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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Musicians of To-Day + +Author: Romain Rolland + +Commentator: Claude Landi + +Translator: Mary Blaiklock + +Release Date: August 7, 2005 [EBook #16467] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MUSICIANS OF TO-DAY *** + + + + +Produced by David Newman, Chuck Greif and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + +</pre> + + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h1>MUSICIANS OF TO-DAY</h1> + <h3>BY</h3> + <h2>ROMAIN ROLLAND</h2> + <h3>AUTHOR OF "JEAN-CHRISTOPHE"</h3> + <h3>TRANSLATED BY MARY BLAIKLOCK</h3> + <h3>WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY CLAUDE LANDI</h3> + <div class="center"> + <img src="images/decorative2.png" alt="decoration" title="decoration" /> + </div> + <h4>THE MUSICIAN'S BOOKSHELF. A NEW SERIES.</h4> + <h4><i>Crown 8vo. Occasionally Illustrated.</i></h4> + <h4>EDITED BY CLAUDE LANDI, L.R.A.M., A.R.C.M.</h4> + <h4>NEW YORK</h4> + <h4>HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY</h4> + <h4>1915</h4> + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h2>CONTENTS</h2> + <div style="margin-left: 10em;"> + <ul> + <li><a href="#INTRODUCTION"><b>INTRODUCTION</b></a></li> + <li><a href="#BERLIOZ"><b>BERLIOZ I</b></a></li> + <li><a href="#II"><b>BERLIOZ II</b></a></li> + <li><a href="#WAGNER"><b>WAGNER: "SIEGFRIED"</b></a></li> + <li><a href="#TRISTANquot"><b>WAGNER: "TRISTAN"</b></a></li> + <li><a href="#CAMILLE_SAINT_SAENS"><b>CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS</b></a></li> + <li><a href="#VINCENT_DINDY"><b>VINCENT D'INDY</b></a></li> + <li><a href="#RICHARD_STRAUSS"><b>RICHARD STRAUSS</b></a></li> + <li><a href="#HUGO_WOLF"><b>HUGO WOLF</b></a></li> + <li><a href="#DON_LORENZO_PEROSI"><b>DON LORENZO PEROSI</b></a></li> + <li><a href="#FRENCH_AND_GERMAN_MUSIC"><b>FRENCH AND GERMAN MUSIC</b></a></li> + <li><a href="#CLAUDE_DEBUSSY"><b>CLAUDE DEBUSSY: "Pelléas et + Mélisande"</b></a></li> + <li><a href="#AWAKENING"><b>THE AWAKENING: A SKETCH OF THE MUSICAL MOVEMENT IN + PARIS SINCE 1870</b></a></li> + <li style='list-style-type: none'> <ul> + <li><a href="#paris"><b>PARIS AND MUSIC</b></a></li> + <li><a href="#before"><b>MUSICAL INSTITUTIONS BEFORE 1870</b></a></li> + <li><a href="#new"><b>NEW MUSICAL INSTITUTIONS</b></a></li> + </ul></li> + + <li><a href="#present"><b>THE PRESENT CONDITION OF FRENCH MUSIC</b></a></li> + <li><a href="#FOOTNOTES"><b>FOOTNOTES</b></a></li> + </ul> + </div> + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h2><a name="INTRODUCTION" id="INTRODUCTION"></a>INTRODUCTION</h2> + <p>It is perhaps fitting that the series of volumes comprising <i>The Musician's + Bookshelf</i> should be inaugurated by the present collection of essays. To the + majority of English readers the name of that strange and forceful personality, Romain + Rolland, is known only through his magnificent, intimate record of an artist's life + and aspirations, embracing ten volumes, <i>Jean-Christophe</i>. This is not the place + in which to discuss that masterpiece. A few biographical facts concerning the author + may not, however, be out of place here.</p> + <p>Romain Rolland is forty-eight years old. He was born on January 29, 1866, at + Clamecy (Nièvre), France. He came very early under the influence of Tolstoy + and Wagner and displayed a remarkable critical faculty. In 1895 (at the age of + twenty-nine) we find him awarded the coveted Grand Prix of the Académie + Française for his work <i>Histoire de l'Opéra en Europe avant Lulli et + Scarlatti</i>, and in the same year he sustained, before the faculty of the + Sorbonne—where he now occupies the chair of musical criticism—a + remarkable dissertation on <i>The Origin of</i> <i>the Modern Lyrical + Drama</i>—his thesis for the Doctorate. This, in reality, is a vehement protest + against the indifference for the Art of Music which, up to that time, had always been + displayed by the University. In 1903 he published a remarkable <i>Life of + Beethoven</i>, followed by a <i>Life of Hugo Wolf</i> in 1905. The present volume, + together with its companion, <i>Musiciens d'Autrefois</i>, appeared in 1908. Both + form remarkable essays and reveal a consummate and most intimate knowledge of the + life and works of our great contemporaries. A just estimate of a composer's work is + not to be arrived at without a study of his works and of the conditions under which + these were produced. To take, for instance, the case of but one of the composers + treated in this volume, Hector Berlioz. No composer has been so misunderstood, so + vilified as he, simply because those who have written about him, either wilfully or + through ignorance, have grossly misrepresented him.</p> + <p>The essay on Berlioz, in the present volume, reveals a true insight into the + personality of this unfortunate and great artist, and removes any false + misconceptions which unsympathetic and superficial handling may have engendered. + Indeed, the same introspective faculty is displayed in all the other essays which + form this volume, which, it is believed, will prove of the greatest value not only to + the professional student, but also to the <i>intelligent listener</i>, for whom the + present series of volumes has been primarily planned. We hear much, nowadays, of the + value of "Musical Appreciation." It is high time that something was done to educate + our audiences and to dispel the hitherto prevalent fallacy that Music need not be + regarded seriously. We do not want more creative artists, more executants; the world + is full of them—good, bad and indifferent—but we <i>do</i> want more + <i>intelligent listeners</i>.</p> + <p>I do not think it is an exaggeration to assert that the majority of listeners at a + high-class concert or recital are absolutely bored. How can it be otherwise, when the + composers represented are mere names to them? Why should the general public + appreciate a Bach fugue, an intricate symphony or a piece of chamber-music? Do we + professional musicians appreciate the technique of a wonderful piece of sculpture, of + an equally wonderful feat of engineering or even of a miraculous surgical operation? + It may be argued that an analogy between sculpture, engineering, surgery and music is + absurd, because the three former do not appeal to the masses in the same manner as + music does. Precisely: it is because of this universal appeal on the part of music + that the public should be educated to <i>listen</i> to <i>good</i> music; that they + should be given, in a general way, a chance to acquaint themselves with the laws underlying the + "Beautiful in Music" and should be shown the demands which a right appreciation of + the Art makes upon the Intellect and the Emotions.</p> + <p>And, surely, such a "desideratum" may best be effected by a careful perusal of the + manuals to be included in the present series. It is incontestable that the reader of + the following pages—apart from a knowledge of the various musical forms, of + orchestration, etc.—all of which will be duly treated in successive + volumes—will be in a better position to appreciate the works of the several + composers to which he may be privileged to listen. The last essay, especially, will + be read with interest to-day, when we may hope to look forward to a cessation of + race-hatred and distrust, and to what a writer in the <i>Musical Times</i> + (September, 1914) has called, "a new sense of the emotional solidarity of mankind. + From that sense alone," he adds, "can the real music of the future be born."</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>CLAUDE LANDI.</p> + </div> + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <a name="page1" id="page1"/> + <h2>MUSICIANS OF TO-DAY</h2> + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h3><a id="BERLIOZ" name='BERLIOZ'></a>BERLIOZ</h3> + <h3>I</h3> + <p>It may seem a paradox to say that no musician is so little known as Berlioz. The + world thinks it knows him. A noisy fame surrounds his person and his work. Musical + Europe has celebrated his centenary. Germany disputes with France the glory of having + nurtured and shaped his genius. Russia, whose triumphal reception consoled him for + the indifference and enmity of Paris,<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" + class="fnanchor">[1]</a> has said, through the voice of Balakirew, + that he was "the only musician France possessed." His chief compositions are often + played at concerts; and some of them have the rare quality of appealing both to the + cultured and the crowd; a few have even reached great popularity. Works have been + dedicated to him, and he himself has been described and criticised by many writers. + He is popular even to his face; for his face, like his music, was so striking and + singular that it seemed to show you his character at a glance. No clouds hide his + mind and its creations, which, unlike Wagner's, need no initia<a name="page2" id="page2"/>tion to be understood; they + seem to have no hidden meaning, no subtle mystery; one is instantly their friend or + their enemy, for the first impression is a lasting one.</p> + <p>That is the worst of it; people imagine that they understand Berlioz with so very + little trouble. Obscurity of meaning may harm an artist less than a seeming + transparency; to be shrouded in mist may mean remaining long misunderstood, but those + who wish to understand will at least be thorough in their search for the truth. It is + not always realised how depth and complexity may exist in a work of clear design and + strong contrasts—in the obvious genius of some great Italian of the Renaissance + as much as in the troubled heart of a Rembrandt and the twilight of the North.</p> + <p>That is the first pitfall; but there are many more that will beset us in the + attempt to understand Berlioz. To get at the man himself one must break down a wall + of prejudice and pedantry, of convention and intellectual snobbery. In short, one + must shake off nearly all current ideas about his work if one wishes to extricate it + from the dust that has drifted about it for half a century.</p> + <p>Above all, one must not make the mistake of contrasting Berlioz with Wagner, + either by sacrificing Berlioz to that Germanic Odin, or by forcibly trying to + reconcile one to the other. For there are some who condemn Berlioz in the name of + Wagner's theories; and others who, not liking the sacrifice, seek to make him a + forerunner of Wagner, or kind of elder brother, whose mission was to clear a way and + <a name="page3" id="page3"/>prepare a road for a + genius greater than his own. Nothing is falser. To understand Berlioz one must shake + off the hypnotic influence of Bayreuth. Though Wagner may have learnt something from + Berlioz, the two composers have nothing in common; their genius and their art are + absolutely opposed; each one has ploughed his furrow in a different field.</p> + <p>The Classical misunderstanding is quite as dangerous. By that I mean the clinging + to superstitions of the past, and the pedantic desire to enclose art within narrow + limits, which still flourish among critics. Who has not met these censors of music? + They will tell you with solid complacence how far music may go, and where it must + stop, and what it may express and what it must not. They are not always musicians + themselves. But what of that? Do they not lean on the example of the past? The past! + a handful of works that they themselves hardly understand. Meanwhile, music, by its + unceasing growth, gives the lie to their theories, and breaks down these weak + barriers. But they do not see it, do not wish to see it; since they cannot advance + themselves, they deny progress. Critics of this kind do not think favourably of + Berlioz's dramatic and descriptive symphonies. How should they appreciate the boldest + musical achievement of the nineteenth century? These dreadful pedants and zealous + defenders of an art that they only understand after it has ceased to live are the + worst enemies of unfettered genius, and may do more harm than a whole army of + ignorant people. For in a country like ours, where musical education <a name="page4" id="page4"/>is poor, timidity is great + in the presence of a strong, but only half-understood, tradition; and anyone who has + the boldness to break away from it is condemned without judgment. I doubt if Berlioz + would have obtained any consideration at all from lovers of classical music in France + if he had not found allies in that country of classical music, Germany—"the + oracle of Delphi," "Germania alma parens,"<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" + class="fnanchor">[2]</a> as he called her. Some of the young + German school found inspiration in Berlioz. The dramatic symphony that he created + flourished in its German form under Liszt; the most eminent German composer of + to-day, Richard Strauss, came under his influence; and Felix Weingartner, who with + Charles Malherbe edited Berlioz's complete works, was bold enough to write, "In spite + of Wagner and Liszt, we should not be where we are if Berlioz had not lived." This + unexpected support, coming from a country of traditions, has thrown the partisans of + Classic tradition into confusion, and rallied Berlioz's friends.</p> + <p>But here is a new danger. Though it is natural that Germany, more musical than + France, should recognise the grandeur and originality of Berlioz's music before + France, it is doubtful whether the German nature could ever fully understand a soul + so French in its essence. It is, perhaps, what is exterior in Berlioz, his positive + originality, that the Germans appreciate. They prefer the <i>Requiem</i> to + <i>Roméo</i>. A Richard Strauss would be attracted by an almost insignificant + work like the <a name="page5" + id="page5"/><i>Ouverture du roi Lear</i>; a Weingartner would single out for notice + works like the <i>Symphonic fantastique</i> and <i>Harold</i>, and exaggerate their + importance. But they do not feel what is intimate in him. Wagner said over the tomb + of Weber, "England does you justice, France admires you, but only Germany loves you; + you are of her own being, a glorious day of her life, a warm drop of her blood, a + part of her heart...." One might adapt his words to Berlioz; it is as difficult for a + German really to love Berlioz as it is for a Frenchman to love Wagner or Weber. One + must, therefore, be careful about accepting unreservedly the judgment of Germany on + Berlioz; for in that would lie the danger of a new misunderstanding. You see how both + the followers and opponents of Berlioz hinder us from getting at the truth. Let us + dismiss them.</p> + <p>Have we now come to the end of our difficulties? Not yet; for Berlioz is the most + illusive of men, and no one has helped more than he to mislead people in their + estimate of him. We know how much he has written about music and about his own life, + and what wit and understanding he shows in his shrewd criticisms and charming + <i>Mémoires</i>. +<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> + <a name="page6" + id="page6"/>One would think that such an imaginative and skilful + writer, accustomed in his profession of critic to express every shade of feeling, + would be able to tell us more exactly his ideas of art than a Beethoven or a Mozart. + But it is not so. As too much light may blind the vision, so too much intellect may + hinder the understanding. Berlioz's mind spent itself in details; it reflected light + from too many facets, and did not focus itself in one strong beam which would have + made known his power. He did not know how to dominate either his life or his work; he + did not even try to dominate them. He was the incarnation of romantic genius, an + unrestrained force, unconscious of the road he trod. I would not go so far as to say + that he did not understand himself, but there are certainly times when he is past + understanding himself. He allows himself to drift where chance will take him,<a + name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" + class="fnanchor">[4]</a> like an old Scandinavian pirate laid at the bottom of his + boat, staring up at the sky; and he dreams and groans and laughs and gives himself up + to his feverish delusions. He lived with his emotions as uncertainly as he lived with + his art. In his music, as in his criticisms of music, he often contradicts himself, + hesitates, and turns back; he is not sure either of his feelings or his thoughts. He + has poetry in his soul, and strives to write operas; but his admiration wavers + between Gluck and Meyerbeer. He has a popular genius, but despises the people. He is + a daring musical revolutionary, <a name="page7" + id="page7"/>but he allows the control of this musical movement to be + taken from him by anyone who wishes to have it. Worse than that: he disowns the + movement, turns his back upon the future, and throws himself again into the past. For + what reason? Very often he does not know. Passion, bitterness, caprice, wounded + pride—these have more influence with him than the serious things of life. He is + a man at war with himself.</p> + <p>Then contrast Berlioz with Wagner. Wagner, too, was stirred by violent passions, + but he was always master of himself, and his reason remained unshaken by the storms + of his heart or those of the world, by the torments of love or the strife of + political revolutions. He made his experiences and even his errors serve his art; he + wrote about his theories before he put them into practice; and he only launched out + when he was sure of himself, and when the way lay clear before him. And think how + much Wagner owes to this written expression of his aims and the magnetic attraction + of his arguments. It was his prose works that fascinated the King of Bavaria before + he had heard his music; and for many others also they have been the key to that + music. I remember being impressed by Wagner's ideas when I only half understood his + art; and when one of his compositions puzzled me, my confidence was not shaken, for I + was sure that the genius who was so convincing in his reasoning would not blunder; + and that if his music baffled me, it was I who was at fault. Wagner was really his + own best friend, his own most trusty champion; and his was the <a name="page8" id="page8"/>guiding hand that led one + through the thick forest and over the rugged crags of his work.