At the little school, the
Little Prince, in book form and in sound form with the voice of Gerard Philippe, had amazed me. This is not a tale like any other. It leaves a strong and lasting imprint that is imprinted on the soul without reason understanding all the subtleties. As a teenager, I read
Night flight and
War Pilot. These readings took place inside an anthology that fed my insatiable appetite for books with authors such as Balzac, Stendhal, Hugo, Miller, Durrell and several others. But Saint-Exupéry had a je ne sais quoi different. A quality of his own, since he staged his own comrades, his own experiences. He recounted his adventures and those of his companions with, as the main angle, the promotion of Man and his fundamental values: responsibility, mutual assistance and love of neighbor. But it was a little far away all that. My professions as a trumpeter and composer gradually left me less time for reading and Saint-Exupéry was less present in my thoughts.
To start my writing work, I immediately established that I had to reconnect with his work by including Letter to a Hostage. And then I was blown away!
The density of the writing. Not a word too much. We could take a random sentence and note its depth, weight and scope.
I didn’t just read or reread all his books. I have tried to get to know him better through biographical articles and the official website dedicated to him. I read with astonishment the information on the removal of the mystery surrounding his disappearance. I also looked at the history of the Latécoère company of the Aéropostale. Understand the life of these aviation pioneers and their human codes: camaraderie, survival instinct and loneliness, but also solidarity. It was in this way that I understood how the daily, constant and powerful writing that Saint-Exupéry imposed on himself drew its strength from the immense amount of pages that he tirelessly accumulated over the days. Then, the editing work that extracted the essentials. In the end, it gave a text of a rare density from which all unnecessary embellishments are redacted. And now my challenge was to express in music the life of this man and his thought!
It became obvious to me that three lines of strength emerged: the pilot, the Little Prince and the humanist. Naturally the writer is present in each of these three elements. These three visions will be the basis of the three movements of the symphonic piece, which will ultimately have a duration of approximately 15 to 16 minutes.
I – Flight of Life
The first movement depicts the disappearance of Saint-Exupéry as a pilot. The trumpet represents for me the noble character and the courage of Saint-Exupéry. The musical discourse layers his way of writing with his factual descriptions interspersed with philosophical flights. An intense dive into the memories of past reconnaissance missions. Suddenly, in the midst of the tumult, thought escapes and takes a clear and lucid look at the destiny of men and that of nations, as well as the contradictions they convey. But this episode of floating in time is brought back to the reality of the battles that will hide its untimely disappearance under the veil of mystery, hence the title of this first movement.
II – The farewell to the Little Prince
An obvious fact has imposed itself on me. The disappearance of the pilot that was Saint-Exupéry coincided with the publication of the Little Prince. However, in the end, the Little Prince also leaves the planet with the help of the snake while it is a German aviator who will do the same with the author. A rapprochement that naturally leads the first movement to link up with the second. While the finale of the first movement suggests that the plane has disappeared without a trace, it returns in another form, to the sound of rhombuses and singing dunes, to meet the Little Prince in the middle of the desert. It’s a one-on-one between the aviator and the child. A closed session bringing together the pragmatic man in front of his own philosophical side. Their meeting takes place in the desert, far from any civilization. This desert, by its nudity, is a fertile breeding ground for imagination and magic. The Little Prince tells about his travels and encounters in the cosmos, then remembers his flower, his rose, which he left. Thus, the aviator will witness his appointment with the snake which will send him back into space with the supreme kiss…
III – The March of Men
The pilot and his little man, his philosopher alter ego, did not leave us in vain. Their spirit remains and always animates those who take the time to read them, to listen to them. And so a march is set in motion, which initially consists of a few men and women. A march that is gaining momentum, to which other men and other women are grafting. United by the humanistic thought of Saint-Exupéry and the ideas that derive from it. It is not a religion, but an invitation to act all and everyone in their environment of life. To carry as a standard this quote “As far as the future is concerned, it is not a question of foreseeing it, but of making it possible. “
In conclusion
Saint-Exupéry inspired the form, the melodies, the rhythms and the thought of this particular symphonic work. It is unique in that it was composed for and will be created by young musicians of various nationalities aged between 15 and 25 and who, coincidentally of life, come from countries visited by Saint-Exupéry as a pilot or journalist.
And for me a special conjuncture. When I decided to put aside the trumpet in order to devote myself to composition, my first order was a commemorative coin for the 40e anniversary of Expo67 whose theme was “Land of Men”!
I know the jealous care that the Saint-Exupéry estate takes in choosing the use of the name and its derivatives. I understand and respect him. However, I am convinced that the association of his name as well as that of the Little Prince with this musical work intended for young people, and which is equally aimed at adults, would be a worthy and proud ambassador of the values and objectives put forward by the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Foundation for Youth.
Louis Babin, composer
Saturday, July 7, 2012, Laval, Quebec
