Mel Bonis: Six Works for Flute and Pianoby
Jenna Daum

A Research Paper Presented in Partial Fulfillmentof the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Musical Arts

Approved April 2013 by the
Graduate Supervisory Committee:
Elizabeth Buck, Chair
Amy Holbrook
Albie Micklich
Martin Schuring
Kay Norton

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
May 2013

ABSTRACTThe end of the nineteenth century was an exhilarating and revolutionary era for
the flute. This period is the Second Golden Age of the flute, when players and teachers
associated with the Paris Conservatory developed what would be considered the birth ofthe modern flute school. In addition, the founding in 1871 of the Société Nationale deMusique by Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) and Romain Bussine (1830-1899) madepossible the promotion of contemporary French composers. The founding of the Société
des Instruments à Vent by Paul Taffanel (1844-1908) in 1879 also invigorated a new eraof chamber music for wind instruments. Within this groundbreaking environment,
Mélanie Hélène Bonis (pen name Mel Bonis) entered the Paris Conservatory in 1876,
under the tutelage of César Franck (1822-1890).
Many flutists are dismayed by the scarcity of repertoire for the instrument in the
Romantic and post-Romantic traditions; they make up for this absence by borrowing theviolin sonatas of Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) and Franck. The flute and piano works of
Mel Bonis help to fill this void with music composed originally for flute. Bonis was aprolific composer with over 300 works to her credit, but her works for flute and piano
have not been researched or professionally recorded in the United States before thepresent study. Although virtually unknown today in the American flute community,
Bonis’s music received much acclaim from her contemporaries and deserves a prominentplace in the flutist’s repertoire. After a brief biographical introduction, this document
examines Mel Bonis’s musical style and describes in detail her six works for flute andpiano while also offering performance suggestions.

iDEDICATIONFor Derekii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTSFirst and foremost I would like to thank my family for their love and endlesssupport from the first day I picked up a musical instrument. I would like to thank mycommittee members, Elizabeth Buck, Amy Holbrook, Albie Micklich, Martin Schuring,and Kay Norton, for their guidance, time, and enthusiasm in helping me complete myresearch. I would especially like to thank Amy Holbrook for her extra assistance inhelping me with the later half of this document. Thank you to my collaborative pianist,
Drew Quiring; without his enthusiasm and eagerness to play Mel Bonis’s music, I may
not have fully discovered its true beauty. Finally, I would like to thank my mentor andfriend, Elizabeth Buck, for her endless support and faith in me throughout my entire
education. I am extremely grateful.

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
LIST OF EXAMPLES.............................................................................................................v
CHAPTER
1 BIOGRAPHICAL BACKGROUND..................................................................1
Introduction......................................................................................................1
Biographical Sketch of Mel Bonis..................................................................5
Women Composers of Fin de siècle France.................................................19
2 COMPOSITIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND STYLISTIC TRAITS..................24
3 THE WORKS FOR FLUTE AND PIANO.......................................................31
Sonate pour Flûte et Piano, Op. 64...............................................................31
Air Vaudois pour Flûte et Piano, Op. 108....................................................64
Andante et Allegro pour Flûte et Piano, Op. 133.........................................71
Une Flûte Soupire pour Flûte et Piano, Op. 121..........................................82
Pièce pour Flûte et Piano, Op. 189...............................................................88
Scherzo (Final) pour Flûte et Piano, Op. Posth. 187...................................99
4 CONCLUSION................................................................................................105
WORKS CITED..............................................................................................................107
APPENDIXACOPYRIGHT PERMISSION.......................................................................110iv

LIST OF EXAMPLES
ExamplePage

1. Sonate: Andantino con moto, mm. 1-9.................................................................34
2. Sonate: Andantino con moto, mm. 16-27.............................................................36
3. Sonate: Andantino con moto, mm. 46-50............................................................ 37
4. Sonate: Andantino con moto, mm. 75-84.............................................................38
5. Sonate: Andantino con moto, mm. 95-105..........................................................40
6. Sonate: Andantino con moto, mm. 122-126........................................................41
7. Sonate: Scherzo-Vivace, mm.1-9.........................................................................43
8. Sonate: Scherzo-Vivace, mm. 10-13....................................................................44
9. Sonate: Scherzo-Vivace, mm. 27-32....................................................................45
10. Sonate: Scherzo-Vivace, mm. 80-89..................................................................46
11. Sonate: Scherzo-Vivace, mm. 181-182..............................................................47
12. Sonate: Adagio, mm. 1-9....................................................................................49
13. Sonate: Adagio, mm. 13-20................................................................................50
14. Sonate: Adagio, mm. 27-31................................................................................52
15. Sonate: Adagio, mm. 52-57................................................................................53
16. Sonate: Adagio, mm. 57-64................................................................................54
17. Sonate: Adagio, mm. 117-129............................................................................56
18. Sonate: Finale-Moderato, mm. 1-6....................................................................58
19. Sonate: Finale-Moderato, mm. 17-20................................................................59
20. Sonate: Finale-Moderato, mm. 47-54................................................................60
21. Sonate: Finale-Moderato, mm. 133-144............................................................62v

22. Air Vaudois, mm. 1-4..........................................................................................64
23. Air Vaudois, mm. 6-17........................................................................................65
24. Air Vaudois, mm. 51-56.......................................................................................66
25. Air Vaudois, mm. 57-60......................................................................................67
26. Air Vaudois, mm. 68-72......................................................................................68
27. Air Vaudois, mm. 73-80......................................................................................69
28. Andante, mm. 1-5................................................................................................73
29a. Andante, mm. 22-23..........................................................................................75
29b. Andante, mm. 21-23.........................................................................................75
30a. Andante, m. 35..................................................................................................7630b. Andante, m. 35..................................................................................................77
31. Allegro, mm. 1-5.................................................................................................79
32. Une Flûte Soupire, mm.1- 5...............................................................................83
33. Une Flûte Soupire, mm. 16-19...........................................................................85
34. Une Flûte Soupire, mm. 26-31...........................................................................86
35. Une Flûte Soupire, mm. 35-37...........................................................................87
36. Pièce, mm. 1-4....................................................................................................89
37. Pièce, mm. 11-14................................................................................................91
38. Pièce, mm. 18-19................................................................................................92
39. Pièce, mm. 24-25................................................................................................93
40. Pièce, mm. 41-42................................................................................................95
41. Pièce, mm. 49-51................................................................................................96
42. Pièce, mm. 62-64................................................................................................97vi

43. Scherzo, mm. 7-9..............................................................................................100
44. Scherzo, mm. 34-37..........................................................................................101
45. Scherzo, mm. 73-75..........................................................................................102
46. Scherzo, mm. 120-123......................................................................................104vii

CHAPTER 1
BIOGRAPHICAL BACKGROUND
Introduction
The end of the nineteenth century was an exhilarating and revolutionary
era for the flute. This period is the Second Golden Age of the flute, when players andteachers associated with the Paris Conservatory developed what would be considered thebirth of the modern flute school.1 In addition, the founding in 1871 of the Société
Nationale de Musique by Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) and Romain Bussine (18301899) made possible the promotion of contemporary French composers. The founding of
the Société des Instruments à Vent by Paul Taffanel (1844-1908) in 1879 also invigorated
a new era of chamber music for wind instruments. Within this groundbreaking
environment, Mélanie Hélène Bonis (pen name Mel Bonis) entered the Paris
Conservatory in 1876, under the tutelage of César Franck (1822-1890).2
Many flutists are dismayed by the scarcity of repertoire for the instrument in the
Romantic and post-Romantic traditions; they make up for this absence by borrowing theviolin sonatas of Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) and Franck. The flute and piano works of
Mel Bonis help to fill this void with music composed originally for flute. Bonis was aprolific composer with over 300 works to her credit, but her works for flute and piano
have not been researched or professionally recorded in the United States before thepresent study. Although virtually unknown today in the American flute community,
1

Nancy Toff, The Flute Book: A Complete Guide for Students and Performers(New York: Oxford University Press, 1996), 253.
2
The author has chosen to use Bonis’s surname, pen name, and given nameinterchangeably for the remainder of this document.
1

Bonis’s music received much acclaim from her contemporaries and deserves a prominentplace in the flutist’s repertoire. After a brief biographical introduction, this document
examines Mel Bonis’s musical style and describes in detail her six works for flute andpiano while also offering performance suggestions.
In the beginning stages of uncovering the life and music of Mel Bonis for thisdocument, an OCLC WorldCat search revealed that no writings or biographies existed
about Bonis in the English language and that much of Bonis’s biographical information
had been disseminated by her heirs, and most prolifically by Christine Géliot, Bonis’sgreat-grandaughter. A search revealed that Christine Géliot was a founder ofl’Association Mel Bonis in France. 3 The author of this document initially contacted theassociation to ask for assistance in locating more source material, and Géliot was morethan willing to assist; however, correspondence with Géliot was not the direction inwhich this research needed to be taken.
In February 1997, after being contacted by German cellist Eberhard Mayer,
Bonis’s descendants began to search through piles of scores and manuscripts left by thecomposer. Mayer had come across the name of Mel Bonis in a manual of chamber musicby Wilhelm Altman, published in 1937, and wanted to find out more about thecomposer.4 At the time the works were being maintained and preserved at the3

Géliot is a pianist, professor at the Asnières Conservatoire, President ofl’Association Mel Bonis, and daughter of the celebrated harpist Huguette Géliot.
4
Christine Géliot, “Compositions for Voice by Mel Bonis, French Woman
Composer, 1858-1937,” Journal of Singing 64, no. 1 (September/October 2007): 48.
2

Bibliothèque Nationale in France.5 Géliot described the initiative to further explore theworks of her great-grandmother in her own words:
It was an amazing path that led me to my great-grandmother, Mel Bonis. Many of
us in the family are musicians and thus her heirs…We were all surrounded bymusic, but none of us was interested in the compositions of our ancestor. We
knew vaguely that she had been a composer, but we never talked about it.
Whenever her name came up, it was almost always in the context of the many
unwanted piles of scores occupying space in the basements of Aunt Jeanne andAunt Yvette. Her image was colored by an old family secret revealed little bylittle, but even that didn’t really interest any of the present generation.6
Only one comprehensive biography of Mel Bonis exists, Géliot’s Mel Bonis:
femme et compositeur, written and published in French in 2000.7 Several additional
documents are available in French and German, including, most significantly, several
articles by Géliot and Mayer, and a dissertation, “‘Très douée, bonne musicienne’: diefranzösische Komponistin Mel Bonis (1858-1937)” written in Germany in 2005 by
Dorothea Schenck; however, nearly all of the source materials from these items
originated with Géliot and her biography of Bonis. Because the present study relies
heavily on the author’s own translation of Géliot’s biography, it is essential to understandGéliot’s sources and materials. In explaining her resources, Géliot offers reason for
scholars to proceed carefully with assessments:
I wrote Mel Bonis’s biography using various sources. First, there is testimony bythose who still remember her, mainly family members; then, family archives andnewspapers from the period; finally, the work itself, especially the songs, which
are ultimately revealing of mood and events. I must admit that my personal
5

Christine Géliot, “Mel Bonis.” Traversiere Magazine, No. 78 (First Trimester
2004): 32.
6
Géliot, “Compositions for Voice by Mel Bonis,” 47.
7
Christine Géliot, Mel Bonis: femme et compositeur (1858-1937) (Paris:
L’Harmattan, 2000). A second edition, which serves as the main reference for thisdocument, was published in 2009.
3

inspiration is such that I have found myself plunged into a sentimental musicalthriller which has so stimulated my imagination that I have not been able to resistat certain moments setting my players on stage.8
From this point onward, the potential strengths (noteworthy intimacies) andweaknesses (biases or perpetuation of family lore) of this familial biography should beassumed. A more objective account of Bonis’s life would offer different insights; inabsence of alternative biographies, the present author draws freely and gratefully from
Géliot’s narrative. A look into Géliot’s writings on the rich life of Mel Bonis provides
insight into the inspiration, development, and dissemination of her musical works. Due toher circumstances, Bonis was not motivated to compose for financial reasons. For thisreason it would be impossible to understand the emotional depth of her music without athorough examination of her life and influences. In addition, the social conditions offemale musicians and artists of the time and the unique limitations Bonis faced must be
examined. Her musical output is filled with compositions that seem to reflect events in
her life and her inner emotions. Unfortunately, such interpretations must remain openended because the composer made few statements that offer direct insight about her
music.9

8Ibid., 48.
The following biographical account is taken from the author’s own translation of
Mel Bonis: femme et compositeur, unless otherwise specified.
4
9

Biographical Sketch of Mel Bonis

Mélanie Hélène Bonis was born in the fourth arrondissement of Paris on January
21, 1858, into a middle-class working family. Her father, Pierre Bonis, was a foreman at
Bréguet watches, and her mother, Anne Clémence Mangin, was a lace-dealer andhomemaker. Unlike many successful female composers of the time, such as Cécile
Chaminade (1857-1944), neither of Mel’s parents had a background in music, and Bonis
had very little encouragement to pursue music at a young age. Strict adherence tofundamental Catholic values was central to Bonis’s upbringing; the family maintained an
extremely austere religious regimen while raising their two girls. The sisters wererequired to confess every week, say prayer in the morning and evening, and mostimportantly, attend Mass every Sunday. Géliot relates that Bonis was strictly warned
against the “horrors of the flesh” and the “dangers of sensuality,” and was taught to bewary of men.10 This deep religiosity would remain with Mel her entire life. She writes,
when referring to her first communion, that even at a young age, “I was very imbued by
the mystery about to be accomplished in me.”11
Although the family did have a piano, nobody in the family played. Consequently,
Bonis was a self-taught pianist until the age of twelve and she spent increasingly moretime practicing piano, even though she did not receive any formal music education.
Géliot writes that Bonis would play whenever she could, but that her mother did not
approve. In another writing Mel described the atmosphere of her home and her
10
11

Géliot, Mel Bonis: femme et compositeur, 27.
Quoted in Géliot, Mel Bonis: femme et compositeur, 27.
5relationship with her mother: “Never in my life has my mother offered me a word oftenderness.”12
Géliot writes that Bonis dreamed of playing the organ, especially because of the
instrument’s variations in timbre and polyphonic possibilities. Her Catholic upbringing
was also influential and Bonis wanted to play organ because of its prayerful atmosphereand the capacity of the instrument “to approach God.”13 When Bonis was eighteen, Henri
Maury, cornet professor at the Paris Conservatory and a friend of the family, heard herplay and noted that she improvised with an “overflowing imagination.”14 Maury took agreat interest in the girl and proposed to present Bonis to César Franck at the Paris
Conservatory. In November 1876, Franck accepted her as a piano student, and one month
later she began classes in harmony and piano accompaniment with Ernest Guiraud.15
Other professors whom Bonis encountered at the Paris Conservatory included
Napoléon Alkan (1826-1910), Alexandre Lavignac (1846-1916), Antoine Marmontel(1816-1898), Adolphe-Léopold Danhauser (1835-1896), and Jules Massenet (18421912).16 She mingled with students in her composition classes and frequently withsingers, due to her enrollment in accompanying and the necessary collaboration between
singers and pianists. Her fellow students included Alfred Bruneau (1857-1934), Gabriel

12

Géliot, Mel Bonis: femme et compositeur, 28.
Ibid., 30. “Elle veut approcher Dieu par l’orgue. Elle sait la qualité mystique deson inspiration.”
14
Ibid., 29.
15
Ibid., 31.
16
Ibid., 32.
6
13

Pierné (1863-1937), Ernest Chausson (1855-1899), Claude Debussy (1862-1918), andIsidore Philipp (1863-1958).17
Documentation in the National Archives of Paris reveals Bonis’s excellent
reputation with her professors and her peers. Géliot’s look into the report of June 1880,
written by Auguste Bazille (1828-1891), gave insight into the type of student Bonis wasat the Conservatory in comparison to her classmate Claude Debussy. Bazille said of
Debussy, “Great talent. Good reader, very good fingers. Could work more. Good
harmonizer, a little fanciful. A lot of initiative and eloquence.” Bazille writes of Bonis,“Very talented, good musician, beautiful harmony. Reads well with the orchestra.
Unfortunately, too fearful. I am very happy with the pupil.”18 Other memoires indicatethat Bonis was an excellent and intelligent student, but again, her stage fright was
mentioned. Reportedly, she accompanied so well that Franck used her as an example toforeigners who visited the Conservatory.19 Géliot writes that Bonis was cheerful,
sometimes even very funny, and was well-liked by her peers.20
In 1877 Bonis obtained the “premier accessit d’harmonie et accompagnement”(the honorable first prize in harmony and accompaniment) in Guiraud’s class, and17