</p> + <p>Not only do you get no help from Berlioz in this way, but he is the first to lead + you astray and wander with you in the paths of error. To understand his genius you + must seize hold of it unaided. His genius was really great, but, as I shall try to + show you, it lay at the mercy of a weak character.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>Everything about Berlioz was misleading, even his appearance. In legendary + portraits he appears as a dark southerner with black hair and sparkling eyes. But he + was really very fair and had blue eyes,<a name="FNanchor_5_5" + id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a> and Joseph + d'Ortigue tells us they were deep-set and piercing, though sometimes clouded by + melancholy or languor.<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a + href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> He had a broad forehead furrowed with + wrinkles by the time he was thirty, and a thick mane of hair, or, as E. + Legouvé puts it, "a large umbrella of hair, projecting like a movable awning + over the beak of a bird of prey."<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a + href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a></p> + <p><a name="page9" id="page9"/>His mouth was well + cut, with lips compressed and puckered at the corners in a severe fold, and his chin + was prominent. He had a deep voice,<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a + href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a> but his speech was halting and often + tremulous with emotion; he would speak passionately of what interested him, and at + times be effusive in manner, but more often he was ungracious and reserved. He was of + medium height, rather thin and angular in figure, and when seated he seemed much + taller than he really was.<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a + href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> He was very restless, and inherited + from his native land, Dauphiné, the mountaineer's passion for walking and + climbing, and the love of a vagabond life, which remained with him nearly to his + death.<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" + class="fnanchor">[10]</a> He had an iron constitution, but he wrecked it by privation + and excess, by his walks in the rain, and by sleeping out-of-doors in all weathers, + even when there was snow on the ground.<a name="FNanchor_11_11" + id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a></p> + <p>But in this strong and athletic frame lived a feverish and sickly soul that was + dominated and tormented by a morbid craving for love and sympathy: "that imperative + need of love which is killing me...."<a name="FNanchor_12_12" + id="FNanchor_12_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a> To love, + to be loved—he would give up all for that.</p> + <p><a name="page10" id="page10"/>But his love + was that of a youth who lives in dreams; it was never the strong, clear-eyed passion + of a man who has faced the realities of life, and who sees the defects as well as the + charms of the woman he loves, Berlioz was in love with love, and lost himself among + visions and sentimental shadows. To the end of his life he remained "a poor little + child worn out by a love that was beyond him."<a name="FNanchor_13_13" + id="FNanchor_13_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a> But this + man who lived so wild and adventurous a life expressed his passions with delicacy; + and one finds an almost girlish purity in the immortal love passages of <i>Les + Troyens</i> or the "<i>nuit sereine"</i> of <i>Roméo et Juliette</i>. And + compare this Virgilian affection with Wagner's sensual raptures. Does it mean that + Berlioz could not love as well as Wagner? We only know that Berlioz's life was made + up of love and its torments. The theme of a touching passage in the Introduction of + the <i>Symphonic fantastique</i> has been recently identified by M. Julien Tiersot, + in his interesting book,<a name="FNanchor_14_14" id="FNanchor_14_14"></a><a + href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a> with a romance composed by Berlioz + at the age of twelve, when he loved a girl of eighteen "with large eyes and pink + shoes"—Estelle, <i>Stella mentis, Stella matutina</i>. These + words—perhaps the saddest he ever wrote—might serve as an emblem of his + life, a life that was a prey to love and melancholy, doomed to wringing of the heart + and awful loneliness; a life lived in a hollow world, among worries that chilled the + blood; a life that was distasteful and had no solace to offer him in its end.<a + name="FNanchor_15_15" id="FNanchor_15_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_15" + class="fnanchor">[15]</a> He has himself described this terrible "<i>mal de + l'isolement</i>,"<a name="page11" id="page11"/> + which pursued him all his life, vividly and minutely.<a name="FNanchor_16_16" + id="FNanchor_16_16"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a> He was + doomed to suffering, or, what was worse, to make others suffer.</p> + <p><a name="page12" id="page12"/>Who does not + know his passion for Henrietta Smithson? It was a sad story. He fell in love with an + English actress who played Juliet (Was it she or Juliet whom he loved?). He caught + but a glance of her, and it was all over with him. He cried out, "Ah, I am lost!" He + desired her; she repulsed him. He lived in a delirium of suffering and passion; he + wandered about for days and nights like a madman, up and down Paris and its + neighbourhood, without purpose or rest or relief, until sleep overcame him wherever + it found him—among the sheaves in a field near Villejuif, in a meadow near + Sceaux, on the bank of the frozen Seine near Neuilly, in the snow, and once on a + table in the Café Cardinal, where he slept for five hours, to the great alarm + of the waiters, who thought he was dead.<a name="FNanchor_17_17" + id="FNanchor_17_17"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a> + Meanwhile, he was told slanderous gossip about Henrietta, which he readily believed. + Then he despised her, and dishonoured her publicly in his <i>Symphonie + fantastique</i>, paying homage in his bitter resentment to Camille Moke, a pianist, + to whom he lost his heart without delay.</p> + <p>After a time Henrietta reappeared. She had now lost her youth and her power; her + beauty was waning, and she was in debt. Berlioz's passion was at once rekindled. This + time Henrietta accepted his advances. He made alterations in his symphony, and + offered it to her in homage of his love. He won her, and married her, with fourteen + thousand francs debt. He had captured his dream—Juliet! Ophelia! What was she + really? A charming Englishwoman, cold, loyal, and sober-minded, who understood + nothing of his passion; and who, from the time she became his wife, loved him + jealously and sincerely, and thought to confine him within the narrow world of + domestic life. But his affections became restive, and he lost his heart to a Spanish + actress (it was always an actress, a virtuoso, or a part) and left poor Ophelia, and + went off with Marie Recio, the Inès of <i>Favorite</i>, the page of <i>Comte + Ory</i>—a practical, hard<a name="page13" + id="page13"/>headed woman, an indifferent singer with a mania for + singing. The haughty Berlioz was forced to fawn upon the directors of the theatre in + order to get her parts, to write flattering notices in praise of her talents, and + even to let her make his own melodies discordant at the concerts he arranged.<a + name="FNanchor_18_18" id="FNanchor_18_18"></a><a href="#Footnote_18_18" + class="fnanchor">[18]</a> It would all be dreadfully ridiculous if this weakness of + character had not brought tragedy in its train.</p> + <p>So the one he really loved, and who always loved him, remained alone, without + friends, in Paris, where she was a stranger. She drooped in silence and pined slowly + away, bedridden, paralysed, and unable to speak during eight years of suffering. + Berlioz suffered too, for he loved her still and was torn with pity—"pity, the + most painful of all emotions."<a name="FNanchor_19_19" id="FNanchor_19_19"></a><a + href="#Footnote_19_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a> But of what use was this pity? He + left Henrietta to suffer alone and to die just the same. And, what was worse, as we + learn from Legouvé, he let his mistress, the odious Recio, make a scene before + poor Henrietta.<a name="FNanchor_20_20" id="FNanchor_20_20"></a><a + href="#Footnote_20_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a> Recio told him of it and boasted + about what she had done.</p> + <p><a name="page14" id="page14"/>And Berlioz did + nothing—"How could I? I love her."</p> + <p>One would be hard upon such a man if one was not disarmed by his own sufferings. + But let us go on. I should have liked to pass over these traits, but I have no right + to; I must show you the extraordinary feebleness of the man's character. "Man's + character," did I say? No, it was the character of a woman without a will, the victim + of her nerves.<a name="FNanchor_21_21" id="FNanchor_21_21"></a><a + href="#Footnote_21_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a></p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>Such people are destined to unhappiness; and if they make other people suffer, one + may be sure that it is only half of what they suffer themselves. They have a peculiar + gift for attracting and gathering <a name="page15" + id="page15"/>up trouble; they savour sorrow like wine, and do not lose + a drop of it. Life seemed desirous that Berlioz should be steeped in suffering; and + his misfortunes were so real that it would be unnecessary to add to them any + exaggerations that history has handed down to us.</p> + <p>People find fault with Berlioz's continual complaints; and I, too, find in them a + lack of virility and almost a lack of dignity. To all appearances, he had far fewer + material reasons for unhappiness than—I won't say Beethoven—Wagner and + other great men, past, present, and future. When thirty-five years old he had + achieved glory; and Paganini proclaimed him Beethoven's successor. What more could he + want? He was discussed by the public, disparaged by a Scudo and an Adolphus Adam, and + the theatre only opened its doors to him with difficulty. It was really splendid!</p> + <p>But a careful examination of facts, such as that made by M. Julien Tiersot, shows + the stifling mediocrity and hardship of his life. There were, first of all, his + material cares. When thirty-six years old "Beethoven's successor" had a fixed salary + of fifteen hundred francs as assistant keeper of the Conservatoire Library, and not + quite as much for his contributions to the <i>Debits</i>-contributions which + exasperated and humiliated him, and were one of the crosses of his life, as they + obliged him to speak anything but the truth.<a name="FNanchor_22_22" + id="FNanchor_22_22"></a><a href="#Footnote_22_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a></p> + <p><a name="page16" id="page16"/>That made a + total of three thousand francs, hardly gained on which he had to keep a wife and + child—"<i>même deux</i>," as M. Tiersot says. He attempted a festival at + the Opera; the result was three hundred and sixty francs loss. He organised a + festival at the 1844 Exhibition; the receipts were thirty-two thousand francs, out of + which he got eight hundred francs. He had the <i>Damnation de Faust</i> performed; no + one came to it, and he was ruined. Things went better in Russia; but the manager who + brought him to England became bankrupt. He was haunted by thoughts of rents and + doctors' bills. Towards the end of his life his financial affairs mended a little, + and a year before his death he uttered these sad words: "I suffer a great deal, but I + do not want to die now—I have enough to live upon."</p> + <p>One of the most tragic episodes of his life is that of the symphony which he did + not write because of his poverty. One wonders why the page that finishes his + <i>Mémoires</i> is not better known, for it touches the depths of human + suffering.</p> + <p>At the time when his wife's health was causing him most anxiety, there came to him + one night an inspiration for a symphony. The first part of it—an allegro in + two-four time in A minor—was ringing in his head. He got up and began to write, + and then he thought,</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"If I begin this bit, I shall have to write the whole symphony. It will be a big + thing, and I shall have to spend three or four months over it. That means I shall + write no more articles and earn no money. And when the symphony is finished<a name="page17" id="page17"/>I shall not be able to + resist the temptation of having it copied (which will mean an expense of a thousand + or twelve hundred francs), and then of having it played. I shall give a concert, + and the receipts will barely cover half the cost. I shall lose what I have not got; + the poor invalid will lack necessities; and I shall be able to pay neither my + personal expenses nor my son's fees when he goes on board ship.... These thoughts + made me shudder, and I threw down my pen, saying, 'Bah! to-morrow I shall have + forgotten the symphony.' The next night I heard the allegro clearly, and seemed to + see it written down. I was filled with feverish agitation; I sang the theme; I was + going to get up ... but the reflections of the day before restrained me; I steeled + myself against the temptation, and clung to the thought of forgetting it. At last I + went to sleep; and the next day, on waking, all remembrance of it had, indeed, gone + for ever."<a name="FNanchor_23_23" id="FNanchor_23_23"></a><a + href="#Footnote_23_23" class="fnanchor">[23]</a></p> + </div> + <p>That page makes one shudder. Suicide is less distressing. Neither Beethoven nor + Wagner suffered such tortures. What would Wagner have done on a like occasion? He + would have written the symphony without doubt—and he would have been right. But + poor Berlioz, who was weak enough to sacrifice his duty to love, was, alas! also + heroic enough to sacrifice his genius to duty.<a name="FNanchor_24_24" + id="FNanchor_24_24"></a><a href="#Footnote_24_24" class="fnanchor">[24]</a><a name="page18" id="page18"/></p> + <p>And in spite of all this material misery and the sorrow of being misunderstood, + people speak of the glory he enjoyed. What did his compeers think of him—at + least, those who called themselves such? He knew that Mendelssohn, whom he loved and + esteemed, and who styled himself his "good friend," despised him and did not + recognise his genius.<a name="FNanchor_25_25" id="FNanchor_25_25"></a><a + href="#Footnote_25_25" class="fnanchor">[25]</a> The large-hearted Schumann, who was, + with the exception of Liszt,<a name="FNanchor_26_26" id="FNanchor_26_26"></a><a + href="#Footnote_26_26" class="fnanchor">[26]</a> the only person who intuitively felt + his greatness, admitted that he used sometimes to wonder if he ought to be looked + upon as "a genius or a musical adventurer."<a name="FNanchor_27_27" + id="FNanchor_27_27"></a><a href="#Footnote_27_27" class="fnanchor">[27]</a></p> + <p><a name="page19" id="page19"/>Wagner, who + treated his symphonies with scorn before he had even read them,<a + name="FNanchor_28_28" id="FNanchor_28_28"></a><a href="#Footnote_28_28" + class="fnanchor">[28]</a> who certainly understood his genius, and who deliberately + ignored him, threw himself into Berlioz's arms when he met him in London in 1855. "He + embraced him with fervour, and wept; and hardly had he left him when <i>The Musical + World</i> published passages from his book, <i>Oper und Drama</i>, where he pulls + Berlioz to pieces mercilessly."<a name="FNanchor_29_29" id="FNanchor_29_29"></a><a + href="#Footnote_29_29" class="fnanchor">[29]</a> In France, the young Gounod, <i>doli + fabricator Epeus</i>, as Berlioz called him, lavished flattering words upon him, but + spent his time in finding fault with his compositions,<a name="FNanchor_30_30" + id="FNanchor_30_30"></a><a href="#Footnote_30_30" class="fnanchor">[30]</a> or in + trying to supplant him at the theatre. At the Opera he was passed over in favour of a + Prince Poniatowski.</p> + <p>He presented himself three times at the Academy, and was beaten the first time by + Onslow, the second time by Clapisson, and the third time he conquered by a majority + of one vote against Panseron, Vogel, Leborne, and others, including, as always, + Gounod. He died before the <i>Damnation de Faust</i> was appreciated in France, + although it was the most remarkable musical composition France had produced. They + hissed its performance? Not at all; "they were merely indifferent"—it is + Berlioz who tells us this. It passed unnoticed. He died before he had seen <i>Les + Troyens</i> played in its entirety, though it <a name="page20" + id="page20"/>was one of the noblest works of the French lyric theatre + that had been composed since the death of Gluck.<a name="FNanchor_31_31" + id="FNanchor_31_31"></a><a href="#Footnote_31_31" class="fnanchor">[31]</a> But there + is no need to be astonished. To hear these works to-day one must go to Germany. And + although the dramatic work of Berlioz has found its Bayreuth—thanks to Mottl, + to Karlsruhe and Munich—and the marvellous <i>Benvenuto Cellini</i> has been + played in twenty German towns,<a name="FNanchor_32_32" id="FNanchor_32_32"></a><a + href="#Footnote_32_32" class="fnanchor">[32]</a> and regarded as a masterpiece by + Weingartner and Richard Strauss, what manager of a French theatre would think of + producing such works?</p> + <p>But this is not all. What was the bitterness of failure compared with the great + anguish of death? Berlioz saw all those he loved die one after the other: his father, + his mother, Henrietta Smithson, Marie Recio. Then only his son Louis remained.</p> + <p><a name="page21" id="page21"/>He was the + captain of a merchant vessel; a clever, good-hearted boy, but restless and nervous, + irresolute and unhappy, like his father. "He has the misfortune to resemble me in + everything," said Berlioz; "and we love each other like a couple of twins."