Écrits sur la musique by Jean Cocteau

Abstract

Ecrits sur la musique. By Jean Cocteau; texts assembled, presented, and annotated by David Gullentops and Malou Haine. (MusicologieS.) Paris: Vrin, 2016. [634 p. ISBN 9782711626595. euro32.] Illustrations, notes, indexes.Many regard enfant terrible Jean Cocteau (1889-1963) as a jack of all trades, as Philippe Halsman's famous 1949 photo embodies (http://time.com/3878148/jeancocteau-by-philippe-halsman-playfulportraits-of-a-surrealist/; accessed 3 October 2016). In this regard, and given broad range of work produced by this poet, novelist, playwright, muralist, portraitist, actor, and movie director, we may better understand reasons that reception history has underplayed his output as a music critic and his collaborations with musicians, even those studies that review his contributions musical field.For at least a decade, musicologists David Gullentops and Malou Haine have endeavored to re-evaluate Cocteau's contributions field of music a methodical and objective manner (all translations are my own; David Gullentops and Malou Haine, ed., Jean Cocteau, textes et musique [Sprimont: Mardaga, 2005], 6). The volume under review continues this trend. Specifically, it aims give same critical attention Cocteau's writings on music that his literary output has received (see p. 7 n. 4). As editors point out, although Cocteau himself assembled some writings, he did not undertake task in a systematic or critical manner (p. 7).The book contains 310 entries, including republications of Cocteau's Le coq et l'arlequin, journal and newspaper articles (with articles English and German heretofore untranslated French), prefaces, eulogies, radio transcriptions, program notes, liner notes, and other promotional materials, and some unpublished materials (see, for example, synopsis of Dieu bleu, text 8). The editors reserved private comments on music, gleaned from his correspondence and diary, for a future publication. They also did not incorporate other parts of his creative work that include allusions music, such as poems. On other hand, book presents all versions of chosen texts, leading a system account for variations: volume incorporates many helpful footnotes, which refer different versions available, attempt clarify context and meaning, and give information about people and works. The book's editors strategically scatter 137 of Cocteau's illustrations throughout book, which makes for a handsome publication.Gullentops and Haine opt present volume's documents chronologically, dividing book into decades, from 1910 1963. The reader can easily identify recurrent themes, such as Ballets Russes, jazz, circus, composers (viz., Igor Stravinsky, Francis Poulenc), performers (viz., Vaslav Nijinsky, Barbette, Louis Armstrong), works (viz., Le sacre du printemps, Le boeuf sur le toit), and so on. Certain themes tend be more present during certain periods. Nijinsky, for example, is prevalent writings from 1910 1919. Nonetheless, Cocteau refers other people and works, such as Erik Satie or Parade, throughout his entire output, although essence of many thoughts was already exposed his Le coq et l'arlequin. As an anthology of documents, rather than a monograph with a guiding line, a chronological presentation makes sense. Two indexes- one of names and another of works- allow reader journey across time while focusing on a given topic. (A third index of subjects would have made traveling even easier.) Nevertheless, grouping these documents according topic could have highlighted a problem, of which editors seem aware: the abundance and diversity of [the different] versions' variants, (p. 19) or, less generously, Cocteau's narcissistic propensity for self-reference, which forms main target of critique below.The scholarship behind this book is very good. The editors scrutinize Cocteau's works, published and unpublished, study each work's multiple copies, choose most complete version, and annotate it critically. …