Vincent d'Indy (March 27, 1851 - Dec. 2, 1931) was born in Paris, France into an aristocratic family, and began studying the piano at an early age with his grandmother. At 14 he was studying harmony, and later on attended the Conservatoire de Paris, where he was a devoted student of Cesar Franck (who initially didn't think much of his compositional attempts, despite the recommendations of Massenet and Bizet). Later on however, he became unhappy with the standard of teaching at the Conservatory, and founded the Schola  Cantorum de Paris with Charles Bordes and Alexandre Guilmant. Some of d'Indy's students included Erik Satie,  Joseph Cantaloube, Darius Milhaud, and Cole Porter, and during his time, d'Indy was considered an important and influential composer.

d'Indy wrote a wide array of music, from symphonic works to songs to piano sonatas and string quartets; none, sadly, are programmed that often. Today we are looking at his Chansons et danses, a wind septet for flute, oboe, two clarinets, horn, and two bassoons.

d'Indy was an admirer of Richard Wagner, as was the man who commissioned Chansons et danses, Paul Taffanel. Wagner's influence on d'Indy is obvious, as the beginning of the Chansons movement is highly reminiscent of Wagner's Siegfried Idyll. Between its lyricism and tone colors, the work has an impressionistic quality about it.

The danses movement recalls folksongs, and is in rondo form. The beginning features the oboe playing a melody over bassoons and clarinets that seem to be hopping and fro, with the horn later on taking that same melody. The chipper, frolicking underbelly with the melodic lines above makes for playful, fun listening, and even seems a bit cheeky at times. The movement closes with a return back to the original Chanson.

Here are some recordings of this delightful wind septet for you to enjoy!

The Sylvan Winds
Octour a vent
Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra Soloists