André Jolivet came from an artistic family, but his serious music training came relatively scattered and late; he was in his mid-20s when he studied with Edgard Varèse for several years, that composer’s only European student before Varèse returned to the United States. Interested in returning music to “its original, ancient meaning, when it was the magical, incantatory expression of the religious beliefs of human groups,” Jolivet looked to magic and Asian and African culture for inspiration in many works. He composed in most genres, including three symphonies, 11 concertos, and 14 scores of incidental music he wrote for plays while he was musical director of the Comédie Française.