Vellones Pierre, born Pierre Rousseau, *29 March 1889, †17 July 1939 Paris, French composer and doctor. From 1903, he studied privately for several years under J.H. Louvier, a friend of Ch. Widor, learning the basics of counterpoint and composition. Yielding to his father’s wishes, he completed his medical studies in Paris and practiced medicine throughout his life; he was one of the pioneers of electrotherapy (1926); as a composer, he was self-taught. During World War I, he fought in the 117th Infantry Regiment, where he also served as an assistant doctor. In 1914, while crossing the town of Velosnes on the Meuse in Lorraine with the front line, he was captivated by the beauty of the surrounding landscape and chose his artistic pseudonym. In the interwar period, Vellones gained a significant position in the musical life of Paris. His work was praised by M. Ravel and I. Stravinsky, among others. He was the first French composer to write for the ondes Martenot (Fantaisie, 1930). A spectacular success for Vellones was the performance of La fête fantastique in 1937 at the World Exhibition in Paris – a work in which he employed numerous exotic instruments borrowed from the Ethnographic Museum in Paris.
Vellones’ work stems from the tradition of French music at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, especially G. Fauré and M. Ravel. The composer’s individual style took shape in the mid-1920s; Vellones began experimenting at that time, searching for new effects in terms of sound (Le cantique des cantiques). He used unconventional combinations of instrumental and vocal-instrumental ensembles, with a particular fondness for the saxophone, percussion, and ondes Martenot. His music shows influences from jazz, Spanish folklore, and Oriental culture – especially Tibetan art, to which he also devoted many articles. Vellones’ songs and pieces for small instrumental ensembles gained particular popularity, while none of his stage works were ever performed.
Literature: S. Vellones Pierre Vellones. Vingt années d’une vie musicale parisienne, Paris 1981.
Instrumental:
for orchestra:
Suite cavalière Op. 90 for orchestra, 1938
Concerto for saxophone Op. 65, 134
Rastelli Op. 82 for saxophone quartet and orchestra, 1936
Rondo capriccioso Op. 88 for violin and orchestra, 1937
A Cadix Op. 103 for ondes Martenot and instrumental ensemble, 1938
chamber:
Fantaisie Op. 30 for ondes Martenot, 1930
Cavaliers andalous Op. 37 for saxophone quartet, 1930
Impressions d’Espagne Op. 68 for flute, bassoon and harp, 1934
Rapsodie Op. 92 for saxophone, harp, celesta and percussion, 1937
for piano:
Planisphère Op. 23, also arranged for jazz ensemble, 1928
Valse chromatique Op. 41, 1930; arranged for saxophone quartet 1931
Toccata Op. 74, 1936
Ballade Op. 42 for 2 pianos, arranged also for piano and orchestra, 1931
Vocal-instrumental:
numerous songs for voice and piano, including settings of texts by P. Verlaine, A. Semain and Ch. Rimbaud
Le cantique des cantiques Op. 18 for soprano, tenor, bass, flute and bassoon, text by J. Lahor, 1925
Cinq poèmes de Mallarmé Op. 24 for voice, 2 saxophones, 4 harps and double bass, 1929
Préludes et fables de Florian Op. 28 for high voice and jazz ensemble, 1929
John Shag Op. 58 for voice and orchestra, text by G. Voisins, 1933
La fête fantastique Op. 83 for bass and instrumental ensemble, 1937
Prélude et danse indienne Op. 16 for choir and orchestra, 1923
Le roi Salomon Op. 93 for 4 voices, choir and orchestra, text by J. Lahor, 1938
Stage (not staged):
ballets:
Le beau ténébreux Op. 10, libretto A. Birabeau and M. Hervieu, 1919
Au pays du tender Op. 14, libretto R. Kerdyk and G. Arnoux, 1919
Le paradis d’Amitabha Op. 97, libretto composer, 1939
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Leurs petites majestés Op. 43, operetta, libretto M. Larrouy, 1931
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music for around a dozen films