Géliot, Mel Bonis: femme et compositeur, 32.
As quoted in Géliot, Mel Bonis: femme et compositeur, 34. Original source:
Archives du Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et Collections Dunant aux
Archives Nationales. “Il dit de Debussy (18 ans) ‘Grande facilité. Bon lecteur, très bons
doigts. Pourrait travailler davantage. Bon harmoniste, un peu fantaisiste. Beaucoupd’initiative et de verve.’ Il dit de Bonis: ‘Très douéee, bonne musicienne, jolie harmonie.
Lit bien l’orchestre. Malheureusement, a trop peur. Je suis très content de cette élève.’”
19
As quoted in Géliot, Mel Bonis: femme et compositeur, 35. Original source:
Notice biographique de 1947 par les enfants et petits enfants de Mel Bonis. “On rapporte
que Mélanie ‘accompagnait si bien le Plain-chant que César Franck la montrait en
exemple aux étrangers qui venaient quelquefois visiter la classe.’”20
Ibid., 33.
718

received second prize in accompanying in 1879.21 The following year she received thefirst prize in harmony, but did not receive a first prize in accompanying due to“paralyzing stage-fright.”22
According to Géliot, 1881 was a pivotal year for Bonis; in that year, Bonis reallybegan to find her unique compositional voice and started structuring her improvisations.
Reportedly, Bonis realized her gender would inhibit her ability to truly be accepted as acomposer and was told by her peers that a woman composer could never be taken
seriously.23 This realization influenced Bonis greatly, and from that point on she decided
to sign her works Mel Bonis, a gender-neutral name. According to Eberhard Mayer,
Bonis used other pseudonyms throughout her life, including Henry Wladimir Liadoff,
Melas Benissouvsky, Jacques Normandin, and the names of her sons Pierre or Edouard
Domange.24
Bonis’s encounter with fellow student Amédée Landely Hettich in 1879, during
her third year of classes, would be a turning point in her personal life and compositional
career. Hettich, the son of a French mother and Italian/German father, was a gifted singer
who wrote beautifully in French, Italian, and German. As a writer for the journal L’Art
musical (a journal still in publication today), he contributed a weekly column, one of21

Géliot, Mel Bonis: femme et compositeur, 32.
As quoted in Géliot, Mel Bonis: femme et compositeur, 34. Original source:
Archives du CNSM et Collections Dunant aux Archives Nationales. “Elle obtient unsecond prix d’accompagnement en 1879 et n’aura pas le premier prix l’annee suivantepour cause de trac. ‘Excellente élève, écrit encore son maître en janvier 81, la plus forte
de la classe mais la peur la paralyse.’”23
Ibid., 37.
24
Eberhard Mayer, Mel Bonis (Melanie Domange, geb. Bonis 1858 - 1937): eine
bemerkenswerte und doch vergessene Musikerin und Komponistin aus Frankreich(Leverkusen: Selbstverl, 1998), 4.
822which was entitled “Causerie musicale: Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn,” and also
wrote concert reviews.25 These opportunities gave him important contacts in the network
of Paris musicians.26
Hettich had a strong influence on Bonis; on numerous occasions they collaborated
on Bonis’s musical settings of Hettich’s poetry. This working relationship grew into
mutual love, and in September 1881, Hettich asked Bonis’s parents for her hand in
marriage.27 Unfortunately for Bonis, her parents did not approve of her marriage to amusician; they were especially disapproving of singers. Her parents required Bonis towithdraw from the Paris Conservatory, and in November 1881, Conservatory registers
show the notation “démissionnaire” (resigned).28 According to Géliot, Hettich promised
to write her, yet the communication eventually stopped.29
After resigning her appointment to the Conservatory, Bonis secured a job as aseamstress, which was her parents’ original choice of vocation for her. At the same time,
her parents searched for a suitable husband, and through mutual friends, discovered
someone they considered to be a fitting partner in Albert Domange, an industrialist
twenty-five years her senior.30 Domange was the successor to SCELLOS, an enterprise

25

Géliot, Mel Bonis: femme et compositeur, 33.
Ibid., 34.
27
Ibid., 40.
28
Christine Géliot, “La compositrice Mel Bonis,” in L’accès des femmes àl’expression musicale: apprentissage, création, interprétation, les musiciennes dans lasociété contemporaine (Paris: L’Harmattan, 2005), 58.
29
Géliot, Mel Bonis: femme et compositeur, 41.
30
Ibid., 41.
926

that still exists today under the name “DOMANGE.”31 Bonis married Domange, thefather of five boys and twice a widower, on September 15, 1883.32 Géliot writes that
Bonis, as the wife of Albert Domange, fulfilled her parents’ wish that their daughter
become an obedient, faithful wife, as she took charge of the household and the educationof her husband’s five children, and eventually, three more of their own.33
Due to the professional successes of her husband, Bonis was free to live afinancially comfortable life. Without financial concerns she had the luxury of servantsand other household help. However, the difficulties of balancing domestic and personalgoals remained and Bonis would wait ten years before seriously composing again. She
writes about the responsibility of raising children:
The Christian mother who doesn’t allow evil thoughts to linger in her mind, but
who instead makes sure to develop a sense of beauty and goodness, doesn’tknow which purifying, cleansing atmosphere she creates around herself, which
will benefit her children. To tease and spoil have absolutely no moral value. One
believes oneself is good because one becomes tender, but that’s incorrect. The
spoiled child will be more and more demanding; he will revolt as soon as
someone refuses to give in to his demands, which will only multiply each time
one gives in, and which is often nothing but laziness. To give in in order to have
momentary peace, is to expose oneself to continued assaults.34

31

As quoted in Mayer, Mel Bonis, 3. DOMANGE, specializing in automotivetransmissions, hydraulic transmission, and industrial filtration merged with RFIH in 2009and is owned by MPCI group. www.domange.fr. Accessed February 3, 2013.
32
Géliot, Mel Bonis: femme et compositeur, 43.
33
Ibid., 45.
34
As quoted in Géliot, 61. Original source: ‘Souvenirs et réflexions’ de Mel
Bonis. Ed. Du Nant d’enfer, 1974. “La mère chrétienne qui ne permet pas aux mauvaises
pensées de s’attarder en elle, qui s’applique au contraire à développer le sens du bien et
du beau, ne sait pas quelle atmosphère purifiante, bienfaisante, elle crée autour d’elle,
dont ses enfants bénéficieront. Cajoler, gater, n’a aucune valeur morale. On se croit bonparce qu’on s’attendirt, c’est une erreur. L’enfant gaté sera de plus en plus exigeant ; il serévoltera dès que l’on refusera de céder à ses caprices, lesquels se multiplieront parl’assentiment qu’on y donne et qui n’est souvent que de l’indolence. Céder pour avoir lapaix momentanément, c’est s’exposer à de perpétuels assauts... “10Throughout her marriage, Bonis struggled to balance her domestic duties with herpassion for composing. Nonetheless, the influence of friends, including JeanneMonchablon and Hettich, inspired her to compose once again. Bonis’s teacher Guiraud
wrote to her in a letter, “I hope that marriage will not make you forget your goodintentions to work.”35
Between 1886 and 1887, Bonis casually ran into Hettich on various occasions
within the music world, most frequently at the publishing house of Alphonse Leduc, withwhom Bonis had a friendship. Leaving a concert one evening, Hettich asked Mel to reada poem he had written about Christmas. They ended up working on the song for threehours, and Hettich’s definitive role in Bonis’s private and professional life was reestablished.
Her frequent encounters with Hettich created a passionate conflict: a conflict
between her deep attraction to Hettich and the rigid religious education she received as achild. Despite the resulting emotional turmoil her attraction caused, this conflict would
later become the source of much musical inspiration. Bonis wrote the following about
love:
Love, true love desires happiness for the person loved at the expense of any
sacrifice, even those which consist of blocking the way, if possible, where it
would lead to the eventual compromise of one’s own soul’s salvation. If heresists, the lover would then only be able to suffer in silence “the painful
martyrdom of love.” One suffers to the same extent that one loves.36

35

As quoted in Géliot, Mel Bonis, 50. Original source or date not given. “J’espère
que le mariage ne vous fera pas oublier vos bonnes intentions de travail.”36
As quoted in Géliot, Mel Bonis, 92. Original source: Souvenirs et réflexions de
Mel Bonis. Ed. du Nant d’enfer, 1974. “L’amour, le véritable amour veut le bonheur del’être aimé au prix de tous les sacrifices, même celui qui consiste à lui barrer le chemin, si
possible, au cas ou il s’engagerait dans une voix tortueuse de nature à compromettre le11

Five years after she and Hettich reconnected, Bonis was traumatized by the loss ofher father, an event that reinforced many of the values about marriage and fidelity that
she had been taught as a child. She attempted to end her relationship with Hettich, who
was also married; however, the affair eventually resumed, and at forty-two years old, sherealized she was pregnant. She recalls having to perform her Trio for flute, violin andpiano while pregnant and nauseated:
One night I was supposed to play my little ‘Trio for flute, violin and piano’ inpublic. I had a bad headache and felt nauseated; I was very uncomfortable. He[Bonis’s six-year-old son Edouard] was trying to convince me; ‘I beg you,
Mama, don’t go there, you’ll get sick.’ He was crying and hanging on to me. I[told] him: ‘come with me, it’ll calm you down.’ I was able to play my piece witha heavy heart, then return quickly home with the dear little one, who was at last
reassured.37
Bonis took several months to tell Hettich about the pregnancy, and with his
helpful arrangements, she was able to hide the truth from her family by telling them that
she had to go to Switzerland to undergo treatment for an unknown illness. It was therethat she gave birth to their daughter, Madeleine. The baby was eventually given to afoster family and Bonis and Hettich once again went their separate ways. The name of thebaby’s mother was declared “unknown.” Madeleine’s birth marked the end of their affair,
but Hettich and Bonis still worked together on a professional level. Although the natureof Madeleine’s early relationship with Hettich and Bonis is unknown, she called her
salut de son ame. S’il résiste, celui qui aime n’a plus qu’à souffrir en silence ‘ledouloureux martyre de l’amour. On souffre dans la proportion où l’on aime.”
37
As quoted in Géliot, Mel Bonis, 111. Originally from Souvenirs et réflexions.
“Un soir, je devais jouer en public mon petit ‘trio flûte violon piano.’ J’avais la migraine
avec des nausées, j’étais très mal à l’aise. Il me suppliait : je t’en prie, Maman, n’y vapas, tu vas être malade.’ Il pleurait et s’accrochait après moi. Je lui dis : ‘Viens avec moi,
tu seras tranquille.’ Je pus, bien péniblement exécuter mon morceau, puis rentrer bien vite
avec le cher petit, enfin rassuré.”12adoptive parents “Papa et Maman.” In 1906, after the death of his wife, Hettich told
Madeleine that she was adopted, yet simply told her he was her “god-father.” 38
Madeleine’s birth was documented by Hettich in a poem, which shows Hettich’s obvious
affection for his daughter:
L’amour qu’on rêve est plus doux
Madeleine, ô ! Madeleine
L’amour qu’on rêve est plus doux
Serions-nous aussi bien chez nous
Pour filer à deux la laine 39
The love of which one dreams is softer
Madeleine, oh! Madeleine.
The love of which one dreams is softer
Besides, would we be at home
In such a perfect relationship (love/union).
Bonis’s writings clearly indicate her distress at having to lie to her own children
about her whereabouts and the “cure” she undertook. This guilt would never leave her forthe rest of her life. She wrote shamefully of her relationship with her children:
They’re good, honest, sincere, unaware, with good manners, incapable of doing
anything wrong. They [understand neither] envy nor jealousy, nor lowly rancor.
They know how to keep quiet and keep a secret: They don’t like idle gossip.
Nothing worried them, not even fickle drama. They posses the self-control that
their mother lacks. Who then is this mother?40

38

Eventually Hettich told Madeleine he was her biological father, but Melanie
waited much later to do the same. Géliot, Mel Bonis: femme et compositeur, 195.
39
Géliot, Mel Bonis: femme et compositeur, 113.
40
As quoted in Géliot, Mel Bonis, 117. Original source Souvenirs et réflexions de
Mel Bonis. “Ils sont bons, honnêtes, sincères, désintéressés, chevaleresques, incapables
de duplicité et de félonie. Ils ne connaissent pas l’envie ni la jalousie, ni la basse rancune.
Ils savent se taire, garder un secret : ils n’aiment pas les commérages. Rien de trouble eneux, rien de mesquin ou de versatile. Ils possèdent la maîtrise de soi que leur mère n’apas. Qui donc est cette mère?”13

The inner turmoil Bonis experienced led to a renewed sense of musical purpose
and the most musically productive period of her life. In 1899, Bonis joined the Sociétédes Compositeurs de Musique, and eventually became secretary in 1910. This important
opportunity allowed her to be in contact with leading composers of the period and to be
included in the society bulletin, which informed the members of activities, concerts, andnew musical releases. The period from 1900-1914 saw Bonis’s greatest musical output,
including the Sonate pour flûte et piano of 1904.
In 1901, despite solely publishing under Leduc, Bonis moved to the publishinghouse Eugene Demets, which had opened in 1899. Géliot suggests that a likely reason forthis change was that Bonis was at that time devoting most of her composing to chamber
works and religious music, representing a different market than the music accessible toamateurs, which Leduc tended to prefer.
As talk of war increased around 1914, Géliot notes that Bonis spent more time at
the organ improvising in the solemnity of the church, inspired, perhaps, by the stained
glass.41 This activity is documented because much of her organ music was written justpreceding World War I, and also at the end of her life, around 1930. She became theorganist of the parish at her summer home of Étretat, which allowed her to playconsistently on a Cavaillé-Coll organ.42 However, between 1914 and the intensificationof World War I, Bonis’s composing was curtailed significantly; afterward, the majority ofher projects were written for her grandchildren. As France moved into a war economy,

41

Géliot does not indicate the exact church Bonis attended.
Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (1811-1899) is considered by many to be the greatest
organ builder of the nineteenth century, who inspired composers of the French Romanticorgan school, including Franck and Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937).
14
42

around 1914, Bonis’s compositional activity ceased almost entirely, a hiatus that
extended through 1922. Instead of composing, and while most of her male relatives weresent to war, she took care of the four grandchildren, worked in an orphanage, and went tochurch every day. According to Eberhard Mayer, the deployment of her sons to war andher commitment to prisoners and orphans drained her physically and mentally.43
Albert Domange died in 1918. The widowed Bonis busied herself in the events of
the household and invited Madeleine to the family’s summer home. However, thiscreated another dilemma: Madeleine and Bonis’s son Edouard (neither of whom knew
they were half-siblings) had begun to fall in love, and Edouard intended to ask for
Madeleine’s hand in marriage. Bonis told Madeleine the remaining truth of her parentage,
and although both Madeleine and Edouard ended up marrying suitable spouses, anemotional rift was created between Madeleine and Bonis. According to Géliot, this very
likely added to the depression and guilt the composer had felt since Madeleine’s birth.
During the last fifteen years of her life, Bonis spent most of her time in the quietof her studio. Starting in 1922 she felt a new urge to create; however, the time spentcomposing was less sustained than her most fruitful period of 1900-1914. The music of
this last period is predominantly spiritual; personal writings from the time indicate
reflections on life and God. Her great-granddaughter summarized that Bonis wrote“music she liked, for those who thought like her, for her God.”44 Bonis wrote, “Music is

43

Eberhard Mayer, translation Geneviève Debuysscher, preface to Suite dans lestyle ancient: pour flûte, violon, alto (ou clarinette) et piano by Mel Bonis (Rheinfelden:
Edition Kossack, 2005).
44
Géliot, Mel Bonis, 223. “Au mépris des modes, Mélanie compose la musiquequ’elle aime, pour ses frères de pensée, pour son Dieu.”
15like the depths of one’s soul: one doesn’t understand it until one is surrounded by likebeings.”45
Bonis eventually had fifteen grandchildren, and although she continued tocompose towards the end of her life, increasing health problems and fatigue slowed her
down. Géliot writes that from her late fifties, Bonis spent most of her time lying down
and isolated.46 As the world progressed around her both musically and socially, Bonis
could not adjust and found sanctuary in her religion, in trying to uphold the values ofmoral purity, and in passing them on to those around her. Bonis wrote:
Watch out for seductions and luxury. Life’s worst surprises, those which want totrick you to the fullest, refuse to allow themselves to contribute to the proper
functioning of society. They will find it good that others accept the daily struggle
to live up to the expectations of a good citizen or the head of a household. They
want peace and tranquility to the extent that their guilty consciences will allow.
You can be sad, but don’t be a martyr or a ‘woe is me’. Get rid of the pessimism,
discouragement, defeatism. Defeatism! That sums it up: it’s the recourse ofbullies. That is to say, the giving up in battle or the abandonment of one’s post
during an enemy attack. It’s normal to be afraid. You don’t hide for that.47
Mel Bonis described her existence in 1928:

