Martin, Frank 1890 - 1974
Author: Higuchi, Ai
Last updated：October 1, 2007
Author: Higuchi, Ai
Born in Geneva in 1890, Frank Martin was a composer. He began composing at the age of eight. He received no formal education at musical institutions, studying harmony, composition, and piano under Josef Lauber. In 1926, he taught music theory and composition at the Jaques-Dalcroze Institute and coached chamber music at the Geneva Conservatory. From 1950, he taught composition courses at the Hochschule für Musik Köln. He was deeply impressed by Bach's St. Matthew Passion, which he heard at the age of ten. Perhaps due to this influence, he considered harmony to be of utmost importance. In his early works, he transitioned to a unified, archaic-conscious style, using only melodic modes and perfect triads, resulting in a compositional approach distinct from Classical and Romantic harmony. He was also influenced to some extent by Franck and Ravel. Later, he left behind works incorporating ancient, Indian, and Bulgarian rhythms and folk music. In his later period, he applied Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique, but he insisted on harmony within extended tonality and disliked atonality. Martin left the following statement: Whatever the movements of soul, spirit, and sensibility expressed in a work, even if that state is one of suffering or even despair, this liberation, this sublimation that evokes the ultimate idea within us... art inevitably possesses this sign, and this, I believe, is what is called "beauty."
His main works include vocal music, concertos, chamber music, symphonies, and guitar pieces.
Works(9)
Concerto (1)
concerto (5)
Piano Solo (3)
Various works (2)