<a + name="FNanchor_33_33" id="FNanchor_33_33"></a><a href="#Footnote_33_33" + class="fnanchor">[33]</a> "Ah, my poor Louis," he wrote to him, "what should I do + without you?" A few months afterwards he learnt that Louis had died in far-away + seas.</p> + <p>He was now alone.<a name="FNanchor_34_34" id="FNanchor_34_34"></a><a + href="#Footnote_34_34" class="fnanchor">[34]</a> There were no more friendly voices; + all that he heard was a hideous duet between loneliness and weariness, sung in his + ear during the bustle of the day and in the silence of the night.<a + name="FNanchor_35_35" id="FNanchor_35_35"></a><a href="#Footnote_35_35" + class="fnanchor">[35]</a> He was wasted with disease. In 1856, at Weimar, following + great fatigue, he was seized with an internal malady. It began with great mental + distress; he used to sleep in the streets. He suffered constantly; he was like "a + tree without leaves, streaming with rain." At the end of 1861, the disease was in an + acute stage. He had attacks of pain sometimes lasting thirty hours, during which he + would writhe in agony in his bed. "I live in the midst of my physical pain, + overwhelmed with weariness. Death is very slow."<a name="FNanchor_36_36" + id="FNanchor_36_36"></a><a href="#Footnote_36_36" class="fnanchor">[36]</a></p> + <p><a name="page22" id="page22"/>Worst of all, + in the heart of his misery, there was nothing that comforted him. He believed in + nothing—neither in God nor immortality.</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"I have no faith.... I hate all philosophy and everything that resembles it, + whether religious or otherwise.... I am as incapable of making a medicine of faith + as of having faith in medicine."<a name="FNanchor_37_37" id="FNanchor_37_37"></a><a + href="#Footnote_37_37" class="fnanchor">[37]</a></p> + <p>"God is stupid and cruel in his complete indifference."<a name="FNanchor_38_38" + id="FNanchor_38_38"></a><a href="#Footnote_38_38" class="fnanchor">[38]</a></p> + </div> + <p>He did not believe in beauty or honour, in mankind or himself.</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"Everything passes. Space and time consume beauty, youth, love, glory, genius. + Human life is nothing; death is no better. Worlds are born and die like ourselves. + All is nothing. Yes, yes, yes! All is nothing.... To love or hate, enjoy or suffer, + admire or sneer, live or die—what does it matter? There is nothing in + greatness or littleness, beauty or ugliness. Eternity is indifferent; indifference + is eternal."<a name="FNanchor_39_39" id="FNanchor_39_39"></a><a + href="#Footnote_39_39" class="fnanchor">[39]</a></p> + <p>"I am weary of life; and I am forced to see that belief in absurdities is + necessary to human minds, and that it is born in them as insects are born in + swamps."<a name="FNanchor_40_40" id="FNanchor_40_40"></a><a href="#Footnote_40_40" + class="fnanchor">[40]</a></p> + </div> + <a name="page23" id="page23"/> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"You make me laugh with your old words about a mission to fulfil. What a + missionary! But there is in me an inexplicable mechanism which works in spite of + all arguments; and I let it work because I cannot stop it. What disgusts me most is + the certainty that beauty does not exist for the majority of these human + monkeys."<a name="FNanchor_41_41" id="FNanchor_41_41"></a><a href="#Footnote_41_41" + class="fnanchor">[41]</a></p> + <p>"The unsolvable enigma of the world, the existence of evil and pain, the fierce + madness of mankind, and the stupid cruelty that it inflicts hourly and everywhere + on the most inoffensive beings and on itself—all this has reduced me to the + state of unhappy and forlorn resignation of a scorpion surrounded by live coals. + The most I can do is not to wound myself with my own dart."<a name="FNanchor_42_42" + id="FNanchor_42_42"></a><a href="#Footnote_42_42" class="fnanchor">[42]</a></p> + <p>"I am in my sixty-first year; and I have no more hopes or illusions or + aspirations. I am alone; and my contempt for the stupidity and dishonesty of men, + and my hatred for their wicked cruelty, are at their height. Every hour I say to + Death, 'When you like!' What is he waiting for?"<a name="FNanchor_43_43" + id="FNanchor_43_43"></a><a href="#Footnote_43_43" class="fnanchor">[43]</a></p> + </div> + <p>And yet he fears the death he invites. It is the strongest, the bitterest, the + truest feeling he has. No musician since old Roland de Lassus has feared it with that + intensity. Do you remember Herod's sleepless nights in <i>L'Enfance du Christ</i>, or + Faust's soliloquy, or the anguish of Cassandra, or the burial of<a name="page24" id="page24"/>Juliette?—through + all this you will find the whispered fear of annihilation. The wretched man was + haunted by this fear, as a letter published by M. Julien Tiersot shows:—</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"My favourite walk, especially when it is raining, really raining in torrents, + is the cemetery of Montmartre, which is near my house. I often go there; there is + much that draws me to it. The day before yesterday I passed two hours in the + cemetery; I found a comfortable seat on a costly tomb, and I went to sleep.... + Paris is to me a cemetery and her pavements are tomb-stones. Everywhere are + memories of friends or enemies that are dead.... I do nothing but suffer unceasing + pain and unspeakable weariness. I wonder night and day if I shall die in great pain + or with little of it—I am not foolish enough to hope to die without any pain + at all. Why are we not dead?"<a name="FNanchor_44_44" id="FNanchor_44_44"></a><a + href="#Footnote_44_44" class="fnanchor">[44]</a></p> + </div> + <p>His music is like these mournful words; it is perhaps even more terrible, more + gloomy, for it breathes death.<a name="FNanchor_45_45" id="FNanchor_45_45"></a><a + href="#Footnote_45_45" class="fnanchor">[45]</a> What a contrast: a soul greedy of + life and preyed upon by death. It is this that makes his life such an awful tragedy. + When Wagner met Berlioz he heaved a sigh of relief—he had at last found a man + more unhappy than himself.<a name="FNanchor_46_46" id="FNanchor_46_46"></a><a + href="#Footnote_46_46" class="fnanchor">[46]</a><a + name="page25" id="page25"/></p> + <p>On the threshold of death he turned in despair to the one ray of light left + him—<i>Stella montis</i>, the inspiration of his childish love; Estelle, now + old, a grandmother, withered by age and grief. He made a pilgrimage to Meylan, near + Grenoble, to see her. He was then sixty-one years old and she was nearly seventy. + "The past! the past! O Time! Nevermore! Nevermore!"<a name="FNanchor_47_47" + id="FNanchor_47_47"></a><a href="#Footnote_47_47" class="fnanchor">[47]</a></p> + <p>Nevertheless, he loved her, and loved her desperately. How pathetic it is. One has + little inclination to smile when one sees the depths of that desolate heart. Do you + think he did not see, as clearly as you or I would see, the wrinkled old face, the + indifference of age, the "<i>triste raison</i>," in her he idealised? Remember, he + was the most ironical of men. But he did not wish to see these things, he wished to + cling to a little love, which would help him to live in the wilderness of life.</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"There is nothing real in this world but that which lives in the heart.... My + life has been wrapped up in the obscure little village where she lives.... Life is + only endurable when I tell myself: 'This autumn I shall spend a month beside her.' + I should die in this hell of a Paris if she did not allow me to write to her, and + if from time to time I had not letters from her."</p> + </div> + <p>So he spoke to Legouvé; and he sat down on a stone in a Paris street, and + wept. In the meantime, the old lady did not understand this foolishness; she hardly + tolerated it, and sought to undeceive him.<a name="page26" + id="page26"/></p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"When one's hair is white one must leave dreams—even those of + friendship.... Of what use is it to form ties which, though they hold to-day, may + break to-morrow?"</p> + </div> + <p>What were his dreams? To live with her? No; rather to die beside her; to feel she + was by his side when death should come.</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"To be at your feet, my head on your knees, your two hands in mine—so to + finish."<a name="FNanchor_48_48" id="FNanchor_48_48"></a><a href="#Footnote_48_48" + class="fnanchor">[48]</a></p> + </div> + <p>He was a little child grown old, and felt bewildered and miserable and frightened + before the thought of death.</p> + <p>Wagner, at the same age, a victor, worshipped, flattered, and—if we are to + believe the Bayreuth legend—crowned with prosperity; Wagner, sad and suffering, + doubting his achievements, feeling the inanity of his bitter fight against the + mediocrity of the world, had "fled far from the world"<a name="FNanchor_49_49" + id="FNanchor_49_49"></a><a href="#Footnote_49_49" class="fnanchor">[49]</a> and + thrown himself into religion; and when a friend looked at him in surprise as he was + saying grace at table, he answered: "Yes, I believe in my Saviour."<a + name="FNanchor_50_50" id="FNanchor_50_50"></a><a href="#Footnote_50_50" + class="fnanchor">[50]</a><a name="page27" + id="page27"/></p> + <p>Poor beings! Conquerors of the world, conquered and broken!</p> + <p>But of the two deaths, how much sadder is that of the artist who was without a + faith, and who had neither strength nor stoicism enough to be happy without one; who + slowly died in that little room in the rue de Calais amid the distracting noise of an + indifferent and even hostile Paris;<a name="FNanchor_51_51" + id="FNanchor_51_51"></a><a href="#Footnote_51_51" class="fnanchor">[51]</a> who shut + himself up in savage silence; who saw no loved face bending over him in his last + moments; who had not the comfort of belief in his work;<a name="FNanchor_52_52" + id="FNanchor_52_52"></a><a href="#Footnote_52_52" class="fnanchor">[52]</a> who could + not think calmly of what he had done, nor look proudly back over the road he had + trodden, nor rest content in the thought of a life well lived; and who began and + closed his <i>Mémoires</i> with Shakespeare's gloomy words, and repeated them + when dying:—</p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span>"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player<br /> + </span> <span>That struts and frets his hour upon the stage<br /> + </span> <span>And then is heard no more: it is a tale<br /> + </span> <span>Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,<br /> + </span> <span>Signifying nothing."<a name="FNanchor_53_53" + id="FNanchor_53_53"></a><a href="#Footnote_53_53" class="fnanchor">[53]</a><br /> + </span> + </div> + </div> + <a name="page28" id="page28"/> + <p>Such was the unhappy and irresolute heart that found itself united to one of the + most daring geniuses in the world. It is a striking example of the difference that + may exist between genius and greatness—for the two words are not synonymous. + When one speaks of greatness, one speaks of greatness of soul, nobility of character, + firmness of will, and, above all, balance of mind. I can understand how people deny + the existence of these qualities in Berlioz; but to deny his musical genius, or to + cavil about his wonderful power—and that is what they do daily in + Paris—is lamentable and ridiculous. Whether he attracts one or not, a + thimbleful of some of his work, a single part in one of his works, a little bit of + the <i>Fantastique</i> or the overture of <i>Benvenuto</i>, reveal more + genius—I am not afraid to say it—than all the French music of his + century. I can understand people arguing about him in a country that produced + Beethoven and Bach; but with us in France, who can we set up against him? Gluck and + César Franck were much greater men, but they were never geniuses of his + stature. If genius is a creative force, I cannot find more than four or five geniuses + in the world who rank above him. When I have named Beethoven, Mozart, Bach,<a name="page29" id="page29"/>Händel, and Wagner, + I do not know who else is superior to Berlioz; I do not even know who is his + equal.</p> + <p>He is not only a musician, he is music itself. He does not command his familiar + spirit, he is its slave. Those who know his writings know how he was simply possessed + and exhausted by his musical emotions. They were really fits of ecstasy or + convulsions. At first "there was feverish excitement; the veins beat violently and + tears flowed freely. Then came spasmodic contractions of the muscles, total numbness + of the feet and hands, and partial paralysis of the nerves of sight and hearing; he + saw nothing, heard nothing; he was giddy and half faint." And in the case of music + that displeased him, he suffered, on the contrary, from "a painful sense of bodily + disquiet and even from nausea."<a name="FNanchor_54_54" id="FNanchor_54_54"></a><a + href="#Footnote_54_54" class="fnanchor">[54]</a></p> + <p>The possession that music held over his nature shows itself clearly in the sudden + outbreak of his genius.<a name="FNanchor_55_55" id="FNanchor_55_55"></a><a + href="#Footnote_55_55" class="fnanchor">[55]</a> His family opposed the idea of his + becoming a musician; and until he was twenty-two or twenty-three years old his weak + will sulkily gave way to their wishes. In obedience to his father he began his + studies in medicine at Paris. One evening he heard <i>Les Danaïdes</i> of + Salieri. It came upon him like a thunderclap. He ran to the Conservatoire library and + read Gluck's scores.</p> + <p><a name="page30" id="page30"/>He forgot to + eat and drink; he was like a man in a frenzy. A performance of <i>Iphigénie en + Tauride</i> finished him. He studied under Lesueur and then at the Conservatoire. The + following year, 1827, he composed <i>Les Francs-Juges</i>; two years afterwards the + <i>Huit scènes de Faust</i>, which was the nucleus of the future + <i>Damnation</i>;<a name="FNanchor_56_56" id="FNanchor_56_56"></a><a + href="#Footnote_56_56" class="fnanchor">[56]</a> three years afterwards, the + <i>Symphonie fantastique</i> (commenced in 1830).<a name="FNanchor_57_57" + id="FNanchor_57_57"></a><a href="#Footnote_57_57" class="fnanchor">[57]</a> And he + had not yet got the <i>Prix de Rome</i>! Add to this that in 1828 he had already + ideas for <i>Roméo et Juliette</i>, and that he had written a part of + <i>Lelio</i> in 1829. Can one find elsewhere a more dazzling musical debut? Compare + that of Wagner who, at the same age, was shyly writing <i>Les Fées, + Défense d'aimer</i>, and <i>Rienzi</i>.</p> + <p>He wrote them at the same age, but ten years later; for <i>Les Fées</i> + appeared in 1833, when Berlioz had already written the <i>Fantastique</i>, the + <i>Huit scènes de Faust, Lelio</i>, and <i>Harold; Rienzi</i> was only played + in 1842, after <i>Benvenuto</i> (1835), <i>Le Requiem</i> (1837), <i>Roméo</i> + (1839), <i>La Symphonie funèbre et triomphale</i> (1840)—that is to say, + when <a name="page31" id="page31"/>Berlioz had + finished all his great works, and after he had achieved his musical revolution. And + that revolution was effected alone, without a model, without a guide. What could he + have heard beyond the operas of Gluck and Spontini while he was at the Conservatoire? + At the time when he composed the <i>Ouverture des Francs-Juges</i> even the name of + Weber was unknown to him,<a name="FNanchor_58_58" id="FNanchor_58_58"></a><a + href="#Footnote_58_58" class="fnanchor">[58]</a> and of Beethoven's compositions he + had only heard an <i>andante</i>.<a name="FNanchor_59_59" id="FNanchor_59_59"></a><a + href="#Footnote_59_59" class="fnanchor">[59]</a></p> + <p>Truly, he is a miracle and the most startling phenomenon in the history of + nineteenth-century music. His audacious power dominates all his age; and in the face + of such a genius, who would not follow Paganini's example, and hail him as + Beethoven's only successor?<a name="FNanchor_60_60" id="FNanchor_60_60"></a><a + href="#Footnote_60_60" class="fnanchor">[60]</a> Who does not see what a poor figure + the young Wagner cut at that time, working away in laborious and self-satisfied + mediocrity? But Wagner soon made up for lost ground; for he knew what he wanted, and + he wanted it obstinately.</p> + <p>The zenith of Berlioz's genius was reached, when he was thirty-five years old, + with the <i>Requiem</i> and <i>Roméo</i>. They are his two most important + works, and are two works about which one may feel very differently. For my part, I am + very fond of the <a name="page32" id="page32"/> + one, and I dislike the other; but both of them open up two great new roads in art, + and both are placed like two gigantic arches on the triumphal way of the revolution + that Berlioz started. I will return to the subject of these works later.</p> + <p>But Berlioz was already getting old. His daily cares and stormy domestic life,<a + name="FNanchor_61_61" id="FNanchor_61_61"></a><a href="#Footnote_61_61" + class="fnanchor">[61]</a> his disappointments and passions, his commonplace and often + degrading work, soon wore him out and, finally, exhausted his power. "Would you + believe it?" he wrote to his friend Ferrand, "that which used to stir me to + transports of musical passion now fills me with indifference, or even disdain. I feel + as if I were descending a mountain at a great rate. Life is so short; I notice that + thoughts of the end have been with me for some time past." In 1848, at forty-five + years old, he wrote in his <i>Mémoires</i>: "I find myself so old and tired + and lacking inspiration." At forty-five years old, Wagner had patiently worked out + his theories and was feeling his power; at forty-five he was writing <i>Tristan</i> + and <i>The Music of the Future</i>. Abused by critics, unknown to the public, "he + remained calm, in the belief that he would be master of the musical world in fifty + years' time."