45

As quoted in Géliot, Mel Bonis, 223. Original source: Souvenirs et réflexions de
Mel Bonis. “La musique est comme l’essence de l’ame : on ne se comprend qu’entre gensde même affinité.”46
Géliot, “La compositrice Mel Bonis,” 61.
47
As quoted in Géliot, Mel Bonis, 222. Original source: Souvenirs et réflexions de
Mel Bonis. “Défiez-vous des séductions et du luxe...Les embusqués de la vie : ceux qui
veulent en jouir à tout prix, refusant de contribuer pour leur part au fonctionnement de lapratique sociale. Ils trouveront bon que les autres acceptent la lutte de chaque jour pourremplir le devoir de citoyen, de père de famille. Ils veulent la paix, la tranquillité dans lamesure ou leurs moyens pécuniaires le leur permettent...Il est permis d’être triste, mais il
ne faut pas en prendre l’air ni avoir l’esprit chagrin. Bannissons le pessimisme, ledécouragement, le défaitisme. Le défaitisme! Cela dit tout : c’est le retranchement deslaches! c’est-à-dire la capitulation avant le combat ou fuite devant l’ennemi. Il est naturel
d’avoir peur. On ne se dérobe pas pour cela.”16

It’s hard to be crushed by anxiety, embarrassment, or indignation...to be obsessedby a single controlling thought that robs you of rest, breaks your heart, thatdiminishes all of your resistance…in one word, absorbs your life drop by drop.
All intellectual thought becomes impossible. 48
Bonis’s ill health was compounded by the death of her youngest son in 1932, anda long history of psychiatric problems, including insomnia, migraines, and a
hypersensitivity to noise.49 On March 18, 1937, Mel died in Sarcelles, France, at the ageof eighty. Ironically, Hettich died just a few days afterward.
In 1933, near the end of her life, Mel Bonis wrote insightfully to young American
flutist Norman Gifford:
Much limited in my young days by family obligations, although always haunted
by musical composition, I could only start working late in life and thus, despite
my age, I am not a very old composer. 50
Obviously Bonis’s struggle to balance composition and family troubled her
endlessly. Mel Bonis left flutists six pieces for flute and piano, aiding in filling the void
in repertoire and bridging the gap between Romanticism and Impressionism. The
composer did not receive widespread performances of her works that her compositions
deserved, and she had a difficult time finding publishers for many chamber works.
Although Bonis’s style lingered behind the times and by the end of her life she had less48

As quoted in Géliot, Mel Bonis, 220. Original source: Souvenirs et réflexions de
Mel Bonis. “C’est dur d’être broyée par l’inquiétude, le chagrin, l’indignation...d’être
obsédée par une idée fixe qui vous prend votre repos, vous brise le cœur, affaiblit en vous
toute résistance...en un mot absorbe votre vie goutte à goutte. Tout travail intellectueldevient impossible.”49
Mayer, Mel Bonis, 5.
50
Géliot, “Compositions for Voice by Mel Bonis, French Woman Composer,
1858-1937,” 50.
17energy to market her work to publishers, efforts by l’Association Mel Bonis have madeaccess to her works easier for flutists throughout the world.

18

Women Composers of Fin de siècle France

Examination of the repertoire composed by Mel Bonis and the timeline of her life
clarifies that the events and circumstances of her generation directly and profoundly
affected her compositions. At the forefront of these influences was her strict Catholic
upbringing and the issues facing women in late-nineteenth-century France. Bonis’s
biography describes a woman who was clearly struggling to balance many aspects of herlife. Mélanie lived in the Third Republic of France, a time when depopulation,nationalism, and women’s issues were at the forefront of French politics. The majority of
the French population at the time was Catholic, and the Rerum novarum of 1891 dictatedthe role of a woman:
Women, again, are not suited for certain occupations; a woman is by nature fitted
for home-work, and it is that which is best adapted at once to preserve hermodesty and to promote the good bringing up of children and the well-being of
the family.51
Societal expectations made it difficult for girls and women to pursue music, letalone composition. Anne Alyse Watson in her dissertation, “Selected Works by Female
Composers Written for the Clarinet During the Nineteenth Century,” acknowledges thatthe documents that address women in music throughout history place them in categories:“1) as mothers of creators; 2) as inspiration for great musical works; 3) as the stabilizing

51

The Vatican, “Rerum novarum Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII On Capital andLabor,” Vatican: The Holy See, http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/
documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_15051891_rerum-novarum_en.html (accessed February 3,2013).
19

influence in a man’s life, such as provider of emotional support and a good, quiet home
life; 4) as a negative influence on men; and 5) as an interpreter of creativity.”52
A survey of girls in 1870s Paris found that many aspired to be schoolteachers,
although most thought they would likely become seamstresses.53 Many marriages,
including Bonis’s, were dictated by financial expectations, not romantic attraction or the
woman’s choice. Robert McGraw writes that in fin-de-siècle France, “debate about
women’s ‘right’ to sexual satisfaction in marriage was blamed for the spread of adultery
and divorce and alarming evidence of male sexual anxiety and impotence.”54
France was experiencing a declining birthrate in the latter half of the 1800s, andthe problem was blamed in part on irresponsible women’s neglect of their infants andavoidance of pregnancy.55 The nationalistic implications of this decline (including fearof invasion from densely populated Germany) resulted in legislative action.56 In 1892,
legislation was passed to regulate and limit the number of hours working women could
spend in industry. One prolific antifeminist nationalist writer, Theodore Joran, who was
only one of the many commenters on the subject, described the appropriate role ofwomen:

52

Jeanie G. Pool, Women in Music History: A Research Guide (New York: by theauthor, 1977), 2; quoted in Anne Alyse Watson, “Selected Works by Female Composers
Written for the Clarinet During the Nineteenth Century” (DMA Thesis, Arizona State
University, 2008), 17.
53
Roger Magraw, France, 1800-1914: A Social History (Harlow: Longman,2002), 325.
54
Ibid., 253.
55
Karen Offen, “Depopulation, nationalism, and feminism in Fin-de-Siècle
France,” The American Historical Review, Vol. 89 No. 3 (June 1984): 652.
56
Between 1810 and 1850 the French population increased by 3.4 million, whileduring the same period the German population increased by 25 million. Offen, 651.
20

Good households are those where the man considers the woman as an object
made for his own personal pleasure and well-being and where the woman believes
she ought to please her husband, to serve him, and applies herself exclusively tothat end.57
Jules Simon, a senator in the Third Republic from 1875-1896, wrote, “There aregood and bad wives, [but] there are only good mothers. A bad mother, if such exists, isagainst nature. One would not know how to classify her, nor understand her.” Not only
was it against Catholic values for a woman to pursue her own interests outside of thefamily, but it was against the moral obligation of a woman to her nation, and womenfound that their contribution to their country was based upon their success as mothers.58
In the case of women artists, a look into the writings of the Union des Femmes
Peinters et Sculpteurs may provide insight into the feelings of women in the artistic
world; no comparable organization for women composers can be identified. In 1883,
addressing the motivation behind forming the union, Mme Leon Bertaux wrote:
The woman artist is an unknown power, unrecognized, held back from developing
fully! A type of social prejudice still weighs her down, and despite this, every
year, the number of women committed to art increases with a frightening rapidity:
I say frightening because our institutions still do nothing for the greater
cultivation of these minds hard at work, the results of so many efforts are often
powerless or ridiculous…Should one conclude from this that women should
abstain [from art] or resign themselves to occupying an inferior place amongst
artists? This is not how I see it. Wherever there is feeling and the will to express
it, there is a vital power which a country allied to progress has neither the right toignore nor to leave unactivated.59

57

Offen, 662.
Joshua Cole, The Power of Large Numbers: Population, Politics, and Genderin Nineteenth-Century France (Cornell University Press, 2000), 19.
59
Tamar Garb, Sisters of the Brush: Women’s Artistic Culture in Late NineteenthCentury Paris (New Haven: Yale University Press: 1994), 44.
21
58

The changes in women’s roles and the development of feminist ideas were notaccepted lightly by the Catholic community. A document dated February 5, 1896, in theArchives de la Prefecture de Police detailed these concerns:
The Catholics are following the French feminist movement attentively. They arequite disturbed to see the feminine element escape, step by step, from them. They
have found out that more and more attempts are being made to attract women to
freemasonry and they, themselves, want to form women’s groups with themission of checking this movement.60
The comments of critics and authors of the time show the bias the public hadagainst women composers. In his manual for piano quartets of 1937, Wilhelm Altmanncommented briefly on Bonis’s first quartet: “We would never think that this final
movement was composed by a woman; this compliment is also intended to the preceding
movements.”61 In addition, Saint-Saëns notably wrote to Jean Gounod, son of Charles
Gounod, “I never thought a woman could write this: she knows all the tricks of the art!”62
Coincidentally, Bonis was born the same year as another more well-known femalecomposer, Cécile Chaminade. In her personal life, Chaminade married the music
publisher Louis-Mathieu Carbonel, but became a widow only six years later.
Professionally, however, Chaminade was able to gain much more success during her
lifetime than Bonis, most likely due to her freedom from domestic responsibilities. A
look at Chaminade’s views on the difficulty of being a woman composer provides insightthat extends also to Mel Bonis. Chaminade wrote:
I do not believe that the few women who have achieved greatness in creative
work are the exception, but I think that life has been hard on women; it has not
60

Quoted in Garb, 63.
Quoted in Mayer, Mel Bonis, 2.
62
Géliot, “Mel Bonis,” Traversiere Magazine, 35.
22
61

given them opportunity; it has not made them convincing...There is no sex in art.
Genius is an independent quality. The woman of the future, with her broader
outlook, her greater opportunities, will go far, I believe, in creative work of every
description.63
Importantly, Gèliot explicitly writes that Bonis was not touched by feminist ideas,
and did not call into question her societal role. However these social transformations
must have affected Mel Bonis and her compositions, though she and Gèliot do not
acknowledge it. 64 At most, one can see how the dynamics of Catholicism, extra-marital
relations, illegitimate children, and mothering in Mel’s life mirrored the issues
relentlessly facing the country at the turn of the century in France.

63

Sun-Young Oh, “The Piano Works of Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944)” (DMA
thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2000), 12.
64
Géliot, “La compositrice Mel Bonis,” 58l.
23

CHAPTER 2COMPOSITIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND STYLISTIC TRAITS

The compositions of Mel Bonis number over 300, including 150 works for piano,
twenty-nine chamber works, twelve works for orchestra, forty pieces for organ, twenty
songs and religious works for voice with organ accompaniment, and one unaccompanied
Mass.65 While the majority of these works are for piano or voice, the number of pieces
for flute and piano, coupled with the absence of music for any other wind instruments,suggests that Bonis had a special fondness for the instrument. Indeed, Géliot indicatesthat Bonis had a particular preference for the violin, cello, and flute.66
Although the majority of Bonis’s works were written between 1892 and 1914,
Géliot divides her output into three distinct periods delineated by personal events in her
life. The first period, between 1892 and 1900, comprised predominately “charming”
music; the second period, between 1900 and 1914, was “scholarly”; and the third period,
between 1922 and 1937, was Bonis’s “spiritual” period of composition.67 Approximately
one-third of Bonis’s works were neither printed nor published in her lifetime.68
Bonis’s most productive period of composition, and the height of her compositionof chamber music, was from 1900 to 1914. Géliot considers it to be the most mature of

65

Mayer, Mel Bonis, 5.
Géliot, Mel Bonis: femme et compositeur, 129.
67
Ibid., 129. “Première période, 1892-1900: dominante musique ‘de charme’;
Seconde période, 1900-1914: dominante musique ‘savante’; Troisième période, 19221937: dominante musique ‘spirituelle’.”68
Ibid., 130.
24
66

her works.69 The piano almost always plays a central role in her chamber music, and not
merely as an accompanying instrument but as an important element of the ensemble.70
The fact that she was an excellent pianist undoubtedly contributed to this output.
Bonis composed at a time when flute repertoire was facing a turning point. The
flute had recently undergone significant mechanical changes that facilitated greater
technical capacity, which in turn influenced a new set of repertoire featuring theimproved capabilities of the Boehm flute.71 In 1876, Joseph Henri Altès (1826-1899) wasin his eighth year as flute professor at the Paris Conservatory. Had Bonis attended theflute sections of the Concours du Prix while a student, between 1876 and 1881, shewould have heard a very limited selection of flute repertoire, all composed by either Altès
himself or Jean-Louis Tulou (1786-1865), flute professor from 1829 to 1856.72 The
music was not written to display the singing quality of the flute, but rather to showcase its
recently expanded technical capacity.
An 1890 contributor to Musical Opinion offers this mocking description ofcontemporary flute performances:…air first, then common chord variation, [staccato] ‘runs’ variation, slow
movement with a turn between every other two notes, and a pump handle shakethat wrings tears of agony from the flute; then the enormously difficult finale, in
69

Among the substantial works of this period are three dances for orchestra,
Bourrée, Pavante et Sarabande; Sonate pour flûte et piano; Sonate pour violoncelle;
Suite pour flûte violon piano; Quatuor en si bémol; Soir et Matin pour piano, violon, et
violoncelle; Suite pour harpe chromatique et deux instruments à vents.
70
Géliot, Mel Bonis: femme et compositeur, 173.
71
These changes were initiated by the advancements of the Boehm system flute,developed by flutist and inventor Theobald Boehm between 1831 and 1847. Boehm’s
developments included creating a cylindrical bored instrument that could produce a larger
volume of sound, with axle-mounted keys, and made of silver rather than wood.
72
Altès was flute professor of the Paris Conservatoire from 1869-1893, following
Vincent-Joseph Louis Dorus.
25

which you are up in the air on one note, then drop with a bang, which nearly
breaks you, onto low C, only to bounce up again, to hold onto a note, shake it[wring its neck in fact], scatter it in all directions and come sailing down
triumphantly on a chromatic [legato] with a perfect whirlpool of foaming notes,
only to be bumped and punched about until you are exhausted.73
Notably, modern flutists do not frequently perform these works, although they dohave great pedagogical value. Many of the French works in the standard flute canon
today were written due to the influences of Paul Taffanel (professor of flute from 18941908) and of the Société des Instruments à Vent on the Parisian compositional
community. Bonis’s compositions date from this era, when the promotion of French wind
works occurred. Ardal Powell writes that, “The efforts of Saint-Säens [and the Société
Nationale de Musique] and his colleagues to encourage French composers began in the
1890s to bear fruit in one of the richest, if not the most prolific, outpourings of music
ever composed for the flute.”74
Nancy Toff argues that French music of the modern era (beginning c.1885) can bedivided into four schools: the romanticism of Franck, the classicism of Saint-Saëns andDubois, the impressionism of Debussy, and the iconoclastic aesthetic of Les Six. None ofthem, however, is neatly or firmly defined or mutually exclusive; more than one teacher
or philosophy often influenced a given composer.75 Géliot writes:
Mel Bonis wrote in the Post-Romanticism vein. One feels the influence of hercontemporaries — Franck, Fauré, Saint-Saëns — and yet she stands out for her
original sense of harmony and rhythm and the vitality and sensuality of her
discourse.76
73

As quoted in H. Macaulay Fitzgibbon, The Story of the Flute, Being a Historyof the Flute and Everything Connected with It (London: W. Reeves, 1929), 110.
74
Ardal Powell, The Flute (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002), 217.
75
Toff, The Flute Book, 258.
76
Géliot, “Compositions for Voice by Mel Bonis,” 50.
26

