1941
He composes the stage music for Lope de Vega's play, Aimer
sans savoir qui, which should have been directed by Jean Vilar but has
never been performed.
He gives a lecture "Berlioz et les quatre Jeune France" at the
théâtre des Mathurins.
Broadcast by R.T.F. on May 16th, of La Tentation dernière
(Jeanne d'Arc), cantata based on a libretto by Claude Vermorel, part of
a series by six other writters and six other composers.
Meetings with Claude Delvincourt, Georges Duhamel, Philippe Gaubert, Henri
Ghéon, Jacques Rouché.
Collaboration with Arthur Honegger for his first film score,La Boxe.
1942
He receives a grant from the "Association pour la pensée
française" which enables him to give up teaching.
Composes the Suite delphique.
He composes stage music for the Mistère de la Visitation by Henri
Ghéon from which the Suite liturgique for voice, oboe, cello and
harp will be taken.
He composes Dolorès ou le miracle de la femme laide, a one
act opera-buffa with a libretto by Henri Ghéon, given in a studio
performance in 1947 and staged in 1960.
First performance, in June, of the piano version of the Cinq danses rituelles
by Lucette Descaves at the École normale de musique.
First recordings for gramophone (ballet scores).
1943
He writes a study of Beethoven.
He conducts the music of Arthur Honegger for performances of Paul Claudel's
Soulier de satin at the Comédie-Française.
He composes the Suite delphqiue.
Birth of his second son, Merri.
1944
First
performance of his ballet Guignol et Pandore at the Opéra
de Paris (scenario and choreography by Serge Lifar, scenery and costumes
by André Dignimont) :
"The main idea of Serge Lifar's scenario which led me in the choice
of musical elements of the score is the following : the traditional characters
of Guignol are considered as human beings and the puppeteer himself is a
puppet of wood and canvas... All music written for the theatre should above
all serve the dramatic action. But there, as Boileau wrote "never stray
away from what is natural". And, perhaps, there is no better way than
puppets to get closer to man, and to rediscover him ?".
First performance of the
Cinq danses rituelles by the Société
des concerts du Conservatoire conducted by André Cluytens.
Competition piece for the Paris Conservatory :
Chant de Linos for
flute and piano.
First publications by the Éditions Durand and Costallat.
1945
On January 1st, André Jolivet is appointed Director
of music at the
Comédie-Française,
a position that he holds until 1959. His attitude towards the musical tradition
of the theatre of Molière is completely original. As far as Molière's
plays are concerned rather than compose new music, he will choose the music
of Lully and rearrange them afresh. He will write five musical pieces for
Molières's plays : Le Malade imaginaire (1944), Les Précieuses
ridicules (1949), Le Bourgeois gentilhomme (1951), Les Amants magnifiques
(1954), L'Amour médecin (1955).
He also conducts the orchestra where Louis Dilliès, Lily Laskine,
members of quatuor Parrenin, Jean-Pierre Rampal,... frequently play.
He composes the first
Sonate pour piano, and the two versions of
the
Sérénade pour hautbois ( with piano or with wind
quintet).l.
1946
Fanfares pour Britannicus : first performance in Bruxelles
by the Musique des Guides.
Travels to England with the Comédie-Française.
1947
First performance of the first Sonate pour piano
par Yvette Grimaud à la Société nationale, on January
31st.
First performance of Psyché in Bruxelles conducted by Franz
André, on May 5th..
First studio performance of Dolorès ou le Miracle de la femme
laide conducted by the composer, at the R.T.F..
1948
Travel to Austria and Hungary : concerts and lectures in
Vienna where he conducts the first performance of the Concerto pour ondes
Martenot and the Suite delphique, as well as in Budapest.
He composes Hopi Snake Dance, dedicated to Darius Milhaud, which
will be first performed in Tanglewood, USA.
1949
The publishers Heugel produce several scores.
He composes the Concerto pour flûte et orchestre à cordes
which was performed the following year by Jean-Pierre Rampal and conducted
by the composer.
1950
First performance in the Opéra de Paris of the ballet
L'Inconnue on a theme of war and peace (scenario by Léandre
Vaillat and choreography by Serge Lifar).
The ballet La Naissance de la Paix, on a text by Descartes, has never
been completed.
Journey to Egypt where he met the egyptologists of the École française
du Caire : Alexandre Varille, Schwaller de Lubitsch, Étienne Drioton,
de Stoppelaère. This stay in Egypt inspired Épithalame
(of which certain poetic elements are taken from texts from Higher Egypt)
and the second part of the First Symphony (Louqsor).
He writes the Concertino pour trompette which was not performed until
June 1st 1950 at the Abbey of Royaumont under his direction.
The same year, he composes the Concerto pour piano (commissioned
by the French Radio, under the title Equatoriales).