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Anry KolleFrench writer, composer and music critic.
Country:
 France |
Content:
Biography of Henri Collet
Henri Collet (5 November 1885, Paris - 23 November 1951, Paris) was a French writer, composer, and music critic. He was a child prodigy and obtained his bachelor's degree at the age of 14. Collet had a deep fascination with Spain since childhood and spent a significant part of his life there. He received music education from Federico Olmeda and later Felipe Pedrell. Before that, he had piano lessons in Paris from Joseph Thibaud, the brother of the famous Jacques Thibaud.
Music Career
Collet's musical compositions were heavily influenced by Spanish folk motifs, surpassing even the works of contemporary Spanish composers such as Isaac Albéniz and Manuel de Falla. Some of Collet's notable works include the opera "Cervantes à Alger" (1930), the light opera "El alcalde de Zalamea" (1946), based on the play by Calderón, and the opera "La Chèvre d'or" (1936). He also composed ballets such as "Le Cabaret espagnol" (1918), "Clavelitos" (1928), which was later adapted into a piano suite, and "Los Toreros" (1933). Collet also composed music for the Paris production of Lope de Vega's play "El fuenteovejuna" (1938). He wrote a symphony "Alhambra" (1947) and two Concertos-Flamenco for violin and piano with orchestra (1946 and 1947). Among his chamber music, he composed the Castilian Trio for violin, cello, and piano (1921) and two collections of Castilian songs for piano (1921 and 1922). Collet also created numerous songs based on Spanish folk themes for voice and piano.
Musicologist and Writer
As a musicologist, Collet published several notable works, including "Le Mysticisme Musical espagnol au XVI.e siècle" (1913), which explores mysticism in Spanish music of the 16th century. He also wrote "L'Essor de la musique espagnole au XXe siècle" (1929), an overview of the rise of Spanish music in the 20th century, and a book on composers Albéniz and Granados (1929). Collet is most famous for his article "Les cinq russes, les six français et M. Satie" published in the newspaper "Comoedia" in January 1920. In this article, he coined the term "Les Six" to refer to a group of French composers.
Legacy
Collet's name was forgotten for a long time, but in the 21st century, there has been a renewed interest in his work. Several albums of his music have been released since 2000 by musicians such as Régis Pasquier, Isabelle Émiljan, and Rachel Yakar. Monographs on Collet have been published by French musicologists Jean-Bernard Cahour d'Aspri and Stéphane Eicher, and Canadian specialists Jasmin Arbach and Nicole Payman have published a catalog of his works.
