 |
Paul DukasFrench composer
Date of Birth: 01.10.1865
Country:  France |
Content:
Biography of Paul Dukas
Paul Dukas was a French composer born on October 1, 1865, in Paris. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire and later became a professor of composition and conducting there from 1913 to 1935.
Legacy and Style
Although Dukas' body of work is relatively small, each composition he created holds significant artistic value. He only published his works when he was confident in their worth, even offering to destroy his last composition, "La Pri" (The Prayer, 1910), if any flaws were found in it. Stylistically, Dukas' music is a synthesis of the best elements of Neoclassicism and Post-Romanticism.
Examples of his Neoclassical style include his Symphony in D major (1897), Variations on a Theme by J.P. Rameau (1903), and Sonata in E-flat major for piano (1900). His piano sonata was his first composition in this genre. "La Pri," a choreographic poem infused with romantic moods, showcases his mastery of orchestration.
One of his best-known works is the opera "Ariane et Barbe-Bleue" (Ariane and Bluebeard, 1907), based on a play by Maeterlinck. Another popular composition by Dukas is "L'Apprenti sorcier" (The Sorcerer's Apprentice, 1897), based on Goethe's ballad.
Dukas has sometimes been labeled a Wagnerian, but traces of such influence can only be found in the culmination of "La Pri," which lasts only a few measures and features a characteristic wave-like crescendo in the orchestra. Otherwise, Dukas is a true French composer, often compared to Berlioz.
