Jean-Michel Damase, born in 1928 in Bordeaux, is a French composer and pianist who began his musical studies very young at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris. Enrolled in the Paris Conservatory at age 13, he was awarded the premier prix in piano at the age of 15. Still a teenager, Damase began composition studies at the Conservatory and by age 19 had won a coveted Prix de Rome for his cantata Et la belle se reveille. In his mature years, Damase fell in love with the ballet and has since produced many successful works with the choreographer Jean Anouilh. It is no coincidence that Damase wrote works for the harp, since his earliest musical influence was his mother, Micheline Kahn, a harpist to whom Maurice Ravel wrote his famous Introduction and Allegro.
The Sonata for Flute and Harp was written in 1964 and contains four movements. The first, Allegro moderato, opens with the flute in the lower register playing the principal theme. Damase employs frequent tempo changes throughout the movement as well as many melodic permutations. In addition, he changes texture through moments of harp alone as well as constantly changing textures in the harp accompaniment. The second movement, Andante, opens with a leisurely, walking motive in which the melodic material is passed between the flute and harp. The dotted melodic material gradually moves to the upper register of the flute before a sudden descent and a soft close in the lower registers of the both of the instruments. The third movement, Allegro,Adagio, in which the harp has lush chords under the flute melody. After only a three-measure introduction, the Presto begins, featuring a lush flute melody over busy harp accompaniment which changes in texture through such techniques as combined glissandos and harmonics
Program Notes are by Kyle Blaha, a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at The Juilliard School and faculty member in the Juilliard Pre-College and Evening Division.