Bonis’s music demonstrates that she was greatly influenced by all four schools(though the period in which Les Six were an entity was much later); however, her own
words clearly indicate her belief that her music should be strongly rooted in traditionalfoundations and not be unduly influenced by the great leaps of modernism. Nevertheless,it would be incorrect to assume her music was not progressive or original. Fortunate tocompose at her own pace, without financial pressure, she was not swayed by outside
influences. Bonis wrote, in a sense, for herself and nobody else.
Her reaction to what she considered twentieth-century modernism was strongly
negative. Géliot writes that César Franck and Charles Gounod, composers Bonis admired,were scorned by the public. Despite lukewarm popular reception of their music, however,
Bonis refused to change her style to please the crowd. In her Souvenirs et réflexions,
Bonis responded to the belief of some other composers that progress was more important
than beauty. First, she quotes two composers:
Marinetti: ‘A humming car is more beautiful than the victory of ‘Samothrace’.
Debussy: ‘Isn’t our task to find the symphonic formula that outlines our age, thatwhich we call progress, audacity, and modern victory? The century of airplanes
has a right to its own music.’
Then she writes in response:
In our layman, positivist, fiercely egoist time, tenderness in music is banned,
but we are forced to swallow train imitations, kicks, and humbug ‘Boléros.’ Aback-to-basics musical critic declares that the word ‘rule’ shouldn’t be used, but
only that which pleases the listener should count. Which makes us bring back thefact that there is no objective truth. To introduce this nihilism in all aspects, firstly
in morality…that’ll be something to see!7777

As quoted in Géliot, Mel Bonis: femme et compositeur, 204. Original source:‘Souvenirs et réflexions’ de Mel Bonis. Ed. Du Nant d’enfer, 1974. “Écrit Marinetti.
27

In contrast, Bonis clearly had much respect for Franck, Fauré, and Gounod and regarded
their music worthy of great respect. She wrote:‘The stupid 19th century’ saw Franck and Fauré [she writes with irony]. In the 20th
century the number of ‘clever’ people and even more dabblers in music who
would be better off sawing wood, it’s too many.78
Composer Cécile Chaminade expressed similar sentiments in a 1919 interview:Effacement, complete effacement, of all melody and form, seems to be thewatchword these days. Modern; oh, it is no longer a question of simple
modernism, it seems to be a case of arch-modernism with music playing but anegligible role. Not all of those included among the present-day moderns can beso reproached, but still a very large number [can], and the public stands for it all
and allows itself to be cajoled into the belief that we are only passing into a new, asuperior era.79
Géliot notes that, “Despite her facility, Mel Bonis wrote and rewrote, endlessly
correcting, in her search for an ultimate satisfaction that consistently eluded her. All‘Notre devoir n’est-il pas de trouver la formule symphonique qu’exige notre époque,celle qu’appellent les progrès, les audaces et les victoires modernes ? Le siècle desaéroplanes a droit à sa musique,’ écrit Debussy. Comme en réponse, Mel Bonis dit : ‘A
notre époque laïque, positiviste, férocement égoïste, la tendresse est bannie en musiquemais on nous fera avaler des imitations de locomotive, de coups de pieds et des ‘Boléros’fumistes... Un simpliste critique musical déclare que le mot ‘règale’ ne doit pas êtreprononcé, le ‘plaisir’ de l’auditeur étant seul en question. Ce qui revient à dire qu’il n’y apas de vérité objective. Introduisez ce nihilisme dans tous les domaines, en moraled’abord..., ce sera du joli!”78
As quoted in Géliot, Mel Bonis: femme et compositeur, 204. Original source:‘Souvenirs et réflexions’ de Mel Bonis. Ed. Du Nant d’enfer, 1974. “‘Le stupide XIXesiècle’ a vu Franck et Fauré,’ ironise-t-elle. ‘Au XXe, des quantités de gens ‘calés’ etencore plus d’artisans en musique qui feraient mieux de scier du bois, c’est hygiénique.’”
79
Oh, 11.
28

details of nuance and tempo are noted with precision. Some pieces are composed overlong periods of time.”80
Bonis’s choice of genre, form, and harmony undoubtedly aligns with the mergerof Classical elements and the tradition of nineteenth-century Romanticism. Though her
Sonate pour Flûte et Piano makes use of non-European influences, including whole-tonescales and ragtime, the form of the Sonata is deeply rooted in Classical and Romantic
sonata elements. Her compositional style remained fundamentally the same her entire lifeand did not readily adapt to the modernism developing in twentieth-century Frenchmusic. Géliot writes about her great-grandmother’s musical style:Hers was a highly sensitive temperament combined with a studious though willfulcharacter and a sharp intelligence. Add to this the tragic and brilliant unfolding of
her life and one grasps the impetus for this great body of work…The strength ofher inspiration was the nourishment of a mystical and passionate soul. Hers is an
original and knowledgeable palette colored by impressionism and orientalism.81
Bonis favored smaller forms for her works, and most have descriptive titles. Halfof her pieces for flute and piano are short, single-movement works: Une Flûte Soupire
pour Flûte et Piano (two minutes long), Pièce pour Flûte et Piano (four minutes long),and Air Vaudois pour Flûte et Piano (four minutes long). Her harmonic vocabularyemphasizes functional tonality, but with a substantial addition of extended tertian
harmony, added color chords, and extensive unexpected modulations. For example, in
Une Flûte Soupire pour Flûte et Piano, Bonis uses constantly shifting tonal centers andcoloristic chord successions to create an ambiguous atmosphere in the opening of thework before progressively coming into clear tonal focus through the use of functional
80
81

Géliot, “Compositions for Voice by Mel Bonis,” 50.
Ibid., 50.
29

tonality by the conclusion of the piece. In contrast, Air Vaudois begins and ends withclear, functional tonality in the bright key of E Major. Nancy Toff writes in Monarch of
the Flute, “The music [of Bonis] was technically accessible to amateur performers andaesthetically pleasing to its upper-crust listeners: lyrical, bucolic, with modern tendencies
that were interesting but not unduly challenging.”82
Bonis emphasizes the upper-middle to lower register of the flute in the majority ofher compositions, perhaps owing to the flute’s beauty and emotional depth in thisregister. The works are not overly difficult for flutists, but the technical challenge lies inher choice of keys, many of which are not easy to execute on the instrument. The
performer must communicate the highly personal nature of Bonis’s music. Bonisabsorbed many aspects of the changing musical world around her, and her works deservea thorough examination and interpretation on their own artistic merit and not solely incomparison with works of her contemporaries. A performance guide discussing Bonis’s
six works for flute and piano follows. The works, examined in chronological order, areSonate pour Flûte et Piano, Op. 64; Air Vaudois pour Flûte et Piano, Op. 108; Andante
et Allegro pour Flûte et Piano, Op. 133; Une Flûte Soupire pour Flûte et Piano, Op. 121;
Pièce pour Flûte et Piano, Op. 189; and Scherzo (Final) pour Flûte et Piano, Op. Posth.
187.

82

Nancy Toff, Monarch of the Flute: The Life of Georges Barrère (Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2005), 71.
30

CHAPTER 3
THE WORKS FOR FLUTE AND PIANO

Sonate pour Flûte et Piano, Op. 64
Performance Guide

Bonis’s Sonate pour flûte et piano, Op. 64, is the most substantial of her works forthis pairing. The lack of sonata repertoire from the Romantic period adds to theimportance of this work. Although flutists regularly borrow works from the strings (mostfrequently the Fauré and Franck violin sonatas), the only major flute and piano sonata
from the Romantic period is that of Carl Reinecke (1824-1910), “Undine,” Op. 167,
composed in 1882. For this reason the Bonis Sonata is often called the French equivalent
to the Reinecke Sonata. Bonis’s Sonata was composed in 1904 and first published by
Demets the same year. In 1921 the work was re-released in a collection by the editor
Eschig, and it sold until the stock ran out.83 Edition Kossack published the current
edition in 2005.84 This substantial four-movement work has a formal structure thatreflects both Classical elements and the Romantic stylistic tradition and is approximately
twenty minutes long. The four movements consist of Andantino con moto, ScherzoVivace, Adagio, and Finale-Moderato.
Bonis’s Sonata was written for Louis Fleury (1878-1926), the prominent French
flutist and husband of Gabrielle Monchablon, the daughter of Bonis’s close friend Jeanne
83

Géliot, “Mel Bonis,” Traversiere Magazine, 42. Géliot does not state the datethe stock ran out.
84
Mel Bonis, Sonate pour flûte et piano (Rheinfelden: Edition Kossack, 2005).
31

Monchablon. Their friendship was strong; Mel was the godmother to Fleury andGabrielle’s daughter Antoinette. According to Géliot, Louis Fleury performed the sonata“repeatedly.”85 The prominence of Fleury is well documented: in 1905 he succeeded
Georges Barrère as director of the Société Moderne des Instruments à Vent, and in 1913
he premiered the celebrated Syrinx for solo flute by Claude Debussy, who dedicated thework to him. The artistry and influence of Fleury during the time are summed up in his
obituary in The Musical Times and the London Times:
The early and sudden death of Louis Fleury is a loss which will be deeply felt bylovers of music who a generation ago would never have believed that the death of
a flute-player would be of higher consequence than a change in the personnel of afirst-rate orchestra. In the memories of all who heard him Fleury’s art will havedefined the status of his instrument as the art of Muhlfeld defined the status of theclarinet…86
It seems fitting that the sonata was written for Fleury, because he was outspoken
about the lack of flute music with substance. He wrote:…but the moment flautists tried to compete with violinists, giving themselves
over to fireworks and the expression of hectic sentiment, people of good taste
would have no more to do with them. Except for a few orchestral pieces, there is
not a page of flute music by Mendelssohn, Schumann or Brahms— to take only
those three; and so it will remain, as long as flautists turn themselves intomechanical birds and fill their melodies with meaningless ornament… After all,there are only two ways of writing for the flute, as for anything else — well andill: and it is everything to choose the right way .87

85

As quoted in Géliot, Mel Bonis: femme et compositeur, 180. “Elle [Sonate] est
dédiée à Louis Fleury qui la jouera à maintes reprises.”86
As quoted in Jessica Raposo, “The Second Golden Age,” The Flutist Quarterly(Spring 2011), 27.
87Louis Fleury and A. H. F. S. “The Flute and Its Powers of Expression,” Musicand Letters Vol. 3, No. 4 (Oct. 1922), 384.
32

The 1984 performance of the Sonata by the flutist Marc Beaucoudray was the firsttime the piece had been performed in more than forty years. According to Géliot, it was
perhaps Michel Debost, the former Professor of Flute at the Paris Conservatory and the
Oberlin Conservatory, who brought the work to the United States.88 Understanding thestructure of each movement as a whole will aid in a rich interpretation of this work.

Movement One: Andantino con moto

The first movement, Andantino con moto, is in a loosely structured sonata form.
Throughout this movement, the roles of both the pianist and flutist are equally virtuosic,
and both musicians must collaborate to link and exchange motives as if they were one
player. A consistent rolling rhythm in the piano provides forward movement while theflute sings passionately above.
Dynamics throughout the movement are carefully marked, and the performers
must bring out the abundance of melodic sequences and climactic points. It is tempting toapproach this sonata with a consistently appassionato sound between the flutist andpianist, but like any large-scale work, it is essential that the sonata be paced from start tofinish to truly bring out the special moments. Although no metronome marking is given
for the first movement, the author suggests a tempo of quarter note equals 100 beats per
minute (bpm).
The exposition begins with a one-measure piano introduction, after which theflute enters with an eight-measure melody in C♯ Minor over a gently swaying,88

Géliot, “Mel Bonis,” Traversiere Magazine, 31.
33

arpeggiated accompaniment in the piano (Example 1). Due to its placement in the middle
to lower register of the flute, this melancholy tune should be played with a dark yet
projecting sound and must be rhythmically precise; each triplet should be played as
written, not turned into an eighth-note and two sixteenth-notes. The flute music of Bonisoften contains short phrases that link to form a larger melody, and this sonata is no
exception. While each performer has his or her own ideas regarding phrasing, the flutist
must be sure to make the melody cohere and avoid large gaps for the rests; instead, thinkof the rests as slight lifts. In order to create a continuous phrase, the flutist must connect
the airstream through the grace notes, and a small crescendo should be made emphasizing
the half-note downbeats following each triplet.

Example 1: Sonate: Andantino con moto, mm. 1-9, first theme.

34

Starting in m. 10, transitional sixteenth-note runs in combinations of major,
minor, and chromatic patterns are passed between pianist and flutist. The flutist entersfrom a sixteenth-note rest that must connect with the pianist to create a seamless streamof ascending and descending sixteenth notes. Therefore, careful subdivision is essential
so as not to create a gap with the piano. Not only are the sixteenth-note combinations
awkward for the flutist, but Bonis also adds grace notes to the descending runs. Carefulfinger practice is essential so that the flutist can look past the technical difficulties andfocus instead on creating a wash of color. As a goal, the runs should sound improvisatory
and effortless.
The second theme, introduced by the piano in m. 18, consists of a rising
syncopated line with an ostinato bass that is a variant of the opening accompaniment
pattern (Example 2). As the hopeful, romantic melody in E Major ascends, the tonality
begins to modulate to G Major. In combination with a crescendo and octave doubling in
the piano, the music reaches a peak in m. 27, brightening the mood of the original
melancholy theme as if the sun has appeared. The flutist and pianist must build in volume
and intensity, with a feeling of urgency, to the downbeat of m. 27, which should beplayed by the flutist with a bright, exuberant tone color, highlighting the V9 of G Majorreached there. There is no dynamic marking at this point, other than poco crescendo, but
the author suggests a dynamic of mezzo-forte by the downbeat of m. 27.

35

Example 2: Sonate: Andantino con moto, mm. 16-27, second theme in piano.

Starting in m. 28, the ascending syncopated melody begins again, now up a third
in G Major, and this time the flutist takes over and continues this melody (mm. 32-36).
However, the upward movement suddenly and quickly digresses with a return in m. 36 of
the opening melody of the movement, now in the subdominant, F♯ Minor, and entirely inthe piano. The diminuendo in m. 34 should decrease to a piano dynamic in order to meetthe dynamic of the piano in m. 36. Toward the end of this closing theme a new melodic
idea is introduced in the flute in m. 42. The large, highly-expressive, ascending leap in
the flute (from e♯1 to g♯3) at the beginning of this new melody creates a dramatic surgeof energy. This melody highlights a long C♯-major harmony in mm. 43-50, yet with hintsof C♯ Minor, closing the exposition.
36

The end of the exposition overlaps with the start of the development in m. 47,
where a new melody, the developmental theme, is introduced (Example 3). This
cantando theme contrasts sharply with the first melancholy theme, in that it sounds much
more tender and promising. The flutist joins in to finish the melody in mm. 51-52 before
the piano begins to develop the second theme (from m. 18) in m. 53. Finally, in m. 61, theflute receives the developmental theme while the piano plays in triplets below, in the
shape of the syncopated second theme. The flutist should play this melody with a fluid
legato and forward direction. Bonis does not indicate a dynamic; however, the theme
should be played at a mezzo-forte in order to allow room for the decrescendo that occurs
throughout the descending sequence in mm. 65-69.

Example 3: Sonate: Andantino con moto, mm. 46-50, developmental theme.

The next section of the development begins with a piano solo in mm. 71-76 that isbased on the ascending, syncopated second theme. Contrary motion between the37

ascending right hand and descending left hand creates the widest register spacing of theentire movement, which leads to the entrance of the flute in the upper register.
The start of the retransition (mm. 77-82) evokes an ethereal, impressionistic
sound through the combination of rising chromatic triplets and descending held notes in
the piano, with a ben canto melody in the flute (Example 4). This line should be playedwith a gorgeous warm tone and singing vibrato in the flute, but the character quickly
changes to a darker, more mysterious quality as the line descends. There is no dynamic
indication, but the flutist should play at a transparent, mezzo-piano dynamic.

Example 4: Sonate: Andantino con moto, mm. 75-84, second development section.

Drawing directly from the main theme of the exposition, mm. 83-92 of theretransition, marked dolce in the flute, are firmly in F♯ Major and transform the quality38

of the melancholy C♯-minor theme to a more promising and optimistic character.
However, characteristically in the style of Bonis, the harmony takes a sharp detour in m.
90 to the dominant, in preparation for the recapitulation. The flutist should diminuendo toa piano dynamic in order to match the piano. The final section of retransition (mm. 9396) consists of call-and-response sixteenth-note runs between the flute and piano, andserves strongly as dominant preparation for the recapitulation in m. 97.
The recapitulation begins conventionally, with a return of the opening melody inthe tonic key of C♯ Minor, though the remainder of the recapitulation is largely restructured. While the piano plays both the main melody and arpeggiated accompaniment,
the flute continues the ornamented sixteenth-note runs to add a new layer to the original
main theme (Example 5).

