Frank Martin
Synopsis
Swiss composer
- 1890 born in Geneva, Switzerland. He was of French ancestry.
- 1898 began writing his first complete compositions, although he had not yet studied music. Martin studied with only one teacher, Joseph Lauber, who taught Martin piano, harmony and composition, but not counterpoint.
- 1902 attended a performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion which had a great influence on his compositional style.
- studied mathematics and physics for 2 years at Geneva University.
- 1918-1926 lived successively in Zurich, Rome and Paris.
- 1926 returned to Geneva and worked on rhythmic musical education with Emile Jaques-Dalcroze. He also was active as a pianist and harpsichordist, lectured at the conservatory, and directed a private music school, Technicum Moderne de Musique.
- 1943-1946 president of the Swiss Musician's Union.
- 1946 moved to the Netherlands.
- 1950-1957 held a composition class at the Cologne Hochschule für Musik. He also travelled all over the world performing his works.
- 1974 died in Naarden, in the Netherlands.
Martin was strongly influenced by the harmonies of Bach, and also by Schumann, Chopin, and Franck. According to Oxford Music online, "This resulted in a complicated point of departure: a composer who was French in outlook was entrenched in a style essentially determined by German antecedents, and in a harmonic style to be conquered only by a radical upheaval."
Martin appears to have only written three organ works: the Passacaille, which was later adapted for orchestra; the Sonata da chiesa, which was arranged for organ and a choice of several different solo instruments; and the Agnus Dei movement from his 1926 Mass.
His most frequently performed organ work is his Passacaglia.
For details, see the Wikipedia article on Frank Martin.
List of Organ Works
| Opus | Title | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Sonata da chiesa for viola d’amore and organ or flute | 1938/1941 | |
| Passacaille for organ | 1944 | |
| Agnus Dei for organ, from Mass, 1922–6 | 1966 | |
| Title | year |
Background and General Perspectives on Performing These Organ Works
From Oxford Music Online:
"From an early age his favourite instrument was the piano, and all his life he considered harmony to be the most important musical element."
He made use of Schoenberg's 12-tone technique, but rejected his aesthetics: "harmony remained the determining factor for Martin: harmony within an extended tonality, with a strong personal stamp."
Around 1940 he begins composing in his mature style, in which "melodic inflection and a subtle rhythmic treatment match normal dramatic speech. 12-note themes generally appear in only one voice, frequently with equal note values, sometimes as an ostinato, but seldom using octave transpositions. In the accompaniment, perfect triads are deployed in unusual progressions. Dissonant chords are developed in smooth part-writing, often over a static bass which indicates the momentary tonal centre. As a result of Martin’s ‘gliding tonality’, a movement rarely ends in its initial key."
Registration and Organs
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See the footnote in the "Notes" section at the bottom of the page[1]
Fingering and Pedaling
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Articulation and Phrasing
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Ornamentation
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Tempo and Meter
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Scores and Editions
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Recordings
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Free Online
Passacaille for Organ, 1944: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jyK7QJehjQ
Sonata da Chiesa for flute and organ, 1941: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWHApYk7S20
Pay to Listen
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Other Resources
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Notes
- ↑ This footnote was entered in the "Registration and Organs" section
This space is for automatic insertion of footnotes. To enter a footnote from anywhere in the article, start by typing the tag <ref> and then enter the text, and type the tag </ref> to end the footnote. The footnote will then appear in this "Notes" section automatically.
