 1988 to 1991, he composed Opus 8, completing it on February 25, 1991. The entire score was published by Alphonse Leduc in 1995.2(2) The work is made up of four main
parts and a coda: “In the name (mm. 1–81) of the Father (mm. 82–144), of the Son (mm. 145–241), and of the Holy Spirit (mm. 242–373)” with a coda, “only one God, Amen” (mm. 374–393). These four sections relate to the four points of thecompass and four branches of the cross. In the structure of this work, there are three key elements that are closely related to the Ethiopian liturgy: (1) four “refrains” (mm. 1–6; mm. 28–32; mm. 145–149; mm. 343– 350); (2) four “invitatoires” (mm. 7–27; mm. 128–140; mm. 351–360; mm. 374–393); (3) the “Midrash” de la Pas- sion (mm. 187–228).2(1)
Four Refrains The huge chords with which Debout
sur le soleil begins and which will be heard again on the occasion of each of the four refrains are the representation of the complex vocal mass provoked by the heterophonic singing of the congre- gation. They are built on the first part of the invitation, which is the prayer by the deacon in the Ethiopian liturgy:
The Deacon: “Levons-nous pour la
prière.” (“Let us arise for the prayer.”) The Congregation: “Seigneur, sois
miséricordieux envers nous. (“Lord, be merciful to us.”)
These refrains have three unique
characteristics: (1) a held note, (2) a fff chord, (3) an ending followed by a new fff chord, which is followed by a new ending, etc. Each motif summarizes the call of the deacon and the response by the congregation (Ex. 1). In the course of the four refrains, this motif is varied in itsmelodic and harmonic presentation. This is a symbolic representation of a permanent and close relationship be- tween the deacon and the congregation
THE AMERICAN ORGANIST
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