39

Example 5: Sonate: Andantino con moto, mm. 95-105, beginning of recapitulation.

Whereas the first theme ended in m. 9 on c♯: V, Bonis inserts five measures (mm. 105109) to create a new ending that emphasizes roots in falling thirds. The rising register ofthe flute and the poco rallentando emphasize this change.
Following the restatement of the main theme, now with a refreshed tonic key, thetransitional sixteenth-note runs in exactly the same combinations of major, minor, andchromatic patterns recur (mm. 110-121). However, this time the transition is extended
sequentially by five measures, creating a sense of ambiguity as to where the tonality willland. The flutist always links up with the piano in these runs, and though not marked, theflutist should make sure to match the dynamic marking of the pianist. The flute descends
chromatically in m. 124 at the rate of quarter notes, while the piano ascends in chromatic40

planing at the rate of eighth notes, ending with a suspenseful B dominant-seventh chordin m. 125 (Example 6). The stepwise lines and syncopation in the flute allude to thesecond theme, and the fermata of silence at the end of m. 125 creates a clear demarcation
before the next section of the recapitulation.

Example 6: Sonate: Andantino con moto, mm. 122-126, chromatic planing and pause.

After the sense of anticipation created by the B dominant-seventh chord, thedevelopmental theme, with a variation of the second theme in triplets in the piano,
commences in m. 126 in the relative major key of E Major. This demonstrates Bonis’sloose adherence to the Classical sonata form structure, because at this point the listener
would usually expect to hear the second theme in the tonic key of C♯ Minor, not thedevelopmental theme. After a four-measure insert of the developmental theme (mm. 126129), the second theme returns in m. 130, again in E Major and pulling to G Major as
before. This time, however, the flute line is augmented rhythmically, and although there
is no dynamic marking, the flutist should steadily crescendo beginning in m. 134 to a41

gentle forte by m. 138. The piano lingers with anticipation for four measures on a G♯
dominant-seventh chord in mm. 141-144 with syncopated rising chromatic notes.
This highlighted dominant sonority resolves on the downbeat of m. 145 with atriumphant emphasis on C♯ Major. The pianist should steadily crescendo to this pointand emphasize the C♯ in the bass with a slight relaxation of tempo before the flute enters.
Sweeping tonic and augmented triads in the piano accompany a return in the flute of theclosing theme from the exposition (m. 43), this time with much more exuberance andoptimism, finally reaching the C♯-major chord that has been taunting throughout the
movement. After a brief pause and fragment of the opening theme, the piano ends the
movement alone with full C♯-major chords, sweetly emphasizing the brightness of theupper register of the piano.

Movement Two: Scherzo-Vivace

Taking quite a detour from the depth and substance of the first movement, thesecond movement, Scherzo-Vivace, is a playful, dancing, swift movement in 3/8 time.
Lasting less than two minutes, staccato dance-like sections, reminiscent of the characterof Mendelssohn’s Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, alternate with sections ofsweeping, broken arpeggios in the piano, layered with a cantando singing line in theflute. Formally, this movement can be labeled as a ternary form with coda, or ABACoda,
using the tonal scheme of the movement as the basis for the three large sections. True tothe character of a traditional Scherzo movement, this movement should be performed in a42

playful manner, and Bonis clearly specifies in the score a tempo of quarter equals 104
bpm.89The main dance-like melodic idea of this movement is a slightly irregular (9+3)
phrase in A Minor that establishes the playful character. Both flute and piano play thisfirst theme, with the piano doubling the flute at a third or sixth below (Example 7). The
performers should place emphasis on beat one throughout the melody while still adheringto the marking of leggiero in the flute. No dynamic marking is indicated; the author
suggests beginning the movement at a mezzo-forte in order to be heard above the pianoline, while still contrasting with the alternating cantando passage that is forthcoming.

Example 7: Sonate: Scherzo-Vivace, mm.1-9, first theme.

A sweeping upward gesture in mm. 10-13 is abruptly followed by a subito piano.
Both flutist and pianist should make sure to build in dynamic to forte in m. 13, in order toplayfully bring out this subito change (Example 8). The opening melodic idea begins
again in m. 13 (now 9+5 phrasing), up a major ninth, and closes on an A-major triad in

89

It is assumed this indication should read dotted quarter equals 104 bpm, due tothe time signature of 3/8.
43

m. 21, followed by five measures of the upward gesture in the piano, closing the first
theme.

Example 8: Sonate: Scherzo-Vivace, mm. 10-13, sweeping upward gesture.

Without pause, the contrasting second theme commences in m. 27, with acantando line in the flute and sweeping arpeggios in the piano. The syncopation and ties
in the flute create the feeling of a tempo change; however, there is no indication ofslowing, and instead a feeling of broadening four-bar phrasing should take place(Example 9). This section should be played at a forte dynamic in order to contrast withthe lighthearted first theme. The close of the A section, mm. 39-45, combines figuresfrom the opening with two measures of arpeggiation in the flute, reminiscent of thesecond theme, and ends with anticipation on a dominant-ninth chord.

44

Example 9: Sonate: Scherzo-Vivace, mm. 27-32, second theme.

Measures 45-108 comprise the B section of the large-scale ternary form. Thissection is developmental, consisting of short alternating sections of the dance-like first
theme and the cantando second theme through a variety of ever-changing tonal centers.
The flute has several sweeping passages of sixteenth notes, exchanging this gesture withthe piano (Example 10). Both the flutist and pianist should pay attention to thearchitecture of each run and bring out the peak of each at a forte dynamic.

45

Example 10: Sonate: Scherzo-Vivace, mm. 80-89, sweeping gestures.

The brief retransition in mm. 97-108 manipulates the opening dance motive in
preparation for the final A section of the large-scale ternary form. Both flute and pianoemphasize Eb, which jokingly alternates with its upper and lower neighbor tones (F and
D). After a diminuendo and poco ritardando at m. 109, the Eb surprisingly moves as theleading tone to E, the first note of the returning melody.
The return, starting at m. 109, is an exact duplication of the original A section,with absolutely no alterations, ending on the dominant-ninth chord as before, in m. 153(same as m. 45). Highlighting the rising gesture of sixteenth notes, the Coda commences
in m. 153, and flute and piano playfully alternate and link together. Bonis slightly alters
the mode of each group of sixteenths, creating a whirlwind of harmonic color, ending46

with four measures of a: V7 (mm. 162-165). Surprisingly, as if embarking on anotherreturn, seven measures of the opening melody begin at m. 166, but this reminiscencedisintegrates into a prolonged F♯-A-C-E chord. In one last playful moment, the piano
alters this chord to D-F♯-A-C and ends the movement with a colorful version of a plagalcadence (Example 11). Though brief, this movement serves as a “palette cleanser,” ashort and humorous detour before the depth and emotional high point of the next
movement, Adagio.

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47

Movement Three: Adagio

The third movement, Adagio, is the climax of the entire sonata, in part for the
lyricism and extreme depths of emotion it reaches. Bonis exploits the ability of the flute
to express both melancholy and passionate ecstasy. The movement goes from a slow andmelancholy section to a jazz-like faster section marked Allegro ma non troppo, before
closing with a brief return to the Adagio. Within these three slow-fast-slow sections, themovement actually contains three themes that are alternately developed and manipulated,so the element of variation is prominent. Despite the seeming complexity of thealternations and endless layering of themes, in a sense the third movement can beinterpreted as a journey from dark to light, despair to hope, longing to love.
The first section of the Adagio begins with slowly plodding chords in the piano,
immediately setting a dark character, while an ornate melody unfolds in the flute. The
appoggiaturas and the syncopated rhythm in the flute create a sense of sorrowful longing
above the sparse quarter-note chords in the piano (Example 12). The six-measure flute
melody builds in dynamic and register in the middle of the phrase before falling to thetonic C, and the stepwise motion in the bass line of the piano brings out this arc shape.
The flutist must make sure to crescendo to a forte dynamic in m. 4, yet being careful toavoid sounding shrill.

48

Example 12: Sonate: Adagio, mm. 1-9, melancholy melody.

To achieve a sustained melodic line with forward direction, the flutist must keep
the resonance through the appoggiaturas by making the mordents secondary to the main
notes. The best practice method to achieve this is to play the opening phrase without thegrace notes, making sure to place the first sixteenth note of each group directly on thebeat. If the phrase cannot be performed in one breath, the best place to breathe is after thetied E in measure four, right before the C♯.
Following brief transitional measures, which in the style of Bonis’s music aresequential, the second theme of the movement is introduced in m. 16 (Example 13). The
entrance of this theme creates a very special moment for both instruments, as it contrasts
greatly with the first theme. Due to its initial rhythmic simplicity and key of Db Major

49

(the parallel key of C♯ Minor), this melody seems to float magically above the more
active piano part.

Example 13: Sonate: Adagio, mm. 13-20, second theme.

No dynamic indication is given, but the flutist should strive for a warm mezzoforte above the piano dynamic in the piano. The phrase in mm. 16-17 contains a highly
expressive leap of a ninth, which will recur in various forms throughout the movement,
and the flutist should play this interval as if creating a portamento between the two notes.
To color this phrase expressively, the flutist should play as legato as possible and keep
the vibrato moving as the notes and fingers change. The vibrato should be varied, but
50should not be too fast or wide. The sixteenth-note pairs in the piano will serve as motivic
material for development later in the movement. By grouping the beats into two larger
beats, instead of four eighth notes, the performers can maintain the flow of the theme andadhere to the subtle simplicity that is implied by this melody.
As the music builds in intensity, the flute rises in register in a sequential
sixteenth-note motive that interlocks with the sixteenths in the piano. At the same time,
the piano intensifies the forward motion with sweeping thirty-second-note rising
arpeggios until m. 27, which pauses with a diminuendo and ritardando (Example 14). At
the a tempo, the tension is finally released in a virtuosic, Chopin-like, appassionato pianosolo based upon the second theme (Example 14). This four-measure solo brings out theexpressive ninth leap and explores the entire range of the keyboard, generating the climax
of the entire sonata.

51

Example 14: Sonate: Adagio, mm. 27-31, piano solo.

Following this climax, a transition ensues in which extensive chromaticism isused to modulate to the return of the opening theme in mm. 44-51; however, the theme is
now in D♭ Major (parallel of C♯ Minor) as opposed to the original key of C♯ Minor.
After a pause on a dominant-seventh chord in m. 51, the new, jazz-like, Allegro ma nontroppo section immediately commences with a piano solo (Example 15). The syncopatedright hand against the quarter-note chords is clearly reminiscent of ragtime, a style of
popular music originating in the United States between 1896 and 1918. This piano solo isa quiet ragtime, however, and is actually a variation on the main flute theme, now marked
dolce.
52

Example 15: Sonate: Adagio, mm. 52-57, ragtime variation.

The flute introduces a third and final theme in m. 59, labeled misterioso, which
consists of a two-measure figure that is repeated at varying pitch levels (Example 16).

53

Example 16: Sonate: Adagio, mm. 57-64, misterioso melody.

In m. 67 the flute is given the ragtime variation of the main theme, now one stephigher than the original. Although there is no dynamic marking, the flutist should play at
a mezzo-piano to adhere to the dolce marking. Following this return, the portion between
m. 74 and m. 101 consists of alternations of the ragtime-like variation with the third
theme at shifting pitch levels. Elements of imitation and dialogue occur throughout
between the flute and piano, as the dotted rhythm of the third theme is echoed in the bassof the piano.
The passage continues to grow in intensity as the second theme is added above thedotted rhythm in the bass in m. 102. Contributing to the dramatic emphasis, the flute’s

54

rhythm is augmented from eighth notes to quarter notes. The flutist should play at a full
forte dynamic until the downbeat of m. 112, taking a breath before beat two of m. 106.
Marked Poco più lento, m. 118 is a return to the opening slow section andopening theme. However, there are several significant changes in this return thatcompletely change the character from the dark melancholy of the original to a sense of
optimism and brightness (Example 17). The theme now begins in Ab Major as opposed toC♯ Minor, and the rhythm is augmented to significantly elongate the melody and create amore tranquil character. In addition, Bonis changes the piano accompaniment from thestrict vertical chordal motion to graceful, floating arpeggios.

55

Example 17: Sonate: Adagio, mm. 117-129, first theme now in A♭ Major.

Following a brief transition, which serves as a reminiscence of the light, allegretto
character of the third theme, and a brief moment of complete silence, the original versionof the opening theme returns in C♯ Minor before a final restatement of the second theme
in Db Major. With a sense of tapering off, a descending variation of the sixteenth-note56motive in the flute leads to a final Db-major tonic chord in the upper range of the piano.
As the highlight of the entire sonata, the Adagio allows the flutist and pianist to showcase
the widest range of expression and dynamic contrast.

Movement Four: Finale-Moderato

The fourth movement of Bonis’s Sonata requires the utmost virtuosity andtechnical precision from both the flutist and the pianist. Roughly arranged as analternating form, the movement begins with an exotic sounding melody, followed by aseries of digressions, and concludes with a return of the opening. This movement bringsback and embellishes thematic ideas that were introduced in earlier movements, unifying
the sonata as a whole. Cyclicism, in which a theme is used in more than one movement,
was popular with Bonis’s teacher César Franck, so it is not unexpected that she uses thistechnique in her flute sonata.
The piano opens the movement with two measures of whirling arpeggios in C♯
Minor, immediately setting a dark and enigmatic tone. Entering in the third measure, theflute introduces the “exotic” melody, which consists of an arc-shaped phrase, similar inshape to the piano arpeggios and with a modal touch arising from the subtonic C♯-B-C♯
at the cadences (mm. 4-5, 8-9) (Example 18). The augmented second, F double-sharp toE, also contributes to the melody’s character. Combined with the forte dynamic andhairpin crescendo/decrescendo, this sweeping theme is fervent and impassioned anddirectly resembles the third, misterioso theme that was first introduced in m. 59 of thethird movement, though now with a gloomier temperament.
57

Example 18: Sonate: Finale-Moderato, mm. 1-6, “exotic” melody.

The flute immediately repeats this melody, and after an interlude in mm. 11-14,
the flute and then the piano re-state it in the dominant, G♯ Minor (mm. 15-18). When theflute has long notes, the piano fills in with interjections based upon the dotted rhythm of
the main melody (Example 18 above, mm. 5-6). A different type of exchange between
the instruments begins in m. 19, where a second melodic idea is added that greatly
resembles the opening theme of the first movement, sharing the eighth-note rhythm andgrace-note embellishment (Example 19). The instruments take turns being featured until
this section ends at m. 33 after a restatement of the exotic melody, now in E Major. The
eighth-note shape in mm. 19-20 is expanded into two-measure scales in the flute in mm.
58

21-22 and the piano in mm. 29-30. In turn, these eighth-note scales become a sixteenthnote run in mm. 33-34 that sets up a new, bright thematic idea based on this fasterrhythm.

Example 19: Sonate: Finale-Moderato, mm. 17-20, second melodic idea.

The new idea introduced in m. 35 consists of a scherzo-like sixteenth-note figure,with the piano exactly doubling the flute melody a third below. Difficult ensemble-wise,
the flutist must subdivide precisely during the descending sixteenth-note run in m. 34 inorder to enter accurately on the downbeat of m. 35. In addition, both flutist and pianist
must agree on the dynamic to be reached at the peak of each hairpin. The author suggests
ff at the peak in mm. 35-36, and mf at the peak of mm. 37-38.
Following the capricious sixteenth notes, the piano in m. 45 returns to the opening
triplet accompaniment figure, introducing another collage-like passage with interludes in
the piano based on the sixteenths in running thirds. Beginning in m. 47 the flute has a
new lyrical melody superimposed, this one based on the first and second themes of the59Adagio (Example 20). The first four measures of this theme (mm. 47-50) are directly
reminiscent of the first theme of the Adagio movement, and the following two measures(mm. 51-52) are derived directly from the second theme of the Adagio. Both themes
share a syncopated rhythm, grace-note-embellished downbeats, and an expressive
ascending leap within the phrase.

Example 20: Sonate: Finale-Moderato, mm. 47-54, melody based upon Adagio.

