Inghelbrecht, D(ésiré)-É(mile)

Inghelbrecht, D(ésiré)-É(mile), noted French conductor and composer; b. Paris, Sept. 17, 1880; d. there, Feb. 14, 1965. He began violin lessons as a child, and later studied solfège and harmony with Taudou at the Paris Cons. only to be expelled as musically unpromising. After working as an orch. player, he became conductor of the Théâtre des Arts in Paris in 1908. In 1912 he organized l’Association Chorale Professionnelle. After serving as music director at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, he founded the Concerts Ignace Pleyel in 1919 to promote the music of the 17^th and 18^th centuries. From 1920 to 1923 he toured Europe as conductor of the Ballets Suédois, and then returned to Paris as music director of the Opéra-Comique in 1924-25; then held the post of second conductor of the Concerts Pasdeloup (1928–32). After serving as director of the Algiers Opera (1929–30), he was again music director of the Opéra-Comique (1932–33). In 1934 he founded l’Orchestre National de la Radio Française, serving as its director until 1944. From 1945 to 1950 he was chief conductor of the Paris Opéra, and subsequently appeared as a conductor with Radio Française. Inghelbrecht was greatly admired for hisinterpretations of French music, particularly the works of Debussy, Ravel, and Roussel. He was also an accomplished composer in his own right. He was the author of Comment on ne doit pas interpréter Carmen, Faust et Pelléas (1933); Diabolus in musica (1933); Mouvement contraire: Souvenirs d’un musicien (1947); Le Chef d’orchestre et son équipe (1948; Eng. tr.,1953, as The Conductor’s World); Claude Debussy (1953); Le Chef d’orchestre parle au public (1957).

Works

dramatic: Opera: La nuit vénitienne (1908). Operetta: Virage sur l’aile (1947). opera-ba11et:Le chêne et le tilleul (1960). ba11et:El Greco (Paris, Nov. 18, 1920); Le diable dans le beffroi (1921; Paris, June 1, 1927); La métamorphose d’Eve (1928); Jeux de Couleurs (Paris, Feb. 21, 1933). ORCH.: Marine (1903); La serre aux nénuphars (1903); Automne (1905); Pour le jour de la première neige auvieux Japon (1908); Rapsodie de printemps (1910); 3 poèmes dansés (1923); 6 danses suédoises (1929); Sinfonia breve da camera (1930); La valse retrouvée (1937); Ballade dans le gôut irlandais for Harp and Orch. (1939); Pastourelles sur des noëls anciens (1943); Ibériana for Violin and Orch. (1948); Vézelay (1952). CHAMBER: 2 esquisses antiques for Flute and Harp (1903); Poème sylvestre for Winds (1905); Prélude et saltarelle for Viola and Piano (1905); Nocturne for Cello and Piano (1905); Quintet for Harp and Strings (1918); Sonatine for Flute and Harp (1919); Impromptu for Viola and Piano (1922); 4 Fanfares for Winds (1932); String Quartet(1956). Piano: 2 esquisses (1903); La nursery (5 vols., 1905-11; also orchestrated); Suite Petite russienne (1908); Paysages (1918); Dernières nurseries (1932); Pastourelles (1949). VOCAL: Cantique des créatures for Voice and Piano (1910); 4 chansons populaires françaises for Chorus (1915); Vocalise- étude for Voice and Piano (1929); La légende du grand St. Nicolas for Voice and Piano (1932); Requiem for Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Chorus, and Orch. (1941); Tant que noël durera for Voice and Orch. (1943); Chantons jeunesse for Chorus (1946).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire