James Jeter (R.) with French composer, Jean Françaix
James Jeter is a freelance bassoonist living in New York City. He is currently principal bassoon of the Goldovsky Opera Co. and has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Alvin Ailey Dance Co., Long Island Philharmonic and the Virginia Opera Association as well as orchestras in Italy and Switzerland. His teachers have included Milan Turkovic and Harold Goltzer. This summer he performed and taught at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival in Tennessee. Mr. Jeter's critically acclaimed Carnegie Recital Hall debut was covered in the April 1980 issue of the Double Reed.
I recently performed the Divertissement pour basson et Quintette à cordes by Jean Françaix here in New York City and am happy to report that Mr. Françaix coached me in a rehearsal of the piece personally. He was in town for the New York premiere of his Clarinet Concerto, the first time to visit New York since 1939! It was a wonderful experience to meet this lively 70-year-old, and he shed many insights on his Divertissement at the rehearsal and over lunch.
Having first learned the work only from the score, it was a revelation to hear Mr. Françaix explain the musical intent behind the markings. There were several changes in dynamics and tempi and he had specific instructions for the strings which differ from the written parts. I would like to pass along the composer's expressed wishes to my fellow bassoonists.
Note: for measure numbers, refer to Schott's "FAG17, 1973" edition. Ed.
Mr. Françaix hears this movement à la burlesque. To this end, the tempo must be maintained at [quarter note] = 144. He was quite emphatic about this and started conducting whenever the tempo got behind.
measure 1: The bassoon should be mf, becoming pp five measures later and then mf (rather than p on measure 7.)
measures 11-12:There must be an echo effect between these two measures. measure 11 must be played ff rather than mf and measure 12, subito pp.
measure 33: The bassoon line should continue the burlesque mood, but must be quite soft,--again pp.
measure 34: The strings must take special note of the accented eighth note on the offbeat of 3. It should be like an incisive snap!
measure 41: In both the bassoon and strings, a definite crescendo should be made throughout the latter half of the 6/4 to contrast with the subito p in measure 42.
measure 49: The viola must be sure to play out the last two quarters in measure 49 in support of the harmony, so as to arrive at the bass downbeat in measure 50 as if in one line.
measure 51: In contradiction to the piano score, Mr. Françaix wants no ritard, -- only a slight stretch on the last four sixteenths of measure 52 and a small breath before the immediate a tempo in measure 53.
measure 57: As before, the bassoon tune must be played ff in measure 57 and subito pp in 58, creating the echo effect. Also the cello should bring out the fourth beat of measure 57 as a small solo but with an immediate pp on the downbeat of measure 58.
measure 61 The ppp in the strings must be strictly adhered to. The violins and viola should accent both eighths of the 6th beat and the second eighth of 7 and again in measure 62, both eighths of beat 5, the first eighth of 6 and the second eighth of 7 in nagging response to the bassoon's eighths in both measures.
measures 70: The string downbeat must be a full f and not p, as a kick-off to the bassoon's triplets. The bassoon can take time to stretch the phrase in measure 70, but it is imperative that measure 71 be a tempo and ppp to the end.
measure 71: Do not ritard this last measure, but decrescendo slightly.
Mr. Françaix hears this piece played as straightforward as possible. He especially said no to excessive rubato and ritards. The tempo should go no slower than [quarter note] = 76.
measures 32-34: The bass really has the tune in these measures, and it should be played out as a solo.
measure 51: Avoid a ritardando in this measure. Many performers enjoy a bit of a stretch in this place to set up the restatement of the theme in measure 52. Mr. Françaix was quite strong on this point. --No ritard here!
measures 68-100: Here is one place where a slight pause can be taken, just before the bassoon begins its rhythmically difficult passage. Remember, play it ppp and delicately. This entire section between measure 68 and measure 100 should remain pp for all instruments until the crescendo begins on measure 100.
measure 112-119: Important. The cello and bass must play pizzicato rather than arco throughout this section.
measure 127: Again as in measure 51, avoid the tendency which many performers have of ritarding this measure. Mr. Françaix wants no change in tempo.
The composer wants this movement to fool the audience. It should begin sounding like a "serious piece," that is until the prankster bassoon cuts that short with its entrance. The tempo should ideally be quarter note = 138, but absolutely no slower than [quarter note] = 120.
measure 25:Strive to achieve the effect Mr. Françaix asks for. The bassoon fortissimo entrance must come as a total surprise after the "serious" beginning of the quintet.
measure 27-29: The bass and 'cello should be pizzicato again throughout these measures. Françaix stressed the importance of the fourth eighth note in measure 28. It must be ff to help the bassoon's comic arpeggio.
measure 43-50: Important point. The first violin solo in these measures must literally sound like a chanteuse with a definite flavor of a French nightclub (lots of vibrato and sliding around). Have fun with it. Everyone else including the bassoon must be softer than the violin line, which is the dominant voice.
measures 51-52 and 55-56: Françaix said the bassoon's arpeggios m these measures can be more relaxed and need not be in strict tempo.
measures 57-76: The composer stressed that the bass be arco here from measure 57 to measure 76 and then pizzicato beginning in measure 77.
measure 136: The strings must heavily accent the second beat as a strong anacrusis to the bassoon line in the next measure, not to their own downbeat in measure 137 which must be subito piano with a crescendo to measure 138.
measure 142: The 'cello should be arco in measure 142, not pizzicato.
measure 143: The last measure of the piece must not ritard and must be subito pp for the bassoon.
Unfortunately, there was not time to rehearse the second movement with Mr. Françaix. However, taking Françaix's general outlook into account, I feel that this movement should be played slowly, but con moto. In general it is best to characterize the bassoon in this movement as the "chanteuse", singing a tender song. This is accomplished with a clean line, beautiful tone quality and a good musical sense of direction. The key to the second movement is in the phrasing.
I learned a great deal about Françaix's music by simply meeting and visiting with the composer. I found him quite witty and sharp-minded, very straightforward and without formality. Over lunch I asked him which Americans he admired and he immediately said he thought highly of the bassoonist (and composer) Arthur Grossman! Although I have never met Mr. Grossman, I was quite pleased that Françaix had such respect for a fellow member of the International Double Reed Society! Mr. Françaix also told me that he is constantly composing. As soon as one piece is finished, he begins another. He is currently working on a piece for Harp and Double Bass called "The Aristocrat and the Peasant." Mr. Françaix totally energized my rehearsal with crisp direction from his gloved hands. There were certainly no lumbering, relaxed tempt in the first and fourth movements of the Divertissement! It was very kind of Maître Françaix to take the time to coach my rehearsal, and the memory of my experience with that energetic man will last for quite a while.