Starting in m. 62, a retransition occurs with hints of the exotic opening melody inthe piano and an obbligato passage in triplet eighths in the flute. The triplets pass to the
piano in m. 70, which prepares the return of the opening with an outline of C♯: V7. While
the triplets should be articulated by the flutist, Bonis includes the marking of legato, so
the flutist should be very careful to adhere to this marking and keep a connected, un-60

accented triple tonguing. The return of the first theme in C♯ Minor occurs in mm. 74-95
and is identical to the first twenty-two measures of the movement.
Beginning in m. 96, earlier figures return in a fantasia-like fashion, including therunning sixteenth-note thirds and the flute’s triplet obbligato. One last recall of the exotic
melody in mm. 118-121 is followed by another collage of the sixteenth-note and triplet
figures. By m. 129, the triplets morph into closing scale flourishes in the flute. These
three fragments unite in combination with sweeping scales up and down the range of theflute, ending triumphantly in C♯ Major (Example 21), an exhilarating conclusion to thefour-movement tour-de-force of Bonis’s Sonata.

61

Example 21: Sonate: Finale-Moderato, mm. 133-144, conclusion of the movement.

Because of its length and intensity, the Sonate runs the risk of sounding
continuously loud and formidable. The performers should make a special effort toidentify the numerous special moments where the intimate level of the work can beemphasized. The Sonate requires high-level endurance, concentration, and physicalstamina from the flutist to sustain the musical intensity necessary for a brilliant
performance of the work. For this reason, the Sonate is recommended for advanced
62

college students and professional flutists. Bonis’s Sonate offers flutists an invaluable
opportunity to participate in the extraordinary tradition of the string sonatas of Franck
and Fauré, but with a composition truly intended for the unique sound and capabilities ofthe flute.

63

Air Vaudois pour Flûte et Piano, Op. 108
Performance Guide

Composed in 1916, Air Vaudois stands out among Bonis’s works for flute andpiano for its outwardly joyful sensibility. Vaudois most likely refers to the area of Vaud,
the French-speaking western part of current-day Switzerland. The writing for the flute isespecially idiomatic, and the music is equally virtuosic and interesting for both the flutist
and the pianist. Géliot writes that this work was composed in the middle of World War I
and was inspired by countryside pastures.90 Air Vaudois thus represents a moment ofhappiness during a difficult period in Europe, and this is reflected by a harmonic scheme
simpler than in many of Bonis’s other works. The diatonic portions are lengthy and verge
on being pentatonic. Structurally, Air Vaudois is organized based upon its melodic
motives in a ternary structure with coda-like ending, ABACoda.
The piano exuberantly opens with descending eighth-note block chords in E
Major, reminiscent of church bells or chimes (Example 22).

Example 22: Air Vaudois, mm. 1-4, bell-like piano introduction.

90

Géliot, “Mel Bonis,” Traversiere Magazine, 39.
64In m. 9, the flute enters with a lilting melody in the upper register. Although thescore indicates 2/4 meter, and the piano opens the piece with eighth notes, the flute part isactually in 6/8, creating a duple versus triple feel (Example 23). This metric mixture willcontinue to play a central role in Air Vaudois. Although a piano dynamic is marked in the
piano in m. 16, the flutist should continue to maintain a forte dynamic for the duration ofits sustained E. Unusual for Bonis, the music stays entirely diatonic for the first twentyfive measures before exploring other tonalities, an indication of joy and simplicity.

Example 23: Air Vaudois, mm. 6-17, lilting opening melody.

Now an octave lower, the piano repeats its opening bell tones and the lilting
melody begins anew in the flute in m. 24, also placed an octave lower. However, the65melody quickly diverts to G♯ Minor when (m. 26) the A in the E-major pitch collection
is replaced with A♯ and the piano in mm. 29-36 offers a G♯-minor version of its opening
figures. While the piano pauses on a G♯-minor chord (mm. 37-38), the flute re-enters anda developmental passage begins. This sequence grows in intensity to the downbeat of m.
51 (the peak of the sequence), before suddenly dissipating (Example 24). The poco
rubato indication in m. 53 highlights Bonis’s use of hemiola combined with descending
chromatics to create an impressionistic color, and a slight slowing should take place prior
to the downbeat of m. 57. The flutist should be aware that the C♯’s in mm. 55-56 should
not be played with exactly the same tone color, because they occur as members ofdifferent chord qualities. Specifically, the C♯ is the root of the major chord in m. 55 andthen, accompanied by a change to a more transparent timbre, becomes the third of adominant seventh chord in m. 56.

Example 24: Air Vaudois, mm. 51-56, meter mixture and chromatic parallel chords.

A key signature change and double bar lines indicate the start of the middle
section of the work (m. 57), and Bonis introduces a new melody (Example 25). This66

melody is based upon the whole-tone scale and is more conjunct and in smoother rhythm
than the lilting melody. The flute and piano continue to work in dialogue, passing aroundand linking a triplet motive while gradually ascending in register.

Example 25: Air Vaudois, mm. 57-60, whole-tone melody.

This ascent, accompanied by a prominent crescendo, leads dramatically to areiteration of the opening lilting melody, now in Gb Major and accompanied by risingparallel chords (a variation of the opening bell-like introduction). Emphasizing thismoment is a polyrhythm created by triplets in the flute and rising quadruplets of the piano(Example 26). A closer look at the tempo markings in this moment shows that although
the marking poco slargando is given in mm. 69-70, there is no indication if or where theoriginal tempo should return. The author suggests to initiate the slight slowing at the endof m. 69 and then return to the original Allegro moderato tempo at m. 73.

67

Example 26: Air Vaudois, mm. 68-72, rising parallel chords in the piano.

Measure 73 opens with a variation of the opening chime-like piano gesture, now
in Gb Major and also altered to a lilting triplet feel, as opposed to the steady eighth-note
rhythm of the opening. A new melody is introduced in the flute in m. 76 above a fivemeasure ostinato of this piano figure (Example 27). Labeled grazioso, there is no
dynamic indication in the flute part; however, this melody must be played at a dynamicthat can be heard above the piano accompaniment.

68

Example 27: Air Vaudois, mm. 73-80, grazioso melody.

Throughout mm. 76-100 the flute and piano alternate motives from the lilting
melody and the grazioso melody at various pitch levels. As the motivic fragments fromthe whole-tone melody ascend sequentially from m. 101 to m. 104, the music slows andbuilds in intensity (while lingering on the dominant), reaching the tonic of the home keyof E Major on the downbeat of m. 105. Here there is a euphoric return to the large-scale
A section. Bonis makes only slight changes, including switching the order of theentrances of the two instruments, changing the voicing of the chords in the piano, andaltering mm. 125-126 to triple instead of duple rhythm. For example, in the very
beginning of Air Vaudois the piano opened with the chime-like introduction, followed by
the flute entrance with the melody; these two entrances are exchanged in this return.
The final coda-like section begins in m. 148 and consists of a sequential buildingof triplet material, starting with the grazioso melody in the flute. Dynamic indications are69

vague, but the flutist should be sure to crescendo incrementally as the register ascends. A
hairpin crescendo-decrescendo is indicated in mm. 162-163, and though not indicated, itshould be assumed that the same dynamic should be observed in the following two
measures. The author suggests that the crescendo in m. 166 should continue to thedownbeat of m. 171 and then decrescendo naturally with the descent of the line. Despite
the lack of clear dynamic indications, the most important notion to convey at the end of
Air Vaudois is a relaxing of character and a sense of serenity, accomplished by a decreasein dynamic and tempo.
This work is extremely engaging for both flutist and pianist, and both advanced
high school and college flutists will find the technical aspects of this piece to bechallenging. The array of accidentals and whole-tone scales in the middle section provide
important opportunities for pedagogical discussion. Overall, the jubilant character of Air
Vaudois pour Flûte et Piano proves to be a wonderful addition to any recital program.

70

Andante et Allegro pour Flûte et Piano, Op. 133
Performance Guide

Dedicated to the flutist René Grisard, Andante et Allegro pour flûte et piano
proves to be the most challenging of Bonis’s six compositions for flute and piano. In two
movements, the work resembles the structure of the famed Paris Conservatory test pieces,
essential pedagogical works for every flutist, examples of which are found in the popular
publication Flute Music by French Composers, edited by Louis Moyse.91 Andante etAllegro was written in 1929 and is one of Bonis’s later works. The Andante unfolds in a
fantasia-like manner at the tempo of quarter-note equals 63 bpm, while the Allegro is afrenzied scherzo at the tempo of dotted half-note equals 69 bpm.
There are several hefty challenges to the flutist in the first movement, Andante.
First, the key of the Andante, Db Major, emphasizes arguably the worst note on the flute,Db2. This note is inherently out of tune, and the flutist must rely solely on his/herindividual sense of pitch to play it well. Secondly, the flute lines are extremely long andtend to merge into subsequent phrases without resting (elisions). The phrasing is often
irregular in length and Bonis does not mark where these phrase points are; it is up to theperformers, perhaps with assistance from this performance guide, to decide how to createa clear structural architecture for the listener.
The guide for the Andante will focus on how to break down the movement into
sensible phrases to form a cohesive unit and to create goal points for the flutist and91

Louis Moyse, ed., Flute Music by French Composers (New York: G. Schirmer,

1967).
71pianist in the performance of this work. A careful look at the piano score and theindividual flute part together is essential, because the publisher consistently excludes
many of the dynamic markings from the flute part on the piano score. To simplify theperformance guide, the author has divided the work into three parts, based upon the
melodic material. Part One consists of mm. 1-21, Part Two of mm. 22-35, and Part Threeof mm. 36-54. The author highly recommends following along with a score while reading
the following performance guide.
Starting with Part One of the Andante, it is important to keep in mind that theoverall goal, and dynamic peak, of this large first section is the downbeat of m. 19, andall expressive ideas should aim to highlight this goal-point. The first large phrase of Part
One consists of m. 1 to the downbeat of m. 9. This cadenza-like passage should not beplayed rigidly, but instead with a sense of freedom. Bonis does not indicate an opening
dynamic; however, the author suggests a comfortable mf in order to create a dolce
cantabile sound while leaving room to crescendo. This phrase can be divided into m. 1 tothe downbeat of m. 5, and m. 5 to the downbeat of m. 9. Although the flutist may take aquick breath after the first beat of m. 4, he/she should be aware that the phrase goes all
the way to the downbeat of m. 5.
Dynamic markings in the flute part are vague; however, in general the flutist
should follow the architecture of the phrase: slight crescendo as the line ascends, andslight decrescendo as the line descends. The first dynamic goal should be the quarter-note
Bb in m. 3, followed by a slight crescendo to the true peak of the phrase, the Db in m. 4
(Example 28). The flutist should follow the piano’s marking: decrescendo72

in m. 4 for the descent and poco crescendo in m. 5. Though the author was unable toexamine the manuscript, it appears that both the flute part and piano score in m. 4 lack aslur that should start with the C on beat two and extend through the final note of themeasure.

Example 28: Andante, mm. 1-5, missing slur and vague dynamic markings in score.

The next large phrase begins after the tied Ab in m. 9 and extends to the end of m.
12. The goal of this phrase is to build in intensity to the downbeat of m. 11, where there isa sudden move to a very bright-sounding E dominant-seventh chord. Often a confusing
articulation for many flutists, the repeated G♯’s with both staccato and slurred marking in
m. 11 should be articulated gently with a slight lift between each note. Most importantly,
73the piano line should come through the texture in m. 11. Though the flutist should be
careful not to inadvertently accent these notes, the intensity of the sound and the
crescendo should increase with each repetition of G♯ all the way to the downbeat of m.
12. The rising sextuplets leading into the start of the new phrase in m. 13 should beplayed freely, as the flutist should take time while making a crescendo and connecting to
the downbeat of the next measure. The final phrase of Part One consists of m. 13 to thedownbeat of m. 22. Though there is no dynamic marking in m. 13, the author suggests theprevious crescendo should lead to a mf on the downbeat of m. 13. The dynamic levelshould be sustained all the way to the Gb on beat three of m. 14. In addition, the pianoscore is missing the four beat slur in m. 13.
Measure 15 begins the large build-up in register, dynamic, and density to thedownbeat of m. 19. Though the flute part is marked p in m. 15, the marking of cantando(which has been omitted in the piano score in m. 15) should be taken to indicate a fullsound, yet with room to grow. The crescendo markings in the flute part in mm. 16-17(missing from the piano score) appear confusing; however, the author suggests to
crescendo all the way to the downbeat of m. 19, which highlights the D-major chord (inwhich the flute Gb is enharmonic with the third of the chord F♯) and is the peak of theentire first section of the piece. The decrescendo in m. 20 in the flute line (also missing
from the piano score) will bring out the half-step motion through a change in tone color.
Though the piano score indicates a diminuendo in m. 19 for the piano, this diminuendo
should not be fully realized until the end of m. 21 in order to indicate the start of the newsection.
74

Part Two of the Andante opens with the same melody as the opening of the piece,
but now in minor, and the phrase extends from m. 22 to m. 26. Bonis does not indicate adynamic at the beginning of this phrase; however, the author suggests playing thisversion softer than the opening, with a tentative tone that becomes more tangible as theline unfolds. Similar to the pacing of the opening phrase, the first dynamic peak shouldbe the downbeat of m. 24, followed by growth in the sound all the way to the downbeatof m. 26. Though making a crescendo, the flutist should be sure to keep a dolce soundthroughout, in anticipation of the intensity that is yet to come. There is a discrepancy inthe dynamic indications between the flute part and the piano score in m. 23; incomparison to the similar opening passage of the work, it appears the piano score iscorrect and the flute part should be corrected to match it (Example 29a and 29b).

Example 29a: Andante, mm. 22-23, correct dynamic markings in score.

75

Example 29b: Andante, mm. 21-23, incorrect dynamic markings in flute part.

Measures 27-35 contain the second phrase of Part Two, and are similar to mm.
15-20. However, with the addition of penetrating octave eighth-notes in the bass of the
piano, the character is much more menacing, and the flutist should maintain a mf dynamic
for the first two measures of the phrase. An intense crescendo should occur into thedownbeat of m. 29, which proves to be a dramatic moment, before the flutist continues
with a steady crescendo and appassionato sound that peaks at the downbeat of m. 32.
The author suggests taking a quick breath after the B♯ in m. 29 in order to maintain thevolume of air needed to sustain the long crescendo.
The character should immediately shift to a lighter, more gentle tone with thearrival of the downbeat of m. 34, and the flute line should be played with agility andbuoyancy, as if improvised. Another publishing discrepancy occurs in m. 35: the flute
part lacks the decrescendo following the marking of cèdez that is found in the piano score(Example 30a and 30b). Both a decrescendo and a slight slowing in tempo should beobserved into the downbeat of m. 36, which serves as both the close of the current phrase
as well as the beginning of the next phrase.

76

Example 30a: Andante, m. 35, publishing discrepancy in score.

Example 30b: Andante, m. 35, publishing discrepancy in flute part.

The final section of the work, Part Three, resumes the original opening tempo
beginning at m. 36 and continues to the end of the Andante. This final section creates an
arc-like shape, first increasing in intensity to forte at the peak in m. 49, and thendissipating to piano at the end of the movement. Beginning similarly to the opening of
the piece, the first phrase quickly reaches a peak at the downbeat of m. 40. The flutist
should make sure to crescendo all the way across the bar line and fully to mezzo-forte on
the downbeat of m. 39 in order to match the piano’s to the new A dominant-seventh
chord that occurs on the downbeat. The intensity of the sound should remain throughout
the hairpin crescendo/decrescendo in the following measure (emphasizing theappoggiatura on the downbeat of m. 40) before the next phrase begins, again at a piano
dynamic.
The second phrase of Part Three consists of the pick-up to m. 41 through the
downbeat of m. 45 and is congruent to the phrase that began in m. 15. Though acrescendo is not indicated until m. 44, the flutist should make a steady growth in dynamic
in order to bring out the groupings of rising eighth notes that occur in a mostly stepwise
fashion. The peak of this phrase on the high Ab in m. 44 should only reach a mezzo-forte,because the true dynamic peak of the section must wait until m. 49. Measure 45 begins
77the final elongated phrase of the movement. Starting again with the stepwise-patterned
ascent, the crescendo indicated in both the flute and piano parts in mm. 47-48 should
maintain direction and intensity all the way to the downbeat of m. 49, where a strong
dominant chord in the tonic key of Db Major is emphasized.
Measures 49 and 50 serve as a prolongation of the dominant, and the sound in theflute should remain full until the final beat of m. 50, increasing the tension and desire forthe tonic chord to be reached. Although not indicated, a slight slowing into the downbeatof m. 51 will help make the arrival of the tonic even more fulfilling. The final fourmeasures of the movement serve as a relaxation of the tension and energy built up in the
final section. The flutist should play with a warm, amorous sound, fading into the pianocolor in the final measure.
The Allegro is a wild, virtuosic scherzo, and the emphasis on the extreme low
register of the piano combined with swirling flute lines gives this movement a dark andominous character. In A Minor, the movement is organized in a ternary structure, ABA’.
The A sections feature chords in a steady, staccato rhythm, mainly on beats two andthree, over which the flute plays highly syncopated, sweeping passages that extend to thelowest range of the flute. These sections in the minor mode are juxtaposed with a shorter
middle section in E Major that features longer, singing phrases. A large variety ofarticulations are required by both the pianist and the flutist in order to bring out theshifting characters throughout the movement. Bonis marks the tempo dotted half-note
equals 69 bpm, and the performers must avoid the tendency to drag due to the numerous
syncopated and tied rhythms.

