| Pacific 231 | |
|---|---|
| Orchestral music by Arthur Honegger | |
 The composer in 1928 | |
| Other name | Mouvement Symphonique |
| Composed | 1923 |
Pacific 231 is an orchestral work by Arthur Honegger, written in 1923.
It is one of his most frequently performed works.
The popular interpretation[1] of the piece is that it depicts a steam locomotive, one that is supported by the title of the piece alongside film versions. Honegger explained that he wrote it as an exercise in building momentum while the tempo of the piece slows. He originally titled it Mouvement Symphonique, only giving it the name Pacific 231, a class of steam locomotive designated in Whyte notation as a 4-6-2, with four pilot wheels, six driving wheels, and two trailing wheels (in France, where axles rather than wheels are counted, this arrangement is designated 2-3-1) after it was finished.[2] Honegger was widely known as a train enthusiast, and once notably said: "I have always loved locomotives passionately. For me they are living creatures and I love them as others love women or horses."[3]
The work consists of five main sections, all of which are delineated consecutively through musical motifs, ostinatos, and other textural demarcations.[4] Each of the sounds are elements of a train and the different soundscapes generated before, during, and at the conclusion of its trip.
Accompanying the 1923 published score, Honegger described the long-range form of the work:[5]
"The quiet breathing of the machine at rest, its effort in starting, then the gathering speed, the progress from mood to mood, as a 300-ton train hurtles through the dark night, racing 120 miles an hour.”
The orchestra consists of:[1] 2 flutes, piccolo flute, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon – 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, – 4 percussionists (tenor drum, cymbal, bass drum, tam tam) – strings.
Pacific 231 is the first in Honegger's series of three symphonic movements. The other two are Rugby and Mouvement Symphonique No. 3. Honegger lamented that his "poor Symphonic Movement No. 3 paid dearly for its barren title."[2] Critics generally ignored it, while Pacific 231 and Rugby, with more evocative titles, have been written about in depth.
A 1949 award-winning French film, Pacific 231, directed by Jean Mitry, used the orchestral work as the sound track for a tribute to the steam locomotive, and included close-up footage featuring the SNCF 231E 24 ex Nord 3.1194. The footage has some close up shots of the driving wheels, running gear and railroad operations, mostly taken at speed, and cut/choreographed to the music. [6][7]