<a name="FNanchor_62_62" id="FNanchor_62_62"></a><a + href="#Footnote_62_62" class="fnanchor">[62]</a></p> + <p>Berlioz was disheartened. Life had conquered him. It was not that he had lost any + of his artistic mastery; on the contrary, his compositions became more and more + finished; and nothing in his earlier work attained the pure beauty of some of the + pages of <i>L'Enfance du Christ</i> (1850-4), or of <i>Les Troyens</i><a name="page33" id="page33"/>(1855-63). But he was + losing his power; and his intense feeling, his revolutionary ideas, and his + inspiration (which in his youth had taken the place of the confidence he lacked) were + failing him. He now lived on the past—the <i>Huit scènes de Faust</i> + (1828) held the germs of <i>La Damnation de Faust</i> (1846); since 1833, he had been + thinking of <i>Béatrice et Bénédict</i> (1862); the ideas in + <i>Les Troyens</i> were inspired by his childish worship of Virgil, and had been with + him all his life. But with what difficulty he now finished his task! He had only + taken seven months to write <i>Roméo</i>, and "on account of not being able to + write the <i>Requiem</i> fast enough, he had adopted a kind of musical shorthand";<a + name="FNanchor_63_63" id="FNanchor_63_63"></a><a href="#Footnote_63_63" + class="fnanchor">[63]</a> but he took seven or eight years to write <i>Les + Troyens</i>, alternating between moods of enthusiasm and disgust, and feeling + indifference and doubt about his work. He groped his way hesitatingly and unsteadily; + he hardly understood what he was doing. He admired the more mediocre pages of his + work: the scene of the Laocoon, the finale of the last act of the <i>Les Troyens + à Troie</i>, the last scene with Aeneas in <i>Les Troyens à + Carthage</i>.<a name="FNanchor_64_64" id="FNanchor_64_64"></a><a + href="#Footnote_64_64" class="fnanchor">[64]</a> The empty pomposities of Spontini + mingle with the loftiest conceptions. One might say that his genius became a stranger + to him: it was the mechanical work of <a name="page34" + id="page34"/>an unconscious force, like "stalactites in a dripping + grotto." He had no impetus. It was only a matter of time before the roof of the + grotto would give way. One is struck with the mournful despair with which he works; + it is his last will and testament that he is making. And when he has finished it, he + will have finished everything. His work is ended; if he lived another hundred years + he would not have the heart to add anything more to it. The only thing that + remains—and it is what he is about to do—is to wrap himself in silence + and die.</p> + <p>Oh, mournful destiny! There are great men who have outlived their genius; but with + Berlioz genius outlived desire. His genius was still there; one feels it in the + sublime pages of the third act of <i>Les Troyens à Carthage</i>. But Berlioz + had ceased to believe in his power; he had lost faith in everything. His genius was + dying for want of nourishment; it was a flame above an empty tomb. At the same hour + of his old age the soul of Wagner sustained its glorious flight; and, having + conquered everything, it achieved a supreme victory in renouncing everything for its + faith. And the divine songs of Parsifal resounded as in a splendid temple, and + replied to the cries of the suffering Amfortas by the blessed words: "<i>Selig in + Glauben! Selig in Liebe</i>!"</p> + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <a name="page35" id="page35"/> + <h3><a name="II" id="II"></a>II</h3> + <p>Berlioz's work did not spread itself evenly over his life; it was accomplished in + a few years. It was not like the course of a great river, as with Wagner and + Beethoven; it was a burst of genius, whose flames lit up the whole sky for a little + while, and then died gradually down.<a name="FNanchor_65_65" + id="FNanchor_65_65"></a><a href="#Footnote_65_65" class="fnanchor">[65]</a> Let me + try to tell you about this wonderful blaze.</p> + <p>Some of Berlioz's musical qualities are so striking that it is unnecessary to + dwell upon them here. His instrumental colouring, so intoxicating and exciting,<a + name="FNanchor_66_66" id="FNanchor_66_66"></a><a href="#Footnote_66_66" + class="fnanchor">[66]</a> his extraordinary discoveries concerning timbre, his + inventions of new nuances (as in the famous combining of flutes and trombones in the + <i>Hostias et preces</i> of the <i>Requiem</i>, and the curious use of the harmonics + of violins and harps), and his huge and nebulous orchestra—all this lends + itself to the most subtle expression of thought.<a name="FNanchor_67_67" + id="FNanchor_67_67"></a><a href="#Footnote_67_67" class="fnanchor">[67]</a></p> + <p><a name="page36" id="page36"/>Think of the + effect that such works must have produced at that period. Berlioz was the first to be + astonished when he heard them for the first time. At the <i>Ouverture des + Francs-Juges</i> he wept and tore his hair, and fell sobbing on the kettledrums. At + the performance of his <i>Tuba mirum</i>, in Berlin, he nearly fainted. The composer + who most nearly approached him was Weber, and, as we have already seen, Berlioz only + knew him late in life. But how much less rich and complex is Weber's music, in spite + of its nervous brilliance and dreaming poetry. Above all, Weber is much more mundane + and more of a classicist; he lacks Berlioz's revolutionary passion and plebeian + force; he is less expressive and less grand.</p> + <p>How did Berlioz come to have this genius for orchestration almost from the very + first? He himself says that his two masters at the Conservatoire taught him nothing + in point of instrumentation:—</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"Lesueur had only very limited ideas about the art. Reicha knew the particular + resources of most of the wind instruments; but I think that he had not very + advanced ideas on the subject of grouping them."</p> + </div> + <p>Berlioz taught himself. He used to read the score of an opera while it was being + performed.<a name="page37" id="page37"/></p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"It was thus," he says,<a name="FNanchor_68_68" id="FNanchor_68_68"></a><a + href="#Footnote_68_68" class="fnanchor">[68]</a> "that I began to get familiar with + the use of the orchestra, and to know its expression and timbre, as well as the + range and mechanism of most of the instruments. By carefully comparing the effect + produced with the means used to produce it, I learned the hidden bond which unites + musical expression to the special art of instrumentation; but no one put me in the + way of this. The study of the methods of the three modern masters, Beethoven, + Weber, and Spontini, the impartial examination of the traditions of instrumentation + and of little-used forms and combinations, conversations with virtuosi, and the + effects I made them try on their different instruments, together with a little + instinct, did the rest for me."<a name="FNanchor_69_69" id="FNanchor_69_69"></a><a + href="#Footnote_69_69" class="fnanchor">[69]</a></p> + </div> + <p>That he was an originator in this direction no one doubts. And no one disputes, as + a rule, "his devilish cleverness," as Wagner scornfully called it, or remains + insensible to his skill and mastery in the mechanism of expression, and his power + over sonorous matter, which make him, apart from his creative power, a sort of + magician of music, a king of tone and rhythm. This gift is recognised even by his + enemies—by Wagner, who seeks with some unfairness to restrict his genius within + narrow limits, and to reduce it to "a structure with wheels <a + name="page38" id="page38"/>of infinite ingenuity and extreme cunning + ... a marvel of mechanism."<a name="FNanchor_70_70" id="FNanchor_70_70"></a><a + href="#Footnote_70_70" class="fnanchor">[70]</a></p> + <p>But though there is hardly anyone that Berlioz does not irritate or attract, he + always strikes people by his impetuous ardour, his glowing romance, and his seething + imagination, all of which makes and will continue to make his work one of the most + picturesque mirrors of his age. His frenzied force of ecstasy and despair, his + fulness of love and hatred, his perpetual thirst for life, which "in the heart of the + deepest sorrow lights the Catherine wheels and crackers of the wildest joy"<a + name="FNanchor_71_71" id="FNanchor_71_71"></a><a href="#Footnote_71_71" + class="fnanchor">[71]</a>—these are the qualities that stir up the crowds in + <i>Benvenuto</i> and the armies in the <i>Damnation</i>, that shake earth, heaven, + and hell, and are never quenched, but remain devouring and "passionate even when the + subject is far removed from passion, and yet also express sweet and tender sentiments + and the deepest calm."<a name="FNanchor_72_72" id="FNanchor_72_72"></a><a + href="#Footnote_72_72" class="fnanchor">[72]</a><a + name="page39" id="page39"/></p> + <p>Whatever one may think of this volcanic force, of this torrential stream of youth + and passion, it is impossible to deny them; one might as well deny the sun.</p> + <p>And I shall not dwell on Berlioz's love of Nature, which, as M. Prudhomme shows + us, is the soul of a composition like the <i>Damnation</i> and, one might say, of all + great compositions. No musician, with the exception of Beethoven, has loved Nature so + profoundly. Wagner himself did not realise the intensity of emotion which she roused + in Berlioz,<a name="FNanchor_73_73" id="FNanchor_73_73"></a><a href="#Footnote_73_73" + class="fnanchor">[73]</a> and how this feeling impregnated the music of the + <i>Damnation</i>, of <i>Roméo</i>, and of <i>Les Troyens</i>.</p> + <p>But this genius had other characteristics which are less well known, though they + are not less unusual. The first is his sense of pure beauty. Berlioz's exterior + romanticism must not make us blind to this. He had a Virgilian soul; and if his + colouring recalls that of Weber, his design has often an Italian suavity. Wagner + never had this love of beauty in the Latin sense of the word. Who has understood the + Southern nature, beautiful form, and harmonious movement like Berlioz? Who, since + Gluck, has recognised so well the secret of classical beauty? Since <i>Orfeo</i> was + composed, no one has carved in music a bas-relief so perfect as <a name="page40" id="page40"/>the entrance of + Andromache in the second act of <i>Les Troyens à Troie</i>. In <i>Les Troyens + à Carthage</i>, the fragrance of the Aeneid is shed over the night of love, + and we see the luminous sky and hear the murmur of the sea. Some of his melodies are + like statues, or the pure lines of Athenian friezes, or the noble gesture of + beautiful Italian girls, or the undulating profile of the Albanian hills filled with + divine laughter. He has done more than felt and translated into music the beauty of + the Mediterranean—he has created beings worthy of a Greek tragedy. His + Cassandre alone would suffice to rank him among the greatest tragic poets that music + has ever known. And Cassandre is a worthy sister of Wagner's Brünnhilde; but she + has the advantage of coming of a nobler race, and of having a lofty restraint of + spirit and action that Sophocles himself would have loved.</p> + <p>Not enough attention has been drawn to the classical nobility from which Berlioz's + art so spontaneously springs. It is not fully acknowledged that he was, of all + nineteenth-century musicians, the one who had in the highest degree the sense of + plastic beauty. Nor do people always recognise that he was a writer of sweet and + flowing melodies. Weingartner expressed the surprise he felt when, imbued with + current prejudice against Berlioz's lack of melodic invention, he opened, by chance, + the score of the overture of <i>Benvenuto</i> and found in that short composition, + which barely takes ten minutes to play, not one or two, but four or five melodies of + admirable richness and originality:—<a name="page41" + id="page41"/></p> + <p>"I began to laugh, both with pleasure at having discovered such a treasure, and + with annoyance at finding how narrow human judgment is. Here I counted five themes, + all of them plastic and expressive of personality; of admirable workmanship, varied + in form, working up by degrees to a climax, and then finishing with strong effect. + And this from a composer who was said by critics and the public to be devoid of + creative power! From that day on there has been for me another great citizen in the + republic of art."<a name="FNanchor_74_74" id="FNanchor_74_74"></a><a + href="#Footnote_74_74" class="fnanchor">[74]</a></p> + <p>Before this, Berlioz had written in 1864:—</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"It is quite easy for others to convince themselves that, without even limiting + me to take a very short melody as the theme of a composition—as the greatest + musicians have often done—I have always endeavoured to put a wealth of melody + into my compositions. One may, of course, dispute the worth of these melodies, + their distinction, originality, or charm—it is not for me to judge + them—but to deny their existence is either unfair or foolish. They are often + on a large scale; and an immature or short-sighted musical vision may not clearly + distinguish their form; or, again, they may be accompanied by secondary melodies + which, to a limited vision, may veil the form of the principal ones. Or, lastly, + shallow musicians may find these melodies so unlike the funny little things that + they call <a name="page42" id="page42"/> + melodies, that they cannot bring themselves to give the same name to both."<a + name="FNanchor_75_75" id="FNanchor_75_75"></a><a href="#Footnote_75_75" + class="fnanchor">[75]</a></p> + </div> + <p>And what a splendid variety there is in these melodies: there is the song in + Gluck's style (Cassandre's airs), the pure German <i>lied</i> (Marguerite's song, + "D'amour l'ardente flamme"), the Italian melody, after Bellini, in its most limpid + and happy form (arietta of Arlequin in <i>Benvenuto</i>), the broad Wagnerian phrase + (finale of <i>Roméo</i>), the folk-song (chorus of shepherds in <i>L'Enfance + du Christ</i>), and the freest and most modern recitative (the monologues of Faust), + which was Berlioz's own invention, with its full development, its pliant outline, and + its intricate nuances.<a name="FNanchor_76_76" id="FNanchor_76_76"></a><a + href="#Footnote_76_76" class="fnanchor">[76]</a></p> + <p>I have said that Berlioz had a matchless gift for expressing tragic melancholy, + weariness of life, and the pangs of death. In a general way, one may say that he was + a great elegist in music. Ambros, who was a very discerning and unbiassed critic, + said: "Berlioz feels with inward delight and profound emotion what no musician, + except Beethoven, has felt before." And Heinrich Heine had a keen perception of + Berlioz's originality when he called him "a colossal nightingale, a lark the size of + an eagle." The simile is not only picturesque, but of remarkable aptness. For + Berlioz's colossal force is at the service of a forlorn and tender heart; he has + nothing of the heroism of Beethoven, or Händel, <a + name="page43" id="page43"/>or Gluck, or even Schubert. He has all the + charm of an Umbrian painter, as is shown in <i>L'Enfance du Christ</i>, as well as + sweetness and inward sadness, the gift of tears, and an elegiac passion.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>Now I come to Berlioz's great originality, an originality which is rarely spoken + of, though it makes him more than a great musician, more than the successor of + Beethoven, or, as some call him, the forerunner of Wagner. It is an originality that + entitles him to be known, even more fitly than Wagner himself, as the creator of "an + art of the future," the apostle of a new music, which even to-day has hardly made + itself felt.</p> + <p>Berlioz is original in a double sense. By the extraordinary complexity of his + genius he touched the two opposite poles of his art, and showed us two entirely + different aspects of music—that of a great popular art, and that of music made + free.</p> + <p>We are all enslaved by the musical tradition of the past. For generations we have + been so accustomed to carry this yoke that we scarcely notice it. And in consequence + of Germany's monopoly of music since the end of the eighteenth century, musical + traditions—which had been chiefly Italian in the two preceding + centuries—now became almost entirely German. We think in German forms: the plan + of phrases, their development, their balance, and all the rhetoric of music and the + grammar of composition comes to us from foreign thought, slowly elaborated by German + masters. That <a name="page44" id="page44"/> + domination has never been more complete or more heavy since Wagner's victory. Then + reigned over the world this great German period—a scaly monster with a thousand + arms, whose grasp was so extensive that it included pages, scenes, acts, and whole + dramas in its embrace. We cannot say that French writers have ever tried to write in + the style of Goethe or Schiller; but French composers have tried and are still trying + to write music after the manner of German musicians.</p> + <p>Why be astonished at it? Let us face the matter plainly. In music we have not, so + to speak, any masters of French style. All our greatest composers are foreigners. The + founder of the first school of French opera, Lulli, was Florentine; the founder of + the second school, Gluck, was German; the two founders of the third school were + Rossini, an Italian, and Meyerbeer, a German; the creators of + <i>opéra-comique</i> were Duni, an Italian, and Gretry, a Belgian; Franck, who + revolutionised our modern school of opera, was also Belgian. These men brought with + them a style peculiar to their race; or else they tried to found, as Gluck did, an + "international" style,<a name="FNanchor_77_77" id="FNanchor_77_77"></a><a + href="#Footnote_77_77" class="fnanchor">[77]</a> by which they effaced the more + individual characteristics of the French spirit. The most French of all these styles + is the <i>opéra-comique</i>, the work of two foreigners, but owing much more + to the <i>opéra-bouffe</i> than is generally admitted, and, in any case, + representing France very insufficiently.