Charlotte Sohy

Charlotte Sohy (July 7, 1887, in Paris - December 19, 1955, in Paris) was a French composer.

Life
As the daughter of an industrialist and a precocious child, she received a broad education including musical training from George Marty on piano and music theory. She was introduced to the musical world at a young age and was friends with both Nadia Boulanger and Mel Bonis. She continued her musical studies at the Schola Cantorum (Paris), where she studied organ with Alexandre Guilmant and later with Louis Vierne, as well as composition with Vincent d’Indy.

On June 12, 1909 she married the composer Marcel Labey, with whom she had 7 children. At their home at Rue Greuze 24 they organized musical gatherings, inviting personalities from the artworld. She wrote the libretto for the lyrical drama Bérengère composed by her husband that was published in 1912 under the pseudonym Charles Sohy.

As a composer, Charlotte Sohy wrote masses, art songs, piano pieces, trios, string quartets, in addition to a symphony and the lyrical drama L'Esclave couronnée, composed between 1917 and 1921. She signed her works under the names of Sohy, Charlotte Sohy, Charles Sohy, Ch. Sohy, and Charlotte Sohy-Labey, and often used other pen names such as Louis Rivière or Claude Vincent.

She also wrote plays and a novel. Her musical compositions were performed by Paul Dukas, Maurice Ravel, and Gabriel Fauré frequently at the Salon of Marguerite de Saint-Marceaux, where she and her husband were regulars (he starting in 1908, she in 1913). After the first World War, Charlotte Sohy's pieces were performed less often.

In Florence Launay's list of the most important female composers who were active in the 19th century France, Sohy's life and creative period falls between those of Lili and Nadia Boulanger, who were her contemporaries. She is one of the approximately 20 women who, between 1789 and 1914, achieved professional status and public success as composers.

She was the cousin of Louis Durey, a member of Les Six.

Compositions
The complete works of Charlotte Sohy, published as Présence Compositrices, comprises 35 opus numbers.

Vocal works

 * Berceuse triste, op. 1, for soprano and piano, text by Sohy (1905)
 * Chants de la Lande, op. 4, for mezzo-soprano and piano, text by Sohy (1908)
 * Trois chants nostalgiques, op. 7, for mezzo-soprano and piano (or orchestra), text by Cyprien Halgan (1910)
 * Poème, op. 8, for Alto, Baritone, Choir and Orchester (1911), premiered by Claire Croiza and Morel under the direction of Marcel Labey on May 24, 1913 at the Société nationale de musique
 * Les quatre rencontres de Bouddha, op. 9, for Vocal quartet, flute, clarinet, string quartet, harp and piano. Text von Louis Rivière (1912–1913).
 * L'Esclave couronnée, op. 12, drama in three acts, text by Sohy after Selma Lagerlöf (1917–1921),
 * Deux poèmes chantés, op. 17, for Baritone (or Mezzo-soprano) and piano (or orchestra), text by Camille Mauclair (1922)
 * Méditations, op. 18, for Soprano and piano, text by Sohy (1922)
 * Messe sur des cantiques bretons, op. 32, for mixed voices, two violins, cello and organ (1945)

Choral music

 * Adoro te, op. 2, for SATB choir (1906)
 * Les Mains lentes, op. 16, text by Camille Mauclair
 * Deux chœurs, op. 20, texte by Victor Hugo and Eugène Le Mouël (1923)
 * Messe, op. 22, for three voices and organ (1930)
 * Conseils à la mariée, op. 26, for female choir and piano (1938)
 * Conseils à la bergère, op. 27, for men's choir (1939)
 * Messe a cappella, op. 31, for SATB choir (1944)
 * Cantique à Sainte Claire, op. 35, for female choir and organ, text by Sohy (1953)

Symphonic music

 * Symphonie in cis-Moll, "Grande Guerre" (The Great War), op. 10 (1914–1917)
 * Thème varié, op. 15, for violin and orchestra (1921)
 * Danse mystique, op. 19, symphonic poem (1922)
 * Histoire sentimentale, op. 34, film composition (1952)

Chamber music

 * Prélude, op. 5, for violin and piano (1909)
 * Petite suite, op. 13, piano trio (1921)
 * Thème varié, op. 15, for violin and piano (1921)
 * Triptyque champêtre, op. 21, for flute, violin, viola, cello and harp (1925)
 * Octobre, op. 23 no 1, for celli and piano (1931)
 * Sérénade ironique, op. 23 no 2, for eight celli (1931)
 * Trio, op. 24, piano trio (1931)
 * String quartet No. 1, op. 25 (1933)
 * String quartet No. 2, op. 33 (1945–1947)

Works for piano

 * Fantaisie, op. 3 (1907)
 * Sonate, op. 6 (1909–1910), premiered at Salle Pleyel in April 1910 by the Société nationale de musique
 * Deux pièces, op. 11, for four hands (1919)
 * Six pièces, op. 14 (1921)
 * Tambourins, op. 29 (1943)
 * Quatre pièces romantiques, op. 30 (1944)