Erasmi Monumentum

Erasmi Monumentum
per orchestra et organo (for full orchestra and organ)

Year of composition

1969

Duration

22'

Scored for

Full orchestra and organ: 3 3 3 sax 3 - 4 3 3 1 - timp. - perc. - piano - strings
I. Homo pro se - De onafhankelijke man (The independent man)
II. Stulticiae Laus - De lof der Zotheid (In praise of folly)
III. Querela Pacis - De aanklacht der Vrede (A plea for peace)
Commissioned by the Rotterdamse Kunststichting, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Desiderius Erasmus (1469?-1536).

Publication information

Universal Edition (UE14914); study score available at Musikproduktion Hoeflich (mph363)

Commentary

Erasmi Monumentum
At the time of Erasmus’ 5th centenary celebration in 1969, the Cultural Foundation of Rotterdam asked me to write a symphonic work in memory of this great philosopher. I accepted the commission with great pleasure; in fact, Erasmus’ ideas appealed to me because of the distance he manages to keep from the extremely one-sided opinions of his entourage.
 As the new concert hall of Rotterdam has a remarkable organ, I decided to write a work in three movements combining this instrument with the large symphony orchestra.

The first movement is dedicated to Erasmus himself, known by his contemporaries as ‘Homo pro se’, which indicates that they saw him as a man concentrated on his own thinking, never allowing himself to be influenced by the fanaticisms of his era; that era of upheaval of all ideas that had seemed to be so perfectly established; an era of renewal and ideological struggles that in many points resembles ours. The musical interpretation of this attitude of serene reflection is represented by the organ’s continuous movement, an unwavering melodic ostinato, to which the orchestra adds an abundance of other very free and varied melodies and rhythms. Thus, the organ plays a determining role here, even though it is often hidden within the framework of the orchestra. There are two moments, however, where it appears alone: in the middle of the piece, in a contrapuntal solo, and at the end, in a cadenza which closes the movement.

The second part is devoted to the famous work by Erasmus: Stultitiae Laus, Praise of Folly, which is Folly’s praise of herself. This folly has nothing to do with what psychiatrists study and try to cure. No, it is the joyful folly which is satisfied by illusions, which mocks the gravity of philosophers and their theories; but is also, with Erasmus, the contempt of public opinion, of the triteness of common sense and what we call snobbism today. He shows that this contempt is a particular form of folly which can lead to the greatest exploits and even as far as sacrifice. From the numerous episodes which make up this work, I have only been able to use some elements of playful nature, which could lend themselves to musical expression. Here they are, as I wrote in the score to guide the conductor’s interpretation:

 ‘Whatever is generally said about me, and I’m quite well aware that Folly is in poor repute even amongst the greatest fools, still, I am the one - and indeed the only one – whose divine powers can gladden the hearts of gods and men.’ Here the organ, joyfully delirious, symbolises Folly with a jaunty tune.
 ‘After a hard winter the newborn spring breathes out its mild west breezes, new colour and a kind of youthfulness return’ (A little dance introduced by the oboe and saxophone) ‘and so it only takes the mere sight of me to give you all a different look’ (Reprise of the jaunty tune on the organ).
 ‘Here the ‘stoic frogs’ start croaking at me again. Nothing, they say, is so pitiable as insanity, and exceptional folly is near-insanity, or could even be called the real thing.’ (A sort of fugue, pedantic and at the same time with grating atonality). ‘But these frogs wander right off the track. The nature of insanity is surely twofold. One kind is sent from hell by the vengeful furies; the other is quite different, desirable above everything, and is known to come from me.’ (Reprise of the organ tune).
 ‘Why does the beauty of golden Venus never lose its bloom of youth? Why does she always smile? Surely because she’s related to me.’ (A little waltz introduced by the violin).
 ‘Now that they’ve got rid of Momus the gods can have their fun with much more gaiety and freedom. They live an easy life.’ (The waltz continues in the orchestra.) ‘And Mercury is up to all sorts of tricks! Vulcan too has always acted the ‘buffoon’, and delighted the company by his limping or his taunts.’ (The tuba solo tries to pick up the waltz again). ‘Then there’s that amorous old Silenus who is always dancing obscenely and Pan makes everyone laugh with his hopeless efforts at singing, and the gods would rather listen to him than to the Muses themselves, especially when the nectar has started to flow freely. But I needn’t say here what the gods are up to when they’ve drunk well and the banquet’s over – absurdities like these often make me feel I can’t stop laughing myself.’ A frenzied cadenza on the organ leads to the conclusion.

The third movement is inspired by the work Querela Pacis where Peace itself attacks and condemns the state of war and everything in the world that leads to war. First of all, I chose to express the atrocities of war, the horrors of a battlefield and the groans of the injured. The beginning is given to the orchestra alone. Then little by little, timidly at first, the spirit of peace intervenes, symbolised by a kind of chorale entrusted to the organ. This chorale becomes more and more important and the work ends serenely when peace is finally restored.

Text by Frank Martin from A propos de… commentaires de Frank Martin sur ses œuvres (Neuchâtel, 1984) | English translation by Rachel Ann Morgan; the excerpts from Erasmus’ Praise of Folly are from the English translation by Betty Radice (Penguin Books 1971).

Premiere

World première: Rotterdam, 27 October 1969. Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest; Jean Fournet, conductor

Video

Recordings (selective list)

  • London Philharmonic Orchestra
    Matthias Bamert, conductor
    CHANDOS CHAN 9283 ℗ + © 1994 (FMS116)

  • Basel Sinfonietta
    Ludger Lohmann, organ
    Volkert Hempfling, conductor
    URSINA MOTETTE CD 40141 ℗ 1993 (FMS160)

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