Born
Oscar-Arthur Honegger (the first name was never used) in
Le Havre, France, he initially studied
harmony and
violin in
Paris, and after a brief period in
Zurich, returned there to study with
Charles Widor and
Vincent d'Indy. He continued to study through the
1910s, before writing the
ballet Le dit des jeux du monde in
1918, generally considered to be his first characteristic work. In
1926 he married
Andrée Vaurabourg, a pianist and fellow student at the
Paris Conservatoire. They had one daughter, Pascale, born in 1932. Honegger also had a son, Jean-Claude (1926-2003), with the singer
Claire Croiza.
In the early 1920s Honegger shot to fame with his "dramatic psalm" "Le Roi David" ("King David"), which is still in the choral repertoire. Between
World War I and
World War II, Honegger was very prolific. He composed the music for
Abel Gance's epic 1927 film,
Napoléon. He composed nine ballets and three vocal stage works, amongst other works. One of those stage works,
Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher (
1935), a "dramatic
oratorio", is thought of as one of his finest works. In addition to his works written alone, he collaborated with
Jacques Ibert on both an
opera, L'Aiglon (
1937), and an
operetta. During this time period he also wrote
Danse de la Chèvre (1921), an essential piece of flute repertoire. Dedicated to
René Le Roy and written for flute alone, this piece is lively and young, but with the same directness of all Honegger's work.
Honegger had always remained in touch with
Switzerland, his parents' country of origin, but with the outbreak of the war and the invasion of the
Nazis, he found himself trapped in Paris. He joined the
French Resistance and was generally unaffected by the Nazis themselves, who allowed him to continue his work without too much interference. However, he was greatly depressed by the war. Between its outbreak and his death, he wrote his last four
symphonies (numbers two to five) which are among the most powerful symphonic works of the 20th century. Of these, the third, subtitled
Symphonie liturgique with its three movements evoking the Latin
Mass (
Dies Irae,
De profundis clamavi and
Dona nobis pacem), is probably the best known. Written in
1946 just after the end of the war, it has parallels with
Benjamin Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem of
1940. In complete contrast with this work is the lyrical, nostalgic Symphony no. 4, subtitled "Deliciae Basilienses" ("The Delights of Basel") and written as a tribute to days of relaxation spent in that Swiss city during the war.
Honegger was widely known as a train enthusiast, and once notably said: "I have always loved locomotives passionately. For me they are living creatures and I love them as others love women or horses." His "mouvement symphonique"
Pacific 231 (a depiction of a steam locomotive) gained him early notoriety in 1923.
In
1953 he wrote his last composition,
A Christmas Cantata. Arthur Honegger died at home of a heart attack on
November 27, 1955 and was interred in the
Cimetière Saint-Vincent in the
Montmartre Quarter of Paris.
The principal elements of Honegger's style are: Bachian counterpoint, driving rhythms, melodic amplitude, highly coloristic harmonies, an impressionistic use of orchestral sonorities, and a concern for formal architecture. His style is weightier and more solemn than that of his colleagues in Les Six. Far from reacting against German romanticism as the other members of Les Six did, Honegger's mature works show evidence of a distinct influence by it. Despite the differences in their styles, he and fellow
Les Six member
Darius Milhaud were close friends, having studied together at the
Paris Conservatoire. Milhaud dedicated his fourth string quintet to Honegger's memory, while Francis Poulenc similarly dedicated his
Clarinet Sonata.
Honegger is currently featured on the Swiss
twenty franc banknote.
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