More powerful than a locomotive!

Arthur Honegger’s “Pacific 231” was first performed on this date, one hundred years ago.

Originally, Honegger had given the work a more generic title, “Mouvement symphonique,” asserting that he had written it as “an exercise in building momentum while the tempo of the piece slows.” However, like Dvořák, he was widely known to be a train enthusiast. It seems almost too convenient that the music resembles the journey of a steam locomotive.

In Whyte notation, such a locomotive would be designated as 4-6-2 (four pilot wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels, and two trailing wheels). However, in France, where axles rather than wheels are counted, the arrangement would be 2-3-1.

The composer once confided, “I have always loved locomotives passionately. For me they are living creatures and I love them as others love women or horses.”

“Pacific 231” is one of the composer’s most frequently performed works.

In 1948, Jean Mitry choreographed and edited an award-winning film inspired by the piece, which employs Honegger’s music as the soundtrack. The composer was always cagey about tying music, which he regarded as an absolute art form, to visuals in the minds of his audiences, so he was quick to indicate that he had come up with his titles after the fact. Perhaps the film did him no favors. You can watch it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czVhBf0Lg2Y

Ironically, Honegger enjoyed a successful side career as, that’s right, a film composer. It was his advice that helped a struggling young artist by the name of Miklós Rózsa to discover his métier. Rózsa, of course, went on to win three Academy Awards and is perhaps best known for his music for “Ben-Hur.”

How canny is it to give your music a descriptive title, even it is a bit after the fact? Honegger composed three “mouvements symphoniques.” Beside “Pacific 231,” there’s also “Rugby” (actually my favorite of the three). The third? It has no descriptive title. Unsurprisingly, it remains the least well-known.

But “Pacific 231?” A hundred years later, it’s still a runaway train.

Honegger probably would have hated this video, because of all the images of locomotives, but the performance, with Ernest Ansermet conducting, is a classic.

BONUS: Honegger’s “Rugby”