Masters of French Music Part 7

Saint-Saens is a very quick worker. The rapidity with which he is able to conceive and transcribe a work of large proportions is all the more remarkable for the reason that his writing never exhibits the slightest sign of that carelessness often engendered by undue haste. The following extract from Mons. Hugues Imbert's "Profils de Musiciens" will give an idea of this: "With Saint-Saens the conception is rapid; he writes without pause or hesitation (_d'un seul jet_). Once the idea is chosen and defined, he immediately realises the development. He orchestrates with the greatest ease, whilst conversing, and almost without making any corrections. Scarcely does he find it necessary to have recourse to the piano in order to aid his inspiration. His opera 'Proserpine' was composed at Chaville, without the aid of any instrument. He writes a score or a symphony as he would pen a letter or an article, or as he would solve a problem. A number of instances are cited concerning his prodigious facility of creation; we will only recall the following: A few years ago he had promised to write an _operette revue_ for the Cercle Volney, of which he is a member. A few days before the performance nothing had as yet arrived. Upon inquiry from Saint-Saens himself it was discovered that he had totally forgotten his promise.

'But,' said he, 'the evil can be repaired;' and in the s.p.a.ce of two hours he wrote off twenty-one pages of full score."

Some critics have found the music of Saint-Saens devoid of feeling, cold and pa.s.sionless. How it is possible to come to this conclusion after hearing pages such as the famous love duet in "Samson et Dalila,"

or the quartet in "Henri VIII.," it is difficult to understand.

And yet Mons. Arthur Pougin, the well-known critic, has not scrupled to pa.s.s the following judgment on Saint-Saens in his article upon the composer, included in the Supplement to Fetis's "Biographie des Musiciens": "Le temperament musical de Mons. Saint-Saens est sec, nerveux, absolument depourvu de tendresse, de sentiment et de pa.s.sion."

After this it again becomes evident that a great man is not necessarily a prophet in his own country. When he penned the above lines Mons.

Arthur Pougin was presumably unacquainted with "Samson et Dalila."

In the course of this incomplete sketch of one of the most remarkable artists of his time I have alluded to his polemics as a critic. A few years since, he collected some of his writings together, and published them in a volume ent.i.tled "Harmonie et Melodie." In this book will be found various criticisms, many of which are as just as they are well expressed, but it is to be regretted that the author should occasionally have thought fit to mix up so-called "patriotic ideas" with his musical opinions.

For many years Saint-Saens used to be considered one of the ardent champions of Wagner. The moment, though, that the Bayreuth master's music seemed to obtain a firm hold upon the French public, through the medium of the weekly concerts given by Messrs. Lamoureux and Colonne, the French composer's zeal appeared to cool down, and the enthusiast gave way to the critic. Any one is of course ent.i.tled to air his opinions, and no one more so than a composer of such eminence as Saint-Saens. The mistake was that he chose the wrong moment to publish his views, and thereby stirred up a controversy which would best have been avoided.

In 1879 he recorded his impressions of the "Ring des Nibelungen" in a series of remarkable articles that are reproduced in the volume above mentioned. His opinion of this colossal work was summed up in these words: "From the height of the last act of the 'Gotterdammerung,' the entire work appears, in its almost supernatural immensity, like the chain of the Alps seen from the summit of Mont Blanc."

He terminates the preface of "Harmonie et Melodie" by these words: "I admire the works of Richard Wagner profoundly, in spite of their eccentricities (_en depit de leur bizarrerie_). They are superior and powerful, which suffices for me. But I have never belonged, I do not belong, and I never shall belong, to the Wagnerian religion!"

This being the case, I am unable to see why the composer of "Henri VIII." should have taken so much pains to qualify his opinions. He admires Wagner, and it certainly would be odd if a composer of his value did not; but he is anxious to avoid being comprised amongst those fanatics, whose admiration of Wagner prevents their acknowledging the greatness of any other composer.

