Le Vin herbé

Le Vin herbé
(Der Zaubertrank, The Magic Potion) Profane oratorio after ‘Le roman de Tristan et Iseut’ (1900) by Joseph Bédier

Irène Martin-Gardian

Irène Gardian (1902-1939), actress and stage director, was Frank Martin’s wife from 1931 until her death in 1939. Read the conversation between Driette, their youngest daughter, and her father about the influence of Irène on the creation of Le Vin herbé.

 

 

Year of composition

1938-1941

Duration

90'

Scored for

vocal and instrumental ensemble: 12 voices - 2 violins - 2 violas - 2 cellos - double bass - piano

Publication information

Universal Edition (UE18974); reduced score for piano (French/German) and study score available

Text(s)

Joseph Bédier (1864-1938)

Text file

  1. https://www.frankmartin.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/1938-Le-Vin-herbe-fr.pdf

Commentary

Commentary 1

[…]
There are people who will have problems to adjust to my musical language in this work; these people find it difficult to believe that there is something here other than a pure intellectual game, or voluntary submission to certain arbitrary rules. And I would like to make it clear that if I followed the rather arbitrary rules of serial technique up to a point, I only considered them a source of enrichment and renewal, but following these rules never had value in itself for me. All rules are only intended to enrich a style, whether the classical rules of harmony and counterpoint or the new rules which can be followed at will or not. Using these rules of style is only a kind of elegance, a mental pleasure, which has neither value nor conviction. I will therefore not talk about the musical language used in Le Vin herbé, nor the rules it follows. That is material to be studied in depth for a seminar. But I’d like to tell you in a few words why I wrote this piece and why I wrote it in this way.

In the spring of 1938 I had time on my hands as I had no plans for anything important, but I was drawn towards the myth of Tristan and Isolde. I was furthermore impressed after reading the novel by Charles Morgan, Sparkenbroke, which is permeated with this myth. It was then that Robert Blum asked me to compose a piece lasting about half an hour for his Madrigal choir of 12 professional singers and also for some instruments. The vocal parts should be for soloists, for choir as well as solo ensembles. He gave me a list of the singers with the characteristics of each voice. With my mind full of Tristan, I reread Bédier’s text and I realised that I would never find any text better suited to my plans. The fourth chapter, ‘Le Philtre’ (Love-potion), could be used integrally and this was enough to fill the half hour required using ensembles and soloists. The instrumental part should be modest rather than secondary, like the scenery in a theatre play. As I had a choir, I decided to use it for a good deal of the recitatives, and also to use it as the accompaniment, of secondary importance, for some of the big solos, in particular when Branghien expresses the inevitable power of destiny. The text divided itself into scenes which determined the concise musical forms that are easy to grasp. And that is how Le Vin Herbé took its shape and form. Unlike any other prose, the extraordinary sense of rhythm of Bédier’s text served me well and gave me the right proportions and psychological flow. I was able to use the text in its entirety without any alterations, which is unequivocal proof of its absolute perfection.

Later I decided to add to this chapter another two chapters, ‘La Forêt du Morois’ (Morois Forest), where the lovers decide to separate, and ‘La Mort’ (Death), so that the piece would be rounded off covering the whole tragic story and would also be a full-length concert version able to fill a whole evening on its own. I felt that the atmosphere of this tale of love and death would improve by extending it, and that love alone was not enough, for it is death that brings peace after all the delights and anguish of passion. To enclose the work, I placed the prologue from Bédier’s novel at the beginning, and at the end the epilogue which, after the death of the lovers, places the story in its legendary past, yet linking it to our present-day feelings. To complete this talk, I can do no better than to cite the epilogue:

“My Lords, the good trouvères of yesteryear, Béroul, and Thomas, and his Lordship Eilhart, and master Gottfried, have told this tale for all who love, and for no others. They convey their respects to you through me. They pay tribute to those who are melancholic and those who are happy, the dissatisfied and the willing, the joyful and those in turmoil, all lovers. May they find consolation here for fickleness, injustice, unrequited love, sorrow, and all the pains of love!”

Part of a lecture given by Frank Martin on the occasion of the second performance of the first part of Le Vin herbé by the Madrigalchor of Zürich on January 23, 1941.