</p> + <p><a name="page45" id="page45"/>Some more + rational minds have tried to rid themselves of this Italian and German influence, but + have mostly arrived at creating an intermediate Germano-Italian style, of which the + operas of Auber and Ambroise Thomas are a type.</p> + <p>Before Berlioz's time there was really only one master of the first rank who made + a great effort to liberate French music: it was Rameau; and, despite his genius, he + was conquered by Italian art.<a name="FNanchor_78_78" id="FNanchor_78_78"></a><a + href="#Footnote_78_78" class="fnanchor">[78]</a></p> + <p>By force of circumstance, therefore, French music found itself moulded in foreign + musical forms. And in the same way that Germany in the eighteenth century tried to + imitate French architecture and literature, so France in the nineteenth century + acquired the habit of speaking German in music. As most men speak more than they + think, even thought itself became Germanised; and it was difficult then to discover, + through this traditional insincerity, the true and spontaneous form of French musical + thought.</p> + <p>But Berlioz's genius found it by instinct. From the first he strove to free French + music from the oppression of the foreign tradition that was suffocating it.<a + name="FNanchor_79_79" id="FNanchor_79_79"></a><a href="#Footnote_79_79" + class="fnanchor">[79]</a><a name="page46" + id="page46"/></p> + <p>He was fitted in every way for the part, even by his deficiencies and his + ignorance. His classical education in music was incomplete. M. Saint-Saëns tells + us that "the past did not exist for him; he did not understand the old composers, as + his knowledge of them was limited to what he had read about them." He did not know + Bach. Happy ignorance! He was able to write oratorios like <i>L'Enfance du Christ</i> + without being worried by memories and traditions of the German masters of oratorio. + There are men like Brahms who have been, nearly all their life, but reflections of + the past. Berlioz never sought to be anything but himself. It was thus that he + created that masterpiece, <i>La Fuite en Égypte</i>, which sprang from his + keen sympathy with the people.</p> + <p>He had one of the most untrammelled spirits that ever breathed. Liberty was for + him a desperate necessity. "Liberty of heart, of mind, of soul—of + everything.... Real liberty, absolute and immense!"<a name="FNanchor_80_80" + id="FNanchor_80_80"></a><a href="#Footnote_80_80" class="fnanchor">[80]</a> And this + passionate love of liberty, which was his misfortune in life, since it deprived him + of the comfort of any faith, refused him any refuge for his thoughts, robbed him of + peace, and even of the soft pillow of scepticism—this "real liberty" formed the + unique originality and grandeur of his musical conceptions.<a + name="page47" id="page47"/></p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"Music," wrote Berlioz to C. Lobe, in 1852, "is the most poetic, the most + powerful, the most living of all arts. She ought to be the freest, but she is not + yet.... Modern music is like the classic Andromeda, naked and divinely beautiful. + She is chained to a rock on the shores of a vast sea, and awaits the victorious + Perseus who shall loose her bonds and break in pieces the chimera called + Routine."</p> + </div> + <p>The business was to free music from its limited rhythms and from the traditional + forms and rules that enclosed it;<a name="FNanchor_81_81" id="FNanchor_81_81"></a><a + href="#Footnote_81_81" class="fnanchor">[81]</a> and, above all, it needed to be free + from the domination of speech, and to be released from its humiliating bondage to + poetry. Berlioz wrote to the Princess of Wittgenstein, in 1856:—</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"I am for free music. Yes, I want music to be proudly free, to be victorious, to + be supreme. I want her to take all she can, so that there may be no more Alps or + Pyrenees for her. But she <a name="page48" + id="page48"/>must achieve her victories by fighting in person, and + not rely upon her lieutenants. I should like her to have, if possible, good verse + drawn up in order of battle; but, like Napoleon, she must face the fire herself, + and, like Alexander, march in the front ranks of the phalanx. She is so powerful + that in some cases she would conquer unaided; for she has the right to say with + Medea: 'I, myself, am enough.'"</p> + </div> + <p>Berlioz protested vigorously against Gluck's impious theory<a + name="FNanchor_82_82" id="FNanchor_82_82"></a><a href="#Footnote_82_82" + class="fnanchor">[82]</a> and Wagner's "crime" in making music the slave of speech. + Music is the highest poetry and knows no master.<a name="FNanchor_83_83" + id="FNanchor_83_83"></a><a href="#Footnote_83_83" class="fnanchor">[83]</a> It was + for Berlioz, therefore, continually to increase the power of expression in pure + music.</p> + <p><a name="page49" id="page49"/>And while + Wagner, who was more moderate and a closer follower of tradition, sought to establish + a compromise (perhaps an impossible one) between music and speech, and to create the + new lyric drama, Berlioz, who was more revolutionary, achieved the dramatic symphony, + of which the unequalled model to-day is still <i>Roméo et Juliette</i>.</p> + <p>The dramatic symphony naturally fell foul of all formal theories. Two arguments + were set up against it: one derived from Bayreuth, and by now an act of faith; the + other, current opinion, upheld by the crowd that speaks of music without + understanding it.</p> + <p>The first argument, maintained by Wagner, is that music cannot really express + action without the help of speech and gesture. It is in the name of this opinion that + so many people condemn <i>a priori</i> Berlioz's <i>Roméo</i>. They think it + childish to try and <i>translate</i> action into music. I suppose they think it less + childish to <i>illustrate</i> an action by music. Do they think that gesture + associates itself very happily with music? If only they would try to root up this + great fiction, which has bothered us for the last three centuries; if only they would + open their eyes and see—what great men like Rousseau and Tolstoy saw so + clearly—the silliness of opera; if only they would see the anomalies of the + Bayreuth show. In the second act of <i>Tristan</i> there is a celebrated passage, + where Ysolde, burning with desire, is waiting for Tristan; she sees him come at last, + and from afar she waves her scarf to the accompaniment of a phrase repeated several + times by the orchestra. I cannot express the effect produced on me by that + <i>imitation</i> (for it is nothing else) of a series of sounds by a series of + gestures; I can never see it without indignation or without laughing.<a name="page50" id="page50"/>The curious thing is + that when one hears this passage at a concert, one sees the gesture. At the theatre + either one does not "see" it, or it appears childish. The natural action becomes + stiff when clad in musical armour, and the absurdity of trying to make the two agree + is forced upon one. In the music of <i>Rheingold</i> one pictures the stature and + gait of the giants, and one sees the lightning gleam and the rainbow reflected on the + clouds. In the theatre it is like a game of marionettes; and one feels the impassable + gulf between music and gesture. Music is a world apart. When music wishes to depict + the drama, it is not real action which is reflected in it, it is the ideal action + transfigured by the spirit, and perceptible only to the inner vision. The worst + foolishness is to present two visions—one for the eyes and one for the spirit. + Nearly always they kill each other.</p> + <p>The other argument urged against the symphony with a programme is the pretended + classical argument (it is not really classical at all). "Music," they say, "is not + meant to express definite subjects; it is only fitted for vague ideas. The more + indefinite it is, the greater its power, and the more it suggests." I ask, What is an + indefinite art? What is a vague art? Do not the two words contradict each other? Can + this strange combination exist at all? Can an artist write anything that he does not + clearly conceive? Do people think he composes at random as his genius whispers to + him? One must at least say this: A symphony of Beethoven's is a "definite" work down + to its innermost folds; and Beethoven <a name="page51" + id="page51"/>had, if not an exact knowledge, at least a clear + intuition of what he was about. His last quartets are descriptive symphonies of his + soul, and very differently carried out from Berlioz's symphonies. Wagner was able to + analyse one of the former under the name of "A Day with Beethoven." Beethoven was + always trying to translate into music the depths of his heart, the subtleties of his + spirit, which are not to be explained clearly by words, but which are as definite as + words—in fact, more definite; for a word, being an abstract thing, sums up many + experiences and comprehends many different meanings. Music is a hundred times more + expressive and exact than speech; and it is not only her right to express particular + emotions and subjects, it is her duty. If that duty is not fulfilled, the result is + not music—it is nothing at all.</p> + <p>Berlioz is thus the true inheritor of Beethoven's thought. The difference between + a work like <i>Roméo</i> and one of Beethoven's symphonies is that the former, + it would seem, endeavours to express objective emotions and subjects in music. I do + not see why music should not follow poetry in getting away from introspection and + trying to paint the drama of the universe. Shakespeare is as good as Dante. Besides, + one may add, it is always Berlioz himself that is discovered in his music: it is his + soul starving for love and mocked at by shadows which is revealed through all the + scenes of <i>Roméo</i>.</p> + <p>I will not prolong a discussion where so many things must be left unsaid. But I + would suggest <a name="page52" id="page52"/> + that, once and for all, we get rid of these absurd endeavours to fence in art. Do not + let us say: Music can.... Music cannot express such-and-such a thing. Let us say + rather, If genius pleases, everything is possible; and if music so wishes, she may be + painting and poetry to-morrow. Berlioz has proved it well in his + <i>Roméo</i>.</p> + <p>This <i>Roméo</i> is an extraordinary work: "a wonderful isle, where a + temple of pure art is set up." For my part, not only do I consider it equal to the + most powerful of Wagner's creations, but I believe it to be richer in its teaching + and in its resources for art—resources and teaching which contemporary French + art has not yet fully turned to account. One knows that for several years the young + French school has been making efforts to deliver our music from German models, to + create a language of recitative that shall belong to France and that the + <i>leitmotif</i> will not overwhelm; a more exact and less heavy language, which in + expressing the freedom of modern thought will not have to seek the help of the + classical or Wagnerian forms. Not long ago, the <i>Schola Cantorum</i> published a + manifesto that proclaimed "the liberty of musical declamation ... free speech in free + music ... the triumph of natural music with the free movement of speech and the + plastic rhythm of the ancient dance"—thus declaring war on the metrical art of + the last three centuries.<a name="FNanchor_84_84" id="FNanchor_84_84"></a><a + href="#Footnote_84_84" class="fnanchor">[84]</a></p> + <p>Well, here is that music; you will nowhere find a more perfect model. It is true + that many <a name="page53" id="page53"/>who + profess the principles of this music repudiate the model, and do not hide their + disdain for Berlioz. That makes me doubt a little, I admit, the results of their + efforts. If they do not feel the wonderful freedom of Berlioz's music, and do not see + that it was the delicate veil of a very living spirit, then I think there will be + more of archaism than real life in their pretensions to "free music." Study, not only + the most celebrated pages of his work, such as the <i>Scène d'amour</i> (the + one of all his compositions that Berlioz himself liked best),<a name="FNanchor_85_85" + id="FNanchor_85_85"></a><a href="#Footnote_85_85" class="fnanchor">[85]</a> <i>La + Tristesse de Roméo</i>, or <i>La Fête des Capulet</i> (where a spirit + like Wagner's own unlooses and subdues again tempests of passion and joy), but take + less well-known pages, such as the <i>Scherzetto chanté de la reine Mab</i>, + or the <i>Réveil de Juliette</i>, and the music describing the death of the + two lovers.<a name="FNanchor_86_86" id="FNanchor_86_86"></a><a href="#Footnote_86_86" + class="fnanchor">[86]</a> In the one what light grace there is, in the other what + vibrating passion, and in both of them what freedom and apt expression of ideas. The + language is magnificent, of wonderful clearness and simplicity; not a word too much, + and not a word that does not reveal an unerring pen. In nearly all the big works of + Berlioz before 1845 (that is up to the <i>Damnation</i>) you will find this nervous + precision and sweeping liberty.</p> + <p>Then there is the freedom of his rhythms. Schumann, who was nearest to Berlioz of + all musicians <a name="page54" id="page54"/>of + that time, and, therefore, best able to understand him, had been struck by this since + the composition of the <i>Symphonic fantastique</i>,<a name="FNanchor_87_87" + id="FNanchor_87_87"></a><a href="#Footnote_87_87" class="fnanchor">[87]</a> He + wrote:—</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"The present age has certainly not produced a work in which similar times and + rhythms combined with dissimilar times and rhythms have been more freely used. The + second part of a phrase rarely corresponds with the first, the reply to the + question. This anomaly is characteristic of Berlioz, and is natural to his southern + temperament."</p> + </div> + <p>Far from objecting to this, Schumann sees in it something necessary to musical + evolution.</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"Apparently music is showing a tendency to go back to its beginnings, to the + time when the laws of rhythm did not yet trouble her; it seems that she wishes to + free herself, to regain an utterance that is unconstrained, and raise herself to + the dignity of a sort of poetic language."</p> + </div> + <p>And Schumann quotes these words of Ernest Wagner: "He who shakes off the tyranny + of time and delivers us from it will, as far as one can see, give back freedom to + music."<a name="FNanchor_88_88" id="FNanchor_88_88"></a><a href="#Footnote_88_88" + class="fnanchor">[88]</a><a name="page55" + id="page55"/></p> + <p>Remark also Berlioz's freedom of melody. His musical phrases pulse and flow like + life itself. "Some phrases taken separately," says Schumann, "have such an intensity + that they will not bear harmonising—<i>as in many ancient + folk-songs</i>—and often even an accompaniment spoils their fulness."<a + name="FNanchor_89_89" id="FNanchor_89_89"></a><a href="#Footnote_89_89" + class="fnanchor">[89]</a> These melodies so correspond with the emotions, that they + reproduce the least thrills of body and mind by their vigorous workings-up and + delicate reliefs, by splendid barbarities of modulation and strong and glowing + colour, by gentle gradations of light and shade or imperceptible ripples of thought, + which flow over the body like a steady tide. It is an art of peculiar sensitiveness, + more delicately expressive than that of Wagner; not satisfying itself with the modern + tonality, but going back to old modes—a rebel, as M. Saint-Saëns remarks, + to the polyphony which had governed music since Bach's day, and which is perhaps, + after all, "a heresy destined to disappear."<a name="FNanchor_90_90" + id="FNanchor_90_90"></a><a href="#Footnote_90_90" class="fnanchor">[90]</a></p> + <p>How much finer, to my idea, are Berlioz's recitatives, with their long and winding + rhythms,<a name="FNanchor_91_91" id="FNanchor_91_91"></a><a href="#Footnote_91_91" + class="fnanchor">[91]</a> than<a name="page56" + id="page56"/>Wagner's declamations, which—apart from the climax + of a subject, where the air breaks into bold and vigorous phrases, whose influence + elsewhere is often weak—limit themselves to the quasi-notation of spoken + inflections, and jar noisily against the fine harmonies of the orchestra. Berlioz's + orchestration, too, is of a more delicate temper, and has a freer life than Wagner's, + flowing in an impetuous stream, and sweeping away everything in its course; it is + also less united and solid, but more flexible; its nature is undulating and varied, + and the thousand imperceptible impulses of the spirit and of action are reflected + there. It is a marvel of spontaneity and caprice.</p> + <p>In spite of appearances, Wagner is a classicist compared with Berlioz; he carried + on and perfected the work of the German classicists; he made no innovations; he is + the pinnacle and the close of one evolution of art. Berlioz began a new art; and one + finds in it all the daring and gracious ardour of youth. The iron laws that bound the + art of Wagner are not to be found in Berlioz's early works, which give one the + illusion of perfect freedom.<a name="FNanchor_92_92" id="FNanchor_92_92"></a><a + href="#Footnote_92_92" class="fnanchor">[92]</a></p> + <a name="page57" id="page57"/> + <p>As soon as the profound originality of Berlioz's music has been grasped, one + understands why it encountered, and still encounters, so much secret hostility. How + many accomplished musicians of distinction and learning, who pay honour to artistic + tradition, are incapable of understanding Berlioz because they cannot bear the air of + liberty breathed by his music. They are so used to thinking in German, that Berlioz's + speech upsets and shocks them. I can well believe it. It is the first time a French + musician has dared to think in French; and that is the reason why I warned you of the + danger of accepting too meekly German ideas about Berlioz. Men like Weingartner, + Richard Strauss, and Mottl—thoroughbred musicians—are, without doubt, + able to appreciate Berlioz's genius better and more quickly than we French musicians. + But I rather mistrust the kind of appreciation they feel for a spirit so opposed to + their own. It is for France and French people to learn to read his thoughts; they + <a name="page58" id="page58"/>are intimately + theirs, and one day will give them their salvation.