Caby, Robert

After military service in Algeria, Caby worked as a music and art critic, writing articles in l'Humanité, Le Monde and other newspapers. He created surrealistic drawings and poetry with literal and political engagement. He also composed his first works, melodies on poems by Guillaume Apollinaire. Caby then spent three months in the harmony class at Scola Cantorum, where Satie had studied 20 years before. In the culturally boiling 1930's Caby showed his political engagement by composing anti-nazi songs, and he spent a couple of months in Moscow with the Groupe Octobre of Jacqus Préver, studying the impact of Trotski's ideas. Until his final days he composed over 400 works - especially melodies with poems inspired by everything from Greek mythology to the most contemporary poetry. He also composed small operas and piano pieces.

 

The first, and only, recording of Caby's piano works is now available and can be bought here. The Swedish pianist Olof Höjer made an astonishing job by performing a marvellous 70-minute compilation of some of Caby's piano works.

- Niclas Fogwall (...more on the author)

 

Recordings