Memorandum to the Subcommittee on the Importance of Art in Healing
I have taken it upon myself to search out a venue which would be appropriate to take willing veterans, that they may experience the healing powers of art. In the words of Luther: “Nothing on earth is so well-suited to make the sad merry, the merry sad, to give courage to the despairing, to make the proud humble, to lessen envy and hate, as music.”[1] The holy men of this convalescent home are willing and able to provide the Word, but we are sorely unable to make music worthy of the task of healing. Considering our proximity to Paris, and at the behest of this committee, it seemed appropriate to search for a reasonable place we could go to hear such music. This task was not as straightforward as I had imagined. The City of Light is a grand and strange place to me, and it became clear very quickly that some institutions would not be able to provide us with the kind of nourishment for which we are searching. However, there is one performance hall which I believe would suit our purposes wonderfully. The Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier is a relatively new theatre devoted to pure art, without unnecessary accessories or fake pomp. I believe that this institution is the perfect place in which to find genuine and serious art that could bring about the kind of healing that music brings, if it is done well.
To begin with, the history of this theatre is phenomenal. With its grand opening occurring on the 22nd of October, 1913, this theatre is by no means old, but it is precisely its youth that allows it to be what it is.[2] The creator of this theatre, M. Jacques Copeau, along with a close circle of friends, dreamed that this theatre would be a institution that would fight the corrupting influence commercialization has had on French theatre. M. Coupeau sought to make a theatre that could combat the stagnation of drama that is apt to occur in national theatres.[3] M. Copeau was clear is saying that he did not prescribe to any school or method of art, but rather that he hoped to turn French theatre away from the appalling use of spectacle and glamour in order to bridge the gap between the idea of the art and the art itself.[4] In London, the opening of the Vieux-Colombier was seen as the most important occurrence in French theatre in twenty years![5] In more recent times, during and after the war, the theatre and its manager Mme. Jane Bathori helped cultivate the group of composers now known as Les Six.[6] The theatre also included a school, which in its efforts to mitigate the negative effects of money and bad dramatic theory, is free and accepts men and women of all ages.[7] M. Copeau summarized his purpose as being against:
“the commercialization of French theatre and turned away its cultivated public… against entertainers on sale…against speculation and pettiness… against bluff, greed, disorder, indiscipline, ignorance and stupidity, against scorn for the creator, against hatred of beauty.”[8]
It is these values that set the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier from its Parisian counterparts. It is precisely these values that I believe we should support, and the values that are capable of creating the music of which Luther spoke.
Besides the artistic aspects of this project, we must consider the more banal aspects. Money has never abounded at this convalescent home. It is almost as if the public and government are so eager to forget the war that they aren’t even willing to pay for the medical care the veterans need. I was shocked to see how expensive prices have already become in a lot of venues of repute in Paris. But, to my surprise and delight, I happened on the Vieux-Colombier. Seats there sell for as low as two and a half francs![9] As with several other aspects of this theatre, the low prices are an effort to mitigate the infernal effects that a desire for the necessarily perishable, which is to say the material, can have on art. Keeping in mind that every veteran will not wish to go, I believe we would be able to take those who do with these prices.
Despite the low prices of tickets, the audience is one of common and upstanding folks. Music and theatre critics, journalists, musicians, and actors frequent this theatre.[10] Even masters of art such as Claude Debussy and Rodin come to the theatre![11] I think this fact speaks to the purity of the art that must be made at the Vieux-Colombier. Why else would Debussy trouble himself with going to a theatre that he is probably wealthy enough to buy all the seats for a given performance? People of all classes and walks of life go there to find what Debussy described as “so clearly a form of French beauty, it should be shown outside France.”[12] This is exactly the kind of audience in which I think our veterans would be comfortable because they wouldn’t stick out, they would be among people who care about the sacrifices they made, people who were certainly affected by the war in tangible and tragic ways, and people from whom we can expect no outbursts or spectacle.