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>Berlioz's other great originality lay in his talent for music that was suited to + the spirit of the common people, recently raised to sovereignty, and the young + democracy. In spite of his aristocratic disdain, his soul was with the masses. M. + Hippeau applies to him Taine's definition of a romantic artist: "the plebeian of a + new race, richly gifted, and filled with aspirations, who, having attained for the + first time the world's heights, noisily displays the ferment of his mind and heart." + Berlioz grew up in the midst of revolutions and stories of Imperial achievement. He + wrote his cantata for the <i>Prix de Rome</i> in July, 1830, "to the hard, dull noise + of stray bullets, which whizzed above the roofs, and came to flatten themselves + against the wall near his window."<a name="FNanchor_93_93" id="FNanchor_93_93"></a><a + href="#Footnote_93_93" class="fnanchor">[93]</a> When he had finished this cantata, + he went, "pistol in hand, to play the blackguard in Paris with the <i>sainte + canaille</i>." He sang the <i>Marseillaise</i>, and made "all who had a voice and + heart and blood in their veins"<a name="FNanchor_94_94" id="FNanchor_94_94"></a><a + href="#Footnote_94_94" class="fnanchor">[94]</a> sing it too. On his journey to Italy + he travelled from Marseilles to Livourne with Mazzinian conspirators, who were going + to take part in the insurrection of Modena and Bologna. Whether he was conscious of + it or not, he was the musician of revolutions; his sympathies were with the people. + <a name="page59" id="page59"/>Not only did he + fill his scenes in the theatre with swarming and riotous crowds, like those of the + Roman Carnival in the second act of <i>Benvenuto</i> (anticipating by thirty years + the crowds of <i>Die Meistersinger</i>), but he created a music of the masses and a + colossal style. His model here was Beethoven; Beethoven of the Eroica, of the C + minor, of the A, and, above all, of the Ninth Symphony. He was Beethoven's follower + in this as well as other things, and the apostle who carried on his work.<a + name="FNanchor_95_95" id="FNanchor_95_95"></a><a href="#Footnote_95_95" + class="fnanchor">[95]</a> And with his understanding of material effects and sonorous + matter, he built edifices, as he says, that were "Babylonian and Ninevitish,"<a + name="FNanchor_96_96" id="FNanchor_96_96"></a><a href="#Footnote_96_96" + class="fnanchor">[96]</a> "music after Michelangelo,"<a name="FNanchor_97_97" + id="FNanchor_97_97"></a><a href="#Footnote_97_97" class="fnanchor">[97]</a> "on an + immense scale."<a name="FNanchor_98_98" id="FNanchor_98_98"></a><a + href="#Footnote_98_98" class="fnanchor">[98]</a></p> + <p><a name="page60" id="page60"/>It was the + <i>Symphonie funèbre et triomphale</i> for two orchestras and a choir, and the + <i>Te Deum</i> for orchestra, organ, and three choirs, which Berlioz loved (whose + finale <i>Judex crederis</i> seemed to him the most effective thing he had ever + written<a name="FNanchor_99_99" id="FNanchor_99_99"></a><a href="#Footnote_99_99" + class="fnanchor">[99]</a>), as well as the <i>Impériale</i>, for two + orchestras and two choirs, and the famous <i>Requiem</i>, with its "four orchestras + of brass instruments, placed round the main orchestra and the mass of voices, but + separated and answering one another at a distance." Like the <i>Requiem</i>, these + compositions are often crude in style and of rather commonplace sentiment, but their + grandeur is overwhelming. This is not due only to the hugeness of the means employed, + but also to "the breadth of the style and to the formidable slowness of some of the + progressions—whose final aim one cannot guess—which gives these + compositions a strangely gigantic character."<a name="FNanchor_100_100" + id="FNanchor_100_100"></a><a href="#Footnote_100_100" class="fnanchor">[100]</a> + Berlioz has left in these compositions striking examples of the beauty that may + reveal itself in a crude mass of music. Like the towering Alps, they move one by + their very immensity. A German critic says: "In these Cyclopean works the composer + lets the elemental and brute forces of sound and pure rhythm have their fling."<a + name="FNanchor_101_101" id="FNanchor_101_101"></a><a href="#Footnote_101_101" + class="fnanchor">[101]</a> It is scarcely music, it is the force of Nature herself. + Berlioz himself calls his <i>Requiem</i> "a musical cataclysm."<a + name="FNanchor_102_102" id="FNanchor_102_102"></a><a href="#Footnote_102_102" + class="fnanchor">[102]</a></p> + <p><a name="page61" id="page61"/>These + hurricanes are let loose in order to speak to the people, to stir and rouse the dull + ocean of humanity. The <i>Requiem</i> is a Last Judgment, not meant, like that of the + Sixtine Chapel (which Berlioz did not care for at all) for great aristocracies, but + for a crowd, a surging, excited, and rather savage crowd. The <i>Marche de + Rakoczy</i> is less an Hungarian march than the music for a revolutionary fight; it + sounds the charge; and Berlioz tells us it might bear Virgil's verses for a + motto:—</p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span>" ... Furor iraque mentes<br /> + </span> <span>Praecipitant, pulchrumque mori succurrit in armis."<a + name="FNanchor_103_103" id="FNanchor_103_103"></a><a href="#Footnote_103_103" + class="fnanchor">[103]</a><br /> + </span> + </div> + </div> + <p>When Wagner heard the <i>Symphonic funèbre et triomphale</i> he was forced + to admit Berlioz's "skill in writing compositions that were popular in the best sense + of the word."</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"In listening to that symphony I had a lively impression that any little street + boy in a blue blouse and red bonnet would understand it perfectly. I have no + hesitation in giving precedence to that work over Berlioz's other works; it is big + and noble from the first note to the last; a fine and eager patriotism rises from + its first expression of compassion to the final glory of the apotheosis, and keeps + it from any unwholesome exaggeration. I want gladly to express my conviction that + that symphony will fire men's courage and will live as long as a nation bears the + name of France."<a name="FNanchor_104_104" id="FNanchor_104_104"></a><a + href="#Footnote_104_104" class="fnanchor">[104]</a></p> + </div> + <a name="page62" id="page62"/> + <p>How do such works come to be neglected by our Republic? How is it they have not a + place in our public life? Why are they not part of our great ceremonies? That is what + one would wonderingly ask oneself if one had not seen, for the last century, the + indifference of the State to Art. What might not Berlioz have done if the means had + been given him, or if his works had found a place in the fêtes of the + Revolution? Unhappily, one must add that here again his character was the enemy of + his genius. As this apostle of musical freedom, in the second part of his life, + became afraid of himself and recoiled before the results of his own principles, and + returned to classicism, so this revolutionary fell to sullenly disparaging the people + and revolutions; and he talks about "the republican cholera," "the dirty and stupid + republic," "the republic of street-porters and rag-gatherers," "the filthy rabble of + humanity a hundred times more stupid and animal in its twitchings and revolutionary + grimacings than the baboons and orang-outangs of Borneo."<a name="FNanchor_105_105" + id="FNanchor_105_105"></a><a href="#Footnote_105_105" class="fnanchor">[105]</a> + <a name="page63" id="page63"/>What ingratitude! + He owed to these revolutions, to these democratic storms, to these human tempests, + the best of all his genius—and he disowned it all. This musician of a new era + took refuge in the past.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>Well, what did it matter? Whether he wished it or not, he opened out some + magnificent roads for Art. He has shown the music of France the way in which her + genius should tread; he has shown her possibilities she had never before dreamed of. + He has given us a musical utterance at once truthful and expressive, free from + foreign traditions, coming from the depths of our being, and reflecting our spirit; + an utterance which responded to his imagination, to his instinct for what was + picturesque, to his fleeting impressions, and his delicate shades of feeling. He has + laid the strong foundation of a national and popular music for the greatest republic + in Europe.</p> + <p>These are shining qualities. If Berlioz had had Wagner's reasoning power and had + made the utmost use of his intuitions, if he had had Wagner's will and had shaped the + inspirations of his genius and welded them into a solid whole, I venture to say that + he would have made a revolution in music greater than Wagner's own; for Wagner, + though stronger and more master of himself, was less original and, at bottom, but the + close of a glorious past.<a name="page64" + id="page64"/></p> + <p>Will that revolution still be accomplished? Perhaps; but it has suffered half a + century's delay. Berlioz bitterly calculated that people would begin to understand + him about the year 1940.<a name="FNanchor_106_106" id="FNanchor_106_106"></a><a + href="#Footnote_106_106" class="fnanchor">[106]</a></p> + <p>After all, why be astonished that his mighty mission was too much for him? He was + so alone.<a name="FNanchor_107_107" id="FNanchor_107_107"></a><a + href="#Footnote_107_107" class="fnanchor">[107]</a> As people forsook him, his + loneliness stood out in greater relief. He was alone in the age of Wagner, Liszt, + Schumann, and Franck; alone, yet containing a whole world in himself, of which his + enemies, his friends, his admirers, and he himself, were not quite conscious; alone, + and tortured by his loneliness. Alone—the word is repeated by the music of his + youth and his old age, by the <i>Symphonie fantastique</i> and <i>Les Troyens</i>. It + is the word I read in the portrait before me as I write these lines—the + beautiful portrait of the <i>Mémoires</i>, where his face looks out in sad and + stern reproach on the age that so misunderstood him.</p> + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <a name="page65" id="page65"/> + <h2><a name="WAGNER" id="WAGNER"></a>WAGNER</h2> + <h2>"SIEGFRIED"</h2> + <p>There is nothing so thrilling as first impressions. I remember when, as a child, I + heard fragments of Wagner's music for the first time at one of old Pasdeloup's + concerts in the Cirque d'Hiver. I was taken there one dull and foggy Sunday + afternoon; and as we left the yellow fog outside and entered the hall we were met by + an overpowering warmth, a dazzling blaze of light, and the murmuring voice of the + crowd. My eyes were blinded, I breathed with difficulty, and my limbs soon became + cramped; for we sat on wooden benches, crushed in a narrow space between solid walls + of human beings. But with the first note of the music all was forgotten, and one fell + into a state of painful yet delicious torpor. Perhaps one's very discomfort made the + pleasure keener. Those who know the intoxication of climbing a mountain know also how + closely it is associated with the discomforts of the climb—with fatigue and the + blinding light of the sun, with out-of-breathness, and all the other sensations that + rouse and stimulate life and make the body tingle, so that the remembrance of it all + is carved indelibly on the mind. The comfort of a playhouse adds <a name="page66" id="page66"/>nothing to the illusion + of a play; and it may even be due to the entire inconvenience of the old + concert-rooms that I owe my vivid recollection of my first meeting with Wagner's + work.</p> + <p>How mysterious it was, and what a strange agitation it filled me with! There were + new effects of orchestration, new timbres, new rhythms, and new subjects; it held the + wild poetry of the far-away Middle Ages and old legends, it throbbed with the fever + of our hidden sorrows and desires. I did not understand it very well. How should I? + The music was taken from works quite unknown to me. It was almost impossible to seize + the connection of the ideas on account of the poor acoustics of the room, the bad + arrangement of the orchestra, and the unskilled players—all of which served to + break up the musical design and spoil the harmony of its colouring. Passages that + should have been made prominent were slurred over, and others were distorted by + faulty time or want of precision. Even to-day, when our orchestras are seasoned by + years of study, I should often be unable to follow Wagner's thought throughout a + whole scene if I did not happen to know the score, for the outline of a melody is + often smothered by the accompaniment, and so its sentiment is lost. If we still find + obscurity of meaning in Wagner's works you can imagine how much worse it was then. + But what did it matter? I used to feel myself stirred with passions that were not + human: some magnetic influence seemed to thrill me with both pleasure and pain, and I + felt invigorated and happy, for it brought me strength.<a + name="page67" id="page67"/>It seemed as if my child's heart were torn + from me and the heart of a hero put in its place.</p> + <p>Nor was I alone in the experience. On the faces of the people round about me I saw + the reflection of my own emotions. What was the meaning of it? The audience consisted + chiefly of poor and commonplace people, whose faces were lined with the wear and tear + of a life without interest or ideals; their minds were dull and heavy, and yet here + they responded to the divine spirit of the music. There is no more impressive sight + than that of thousands of people held spellbound by a melody; it is by turns sublime, + grotesque, and touching.</p> + <p>What a place in my life those Sunday concerts held! All the week I lived for those + two hours; and when they were over I thought about them until the following Sunday. + The fascination of Wagner's music for youth has often troubled people; they think it + poisons the thoughts and dulls the activities. But the generation that was then + intoxicated by Wagner does not seem to have shown signs of demoralisation since. Why + do not people understand that if we had need of that music it was not because it was + death to us, but life. Cramped by the artificiality of a town, far from action, or + nature, or any strong or real life, we expanded under the influence of this noble + music—music which flowed from a heart filled with understanding of the world + and the breath of Nature. In <i>Die Meistersinger</i>, in <i>Tristan</i>, and in + <i>Siegfried</i>, we went to find the joy, the love, and the vigour that we so + lacked.<a name="page68" id="page68"/></p> + <p>At the time when I was feeling Wagner's seductiveness so strongly there were + always some carping people among my elders ready to quench my admiration and say with + a superior smile: "That is nothing. One can't judge Wagner at a concert. You must + hear him in the opera-house at Bayreuth." Since then I have been several times to + Bayreuth; I have seen Wagner's works performed in Berlin, in Dresden, in Munich, and + in other German towns, but I have never again felt the old intoxication. People are + wrong to pretend that closer acquaintance with a fine work adds to one's enjoyment of + it. It may throw light upon it, but it nips one's imagination and dispels the + mystery. The puzzling fragments one hears at concerts will take on splendid + proportions on account of all the mind adds to them. That epic poem of the + <i>Niebelungen</i> was once like a forest in our dreams, where strange and awful + beings flashed before our vision and then vanished. Later on, when we had explored + all its paths, we discovered that order and reason reigned in the midst of this + apparent jungle; and when we came to know the least wrinkle on the faces of its + inhabitants, the confusion and emotion of other days no longer filled us.</p> + <p>But this may be the result of growing older; and if I do not recognise the Wagner + of other days, it is perhaps because I do not recognise my former self. A work of + art, and above all a work of musical art, changes with ourselves. <i>Siegfried</i>, + for example, is for me no longer full of mystery. The qualities in it that strike me + to-day are its cheerful vigour, its <a name="page69" + id="page69"/>clearness of form, its virile force and freedom, and the + extraordinary healthiness of the hero, and, indeed, of the whole work.</p> + <p>I sometimes think of poor Nietzsche and his passion for destroying the things he + loved, and how he sought in others the decadence that was really in himself. He tried + to embody this decadence in Wagner, and, led away by his flights of fancy and his + mania for paradox (which would be laughable if one did not remember that his whims + were not hatched in hours of happiness), he denied Wagner his most obvious + qualities—his vigour, his determination, his unity, his logic, and his power of + progress. He amused himself by comparing Wagner's style with that of Goncourt, by + making him—with amusing irony—a great miniaturist painter, a poet of + half-tones, a musician of affectations and melancholy, so delicate and effeminate in + style that "after him all other musicians seemed too robust."<a + name="FNanchor_108_108" id="FNanchor_108_108"></a><a href="#Footnote_108_108" + class="fnanchor">[108]</a> He has painted Wagner and his time delightfully. We all + enjoy these little pictures of the Tetralogy, delicately drawn and worked up by the + aid of a magnifying-glass—pictures of Wagner, languishing and beautiful, in a + mournful salon, and pictures of the athletic meetings of the other musicians, who + were "too robust"! The amusing part is that this piece of wit has been taken + seriously by certain arbiters of elegance, who are only too happy to be able to run + counter to any current opinion, whatever it may be.