It may here be noted that when the publisher Flaxland acquired the French copyright of "Lohengrin," the translation was at the author's request submitted to Saint-Saens, who wrote, in the newspaper _La France_, that when "Lohengrin" was about to be produced in Paris, he, at the desire of the publisher and M. Charles Nuitter the translator, revised the French version and refused to partic.i.p.ate in the _droits d'auteurs_.

Amongst his many gifts Saint-Saens possesses that of the poet, and has proved his capability of writing charming verses. I will quote the following satirical lines written by him after the production of Bizet's "Djamileh," the delightful little one-act work which has recently been revived with success on various operatic boards, the merits of which were totally unrecognised by the Parisians in 1872:

"'_Djamileh,' fille et fleur de l'Orient sacre, D'une etrange guzla faisant vibrer la corde, Chante, en s'accompagnant sur l'instrument nacre, L'amour extravagant dont son ame deborde._

_Le bourgeois ruminant dans sa stalle serre, Ventru, laid, a regret separe de sa horde, Entr'ouvre un il vitreux, mange un bonbon sucre, Puis se rendort, croyant que l'orchestre s'accorde._

_Elle, dans les parfums de rose et de santal, Poursuit son reve d'or, d'azur et de crystal, Dedaigneuse a jamais de la foule hebetee.

Et l'on voit, au travers des mauresques arceaux, Ses cheveux denoues tombant en noirs ruisseaux, S'eloigner la Houri, perle, aux pourceaux jetee._"

He has lately published a little volume of poems which he has ent.i.tled "Rimes Familieres," from which I have extracted the lines addressed to Mme. Viardot.

There is a great fund of humour in Saint-Saens. This has shown itself in many of his works, and occasionally he has given full rein to his fanciful imagination by writing a burlesque set of pieces ent.i.tled "Le Carnaval des Animaux," and another time by composing a parody of Italian opera, which he called "Gabriella di Vergy." Is there not a vein of grim humour in the "Danse Macabre"?

It is related that he once took part in an amateur performance of Offenbach's "Belle Helene," and interpreted the character of Calchas! A detail to note: the composer of "Samson et Dalila" is still known as "ce jeune maitre," although his birthday belongs to the year 1835. It is more than probable that he will keep this t.i.tle to the end.

Camille Saint-Saens has retained all his freshness of inspiration, and there is no knowing into what paths his fancy may lead him. But whether he elects to add to the number of his symphonic poems, to produce some fresh example of chamber music, or to elaborate the score of a "lyrical drama," he may rest a.s.sured that his doings will be followed with deep attention on the part of all who take interest in music.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _J. Ma.s.senet_ portrait, signed]

JULES Ma.s.sENET

In the year 1842 there lived near St. Etienne, in the department of the Loire, an ironmaster of the name of Ma.s.senet, an ex-superior officer of engineers, who had been twice married, and both of whose unions had been blessed in a manner apparently rare in France. In the year in question yet one more offspring was destined to be added to the already crowded quiverful. This child, who was named Jules, was the future composer of "Manon" and "Werther." It is needless to state that, alike to all great musicians, Ma.s.senet gave evidence of talent at an early age, to the extent that he was sent to the Conservatoire, where he rapidly distinguished himself.

His family, who at that time resided in Paris, were, however, obliged, on account of his father's health, to leave the capital. It appears that young Ma.s.senet, tormented by the desire to resume studies that had been so brilliantly begun, thereupon made up his mind to quit the paternal roof, which was then situated in the town of Chambery, in Savoy, and one day, without saying a word to any one, he undertook to walk all the way to Lyons. How he ever got there it is difficult to say, for he had apparently neglected to provide himself with ready cash, doubtless deeming this a superfluity and a needless enc.u.mbrance. Trifles such as these sit lightly on a mind of fourteen, and young Ma.s.senet succeeded somehow or other in reaching the great manufacturing centre; where he discovered the abode of a relative, and presented himself, tired and hungry, to his astonished gaze. Having explained the cause of his sudden appearance, the young truant was forthwith expedited back to his parents, who, seeing that it was useless to combat so decided a vocation, made up their minds to send him to Paris in order that he might continue his studies. Unfortunately, it is impossible to live upon air, and during the time when he was mastering the principles of his art the young neophyte was obliged to look for some occupation that would help him to keep body and soul together. This he was fortunate enough to find at the Theatre Lyrique, where he obtained the privilege of presiding over the kettledrums at a salary of 65 francs a month. It was not precisely riches, but it sufficed to keep the wolf from the door. For six years did Ma.s.senet have the opportunity of venting the superfluity of his energies by striking the drums. In the meanwhile he was not idle, and the first prize for piano as well as the first prize for fugue were both successfully awarded to him. Finally, at the age of twenty-one he reached the goal of his ambition, obtained the "Grand Prix de Rome" through a cantata ent.i.tled "Rizzio," and departed for the Eternal City, where he remained for two years.

