Claire Croiza: Champion of the Modern French Mélodie

The Complete Recordings

COMPLETE TRACK LISTING
LINER NOTES
A NOTE FROM WARD MARSTON

Claire Croiza is one of the best-known singers of the French art song. Her sense of style, and talent for expression, are legendary. What is less known about Croiza is that the first fifteen years of her career were dedicated to opera. This two-CD compilation contains Croiza's complete recordings. In addition to some of the finest renditions of French Mélodie are selections from Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande, Honegger's Judith, and Milhaud's L'orestie. Not only do Croiza's recordings provide very beautiful singing and exquisite artistry, they are exceedingly rare historic documents. Three records are probably among the most elusive recordings in the world and appear to exist in single copies now in private collections. There are also several cuts in which Croiza is accompanied by composers Honegger, Roussel, de Bréville and Poulenc on the piano.

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Track Listing
CD 1 (72:03)
1. PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE: Voici ce qu'il écrit (Maeterlinck-Debussy) 7:56
ca. March 1927 ([W]LX265/266) D 15026 / with Armand Narçon, bass
2. A la musique [An die Musik], D. 547 (Schober-Schubert) 3:05
ca. October 1927 ([W]L683-1) D13032
3. Les berceaux, Op. 23/1 (Sully Prud'homme-Fauré) 2:58
ca. October 1927 ([W]L684-1) D13034
4. Clair de lune, Op. 46/2 (Verlaine-Fauré) 2:44
ca. October 1927 ([W]L685) D13033
5. Die Schöne Müllerin, D. 795, no. 2: Le ruisseau [Wohin?] (Müller-Schubert) 2:18
ca. October 1927 ([W]L686-1) D13032
6. Prison, Op. 83/1 (Verlaine-Fauré) 2:10
ca. October 1927 ([W]L722) D13033
7. Romance [Voici que le printemps] (Bourget-Debussy) 1:58
ca. October 1927 ([W]L723) D13034
8. Le bestiaire, ou Le cortège d'Orphée (Apollinaire-Poulenc) 3:59
No. 1: Le dromadaire
No. 2: Le chèvre de Thibet
No. 3: La souterelle
No. 4: Le dauphin
No. 5: L'ecrevisse
No. 6: La carpe
April 1928 (WLX328) D15041
with Francis Poulenc, piano
9. L'invitation au voyage (Baudelaire-Duparc) 3:48
ca. May 1928 (WLX363) D15041 / with Francis Poulenc, piano
10. Ariettes oubliées, no 2: Il pleure dans mon coeur (Verlaine-Debussy) 2:38
June 1928 (WL1212) D13084 / with Francis Poulenc, piano
11. [6] Poèmes d'Alcoöls, no. 3: Automne (Apollinaire-Honegger) 2:38
ca. November 1928 ([W]L1294) D13082 / with Arthur Honegger, piano
12. Chansons de la petite sirène (Morax-Honegger) 2:42
No. 1: Chanson des sirènes
No. 2: Berceuse de la sirène
ca. November 1928 ([W]L1295) D13082 / with Arthur Honegger, piano
13. Deux mélodies, Op. 20/2: Sarabande (Chalupt-Roussel) 2:49
ca. November 1928 ([W]L1328) D13084 / with Albert Roussel, piano
14. Deux poèmes chinois, Op. 12/2: Les amoureux séparés (Roche-Roussel) 2:04
ca. November 1928 (WL1329) D13082 / with Albert Roussel, piano
15. Une jeune fille parle (Moréas-Pierre de Bréville) 3:01
ca. November 1928 (WL1334) D13085 / with Pierre de Bréville, piano
16. La belle au bois (Lorrain-Pierre de Bréville) 2:51
ca. November 1928 (WL1335) D13085 / with Pierre de Bréville, piano
17. Deux mélodies, Op. 19/1: Light (Aubry-Roussel) 3:21
ca. December 1928 (WLX657) D15129 / with Albert Roussel, piano
18. Quatre poèmes, Op. 8/2: L'invocation (H. de Régnier-Roussel) 4:04
ca. December 1928 (WLX658) D15187 / with Albert Roussel, piano
19. Deux rondels (attr. Villon-Pierre de Bréville) 3:48
No. 1: Adieu vous dy
No. 2: Le souvenir de vous me tue
ca. December 1928 (WLX682) D15129 / with Pierre de Bréville, piano
20. Les fées (Gauthier-Villars; Pierre de Bréville) 4:03
ca. March 1929 (WLX964) D15187 / with Pierre de Bréville, piano
21. JUDITH: Act I, no. 4. Cantique funèbre (Morax-Honegger) 3:28
September 1929 (W52010) D15240 / with Mlle. J. Van Hertbruggen, soprano
22. JUDITH: a) Act I, no. 5. Invocation; b) Act II, no. 6. Fanfare; c) Act II, no. 7. Incantation (Morax-Honegger) 3:45
September 1929 (W52012) D15240
 