</p> + <p>I do not say that there may not be a decadent <a + name="page70" id="page70"/>side in Wagner, revealing + super-sensitiveness or even hysteria and other modern nervous affections. And if this + side was lacking he would not be representative of his time, and that is what every + great artist ought to be. But there is certainly something more in him than + decadence; and if women and young men cannot see anything beyond it, it only proves + their inability to get outside themselves. A long time ago Wagner himself complained + to Liszt that neither the public nor artists knew how to listen to or understand any + side of his music but the effeminate side: "They do not grasp its strength," he said. + "My supposed successes," he also tells us, "are founded on misunderstanding. My + public reputation isn't worth a walnut-shell." And it is true he has been applauded, + patronised, and monopolised for a quarter of a century by all the decadents of art + and literature. Scarcely anyone has seen in him a vigorous musician and a classic + writer, or has recognised him as Beethoven's direct successor, the inheritor of his + heroic and pastoral genius, of his epic inspirations and battlefield rhythms, of his + Napoleonic phrases and atmosphere of stirring trumpet-calls.</p> + <p>Nowhere is Wagner nearer to Beethoven than in <i>Siegfried</i>. In <i>Die + Walküre</i> certain characters, certain phrases of Wotan, of Brünnhilde, + and, especially, of Siegmund, bear a close relationship to Beethoven's symphonies and + sonatas. I can never play the recitative <i>con espressione e semplice</i> of the + seventeenth sonata for the piano (Op. 31, No. 2) without being reminded of the + forests of <i>Die Walküre</i><a name="page71" + id="page71"/>and the fugitive hero. But in <i>Siegfried</i> I find, + not only a likeness to Beethoven in details, but the same spirit running through the + work—both the poem and the music. I cannot help thinking that Beethoven would + perhaps have disliked <i>Tristan</i>, but would have loved <i>Siegfried</i>; for the + latter is a perfect incarnation of the spirit of old Germany, virginal and gross, + sincere and malicious, full of humour and sentiment, of deep feeling, of dreams of + bloody and joyous battles, of the shade of great oak-trees and the song of birds.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>In my opinion, <i>Siegfried</i>, in spirit and in form, stands alone in Wagner's + work. It breathes perfect health and happiness, and it overflows with gladness. Only + <i>Die Meistersinger</i> rivals it in merriment, though even there one does not find + such a nice balance of poetry and music.</p> + <p>And <i>Siegfried</i> rouses one's admiration the more when one thinks that it was + the offspring of sickness and suffering. The time at which Wagner wrote it was one of + the saddest in his life. It often happens so in art. One goes astray in trying to + interpret an artist's life by his work, for it is exceptional to find one a + counterpart of the other. It is more likely that an artist's work will express the + opposite of his life—the things that he did not experience. The object of art + is to fill up what is missing in the artist's experience: "Art begins where life + leaves off," said Wagner. A man of action is rarely pleased with stimulating works of + art. Borgia and Sforza <a name="page72" + id="page72"/>patronised Leonardo. The strong, full-blooded men of the + seventeenth century; the apoplectic court at Versailles (where Fagon's lancet played + so necessary a part); the generals and ministers who harassed the Protestants and + burned the Palatinate—all these loved pastorales. Napoleon wept at a reading of + <i>Paul et Virginie</i>, and delighted in the pallid music of Paesiello. A man + wearied by an over-active life seeks repose in art; a man who lives a narrow, + commonplace life seeks energy in art. A great artist writes a gay work when he is + sad, and a sad work when he is gay, almost in spite of himself. Beethoven's symphony + <i>To Joy</i> is the offspring of his misery; and Wagner's <i>Meistersinger</i> was + composed immediately after the failure of <i>Tannhäuser</i> in Paris. People try + to find in <i>Tristan</i> the trace of some love-story of Wagner's, but Wagner + himself says: "As in all my life I have never truly tasted the happiness of love, I + will raise a monument to a beautiful dream of it: I have the idea of <i>Tristan und + Isolde</i> in my head." And so it was with his creation of the happy and heedless + <i>Siegfried</i>.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>The first ideas of <i>Siegfried</i> were contemporary with the Revolution of 1848, + which Wagner took part in with the same enthusiasm he put into everything else. His + recognised biographer, Herr Houston Stewart Chamberlain—who, with M. Henri + Lichtenberger, has succeeded best in unravelling Wagner's complex soul, though he is + not without certain <a name="page73" + id="page73"/>prejudices—has been at great pains to prove that + Wagner was always a patriot and a German monarchist. Well, he may have been so later + on, but it was not, I think, the last phase of his evolution. His actions speak for + themselves. On 14 June, 1848, in a famous speech to the National Democratic + Association, Wagner violently attacked the organisation of society itself, and + demanded both the abolition of money and the extinction of what was left of the + aristocracy. In <i>Das Kunstwerk der Zukunft</i> (1849) he showed that beyond the + "local nationalism" were signs of a "supernational universalism." And all this was + not merely talk, for he risked his life for his ideas. Herr Chamberlain himself + quotes the account of a witness who saw him, in May, 1849, distributing revolutionary + pamphlets to the troops who were besieging Dresden. It was a miracle that he was not + arrested and shot. We know that after Dresden was taken a warrant was out against + him, and he fled to Switzerland, with a passport on which was a borrowed name. If it + be true that Wagner later declared that he had been "involved in error and led away + by his feelings" it matters little to the history of that time. Errors and + enthusiasms are an integral part of life, and one must not ignore them in a man's + biography under the pretext that he regretted them twenty or thirty years later, for + they have, nevertheless, helped to guide his actions and impressed his imagination. + It was out of the Revolution itself that <i>Siegfried</i> directly sprang.</p> + <p>In 1848, Wagner was not yet thinking of a<a name="page74" + id="page74"/>Tetralogy, but of an heroic opera in three acts called + <i>Siegfried's Tod</i>, in which the fatal power of gold was to be symbolised in the + treasure of the Niebelungen; and Siegfried was to represent "a socialist redeemer + come down to earth to abolish the reign of Capital." As the rough draft developed, + Wagner went up the stream of his hero's life. He dreamed of his childhood, of his + conquest of the treasure, of the awakening of Brünnhilde; and in 1851 he wrote + the poem of <i>Der Junge Siegfried</i>. Siegfried and Brünnhilde represent the + humanity of the future, the new era that should be realised when the earth was set + free from the yoke of gold. Then Wagner went farther back still, to the sources of + the legend itself, and Wotan appeared, the symbol of our time, a man such as you or + I—in contrast to Siegfried, man as he ought to be, and one day will be. On this + subject Wagner says, in a letter to Roeckel: "Look well at Wotan; he is the + unmistakable likeness of ourselves, and the sum of the present-day spirit, while + Siegfried is the man we wait and wish for—the future man whom we cannot create, + but who will create himself by our annihilation—the most perfect man I can + imagine." Finally Wagner conceived the Twilight of the Gods, the fall of the + Valhalla—our present system of society—and the birth of a regenerated + humanity. Wagner wrote to Uhlig in 1851 that the complete work was to be played after + the great Revolution.</p> + <p>The opera public would probably be very astonished to learn that in + <i>Siegfried</i> they applaud a revolutionary work, expressly directed by Wagner + against <a name="page75" id="page75"/>this + detested Capital, whose downfall would have been so dear to him. And he never doubted + that he was expressing grief in all these pages of shining joy.</p> + <p>Wagner went to Zurich after a stay in Paris, where he felt "so much distrust for + the artistic world and horror for the restraint that he was forced to put upon + himself" that he was seized with a nervous malady which nearly killed him. He + returned to work at <i>Der Junge Siegfried</i>, and he says it brought him great + joy.</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"But I am unhappy in not being able to apply myself to anything but music. I + know I am feeding on an illusion, and that reality is the only thing worth having. + My health is not good, and my nerves are in a state of increasing weakness. My + life, lived entirely in the imagination and without sufficient action, tires me so, + that I can only work with frequent breaks and long intervals of rest; otherwise I + pay the penalty with long and painful suffering.... I am very lonely. I often wish + for death.</p> + <p>"While I work I forget my troubles; but the moment I rest they come flocking + about me, and I am very miserable. What a splendid life is an artist's! Look at it! + How willingly would I part with it for a week of real life.</p> + <p>"I can't understand how a really happy man could think of serving art. If we + enjoyed life, we should have no need of art. When the present has nothing more to + offer us we cry out our needs <a name="page76" + id="page76"/>by means of art. To have my youth again and my health, + to enjoy nature, to have a wife who would love me devotedly, and fine + children—for this I would give up <i>all my art</i>. Now I have said + it—give me what is left."</p> + </div> + <p>Thus the poem of the Tetralogy was written with doubts, as he said, as to whether + he should abandon art and all belonging to it and become a healthy, normal + man—a son of nature. He began to compose the music of the poem while in a state + of suffering, which every day became more acute.</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"My nights are often sleepless; I get out of bed, wretched and exhausted, with + the thought of a long day before me, which will not bring me a single joy. The + society of others tortures me, and I avoid it only to torture myself. Everything I + do fills me with disgust. It can't go on for ever. I can't stand such a life any + longer. I will kill myself rather than live like this.... I don't believe in + anything, and I have only one desire—to sleep so soundly that human misery + will exist no more for me. I ought to be able to get such a sleep somehow; it + should not be really difficult."</p> + </div> + <p>For distraction he went to Italy; Turin, Genoa, Spezia, and Nice. But there, in a + strange world, his loneliness seemed so frightful that he became very depressed, and + made all haste back to Zurich. It was there he wrote the happy music of <i>Das + Rheingold</i>. He began the score of <i>Die Walküre</i> at a time when his + normal condition was one of suffering.<a name="page77" + id="page77"/>Then he discovered Schopenhauer, whose philosophy only + helped to confirm and crystallise his instinctive pessimism. In the spring of 1855 he + went to London to give concerts; but he was ill there, and this fresh contact with + the world only served to annoy him further. He had some difficulty in again taking up + <i>Die Walküre</i>; but he finished it at last in spite of frequent attacks of + facial erysipelas, for which he afterwards had to undergo a hydropathic cure at + Geneva. He began the score of <i>Siegfried</i> towards the end of 1856, while the + thought of Tristan was stirring within him. In <i>Tristan</i> he wished to depict + love as "a dreadful anguish"; and this idea obsessed him so completely that he could + not finish <i>Siegfried</i>. He seemed to be consumed by a burning fever; and, + abandoning <i>Siegfried</i> in the middle of the second act, he threw himself madly + into <i>Tristan</i>. "I want to gratify my desire for love," he says, "until it is + completely satiated; and in the folds of the black flag that floats over its + consummation I wish to wrap myself and die."<a name="FNanchor_109_109" + id="FNanchor_109_109"></a><a href="#Footnote_109_109" class="fnanchor">[109]</a> + <i>Siegfried</i> was not finished until 5 February, 1871, at the end of the + Franco-Prussian war—that is fourteen years later, after several + interruptions.</p> + <p>Such is, in a few words, the history of this heroic idyll. It is perhaps as well + to remind the public now and then that the hours of distraction they enjoy by means + of art may represent years of suffering for the artist.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <a name="page78" id="page78"/> + <p>Do you know the amusing account Tolstoy gave of a performance of <i>Siegfried</i>? + I will quote it from his book, <i>What is Art</i>?—</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"When I arrived, an actor in tight-fitting breeches was seated before an object + that was meant to represent an anvil. He wore a wig and false beard; his white and + manicured hands had nothing of the workman about them; and his easy air, prominent + belly, and flabby muscles readily betrayed the actor. With an absurd hammer he + struck—as no one else would ever strike—a fantastic-looking + sword-blade. One guessed he was a dwarf, because when he walked he bent his legs at + the knees. He cried out a great deal, and opened his mouth in a queer fashion. The + orchestra also emitted peculiar noises like several beginnings that had nothing to + do with one another. Then another actor appeared with a horn in his belt, leading a + man dressed up as a bear, who walked on all-fours. He let loose the bear on the + dwarf, who ran away, but forgot to bend his knees this time. The actor with the + human face represented the hero, Siegfried. He cried out for a long time, and the + dwarf replied in the same way. Then a traveller arrived—the god Wotan. He had + a wig, too; and, settling himself down with his spear, in a silly attitude, he told + Mimi all about things he already knew, but of which the audience was ignorant. Then + Siegfried seized some bits that were supposed to represent pieces of a sword, and + sang:<a name="page79" id="page79"/></p> + <p>'Heaho, heaho, hoho! Hoho, hoho, hoho, hoho! Hoheo, haho, haheo, hoho!' And that + was the end of the first act. It was all so artificial and stupid that I had great + difficulty in sitting it out. But my friends begged me to stay, and assured me that + the second act would be better.</p> + <p>"The next scene represented a forest. Wotan was waking up the dragon. At first + the dragon said, 'I want to go to sleep'; but eventually he came out of his grotto. + The dragon was represented by two men clothed in a green skin with some scales + stuck about it. At one end of the skin they wagged a tail, and at the other end + they opened a crocodile's mouth, out of which came fire. The dragon, which ought to + have been a frightful beast—and perhaps he would have frightened children + about five years old—said a few words in a bass voice. It was so childish and + feeble that one was astonished to see grown-up people present; even thousands of + so-called cultured people looked on and listened attentively, and went into + raptures. Then Siegfried arrived with his horn. He lay down during a pause, which + is reputed to be very beautiful; and sometimes he talked to himself, and sometimes + he was quite silent. He wanted to imitate the song of the birds, and cut a rush + with his horn, and made a flute out of it. But he played the flute badly, and so he + began to blow his horn. The scene is intolerable, and there is not the least trace + of music in it. I was annoyed to see three thousand people round about me, + listening <a name="page80" id="page80"/> + submissively to this absurdity and dutifully admiring it.</p> + <p>"With some courage I managed to wait for the next scene—Siegfried's fight + with the dragon. There were roarings and flames of fire and brandishings of the + sword. But I could not stand it any longer; and I fled out of the theatre with a + feeling of disgust that I have not yet forgotten."</p> + </div> + <p>I admit I cannot read this delightful criticism without laughing; and it does not + affect me painfully like Nietzsche's pernicious and morbid irony. It used to be a + grief to me that two men whom I loved with an equal affection, and whom I reverenced + as the finest spirits in Europe, remained strangers and hostile to each other. I + could not bear the thought that a genius, hopelessly misunderstood by the crowd, + should be bent on making his solitude more bitter and narrow by refusing, with a sort + of jealous waywardness, to be reconciled to his equals, or to offer them the hand of + friendship. But now I think that perhaps it was better so. The first virtue of genius + is sincerity. If Nietzsche had to go out of his way <i>not</i> to understand Wagner, + it is natural, on the other hand, that Wagner should be a closed book to Tolstoy; it + would be almost surprising if it were otherwise. Each one has his own part to play, + and has no need to change it. Wagner's wonderful dreams and magic intuition of the + inner life are not less valuable to us than Tolstoy's pitiless truth, in which he + exposes modern society and tears away the veil of hypocrisy with which she covers + <a name="page81" id="page81"/>herself. So I + admire <i>Siegfried</i>, and at the same time enjoy Tolstoy's satire; for I like the + latter's sturdy humour, which is one of the most striking features of his realism, + and which, as he himself noticed, makes him closely resemble Rousseau. Both men show + us an ultra-refined civilisation, and both are uncompromising apostles of a return to + nature.</p> + <p>Tolstoy's rough banter recalls Rousseau's sarcasm about an opera of Rameau's. In + the <i>Nouvelle Héloïse</i>, he rails in a similar fashion against the + sadly fantastic performances at the theatre. It was, even then, a question of + monsters, "of dragons animated by a blockhead of a Savoyard, who had not enough + spirit for the beast."