78

The first A section of the Allegro extends from m. 1 to m. 50, and the peak of thissection is the build-up to m. 36. After a four-measure introduction in the piano, the flute
enters with a swooping descending line that twists within the middle register. Bonis
marks the dynamic level of the flute entrance mezzo-forte; however, due to the thicknessof the bass sound and the frequent ninth-chords in the piano, the flute entrance should beplayed more at a forte level in order to sound robust and electrifying (Example 31). Dueto the emphasis on the low register of the flute in this movement, the dynamic level of the
piano should be restrained so as not to cover the flute sound.

Example 31: Allegro, mm. 1-5, flute entrance.

The flutist should not hold back on the soaring line in m. 16; indeed, the line
should be played with gusto and extend to a forte at the peak. A color change to a moremysterious sound in the flute should accompany the change in piano texture in m. 20.
Bonis does not indicate a dynamic level at this point in either the flute or piano score, but
the author suggests starting at a mezzo-piano dynamic and extending each crescendo tomezzo-forte. At this point there are several discrepancies in dynamic markings between
79the flute part and piano score. The author suggests following the markings in theindividual flute part, making each crescendo in m. 20, m. 23, and m. 26 gradually louder
until reaching a peak at a forte dynamic in m. 29. Immediately the flutist should adhere toa subito mp in m. 30 (note that the piano score indicates a marking of mf for the flute inm. 30). The highly chromatic lines between m. 30 and m. 35 should crescendo to a forte
peak on the high G♯ in the flute of m. 35 in order to match the intensity of the impending
piano entrance in m. 36.
Following four measures of piano interlude (mm. 36-39) reminiscent of the
opening piano line with added ornamentation, the flutist enters with swirling eighth notesin the lower register of the flute. Again there is a discrepancy between the flute part andpiano score regarding the articulation marking in the flute in mm. 40-43. The author
suggests following the indications in the piano score (all slurred) because this aligns moreclosely with the abundance of slurred passages in the flute part as a whole. Measures 4450, the conclusion of the opening large-scale A section, should serve to build in intensityand dynamic to m. 51, the beginning of the middle section of the work.
In the contrasting key of E Major, the middle section of the Allegro (mm. 51-66)
provides contrast in both rhythmic energy and melodic content. After four measures oflightly articulated eighth notes, the flute line develops into a simple eight-measure
melody with the indications of dolce and cantando. This melody is repeated at a higher
pitch level in mm. 63-66 before immediately digressing to material from the large-scale
A section of the work.
Though the marking in the flute is a delicate mp in m. 67, this measure brings anabrupt return to the ominous mood of the opening. The spinning eighth notes in the flute80

in mm. 74-78 (marked mf) should be played at a forte dynamic in order to project above
the disjunct, articulated bass line. Following a slight slowing in m. 78 (note that cèdez un
peu is omitted from the flute part), the flute enters in m. 79 with the swooping,
descending figure that opened the work, but now at a mysterious p dynamic. The high Ethat begins this passage can be slightly lengthened in order to bring out the abrupt change
in character. In the final measures of the work, the flutist should maintain a f dynamic andlead with great intensity through the last ascending line so that the bass notes in the piano
demarcate a thunderous conclusion.

81Une Flûte Soupire pour Flûte et Piano, Op. 121
Performance Guide

The shortest of the works for flute and piano, at only two minutes, Une Flûte
Soupire pour Flûte et Piano compresses a large breadth of lyricism and color into asmall, sentimental gem of music. Originally composed in 1925 as one of five short pieces
for piano published by Éditions Maurice Sénart, Bonis transcribed the piece for flute andpiano in 1936, only a year before her death. Remarkably, the same editor was used for theversion for flute and piano as for the original piano edition. The reason Bonis decided tomake the transcription eleven years later is unknown, especially considering that her dearfriend and dedicatee of the Sonate pour Flûte et Piano, Louis Fleury, died ten years
earlier.
The title translates into “A Sighing Flute,” and this work is an excellent example
of Bonis’s use of extended tertian harmony, coloristic chord successions, and flowing,
improvisatory melodies to create a hazy and dreamy sound world reminiscent of the
Impressionistic style. The flute wanders above the piano’s ambiguous chords in a
predominantly triplet rhythm. Although the composer indicates a tempo of Moderato andquarter note equals 76 bpm at the opening, the performers should allow some freedom for
rubato, most notably at cadential points, to help solidify tonal benchmarks. The moststriking characteristics of Une flûte soupire are its constantly shifting tonal centers and its
lingering on chords that are more coloristic than functional.
This work is organized roughly into an abc design. Although the key signature
implies Bb Major, and the final cadence is in this key, the first section immediately shifts82to various areas of tonal focus and does not give the listener a sense of grounding.
Instead, it seems to float ambiguously without end. For example, the piece opens with apure, sustained F-major chord, layered with dolce descending triplets in the flute(Example 32). After one measure, the piano unexpectedly takes an immediate detour bysustaining a C♯ dominant-seventh chord in m. 2 and m. 3, while the flutist meanders
through whole-tone triplets to land on a sustained G♯. The piano in m. 4 moves to an E
dominant-seventh chord and an Ab-major chord on the downbeat of m. 5. Overall, thefirst phrase begins and ends on major triads with roots a third apart and with nonfunctional seventh chords in between. Every root motion is by some form of a third.

Example 32: Une Flûte Soupire, mm.1- 5, succession of third-related chords.
Bonis does not indicate a dynamic for either the flutist or pianist in the firstmeasure, and no marking exists until m. 6 in the piano (piano). However, by combining
83

the indication of sans rigueur (without rigidity) in m. 3 with the marking of dolce in m. 1of the flute part, it can be inferred that the performers should play at a comfortable mp or
mf dynamic. More importantly, the opening should be performed with a gentle sense ofease. The flutist should be careful not to accent the first note, entering as though the piecehas already begun, and there should not be any emphasis or inflection on the start of each
triplet in the descending line. Achieving a serene mood is more important than adhering
to a specific dynamic marking in the opening.
A variation of mm. 1-5 appears in mm. 5-8. Again, the piano begins and ends
with major triads a third apart (here Ab Major and E Major), with more complex
sonorities between them. The flute plays a variant of the opening phrase, beginning on
the same note but descending only one octave. Measure 9 introduces much more motionin the piano line, as rising parallel chords in the treble combine with a descending bass toland on a firm Bb-major chord.
The middle section of the work focuses on a more stable tonality, F Major, but
now at a slower tempo, poco più lento and quarter note equals 60 bpm. Though there isno dynamic marking at this new section (which is also designated by a double bar line),
the flutist should play out with stronger presence in keeping with the tonal stability of thissection. As the register ascends, the flutist should crescendo with a bright, momentarily
joyful tone to the downbeat of m. 18. This crescendo is missing from the piano score inm. 18, but is marked in the individual flute part.
Special consideration should be given to mm. 17-19 (Example 33). Throughout
the work, careful attention should be given to the rhythm in the flute and piano parts,
because there are often places of three-against-two between the two instruments. Bonis
84

complicates matters further in mm. 17-19, because the indications of rit. occur indifferent places in each instrumental part, and it is not sensible to have the flutist andpianist slow at different rates in different places. Alternatively, it is recommended that aslight slowing of time occur on the first two beats of m. 18 in order to bring out thelargement ascent and peak on the high F in the flute, followed by a return to the original
tempo in m. 19, and concluding with a slight slowing in m. 20.

Example 33: Une Flûte Soupire, mm. 16-19, pacing between flute and piano.

The a tempo in m. 21 heralds a more confirmed tonality, that of Bb Major, and theflute plays a triplet melody similar to the opening melody of the middle section over thedominant-seventh chord. Bonis indicates an increase in dynamic and tempo from m. 26 tom. 28, and the rising line in the flute along with the half-step “sigh” motion help build
intensity to what will be the climactic point of the work (Example 34). Bonis does notindicate where the animato should end; however, a slight suspension of time should occur
in m. 30 to bring out the enchanting sound of this measure.
85

Example 34: Une Flûte Soupire, mm. 26-31, harmonic detour in flute and piano.

Four measures from the end (m. 34) the Bb-major tonality comes fully into focus.
For two measures the flute reiterates a triplet figure over the dominant-seventh chord in
the piano. The contrary motion between the flute and piano and the passing tones andsuspensions that delay the movement from dominant to tonic infuse a sense of
uncertainty as to where the final resolution will occur. The piece ends sweetly with theflute reaching its final note F alone, before the piano’s final tonic chord is sounded,
quietly, in the upper register (Example 35).

86

Example 35: Une Flûte Soupire, mm. 35-37, changing register at end.

From a performance standpoint, this work is accessible for both advanced highschool and college students. However, any accomplished flutist will find the endlesspossibilities of this work to be engaging. The work is not technically difficult; thechallenge lies in expressing the musicality intended by the composer. Une flûte soupire
requires the flutist to use a controlled, dolce tone throughout long phrases, and varied
tone colors. Bonis creates a jazz-like fantasia atmosphere with an out-of-focus soundworld that becomes increasingly centered and focused tonally as the work progresses.

87

Pièce pour Flûte et Piano, Op. 189
Performance Guide
Pièce pour Flûte et Piano, Op. 189, was discovered in manuscript in 1998 without
a composition date, and therefore the exact details about its conception are unknown.
Géliot writes that the manuscript was found in the depths of the cellar, and had neverbeen edited during the lifetime of the composer.92 There is no indication that this piece isanything other than a freestanding work. The author was unable to examine themanuscript located in Paris, and has instead relied on the only available edition,
published by Edition Kossack in 2000.
Pièce is a short work, totaling approximately four-and-a-half minutes, and with
Bonis’s marking of Lent at the beginning, it should be performed no faster than quarter
note equals 52 bpm. Throughout the work is a consistent eighth-note chordal pulse in the
piano, which creates a framework upon which the flutist plays long, elaborate, florid
lines. Despite these repeated notes in the piano, the work should not be played rigidly, butinstead with a flexibility and lightness in the piano to cushion the ever flowing and highly
expressive flute line.
The work unfolds in a fantasia-like fashion; its structure is based upon its tonal
scheme and modulations. Overall the tonal center is F Major, but Bonis uses a series ofdigressions to distant keys to build the work to its climax two-thirds of the way through,before returning to the original tonal center and opening melody. A coda-like ending
reinforces the F-major tonality and creates a sense of closure.

92

Christine Géliot, “Mel Bonis,” Traversiere Magazine, 39.
88

In the three-measure introduction, repeated eighth notes in the piano reiterate thepitch E while the bass descends by step (Example 36). The right hand plays a more
melodic role, with a capricious dotted figure emphasizing octave E’s. The key signature
implies the key of F Major; however, the uncertainty of the opening, which suggests an E
pitch focus, immediately sets the questioning tone of the overall work. Leading up to theentrance of the flute, the stepwise descent in the bass arrives on a C-natural, which is
harmonized as a dominant-seventh chord in F Major. Although the flute enters on an E,
its opening line is entirely diatonic in F Major. The harmony of mm. 4-11 solidifies F
Major after the tentative introduction, and the long initial phrase firmly closes at m. 11
with a perfect authentic cadence in that key.

Example 36: Pièce, mm. 1-4, reiteration of the pitch E.

The flutist must make sure to create a full eight-bar phrase concluding in m. 11,
with only a quick breath between the two A’s in m. 7. Although Bonis indicates acrescendo in m. 5 and a decrescendo in m. 10, and other than the mf in m. 4, there are noother dynamic indications to specify how loudly the flutist should take the crescendo.
The flutist should follow the natural rise of the phrase up to the Bb and keep the intensity89

in the sound throughout the duration of the tie before accompanying the descent of thephrase with a slight decrescendo or easing of the sound. By starting at a p dynamic after
the quick breath in m. 7, the flutist can crescendo slightly to bring out the large
expressive leap to the F in mm. 8 and 9. Most importantly, the flutist must bring out the F
in m. 9 with a full sound, building from the intensity created by the rest, before thedescent in register and dynamic to the lower octave. The decrescendo in m. 11 should be
carefully observed to prepare for the new material to come, but the final F should receiveits full value to create the closure needed for this long phrase.
The piano prolongs the tonic harmony for four measures after m. 11 while theflute offers a new melody, marked dolce cantando, which is entirely diatonic in F Major
and rounds off this initial section by recalling the dotted figure from the piano
introduction (Example 37). The piano score incorrectly states the rhythm of beat two in
m. 12; however, the individual flute part is correct (Example 37 includes this correction).
The flutist should strive for a gentle legato sound, and after a brief lift in m. 13, theindication souple should be interpreted so that the triplet pattern in the flute is played
freely and with a lighter tone, as if impulsively ornamenting the underlying structure,
which can be seen as an eighth-note descent of E-D-A.

90

11

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œœœ™ œœ œ

dolce cantando

souple& b 43 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœœ œœœ œœ œœ œœœ œœœœ œp? b 43 ˙ ™
˙˙ ™™
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œœœ œœœœœœ œœœ œœ œœ œœœ œœœœ œ œœ œœ œ œ˙˙ ™™

Example 37: Pièce, mm. 11-14, dolce cantando melody.

5

&b ∑

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œœ œœ œœ œœ
œœœœ
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In the middle section of the work, mm. 15-43, the piano progresses in rhythmic

intensityb ∑as the flute∑ rises∑ in register.
∑∑The F-and∑ D-rooted∑∑ chords∑ in m.∑15 serve∑ as pivots∑&

to C Major, which is initiated by the introduction of its dominant seventh in mm. 16-18.

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b ∑

∑

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∑

∑

The flutist should build in dynamic and intensity to the G♯-A syncopation in m. 18,∑

creating a dissonance with the G-natural in the bass, before quickly changing to a more
17transparentof m.∑ 19. The flutistb∑color leading∑ to the downbeat∑∑ should ∑carefully taper
∑ the

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unresolved leading-tone B♮ at the end of m. 18 in order to allow the piano to take overb∑and bring out∑ the stepwise∑ descent ∑to the tonic∑pitch C on ∑the downbeat∑ of m.
the&melody19?
(Example 38).

b

∑

∑

∑

∑

91

∑

∑

∑

18

#œ
nœ
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43 ≈nœ œ ≈#œ ≈
legg.

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6Example 38: Pièce, mm. 18-19, stepwise descent in the piano.

&b ∑

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∑

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Now on a C-major tonic, the piano re-introduces the opening measures, complete

∑

∑

&b ∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

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with repeated C’s, stepwise descent in the bass, and dotted figure in the treble, while the?

bflute adds an obbligato.
The triplet sixteenths should be played with the utmost delicacy
and direction, despite the frequency of rests. Though there is no dynamic marking in m.
18

20, the flutist should play the triplet figures at piano with only a slight crescendo in each

&b

∑

∑

group should be kept softer in dynamic and shorter in length than the first note of the

{

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

measure due to the register and direction of the phrase. The second note of each triplet

&b

∑

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b

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group in order to keep a playful character in the line.

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The second part of the middle section, beginning with the pick-ups to m. 24,

consists of the flute and piano alternating a new, espressivo melody with buoyant triplet
sixteenth-notes, which are now arranged into both ascending and descending lines. The
addition of an Eb in the piano immediately translates into C Minor, and the flutist shouldplay its melody with a full appassionato tone while the piano provides the background,92

now with thicker repeated chords that emphasize the dominant and supertonic harmonies(Example 39). The intensity of the work quickly begins to build as rapid thirty-secondnote runs in the treble swirl above the stepwise bass line.
24œ™

espress.

