ABSTRACT
When Andre Jolivet began composing an unaccompanied work for twelve solo voices on Friday 3 October 1952 – the date written on the preliminary sketches for Epithalame – he had two recent examples of similar works in mind: Messiaen's Cinq rechants and Daniel-Lesur's Cantique des cantiques. The initial inspiration for Jolivet's Epithalame came from his devotion to his wife Hilda, for whom he composed a special work to mark each decade of their marriage. Toute-puissance de l'adepte describes the twelve symbolic 'doors' through which the 'follower', or 'believer' has to pass as the initiation for passage to the afterlife. Epithalame was first performed by the Ensemble Vocal Marcel Couraud at the Venice Biennale on 16 September 1956 although in quite different version from the Pathe Marconi edition published in 1958 which was reprinted by Billaudot. A postcard to Jolivet from Nadia Boulanger dated 29 September 1956 provides another clue to the enigma of the composer's decision to make cuts.