Ma.s.senet has himself recorded his impressions of Rome in some interesting autobiographical notes published recently in the _Century_.

"It was at Rome," he says, "that I began to live; there it was that during my happy walks with my comrades, painters or sculptors, and in our talks under the Villa Borghese or under the pines of the Villa Pamphili, I felt my first stirrings of admiration for Nature and for Art. What charming hours we spent in wandering through the museums of Naples and Florence! What tender, thoughtful emotions we felt in the dusky churches of Siena and a.s.sisi! How thoroughly forgotten was Paris with its rus.h.i.+ng crowds! Now I had ceased to be merely a musician; now I was much more than a musician. This ardour, this healthful fever still sustains me, for we musicians, like poets, must be the interpreters of true emotions. To feel, to make others feel--therein lies the whole secret."

It is natural that with recollections such as these Ma.s.senet should consider a sojourn in Rome to be fraught with great advantage to young musicians. He believes that a residence there "may give birth to poets and artists, and may awaken sentiments that otherwise might remain unknown to those in whom they lie dormant."

It was at the close of the year 1865 that he left Rome, and shortly after, a one-act comic opera from his pen, ent.i.tled "La Grande Tante,"

was produced at the Opera Comique, according to the regulations, which prescribe that every winner of the "Prix de Rome" should have a one-act work played at this theatre. Ma.s.senet's hour had not yet arrived. His "Poeme d'Avril," one of his most delicate inspirations, had been refused by a publisher, and he found himself obliged to earn his livelihood by giving lessons.

In 1869 he took part in the compet.i.tion for the composition of an opera upon a libretto ent.i.tled "La Coupe du Roi de Thule,"[25] but without success, the prize being awarded to Mons. Diaz,[26] whose work was subsequently brought out at the Opera without creating any great sensation. This shows the value from an artistic point of view of these compet.i.tions.

The Franco-German war came to interrupt Ma.s.senet in his labours, and like a good patriot he served his country on the ramparts of Paris.

After matters had settled down he was able to again set to work. His next operatic venture was "Don Cesar de Bazan," played at the Opera Comique in 1872, concerning which it is not necessary to say much. A piquant little _entr'acte_ has survived, and is occasionally heard at concerts. A more important work was the music he composed to Leconte de Lisle's drama, "Les Erinnyes," which still ranks amongst his most remarkable productions.

Ma.s.senet has been most successful in imparting a sort of antique colouring to his score. A selection of the music has found its way into the concert-room, and was heard at the Crystal Palace under the composer's direction some years ago. The best numbers are the beautiful invocation of Electra and the characteristic dances.

The turning-point in the composer's career was at hand. He had written a sort of oratorio ent.i.tled "Marie Magdeleine," and having shown the score to Mme. Viardot, this great artist, who had been instrumental in furthering Gounod's _debut_ as an operatic composer, was much struck by its merit, and determined to have it produced and sing in it herself.

"Marie Magdeleine" was accordingly performed at the Odeon in 1873, and created a great stir in musical circles. This delicate and refined score reveals many of the special characteristics well known to those who admire the composer's music. It is very different from what we understand in England as an oratorio. The sensuous vein of melody and the sickly sentimentality which Ma.s.senet so often mistakes for true feeling are noticeable in many of its pages. "Marie Magdeleine" was just the sort of work to please a French audience of twenty years ago, whose acquaintance with Berlioz and Wagner was limited, and whose ideal was bounded by Gounod. It was the Bible doctored up in a manner suitable to the taste of impressionable Parisian ladies--utterly inadequate for the theme, at the same time very charming and effective. These words apply equally to "Eve," a work of the same nature that was produced two years later with equal success.

