Salon Morisot: Full Suite
Harbor at Lorient (1869) by Berthe Morisot
“Inspired by the life and artwork of the only female in the original group of French impressionist artists, Berthe Morisot (1841-1895). Her output is largely uncelebrated yet Monet himself had seven of her works hanging in his own home. These three short works are inspired by three paintings that show the very real struggle between her art and her family, finally finding joy and balance.”
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Salon Morisot is a suite of three miniatures that are inspired by the remarkable artistry of little known female French impressionist artist, Berthe Morisot (1841-1895). Morisot was highly admired by her fellow Impressionist colleagues and her works were exhibited in the very first (and many consequential) Impressionist ‘Salon’ of 1874 (a Salon being an exhibition). Many famous artists held an original Morisot artwork in their private collections including Manet, Monet, Degas and Pissarro. Morisot married Édouard Manet’s younger brother Eugene Manet and her painting styles are regarded as a driving force behind the Impressionist style. The three miniatures in this program are inspired by three Morisot artworks that depict a particular period in her life.
INSTRUMENTATION: please see perusal score above.
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The Harbor at Lorient" features Morisot’s sister Edma and tall ships. Edma and her sister were very close. She had not long been married and they missed each other terribly. Hence, I have attempted to capture not only the grandeur of the tall ships but to also reveal the despair and heartbreak felt by both sisters at this time. It is my desire that the harmonic tensions reveal their hidden emotions whilst maintaining an element of calm on the surface.
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This delicate and revealing artwork again features Morisot’s sister, but this time in a maternal role with her newly born daughter, Blanche. At the time this was painted, Berthe Morisot was 31 years old and unmarried. In her letters to her sister, Berthe was torn between her passion for painting and her desire to marry and become a Mother. The tension displayed in this artwork suggest a Mother’s fatigue and mixed emotions about the daunting task of raising a child. Hence, I have written this work to suggest the cycle of emotions a new parent feels when their child is born including nervousness, joy, intense love and even a little trepidation. The work begins and ends the same way to represent this ongoing succession of sensations that can be felt over the course of a day, a moment, a lifetime, as suggested in the artwork ‘The Cradle’.
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In late 1874 Berthe Morisot married Édouard Manet’s younger brother, Eugene. He dedicated his life to Berthe’s painting career, hence alleviating her mixed emotions about marriage. The ‘Garden at Bougival’ is 11 years on from ‘The Cradle’ and is painted in quite a different style, reflecting developments in both her professional and personal life. Her painting output was slowed due to the birth of her only child Julie, in 1878. Berthe Morisot and her family loved to holiday in Bougival (25 km West of Paris) and between 1881-1884 they rented a home in the area and spent most of their time there. It was a very happy time for the family, before the decline of her husband’s health that lead to his premature death in 1892. Hence the final movement in this suite is quite whimsical, reflecting the relaxed emotions associated with holidays as well as Berthe’s chance to equally indulge in her two passions; family and painting.
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Commissioned by Clarkston Schools Instrumental Music Association in recognition of Shelley Schwaderer Roland's many years of dedication to the Clarkston School Music Program and the University of Wisconsin (Eau Claire), Director of Bands, Dr. John Stewart.