Along with a varied audience, the Vieux-Colombier has a varied repertoire. They rely on the classics of theatre for enlightenment on the fundamentals of acting. When the theatre reopened after the war, they modeled their program after of Molière![13] However, they are open to modern plays and pieces of music: pieces by avant garde composers such as Honegger, and other members of Les Six, as well as the more symbolist music of Debussy.[14] Regardless of the preferences of the veterans that would like to go, it would be easy to find something agreeable to all parties. It would also be possible to see a short play and hear music in the same night.[15]
The most important part of the repertoire isn’t the breadth or a reliance on the classics, but rather the way in which everything performed there is done with reverence to the piece. This reverence, in conjunction with the founder’s original intent and idea that the messages of the art, and the art itself is enough, is what makes the Vieux-Colombier unique. The theatre was founded on the basis that opulence, and unnecessary accessories in the performance hall detract from art being performed.[16] Essentially, the theatre avoids large and gaudy stages, which makes the actors unable to rely on accessories to hide their flaws.[17] In additions to this, the atmosphere of the theatre is sober and calm.[18] Although some critics have found this dull, I believe that it would allow the veterans to focus on the messages purported by the art performed there. I also feel more comfortable going to a theatre that is foreign to the bourgeoisie, so that we may avoid supporting the kinds of cultures that continue to throw this great society into promiscuity and vice.
All of the aforementioned aspects of this theatre lend themselves to a final and more ethereal point. It has become clear that the Vieux-Colombier is one of the best places in France in which to find music and theatre which can heal. Without the distractions of mammon or poor philosophy of art, this wonderful theatre opens its doors to all kinds of people in order to give them a genuine artistic experience. The curators, managers, and players of this company make it clear in their performances that true art resides in the creativity and beauty that is inherent in human nature. Whether it would be in a modern comedy that reminds our veterans that joy still exists, or in a piece of music which brings them to an appreciation of sublime beauty, I believe that a trip to the Vieux-Colombier would be beneficial.
Thank you for reading this memorandum. I hope you find my work useful.
Pr. Hjalvard Busnes
Bibliography
Cox, David. “Bathori, Jane.” Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, accessed October 23, 2015, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/02307.
“Jacques Copeau.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (June 2015): 1. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost(accessed October 26, 2015).
Kelly, Barbara L. “Musical Allegiances and Factions: Ravel, Satie, and the Question of Leadership.” In Music and Ultra-modernism in France: A Fragile Consensus, 1913-1939. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell and Brewer, 2013.
Kurtz, Maurice. Jacques Copeau Biography of a Theater. Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press, 1999
“L’ecole Dramatique Du Vieux-Colombier.” L’Humanite, Paris, France, May 20, 1924. Accessed October 26, 2015.
Rideout, Marti. “The Role of Music in Church.” In All Things Necessary: A Practical Guide for Episcopal Church Musicians. New York, New York: Church Publication, Incorporated, 2012
Spiers, A. G. H. 1917. “The Opening of the Vieux Colombier.” Nation 105, no. 2736: 642-644. International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed November 9, 2015).
The Times (London, England), Monday, Nov 24, 1913; pg. 7; Issue 40377
[1] Rideout, Marti. “The Role of Music in Church.” In All Things Necessary: A Practical Guide for Episcopal Church Musicians. New York, New York: Church Publication, Incorporated, 2012
[2] The Times (London, England), Monday, Nov 24, 1913; pg. 7; Issue 40377
[3] The Times (London, England), Monday, Nov 24, 1913; pg. 7; Issue 40377
[4] The Times (London, England), Monday, Nov 24, 1913; pg. 7; Issue 40377
[5] The Times (London, England), Monday, Nov 24, 1913; pg. 7; Issue 40377
[6] Kelly, Barbara L. “Musical Allegiances and Factions: Ravel, Satie, and the Question of Leadership.” In Music and Ultra-modernism in France: A Fragile Consensus, 1913-1939. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell and Brewer, 2013.
[7] The Times (London, England), Monday, Nov 24, 1913; pg. 7; Issue 40377
[8] The Times (London, England), Monday, Nov 24, 1913; pg. 7; Issue 40377
[9] Kurtz, Maurice. Jacques Copeau Biography of a Theater. Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press, 1999. Pg. 15
[10] Maurice. Jacques Copeau Biography of a Theater. Pg. 21
[11] Maurice. Jacques Copeau Biography of a Theater. Pg. 27
[12]Maurice. Jacques Copeau Biography of a Theater. Pg. 51
[13] Spiers, A. G. H. 1917. “The Opening of the Vieux Colombier.” Nation 105, no. 2736: 642-644. International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed November 9, 2015).
[14] David Cox. “Bathori, Jane.” Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, accessed November 10, 2015,http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/02307.
[15] Maurice. Jacques Copeau Biography of a Theater. Pg. 15
[16] “L’ecole Dramatique Du Vieux-Colombier.” L’Humanite, May 20, 1924. Accessed October 26, 2015.
[17] “L’ecole Dramatique Du Vieux-Colombier.” L’Humanite, May 20, 1924. Accessed October 26, 2015.
[18] Maurice. Jacques Copeau Biography of a Theater. Pg. 15