It is but right to say that Ma.s.senet has not employed the t.i.tle of "oratorio" for either of the above works. "Marie Magdeleine" is styled a sacred drama, and "Eve" a _mystere_. Concerning the first of these Mons.

Arthur Pougin informs us that Ma.s.senet had not intended to adopt "the broad, n.o.ble, and pompous style of the oratorio. Painter and poet, he had endeavoured in this new and long-thought-out work, to introduce _reverie_ and description; he further employed the accents of a veritably human pa.s.sion, of a tenderness in some way terrestrial, which might have given rise to criticism had he let it be imagined that he intended to follow on the traces of Handel, Bach, or Mendelssohn."

The feminine nature of Ma.s.senet's talent has often led him to choose frail members of the fair s.e.x as heroines of his works, such as Mary Magdalen, Eve, Herodias, and Manon. He lacks depth of thought and strength to grapple successfully with Biblical subjects, and the absence of these is not atoned for by an artificiality of expression, and the too frequent employment of affected mannerisms. At the same time, there is a distinct element of poetry noticeable in all his works, and a peculiar sensuous charm is prominent in most of his compositions. These qualities are not to be despised. To them are to be added a richly-coloured and varied instrumentation, and an always interesting and often original harmonic treatment. Ma.s.senet's name was now well known to concert-goers, and was shortly to become so to that larger section of the community, the theatre-going public, through the production of his opera "Le Roi de Lah.o.r.e." Previous to discussing the value of this work it will be well to mention the orchestral suites composed by him at different times, some of which occupy a permanent place in concert _repertoires_. Of these the most popular is ent.i.tled "Scenes Pittoresques," a set of four short movements, simple in structure, melodious, and well scored. There is not much in them, but although the material is scanty the workmans.h.i.+p is extremely clever, and the general effect decidedly pleasing. The "Scenes Dramatiques," after Shakespeare, the "Scenes Hongroises," and the "Scenes Alsaciennes" are interesting and replete with imagination and fancy.

Perhaps the most remarkable of the composer's purely instrumental works is the overture to Racine's "Phedre," a composition full of pa.s.sion and feeling, well worked out and admirably orchestrated, which is fully ent.i.tled to rank amongst the best modern concert overtures. It is to be regretted that the composer has not produced more works of the same kind. There is a virility of accent and an avoidance of specific mannerisms that may often be sought for in vain in his other compositions.

"Le Roi de Lah.o.r.e," produced at the Opera in 1877, obtained a great success, partly, perhaps, owing to the magnificence of the mounting, but also, it must be said, on account of the intrinsic value of the music. A spectacular opera in the fullest sense of the word, "Le Roi de Lah.o.r.e"

was a work eminently suited to a theatre such as the Grand Opera, where the ballet, _mise-en-scene_, and other accessories rank on an equal footing with the music. It was produced on a grand scale, the ballet act, taking place in the Paradise of Indra, forming one of the most gorgeous spectacles possible.

This act is perhaps the best from a musical point of view. In it Ma.s.senet has given full rein to his fancy, and has composed dance music of a really superior kind, which he has enriched with a piquant and effective instrumentation. "Le Roi de Lah.o.r.e" remains perhaps the best work that Ma.s.senet has composed for this theatre. It is more spontaneous than either "Le Cid" or "Le Mage," and contains many portions of great excellence. Every one knows the suave _cantilena_ for baritone that Mons. La.s.salle used to interpret in so incomparable a fas.h.i.+on. In his criticism of this work Mons. A. Jullien formulates the following opinion of Ma.s.senet and the present school of French composers: "They all know their work admirably, and treat the orchestra to perfection. They have more or less natural grace and tenderness, but they often lack power and originality. They make up for the first of these by the employment of noisy effects, and for the other by a search after novelty that occasionally amounts to eccentricity. Neither have they got sufficiently settled ideas: they try to reconcile the elements of different schools; they do not write any more _roulades_ or _points d'orgue_, but they allow singers to spread out their fine voices on final cadences; they understand the necessity of renovating and vivifying the opera, but they only dare to make timid attempts in this direction at long intervals, and return immediately to used-up formulas, to _ensembles_, to choruses, and to the most commonplace finales."