___

Commentary 2

The first part of Le Vin herbé was written during the summer of 1938 at the request of Robert Blum who asked for a piece of about 30 minutes for his Madrigal choir of 12 singers. I had long dreamt of writing a work based on the Roman de Tristan et Iseut (The Story of Tristan and Isolde) by Joseph Bédier and this was the occasion for it. The fourth chapter, entitled ‘Le philtre’ (The Love-potion), was enough on its own, as the text was just right for the half hour granted to me and was perfect to set for soloists as well as vocal ensembles. I was also able to add some instruments to the voices and I chose 2 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos, a double bass and a piano for this.

As I had a choir, I decided to use it for a good deal of the recitatives and also to use it as the accompaniment for some of the big solos, in particular when Branghien expresses the inevitable power of destiny. The text divided itself into scenes which determined the concise musical forms that are easy to grasp. And that is how the first part of Le Vin Herbé took its shape and form. Unlike any other prose, the extraordinary sense of rhythm of Bédier’s text gave me the right proportions and psychological flow. I was able to use the text in its entirety without any alterations, which is unequivocal proof of its absolute perfection.

After the first performance of this piece, I realised that I needed to lengthen it by adding to this chapter another two, the one of ‘La Forêt du Morois’ (Morois Forest), where the lovers decide to separate, and the chapter of ‘La Mort’ (Death), so that the work would be rounded off, covering the whole tragic story. I felt that the atmosphere of this tale of love and death needed to be extended and that love should not be presented alone, for it is death that brings peace, after all the delights and anguish of passion. In 1941 I had finished the third part and completed the work by adding the Prologue and Epilogue that enclose Joseph Bédier’s novel. Robert Blum was thus able to give the first performance of the entire work with his Madrigal choir in Zürich in April 1942.

As far as the musical language of Le Vin herbé is concerned, although it is focussed on almost constant use of chromaticism, it never denies what for me is the basis itself of music, that is, the functions of tonality. And if I followed the rules of serial technique up to a certain point, I only considered them a source of renewal; as following rules never seemed to me to have any value in itself. All rules are only intended to enrich a style, whether the classical rules of harmony and counterpoint or the new rules which one can follow or not at will. Using these rules is only a kind of elegance, a spiritual pleasure for the composer; for the listener it has neither value nor conviction. The only thing which could convince the performers first of all, then the audience, is that the composer is true to his most intimate sense of expression and to his musical construction.

There is no better way of ending these few lines of introduction than by the first words of the epilogue: “My Lords, the good trouvères of yesteryear have told this tale for all who love. They convey their respects to you through me.”

In: Munich Festival, 1962

English translations by Rachel Ann Morgan

Premiere

Composition: part I 1938, parts II and III 1940-1941.
First performance of the first part (Le Philtre): Zürich, 16 April 1940. Madrigalchor Zürich; Robert Blum, conductor
World première of the entire work: Zürich, 28 March 1942. Madrigalchor Zürich, Robert Blum, conductor
Stage première Der Zaubertrank: Salzburg, 15 August 1948. Ferenc Fricsay, conductor

Recordings (selective list)

  • Steve Davislim, tenor - Tristan
    Sandrine Piau, soprano - Iseut
    RIAS Kammerchor
    Scharoun Ensemble
    Daniel Reuss, conductor
    harmonia mundi s.a. ℗ + © 2007

  • Steven Sharp, tenor - Tristan
    Laura Danehower-White, soprano - Iseut
    Cast, Chorus and instrumental Ensemble of I Cantori di New York
    Mark Shapiro, conductor
    NEWPORT CLASSIC NPD 85670 ℗ + © 2000 (FMS179)

  • ‘The Netherlands Chamber Choir 10 years of concerts’
    James McLean, tenor - Tristan
    Jane Leslie-McKenzie, soprano - Iseut
    The Netherlands Chamber Choir
    The Schönberg Ensemble
    Eric Ericson, conductor
    Radio Nederland Wereldomroep OCLC 32773205 ℗ 19-05-1984 + © 1991 (FMS085)

  • Eric Tappy, tenor - Tristan
    Nata Tuscher, soprano - Iseut
    Member of the Stadtorchester Winterthur
    Frank Martin, piano
    Victor Desarzens, conductor
    (Recording: 1961)
    Jecklin-Disco JD 581/2-2 ℗ + © 1989 (FMS089)

< Previous page