Jacques-Louis Monod facts for kids
Jacques-Louis Monod (born February 25, 1927 – died September 21, 2020) was a French composer, pianist, and conductor. He was famous for his work with 20th-century and modern classical music. He especially helped make the music of Charles Ives, Edgard Varèse, Arnold Schoenberg, and Anton Webern more well-known. Monod worked mostly in New York City and London during the second half of the 1900s.
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About Jacques-Louis Monod
Early Life and Musical Talent
Jacques-Louis Monod was born in Asnières, a town near Paris, France. His family was wealthy and had a long history in France. His amazing musical talent was noticed very early. In 1933, when he was just six years old, he joined the Paris Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique. This was unusual because the official age to join was nine.
Monod studied at the Conservatoire for almost 20 years, earning his doctorate in 1952. His teachers included famous musicians like Yves Nat and Olivier Messiaen. He also learned from his godfather, Paul-Silva Hérard.
Learning from René Leibowitz
A very important moment for Monod happened in 1944 when he was 17. He began taking private lessons in music composition and theory from René Leibowitz. Leibowitz was a composer and conductor who followed the style of Anton Webern. He was also a key person in bringing Arnold Schoenberg's music and a new style called serial music to Paris after World War II.
Leibowitz became Monod's main teacher and mentor. Monod stayed a strong supporter of Leibowitz throughout his life.
First Performances as a Pianist
In 1949, Monod made his first public appearance as a pianist in Paris. This concert was organized by Leibowitz to celebrate Schoenberg's 75th birthday. Monod performed in the first European showing of Schoenberg's Phantasy for Violin and Piano Accompaniment.
Moving to New York City
In 1950, Monod moved to New York City, following his teacher René Leibowitz. At this time, music by composers like Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern was not often played in America. Monod became one of the first people to strongly support their music.
Playing Piano and Making Recordings
During the 1950s, Monod spent a lot of time as a pianist. He played music by the "Second Viennese School" (Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern) for piano and voice. He recorded the piano parts for Berg's Chamber Concerto and Schoenberg's Ode to Napoleon Bonaparte.
Monod also played on important recordings of chamber music by Webern for Dial Records. These recordings included Webern's Symphony, Op. 21, and his Variations for Piano, Op. 27, played by Monod himself. He also performed with the talented American singer Bethany Beardslee.
Monod also helped introduce other music. In 1954, he conducted the first performance at Carnegie Hall of Igor Stravinsky's Three Japanese Lyrics.
Leading as a Conductor
In the early 1950s, Monod started directing American premieres of many of Webern's works. He helped lead the first concert in the USA that featured only Webern's music. This concert took place in New York City in 1951.
Monod also conducted the first performances of Webern's Three Traditional Rhymes and Three Songs on Poems of Hildegard Jone in 1952. He often performed new music with his then-wife, Bethany Beardslee, in concerts called Camera Concerts.
In 1955, Monod conducted the first American performance of Edgard Varèse's Déserts in New York City.
Working in London
From 1960 to 1967, Monod worked as a conductor for the BBC Third Program in London. During this time, he led a live concert of new music every Tuesday. These concerts were broadcast internationally to many listeners. In 1965, he conducted the first British performance of Kurt Weill's school opera, Der Jasager.
Back in New York City
In 1975, Monod started the Guild of Composers in New York. For 20 years, he was its president. This group put on concerts of "uptown" contemporary music. These concerts often took place at Columbia University's Miller Theater. They featured music by American composers like Elliott Carter, Milton Babbitt, and Arthur Berger.
Monod strongly supported a style of music called "non-experimental" serialism. This music was often created by composers from top universities in the Northeast, especially Columbia and Princeton. The Guild of Composers showed that modern American music was still connected to older Western music traditions.
Later Years and Passing
In the early 1980s, Monod led a notable performance of Schoenberg's Pierrot lunaire.
Jacques-Louis Monod passed away on September 21, 2020, in Toulouse, France, at the age of 93.
Monod's Music
List of His Compositions
Monod's music is published by Jerona Music Corporation and Schott Music Publishing.