CD 2 (71:54)
1. JUDITH: a) Act III, no. 10 bis. Retour de Judith; b) Act III, no. 11. Cantique de la bataille (Morax-Honegger) 3:41
December 1928 ([W]LX717) D15241
2. JUDITH: Act III, no. 13. Cantique de victoire (Morax-Honegger) 3:55
September 1929 (W52017) D15241
soloist: Claire Croiza
3. L'ORESTIE D'ESCHYLE, II, Op. 24: LES COËPHORES: Exhortation et conclusion (Claudel, after Aeschylus-Milhaud) 3:25
September, 1929 (W52013) D15243
4. Soir, Op. 83/2 (Samain-Fauré) 2:55
ca. July 1930 (WM 31) LF63
5. L'amour de moy (trad., arr. Tiersot) 2:58
ca. July 1930 (WM 32) LF61
6. Lamento (Gautier-Duparc) 3:16
ca. July 1930 (WM 33) LF59
7. Jardin d'amour (trad. French-Émile Vuillermoz) 2:52
ca. July 1930 (WM 34) LF61
8. Ma poupée chérie (D. De Sévérac-Joseph de Sévérac) 2:50
ca. July 1930 (WM 35) LF60
9. Après un rêve, Op. 7/1 (Anon., trans Bussine-Fauré) 2:26
ca. July 1930 (WM 36) LF63
10. Chanson triste (Henry Cazalis as "Jean Lahor"-Duparc) 2:59
ca. July 1930 (WM 37) LF59
11. Albado [Aubade] (Marguerite de Navarre-Joseph de Sévérac) 2:40
ca. July 1930 (WM 39) LF60
12. Cinque poèmes de Baudelaire, no. 3: Le jet d'eau (Baudelaire-Debussy) 4:35
ca. July 1930 (WMX 5) LFX109
13. Jazz dans la nuit, Op. 38 (Dommange-Roussel) 4:26
ca. July 1930 (WMX 6) LFX109
14. Les Prières, no. 1: Oraison dominicale (André Caplet) 2:59
publ. 1933 (XL21) 30008
15. Les Prières, no. 2: Salutation angélique (André Caplet) 1:25
publ. 1933 (XL22) 30008
16. Trois ballades de Villon, no. 2: Ballade que Villon feit à la requeste de sa mère (Villon-Debussy) 3:56
publ. 1936 (YL91) 32045
17. Deux romances, no. 2: Les cloches (Bourget-Debussy) 1:55
18. Les angélus (G. Le Roy-Debussy) 1:50
publ. 1936 (YL92) 32045
19. LE MYSTÈRE DES SAINTS INNOCENTS: Rien n'est beau comme un enfant (Péguy) 4:07
publ. 1933 (YC9) 35005
20. LE PORCHE DU MYSTÈRE DE LA DEUXIÈME VERTU: O nuit, ô ma fille la nuit (Péguy) 4:20
publ. 1933 (YC10) 35005
21. ESTHER, Act I/iv: O mon souverain roi [Prière] (Racine) 4:02
publ. 1936 (YC22) 35010
22. ATHALIE, Act II/v: Un songe me devrais-je inquiéter d'un songe? [Un songe] (Racine) 4:22
publ. 1936 (YC23) 35010

CD1:
Tracks 1-22 recorded by Columbia: 1-20 in Paris; 21-22 in Brussels. All are first takes unless otherwise noted.
Track 1 with orchestra conducted by Georges Truc; 2-7 with piano: �Mr. Wagner;� 8-20 with piano as noted; 21-22 with The Antwerp Chorale Coecilia and the Orchestra of the Nouveaux Concerts, conducted by Louis de Vocht.
Languages: All recordings sung in French.

CD2: Tracks 1-13 recorded by Columbia: 1 in Paris; 2-3 in Brussels; and 4-13 in London. All are first takes unless otherwise noted.
Tracks 14-22 recorded by Lumen in Paris
Track 1-3 with The Antwerp Chorale Coecilia and the Orchestra of the Nouveaux Concerts, conducted by Louis de Vocht; 4-13 with piano: George Reeves; 14-15 with Pascal String Quartet and Micheline Kahn, harp; and 16-18 with piano: Ivana Meedintiano
Languages: All recordings sung or spoken (19-22) in French

Producers: Victor Girard and Ward Marston

Audio Conservation: Ward Marston

Photographs: Richard Bebb, Roger Gross Ltd., Charles Mintzer and the Stuart-Liff Collection

Booklet Design: Takeshi Takahashi

Marston would like to thank Daniel Barolsky, Richard Bebb, Stan Farwig, Denys Harry, Lawrence F. Holdridge, and William Shaman