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PAN PIPES • SUMMER 2016 • sai-national.org 14 to introduce the fabulous invention that made the Petitpois fortune – the Moustachette – a device worn to protect your moustache while you sleep. In this number, Petitpois' solo line is joined by his daughter and nephew for the rousing "la la la" refrain. is waltz shows characteristics of the Ländler, an Austrian folk dance, in its slower tempo and imitation of yodeling in the refrain. Offenbach used waltzes as chorus numbers in many of his opérettes, usually with repeated refrains employing nonsense syllables that also sounded like the yodel of the Ländler. La vie parisienne contains a similar Tyrolian waltz at the end of Act 2, which includes the use of the "la la la" refrain in the chorus. Score comparison (figure 2) shows that the accompaniment is more elaborate in the Tailleferre version, but the "boom chick chick" figure is still present in the scoring. Offenbach's soprano line looks more like a yodel, but the parody is evident between the pieces, even though no correlations were found between the placement of Offenbach's Tyrolian waltzes and Tailleferre's version. Offenbach tended to use the full ensemble with soloists instead of a single soloist and trio in these waltzes, but, with a reduced cast, Tailleferre's scoring works well. is style parody might seem exotic and out of place in a French opera, but Offenbach explains its insertion in La vie parisienne by adding German tourists on holiday. Tailleferre does not explain why Petitpois' product placement anthem is in this style, and nothing in the libretto indicates that the family is Austrian or German. e rustic sound of the waltz does, however, correlate with the lower, folksy class of the Petitpois family, highlighting how out of place they are in a castle. Tailleferre is not only parodying Offenbach's use of Tyrolian waltzes, but is commenting on how he tends to use the waltz to symbolize less sophisticated characters in his opérettes. e final example of parody is from Tailleferre's "Patatra," just aer Oreste has walked in on Héloïse and Adelestan kissing. e entire ensemble sings a repeated refrain, then various characters interject questions and comments. Most voices in the ensemble writing are harmonically static, repeating one note per beat or jumping octaves. e uppermost part, however, is melodically active as it sometimes changes pitch every sixteenth note. is style of writing can be found in many of Offenbach's chorus numbers. For example, he likes to conclude each act of his opérettes with a lively ensemble number summing up the action. e end of Act 1 of La Belle Hélène is typical of these act finales. e lower chorus parts remain static while the uppermost solo part creates the melodic line. is style of writing is even more apparent when you look at the scoring (figure 3). e slow harmonic movement of the lower parts is evident, in contrast with the active upper line. Rhythmic similarities are also apparent, as Tailleferre adds a second set of sixteenth notes to Offenbach's repeated rhythm to accommodate the text. Tailleferre does not have space in the sixty-two bars of her chorus to add the longer notes Offenbach eventually uses at the end of his finale, but the repetition of words is similar, as is the short orchestral tag at the end. Although M. Petitpois does not contain multiple acts, the "Patatra" performs the same function as Offenbach's finales, summing up the past action and setting up the coming conflict. It is also the first ensemble number in the opera, essentially dividing the work into two halves. ese numbers, whether at the end of an act or at a turning point in the plot, serve as markers so the audience can recap in their minds what is happening in the plot. Good parody is difficult to write as the composer must tread a fine line between exactly copying the works being imitated and the interjection of their personal style. Tailleferre proved that she knew Offenbach's works well as she created an opera that captures the essence of Offenbach. Not only are there similarities in the types of characters and plots used in his opérettes, but the style of music and structure of the work as a whole show careful study of his techniques. Tailleferre and Center created, in miniature, a complete Offenbach-style work, and have, at least in my opinion, succeeded in "ripping off Offenbach." Melissa Cummins is a PhD candidate in Musicology at the University of Kansas, with research interests in 19th and twentieth century French opérettes. She is an Epsilon Phi initiate and this article is a portion of her dissertation research on Germaine Tailleferre. VARIATIONS ON A THEME Figure 2 Figure 3 PARODY continued from page 13

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