Here is a partial list of his compositions, many from a series called Cantus Contra Cantum:
- Organ Piece (no date)
- Chamber Aria (1952)
- Cantus Contra Cantum I (1968/1980) for Soprano and Chamber Orchestra
- Cantus Contra Cantum II (1973) for Violin and Cello
- Cantus Contra Cantum III (1976) for Chorus
- Cantus Contra Cantum IV (Tränen des Vaterlandes—Anno 1636) (1978) for Mixed Chorus and Sackbuts or Trombones
- Cantus Contra Cantum V for Orchestra
- Cantus Contra Cantum VI for Mixed Choir and Chamber Orchestra
- 2 Elegies (1978)
His Musical Style
Monod's music developed in three main stages. First, his early training in Paris showed French influences and his role in the start of serialism in France. Second, when he moved to New York City and London, he focused on promoting music by non-French composers, especially American music and the serial music of Schoenberg and Webern. Third, he became a composer and teacher himself, promoting a new generation of "non-experimental" music by American composers.
Cantus Contra Cantum and Complex Music
Monod's music builds on the ideas of Webern and represents the French school of serialism after World War II. His music also has a subtle, gentle quality.
His important work, Cantus Contra Cantum II for Violin and Cello, is a very complex piece with challenging rhythms. The title "Cantus Contra Cantum" means "line against line." This idea comes from old music and means creating advanced music where different parts or voices work together to make something greater than their individual sounds.
Monod's music is very carefully composed, with no random parts. It requires performers to have excellent technical skills. Even though it's complex, his music also has lyrical qualities that listeners can enjoy. He often set his music to poems by French writers like Paul Éluard and Paul Valéry.
In 1979, his Cantus Contra Cantum I was performed in New York City. Monod himself wrote about this piece, saying it was a song cycle for a woman's voice and a small group of instruments. He explained that a composer can't fully explain their work, as it's also about what the listener experiences.
More recently, in 2017, a concert in New York City was dedicated to Monod's music, featuring his choral compositions.
Editor of Music Scores
Monod also worked as an editor, preparing many musical works for publication. He edited pieces by Charles Ives, including Central Park in the Dark. He also edited important works by Schoenberg, such as the String Trio, Op. 45, and A Survivor from Warsaw, Op. 46. His editions of Schoenberg's music are considered very accurate and important.
Monod's Papers at Stanford University
In 2013, Monod gave a collection of his letters, music notes, and writings to Stanford University. This collection includes letters with the Schoenberg family and other famous composers like Elliot Carter and Milton Babbitt. In 2016 and 2017, he added even more of his own music scores to the collection.
Teacher at Columbia and Juilliard
Monod taught many talented musicians, some of whom were also interested in math and computer science. He taught mainly in New York City at Columbia University and the Juilliard School. He also gave guest lectures at universities like Princeton and Harvard.
He taught conducting to many students who went on to become professional conductors, such as Gilbert Levine and Markand Thakar.
Association for the Promotion of New Music
In 1975, Monod also started a music publishing company called the Association for the Promotion of New Music (APNM). This company publishes many works from the New York "uptown" music movement. Monod, Mario Davidovsky, and Fred Lerdahl are honorary members of its board. Monod also edited music for APNM.
Personal Life and Friends
Jacques-Louis Monod was married to the soprano Bethany Beardslee and later to Margrit Auhagen.
His close friends in America included composers like Earl Kim, Seymour Shifrin, and Mario Davidovsky. In France, his close friend was Michel Philippot. Monod lived in Toulouse, France.
Notable Relatives
Monod came from a very old and important French Protestant family. His family had many influential people in French government, religion, science, medicine, banking, and the arts.
Some of his famous relatives include:
- His great-great-grandfather Adolphe Monod, a well-known pastor.
- His father Pierre Monod, a famous surgeon.
- His cousins:
- Théodore Monod, a naturalist.
- Jérôme Monod, a politician.
- Jacques Lucien Monod, a biologist who won the Nobel Prize.
- Daniel Bovet, a pharmacologist who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
- Jean-Luc Godard, a famous French film director.