& b 43{œ œ bœ

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leggiero#œ œ œbœ œbœ œ œn œ n œ #œ œ œb œ nœnœ œb œ œœ
3
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b
≈
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≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ œ& 4b œœœ 3 œœœ 3 œœœ 3 œœœ 3 œœœ 3 œœœ 3 œœ 3 œœ 3 œœ 3 œœ3 œœ œœ? b 43 œ œ œ œ œ œ b œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ∑

Example 39: Pièce, mm. 24-25, espressivo melody.

4

&b ∑

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∑

∑

∑

∑

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∑

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The use of imitation and dialogue between the flutist and pianist is especially∑∑

important in this section, but can create ensemble issues between the two instruments,∑∑∑sound. A∑ useful∑rehearsal∑ technique∑ for∑ mm. 24-26∑ is∑toresultingunclear& b ∑in a “muddy,”∑play? without the espressivo melody (m. 24 in the flute and m. 26 in the piano); in doing

b ∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

so, the performers can concentrate on seamlessly aligning the playful triplets (played∑∑

delicately) as they transfer from the piano to the flute in m. 25. The tendency is for the
16

&b

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

flutist to be late with the sixteenth-note entrance at the end of m. 25. After the exchange{

becomes comfortable, the espressivo melody can be added back in, but both performers
should realize that rubato cannot be used with it.

&b
?b

∑

∑

∑

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93∑

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The elaborate thirty-second-note flourishes in the piano turn completely diatonic
in G Major by m. 29, and the flutist plays a variation of the espressivo melody while thebass descends to a D pedal in m. 32. The flutist should play this variation with a brighter,happier sound than the first version, which was in C Minor, a much darker-sounding key.
The pianist should be careful to keep the quick thirty-second-note flourishes at a piano
dynamic and completely in tempo in order to line up with the flute melody. Bonis marks
a crescendo in the flute in m. 30, and the flutist should consistently play at a forte level inorder to project the sound of the low notes in mm. 31-32. As the register again descends
in m. 33, the written decrescendo should be observed, and a slight relaxation of the tempo
should take place into the following downbeat in order to mark the G-major authentic
cadence.
Following this cadence, the flutist enters with the dolce cantando melody from m.
12, identical to the original entrance but now in G Major and with a more elaborate
accompaniment in the piano. At this point Bonis layers motives from the dolce cantando
melody, the dotted rhythm from the introduction, and motives from the espressivo
melody, all along with the repeated eighth-note ostinato, to build the piece to a peak in m.
42, on a forte E-major chord with a high E in the flute (Example 40).

94

Example 40: Pièce, mm. 41-42, E Major peak.

A surprising climax to the ear considering the start of the piece in F Major and thevariety of keys already visited, this point could be interpreted as a reminiscence of therepeated emphasis on E in the introduction. Once again the ambiguity of the dynamic
markings in the flute part requires careful consideration by the performers. The pianoscore indicates forte in m. 42, and the flutist should play at forte as well. However, theperformers should note that this is not yet the loudest point in the work. Although Bonis
writes a decrescendo for the flute during the high E in m. 42, she does not mark an
ending dynamic. It seems appropriate that the flutist treat this decrescendo as more of acolor change to a transparent sound at the end of the note, rather than a dramatic change
in volume.
Following this climax, the E in the flute is immediately re-interpreted as theleading tone to F Major in a brief, shortened return of the flute’s opening melody in m.
44, now an octave higher and with a fuller accompaniment in the piano (yet still in theoriginal key of F Major). The flutist must not play these two E’s with exactly the same
sound. If the flutist and pianist were to play the E in m. 42 over a sustained E dominantseventh chord, and then compare this sound to the E in m. 44 over a sustained C95dominant-seventh chord, the performers would understand that the second version sounds
much more hesitant and questioning and should played accordingly. This shortened
version of the melody in the flute starts to be completed by the piano before abruptly
taking a detour and accelerating while rising sequentially to m. 50, where both flutist andpianist build to fortissimo, the loudest marking in the entire work, and land on a greatly
emphasized and surprising A-major chord (Example 41). Octave E’s in the bassemphasize the dominant of A, but also serve as a reminiscence of the previous emphasis
on E.

Example 41: Pièce, mm. 49-51, A Major modulation.

This dramatic moment slowly dissolves through a succession of non-functional
seventh chords, eventually reaching a gentle perfect authentic cadence (m. 57) in thehome key of F Major. While the piano descends to reach the tonic, the flute ascends withwandering sixteenth notes colored by non-harmonic tones, eventually ending on the Fmajor tonic with F’s spanning four octaves between the flute and piano.

96

The work closes with a short coda-like ending that confirms the F-major tonality
and is also reminiscent of the beginning. While the pianist plays repeated eighth-note
chords, the flutist takes the original melodic role of the piano from mm. 1-3, but now thecapricious dotted rhythm is reinterpreted as octave C’s ornamented by trills instead ofoctave E’s. A slight relaxation in the tempo should be taken into the downbeat of m. 61,
where the flutist plays a short unaccompanied ascending line leading into the final threemeasures of the piece. A second authentic cadence in F Major, this one in m. 61, closes
the work. This cadence is particularly colorful, as the fifth of V is raised, creating an
augmented triad. In the last three measures the tonic is plagally inflected,
iiØ 6/5-I, for a relaxed finish that evokes popular music (Example 42). Although there areno dynamic markings at the end, the flutist should be careful not to decrescendo, butinstead put a very slight taper at the end of the sustained A in m. 63 in order to blend into
the piano sound.

Example 42: Pièce, mm. 62-64, plagally inflected ending.

Though a performance of this piece would be possible for an advanced highschool flutist, it requires a deep understanding of the variations of tone color possible
97with the flute in order to adjust the sound appropriately for the frequently abrupt
modulations. The flutist should slowly play diatonic scales in F Major, C Minor, G
Major, and A Major, while considering how to make the tone sound characteristic of eachkey. Careful collaboration between flutist and pianist is especially important due to theconstantly changing metric divisions. Pièce pour Flûte et Piano is extremely idiomaticfor the flute, as it offers the flutist ample opportunity for expression and exploration ofsound.

98

Scherzo (Final) pour Flûte et Piano, Op. Posth. 187
Performance Guide

Many unresolved questions remain regarding the conception of Scherzo (Final)
pour Flûte et Piano. The original title of the work was Final, most likely referring to a“final” movement. There is no date of composition, and Géliot indicates in the preface tothe 2008 edition, published by Edition Kossack, that the manuscript surprisingly begins
on page twenty-five. According to Géliot, she is vainly searching for the first twenty-fourpages of the manuscript, which indicates that this could be only one part of a multimovement work.93 Due to the nature of the piece, Géliot believes this work to be the last
movement of a suite, rather than a final movement of a sonata.94 Géliot and the publisher
made the decision to publish the Final instead as Scherzo (Final) pour flûte et piano.
Overall the work unfolds in a fantasia-like fashion, and it maintains a light andpleasant character, similar to Bonis’s Air Vaudois; lilting bucolic sections alternate withsinging melodic lines and bouncy articulated passages, closing with a virtuosic triplet
episode in the flute. Scherzo requires exceptional virtuosity from both flutist and pianist,
but indeed the greater burden lies on the pianist to facilitate a large number of notes at aquick tempo. Though the only tempo indication is Allegro, the author suggests a tempo ofquarter note equals 152 bpm, verging on a cut-time feel.
The piano opens with a six-measure introduction presenting the first melodic
material; lilting triplet arpeggiations provide forward motion and lightness. Though the

93
94

Géliot, “Mel Bonis,” Traversiere Magazine, 39.
Ibid., 39.
99

key signature implies E Major, Bonis ambiguously highlights the pitches F♯ and C♯,
inflecting the opening with the C♯ Aeolian mode. The flute enters in m. 7 with the joyful
triplet melody first introduced by the piano. The flutist should be careful with theintonation of the C♯’s. The numerous leaps up to the high C♯’s should be played withenergy and caprice; this character is indicated in the piano score with the marking legg
(leggiero), but the marking is missing from the flute part (Example 43). Though dynamic
markings are vague, the peak of the phrase, and therefore the loudest dynamic, should
occur in m. 11, followed by the indicated diminuendo as the line descends.

Example 43: Scherzo, mm. 7-9, joyful triplet melody.

Following a two-measure piano interlude, the flute introduces a passionate
singing melody in m. 17, above the lilting triplet accompaniment in the piano, which will
return at various points in the Scherzo. Labeled cantando (though missing from the flutepart), this melody proceeds for six measures but abruptly dissipates before its conclusion
to a descending, bouncing articulated passage in mm. 24-28. The articulated passage
descends chromatically, as if winding down in intensity in order to re-start again, and the100combination of eighth notes in the flute with triplets in the piano creates a shimmeringcolor.
Next, a twelve-measure interlude (mm. 28-39) develops the singing melodic
material and the bouncing articulated eighth-notes. The staccato flute line is now
ascending chromatically and reaches the highest note Bonis writes for the instrument(high C) (Example 44). Though no dynamic is indicated, the crescendo in m. 35 shouldreach a forte peak in the flute to bring out the sparkling sound of the high C’s in unisonwith the piano on the downbeat of m. 36.

Example 44: Scherzo, mm. 34-37, extended flute range.

The singing flute melody re-starts in m. 40, now in its entirety and suggesting G
Major before modulating to C Major in m. 46. Though not consistently marked, the101dynamic level of the flute should follow the outline of the rising and falling lines;
crescendo as the line ascends and slightly decrescendo as the line descends. Overall, thisfull-length version of the singing melody should peak in the flute and piano at a forte onbeat four of m. 48 before receding to the end of the phrase in m. 52. Once again, thebeautiful melody dissipates with the descending articulated eighth notes (following afive-measure rumbling piano interlude).
Measures 61-72 introduce another repetition of the shortened singing flute
melody, this time suggesting Db Major. Here the piano plays the role of initiating theleaping articulated eighth notes, peaking at m. 70 before descending to m. 72. The fluteand piano then interchange the opening triplet motive in mm. 72-74. This dialogue should
remain light and playful. Both flutist and pianist should be careful to connect the tripletsin mm. 74-75 in order to create a seamless transition to the next large section of theScherzo (Example 45).

Example 45: Scherzo, mm. 73-75, triplet exchange between flute and piano.

Beginning in m. 75 with a full measure of unaccompanied flute, Bonis creates aclearly defined recapitulation of the opening material. This return is identical to the102

opening four bars of the work, but it immediately changes with a return of the cantando
flute melody, now in Eb Major. In comparison to the full-length version of the melody,
this one is lengthened by two additional measures (mm. 89-90) before giving way to therumbling triplets of the piano interlude in mm. 97-101.
Once again, the flutist and pianist exchange segments of the lilting triplet motive
in dialogue (mm. 102-106). This time the key center is a third lower than the original, in
Eb Major. Similar to the extension of the cantando flute melody by two measures, thisversion of the triplet dialogue is extended and leads not to the lilting triplet melody but
rather to the fifth entrance of the singing flute melody, now shortened and suggesting E
Major. This final recall of the melody lands on a B in the flute in m. 114, signaling thedominant of E Major, and is followed by another brief interlude consisting of cascading
descending triplets passed between both instruments. The triplets should be played withlightness, and because this short interlude introduces the final coda-like material, flutist
and pianist should use a slight amount of rubato. The flutist should allow a small amountof ritenuto in the final ascending solo measure (m. 122) that is paced accordingly to bringin the half notes in the piano, also with a small amount of slowing (Example 46).

103

Example 46: Scherzo, mm. 120-123, flute interlude.

Concluding the Scherzo is a coda-like virtuosic section that recalls earlier motives
and upholds the capricious character of the work. Following a small amount of rubato inm. 124, the entrance of the flute in m. 125 should occur immediately a tempo. Careshould be taken to keep the leggiero quality throughout the articulated eighth notes in theflute, as well as to highlight the two peaks of the phrase, mm. 129 and 134; these highpoints should be indicated by a louder dynamic, not by accent or lengthening of thearticulation. Finally, an extensive passage of triplets occurs in the flute in mm. 138-148.
As opposed to the lilting, capricious quality of the opening of the Scherzo, these final
measures should be played with the utmost lightness and sweetness. Characteristic of theconcluding measures in other of Bonis’s flute and piano works, the flutist and pianist
exchange ascending arpeggiations, resulting in the flutist’s concluding on the third of thetonic chord (in this case a G♯ of E Major), and closing with a final E-major chord in the
piano.

104

CONCLUSION

Each of Bonis’s six works for flute and piano is extremely idiomatic for the fluteand gives the flutist diverse opportunities to showcase the technical and musicalcapabilities of the instrument, while also offering much appeal to the listener. In
particular, the Sonate pour Flûte et Piano is a significant work that uniquely utilizes
elements from Impressionism, Romanticism, and Classicism. The emotional depth andthe richness of its harmonic elements make this piece an important addition to the sonata
repertoire of any advanced flutist.
Pièce pour Flûte et Piano and Une Flûte Soupire pour Flûte et Piano, however
brief, challenge the flutist to find the most varied tonal palette and musicality. The
extensive chromaticism, the long, extended phrases, and the technical requirements
demanded of the flutist in Andante et Allegro pour Flûte et Piano make this work notonly the most challenging but also the most complex of Bonis’s works for flute andpiano. Though less complex than Bonis’s other works, Air Vaudois pour Flûte et Pianoand Scherzo (Final) pour Flûte et Piano offer an opportunity for less-advanced flutists toengage in similar challenges and are important additions to the repertoire.
These works for flute and piano constitute only a fraction of what Bonis has tooffer. Future research and analysis should focus on Bonis’s chamber music incorporating
the flute, including the Suite en trio, Op. 59 (for flute, violin, and piano), Suite dans lestyle ancien, Op. 127 (for piano, flute, violin, viola or clarinet), and Scènes de la forêt,Op. 123 (for piano, flute, and horn), among others. Though Bonis was criticized forseemingly maintaining a conservative musical style and avoiding the influence of early105

twentieth-century French advancements, her significant contribution to the PostRomantic repertoire of the flute and unique compositional style should be a gateway tothe further discovery of overlooked repertoire. The flute and piano works of Mel Bonis
offer a distinctive and important contribution at the time the flute was re-emerging as asignificant musical voice for composers.

106

WORKS CITED
Bonis, Mel, and Eberhard Mayer. Sonate: pour flûte et piano. Rheinfelden: Edition
Kossack, 1999.
Bonis, Mel, and Christine Géliot. Air Vaudois: pour flûte et piano. Rheinfelden: Edition
Kossack, 1999.
Bonis, Mel. Andante et allegro: pour flûte et piano. Rheinfelden: Edition Kossack,2005.
Bonis, Mel. Suite dans le style ancient pour flûte, violon, alto (ou clarinette) et piano.
Rheinfelden: Edition Kossack, 2005.
Bonis, Mel, and Christine Géliot. Pièce: pour flûte et piano. Rheinfelden: Edition
Kossack, 1999.
Bonis, Mel. Une flûte soupire: pour flûte et piano. Rheinfelden: Kossack, 1999.
Cole, Joshua. The Power of Large Numbers: Population, Politics, and Gender in
Nineteenth-Century France. Cornell University Press, 2000.
Fitzgibbon, H. Macaulay. The Story of the Flute: Being a History of the Flute andEverything Connected with It. London: W. Reeves, 1929.
Fleury, Louis and A. H. F. S. “The Flute and Its Powers of Expression,” Music andLetters, Vol. 3, No. 4 (Oct. 1922): 383-393.
Garb, Tamar. Sisters of the Brush: Women’s Artistic Culture in Late Nineteenth-Century
Paris. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1994.
Géliot, Christine. “Compositions for Voice by Mel Bonis, French Woman Composer,
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APPENDIX109

APPENDIX ACOPYRIGHT PERMISSION
Email received from publisher Edition Kossack dated March 28, 2013:

Translation by author:
Dear Ms. Daum,
Thank you for your request. We are happy to grant you the requested permission for your dissertation under
the condition that you mention the publisher including naming of the webpage(www.editionkossack.de) under the references section of your work and that we receive a copy of yourwork.
We wish you success with your dissertation.
Best Wishes,
Wolfgang Kossack
www.editionkossack.de

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