There is a great deal of truth in these words; at the same time it is difficult to foresee an epoch when the "lyrical drama" will have attained that state of perfection as to be no more susceptible of improvement. The progress that has been effected in France during these last thirty years in the direction of a higher conception of the musical drama has been enormous. The ball has been set rolling by some of those composers who would perhaps now be anxious to arrest its course, but the impetus having been given, it has been kept going by the younger aspirants to operatic fame, and is not likely to stop.

"Le Roi de Lah.o.r.e" obtained a distinct success, which was repeated in a number of continental cities, including our own metropolis.

Ma.s.senet visited England in 1878, and conducted a concert devoted to his own music at the Crystal Palace. The programme included extracts from "Le Roi de Lah.o.r.e" and "Les Erinnyes." He also appeared at a concert given by Mme. Viard Louis at the St. James's Hall, on which occasion he directed the performance of his orchestral suite ent.i.tled "Scenes from Shakespeare."

Ma.s.senet's reputation was now established upon a solid basis. On the death of F. Bazin he had succeeded him as one of the leading professors of the Conservatoire. He had also been elected a member of the Inst.i.tute. His next work, a religious cantata ent.i.tled "La Vierge,"

produced at the Opera in 1880, was, however, coldly received. Ma.s.senet, who conducted the orchestra in person, was grievously disappointed at this, but set to work with renewed vigour at an opera ent.i.tled "Herodiade," which was brought out with great success at Brussels in 1881. This work has since been given in Paris, as well as in various continental towns, where it has been well received. The nature of the subject necessarily stands in the way of its being produced in London.

Certain extracts, however, have been heard in our concert-rooms. The score of "Herodiade" abounds in examples of that sensuous melody so characteristic of the composer. There is very little Biblical about it, and it is to be regretted that another and better subject was not hit upon than this parody of Holy Writ. Ma.s.senet's strains would probably have been equally appropriate, and the susceptibilities of those who look upon this sort of thing as a desecration of religion would have been respected.

There is indeed a vast difference between taking a subject like "Samson et Dalila," against which none but the most strict could object, and turning St. John the Baptist into a commonplace operatic hero. If it were not for the libretto, "Herodiade" ought to be heard in London, as it counts amongst its author's best works, and, despite certain weaknesses, occupies an honourable place in the ranks of modern operas.

The following lines, written by Camille Saint-Saens after the first performance of "Herodiade" at Brussels, will be read with interest. I will not spoil the charm of the original words by attempting to translate them; "La qualite maitresse de la musique du jeune maitre est la fraicheur, qualite si rare que M. Ma.s.senet me parait etre le seul a la posseder. On dirait par moments qu'il n'en sent pas le prix, a le voir poursuivre, en apparence du moins, un ideal de force violente.

N'est-ce donc rien que le parfum de la rose, la voix du rossignol et l'aile du papillon? Bien des gens trouveront que la rose, le rossignol et le papillon ne sont pas fort a plaindre, et qu'ils n'ont que faire de lutter avec le tigre et le mancenillier."

We now arrive at the work through which Ma.s.senet is best known in this country, one which perhaps displays the peculiar nature of his talent to the greatest advantage. "Manon," that very fascinating musical setting of the Abbe Prevost's romance, was first played at the Opera Comique in 1884. For twelve years no new opera by Ma.s.senet had been produced at this theatre, and he had since then conquered celebrity as a dramatic composer and as an orchestral writer. The famous novel of the Abbe Prevost had already previously been utilised for operatic purposes by Auber, and has since been used as an opera text by the Italian composer Puccini. It furnished Ma.s.senet with a subject particularly suited to his muse.