</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"They assured me that they had a tremendous lot of machinery to make all this + movement, and they offered several times to show it to me; but I felt no curiosity + about little effects achieved by great efforts.... The sky is represented by some + blue rags suspended from sticks and cords, like a laundry display.... The chariots + of the gods and goddesses are made of four joists in a frame, suspended by a thick + rope, as a swing might be. Then a plank is stuck across the joists, and on this is + seated a god. In front of him hangs a piece of daubed cloth, which serves as a + cloud upon which his splendid chariot may rest.... The theatre is furnished with + little square trap-doors which, opening as occasion requires, show that the demons + can be let loose from the cellars.<a name="page82" + id="page82"/>When the demons have to fly in the air, dummies of + brown cloth are substituted, or sometimes real chimney-sweeps, who swing in the + air, suspended by cords, until they are gloriously lost in the rag sky....</p> + <p>"But you can have no idea of the dreadful cries and roarings with which the + theatre resounds.... What is so extraordinary is that these howlings are almost the + only things that the audience applaud. By the way they clap their hands one would + take them to be a lot of deaf creatures, who were so delighted to catch a few + piercing sounds now and then that they wanted the actors to do them all over again. + I am quite sure that people applaud the bawling of an actress at the opera as they + would a mountebank's feats of skill at a fair—one suffers while they are + going on, but one is so delighted to see them finish without an accident that one + willingly demonstrates one's pleasure.... With these beautiful sounds, as true as + they are sweet, those of the orchestra blend very worthily. Imagine an unending + clatter of instruments without any melody; a lingering and endless groaning among + the bass parts; and the whole the most mournful and boring thing that I ever heard + in my life. I could not put up with it for half an hour without getting a violent + headache.</p> + <p>"All this forms a sort of psalmody, possessing neither tune nor time. But if by + any chance a lively air is played, there is a general stamping; the audience is set + in motion, and follows, with a <a name="page83" + id="page83"/>great deal of trouble and noise, some performer in the + orchestra. Delighted to feel for a few moments the rhythm that is so lacking, they + torment the ear, the voice, the arms, the legs, and all the body, to chase after a + tune that is ever ready to escape them...."</p> + </div> + <p>I have quoted this rather long passage to show how the impression made by one of + Rameau's operas on his contemporaries resembled that made by Wagner on his enemies. + It was not without reason that Rameau was said to be Wagner's forerunner, as Rousseau + was Tolstoy's forerunner.</p> + <p>In reality, it was not against <i>Siegfried</i> itself that Tolstoy's criticism + was directed; and Tolstoy was closer than he thought to the spirit of this drama. Is + not Siegfried the heroic incarnation of a free and healthy man, sprung directly from + Nature? In a sketch of <i>Siegfried</i>, written in 1848, Wagner says:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"To follow the impulses of my heart is my supreme law; what I can accomplish by + obeying my instincts is what I ought to do. Is that voice of instinct cursed or + blessed? I do not know; but I yield to it, and never force myself to run counter to + my inclination."</p> + </div> + <p>Wagner fought against civilisation by quite other methods than those employed by + Tolstoy; and if the efforts of the two were equally great, the practical result + is—one must really say it—as poor on one side as on the other.<a name="page84" id="page84"/></p> + <p>What Tolstoy's raillery is really aimed at is not Wagner's work, but the way in + which his work was represented. The splendours of the setting do not hide the + childishness of the ideas behind them: the dragon Fafna, Fricka's rams, the bear, the + serpent, and all the Valhalla menagerie have always been ridiculous. I will only add + that the dragon's failure to be terrifying was not Wagner's fault, for he never + attempted to depict a terrifying dragon. He gave it quite clearly, and of his own + choice, a comic character. Both the text and the music make Fafner a sort of ogre, a + simple creature, but, above all, a grotesque one.</p> + <p>Besides, I cannot help feeling that scenic reality takes away rather than adds to + the effect of these great philosophical fairylands. Malwida von Meysenbug told me + that at the Bayreuth festival of 1876, while she was following one of the <i>Ring</i> + scenes very attentively with her opera-glasses, two hands were laid over her eyes, + and she heard Wagner's voice say impatiently: "Don't look so much at what is going + on. Listen!" It was good counsel. There are dilettanti who pretend that at a concert + the best way to enjoy Beethoven's last works—where the sonority is + defective—is to stop the ears and read the score. One might say with less of a + paradox that the best way to follow a performance of Wagner's operas is to listen + with the eyes shut. So perfect is the music, so powerful its hold on the imagination, + that it leaves nothing to be desired; what it suggests to the mind is infinitely + finer than what the eyes may see. I have never shared the <a + name="page85" id="page85"/>opinion that Wagner's works may be best + appreciated in the theatre. His works are epic symphonies. As a frame for them I + should like temples; as scenery, the illimitable land of thought; as actors, our + dreams.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>The first act of <i>Siegfried</i> is one of the most dramatic in the Tetralogy. + Nothing satisfied me more completely at Bayreuth, both as regards the actors and the + dramatic effects. Fantastic creatures like Alberich and Mimi, who seem to be out of + their element in France, are rooted deep down in German imaginations. The Bayreuth + actors surpassed themselves in making them startlingly lifelike, with a trembling and + grimacing realism. Burgstaller, who was then making his debut in <i>Siegfried</i>, + acted with an impetuous awkwardness which accorded well with the part. I remember + with what zest—which seemed in no way affected—he played the hero smith, + labouring like a true workman, blowing the fire and making the blade glow, dipping it + in the steaming water, and working it on the anvil; and then, in a burst of Homeric + gaiety, singing that fine hymn at the end of the first act, which sounds like an air + by Bach or Händel.</p> + <p>But in spite of all this, I felt how much better it was to dream, or to hear this + poem of a youthful soul at a concert. It is then that the magic murmurs of the forest + in the second act speak more directly to the heart. However beautiful the scenery of + glades <a name="page86" id="page86"/>and woods, + however cleverly the light is made to change and dance among the trees—and it + is manipulated now like a set of organ stops—it still seems almost wrong to + listen with open eyes to music that, unaided, can show us a glorious summer's day, + and make us see the swaying of the tree-tops, and hear the brush of the wind against + the leaves. Through the music alone the hum and murmur of a thousand little voices is + about us, the glorious song of the birds floats into the depths of a blue sky; or + comes a silence, vibrating with invisible life, when Nature, with her mysterious + smile, opens her arms and hushes all things in a divine sleep.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>Wagner left <i>Siegfried</i> asleep in the forest in order to embark on the + funereal vessel of <i>Tristan und Isolde</i>. But he left Siegfried with some anguish + of heart. When writing to Liszt in 1857, he says:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"I have taken young Siegfried into the depths of a lonely forest; there I have + left him under a lime-tree, and said good-bye to him with tears in my eyes. It has + torn my heart to bury him alive, and I had a hard and painful fight with myself + before I could do it.... Shall I ever go back to him? No, it is all finished. Don't + let us speak of it again."</p> + </div> + <p>Wagner had reason to be sad. He knew well that he would never find his young + Siegfried again. He <a name="page87" + id="page87"/>roused him up ten years later. But all was changed. That + splendid third act has not the freshness of the first two. Wotan has become an + important figure, and brought reason and pessimism with him into the drama. Wagner's + later conceptions were perhaps loftier, and his genius was more master of itself + (think of the classic dignity in the awakening of Brünnhilde); but the ardour + and happy expression of youth is gone. I know that this is not the opinion of most of + Wagner's admirers; but, with the exception of a few pages of sublime beauty, I have + never altogether liked the love scenes at the end of <i>Siegfried</i> and at the + beginning of <i>Götterdämmerung</i>. I find their style rather pompous and + declamatory; and their almost excessive refinement makes them border upon dulness. + The form of the duet, too, seems cut and dried, and there are signs of weariness in + it. The heaviness of the last pages of <i>Siegfried</i> recalls <i>Die + Meistersinger</i>, which is also of that period. It is no longer the same joy nor the + same quality of joy that is found in the earlier acts.</p> + <p>Yet it does not really matter, for joy is there, nevertheless; and so splendid was + the first inspiration of the work that the years have not dimmed its brilliancy. One + would like to end with <i>Siegfried</i>, and escape the gloomy + <i>Götterdämmerung</i>. For those who have sensitive feelings the fourth + day of the Tetralogy has a depressing effect. I remember the tears I have seen shed + at the end of the <i>Ring</i>, and the words of a friend, as we left the theatre at + Bayreuth and descended the hill at night: "I feel as <a + name="page88" id="page88"/>though I were coming away from the burial + of someone I dearly loved." It was truly a time of mourning. Perhaps there was + something incongruous in building such a structure when it had universal death for + its conclusion—or at least in making the whole an object of show and + instruction. <i>Tristan</i> achieves the same end with much more power, as the action + is swifter. Besides that, the end of <i>Tristan</i> is not without comfort, for life + there is terrible. But it is not the same in <i>Götterdämmerung</i>; for in + spite of the absurdity of the spell which is set upon the love of Siegfried and + Brünnhilde, life with them is happy and desirable, since they are beings capable + of love, and death appears to be a splendid but awful catastrophe. And one cannot say + the <i>Ring</i> breathes a spirit of renunciation and sacrifice like <i>Parsifal</i>; + renunciation and sacrifice are only talked about in the <i>Ring</i>; and, in spite of + the last transports which impel Brünnhilde to the funeral pyre, they are neither + an inspiration nor a delight. One has the impression of a great gulf yawning at one's + feet, and the anguish of seeing those one loves fall into it.</p> + <p>I have often regretted that Wagner's first conception of <i>Siegfried</i> changed + in the course of years; and in spite of the magnificent <i>dénouement</i> of + <i>Götterdämmerung</i> (which is really more effective in a concert room, + for the real tragedy ends with Siegfried's death), I cannot help thinking with regret + how fine a more optimistic poem from this revolutionary of '48 might have been. + People tell me that it would then have been less true to life.<a name="page89" id="page89"/>But why should it be + truthful to depict life only as a bad thing? Life is neither good nor bad it is just + what we make it, and the result of the way in which we look at it. Joy is as real as + sorrow, and a very fertile source of action. What inspiration there is in the laugh + of a great man! Let us welcome, therefore, the sparkling if transient gaiety of + <i>Siegfried</i>.</p> + <p>Wagner wrote to Malwida von Meysenbug: "I have, by chance, just been reading + Plutarch's life of Timoleon. That life ended very happily—a rare and unheard-of + thing, especially in history. It does one good to think that such a thing is + possible. It moved me profoundly."</p> + <p>I feel the same when I hear <i>Siegfried</i>. We are rarely allowed to contemplate + happiness in great tragic art; but when we may, how splendid it is, and how good for + one!</p> + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <a name="page90" id="page90"/> + <h2><a name="TRISTANquot" id="TRISTANquot"></a>"TRISTAN"</h2> + <p>Tristan towers like a mountain above all other love poems, as Wagner above all + other artists of his century. It is the outcome of a sublime conception, though the + work as a whole is far from perfect. Of perfect works there is none where Wagner is + concerned. The effort necessary for the creation of them was too great to be long + sustained; for a single work might means years of toil. And the tense emotions of a + whole drama cannot be expressed by a series of sudden inspirations put into form the + moment they are conceived. Long and arduous labour is necessary. These giants, + fashioned like Michelangelo's, these concentrated tempests of heroic force and + decadent complexity, are not arrested, like the work of a sculptor or painter, in one + moment of their action; they live and go on living in endless detail of sensation. To + expect sustained inspiration is to expect what is not human. Genius may reveal what + is divine; it may call up and catch a glimpse of <i>die Mütter</i>, but it + cannot always breathe in the exhausted air of this world. So will must sometimes take + the place of inspiration; though the will is uncertain and often stumbles in its + task. That is why we encounter things that jar and jolt in the greatest + works—they are the marks of human weakness. Well, perhaps there is less <a name="page91" id="page91"/>weakness in + <i>Tristan</i> than in Wagner's other dramas—<i>Götterdämmerung</i>, + for instance—for nowhere else is the effort of his genius more strenuous or its + flight more dizzy. Wagner himself knew it well. His letters show the despair of a + soul wrestling with its familiar spirit, which it clutches and holds, only to lose + again. And we seem to hear cries of pain, and feel his anger and despair.</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"I can never tell you what a really wretched musician I am. In my inmost heart I + know I am a bungler and an absolute failure. You should see me when I say to + myself, 'It ought to go now,' and sit down to the piano and put together some + miserable rubbish, which I fling away again like an idiot. I know quite well the + kind of musical trash I produce.... Believe me, it is no good expecting me to do + anything decent. Sometimes I really think it was Reissiger who inspired me to write + <i>Tannhäuser</i> and <i>Lohengrin</i>."</p> + </div> + <p>This is how Wagner wrote to Liszt when he was finishing this amazing work of art. + In the same way Michelangelo wrote to his father in 1509: "I am in agony. I have not + dared to ask the Pope for anything, because my work does not make sufficient progress + to merit any remuneration. The work is too difficult, and indeed it is not my + profession. I am wasting my time to no purpose. Heaven help me!" For a year he had + been working at the ceiling of the Sixtine chapel.</p> + <p>This is something more than a burst of modesty.<a + name="page92" id="page92"/>No one had more pride than Michelangelo or + Wagner; but both felt the defects of their work like a sharp wound. And although + those defects do not prevent their works from being the glory of the human spirit, + they are there just the same.</p> + <p>I do not want to dwell upon the inherent imperfections of Wagner's dramas; they + are really dramatic or epic symphonies, impossible to act, and gaining nothing from + representation. This is especially true of <i>Tristan</i>, where the disparity + between the storm of sentiment depicted, and the cold convention and enforced + timidity of action on the stage, is such that at certain moments—in the second + act, for example—it pains and shocks one, and seems almost grotesque.</p> + <p>But while admitting that <i>Tristan</i> is a symphony that is not suitable for + representation, one also recognises its blemishes and, above all, its unevenness. The + orchestration in the first act is often rather thin, and the plot lacks solidity. + There are gaps and unaccountable holes, and melodious lines left suspended in space. + From beginning to end, lyrical bursts of melody are broken by declamations, or, what + is worse, by dissertations. Frenzied whirlwinds of passion stop suddenly to give + place to recitatives of explanation or argument. And although these recitatives are + nearly always a great relief, although these metaphysical reveries have a character + of barbarous cunning that one relishes, yet the superior beauty of the movements of + pure poetry, emotion, and music is so evident, that this musical and philosophical + drama serves to give one <a name="page93" + id="page93"/>a distaste for philosophy and drama and everything else + that cramps and confines music.</p> + <p>But the musical part of <i>Tristan</i> is not free either from the faults of the + work as a whole, for it, too, lacks unity. Wagner's music is made up of very diverse + styles: one finds in it Italianisms and Germanisms and even Gallicisms of every kind; + there are some that are sublime, some that are commonplace; and at times one feels + the awkwardness of their union and the imperfections of their form. Then again, + perhaps two ideas of equal originality come together and spoil each other by making + too strong a contrast. The fine lamentation of King Mark—that personification + of a knight of the Grail—is treated with such moderation and with so noble a + scorn for outward show, that its pure, cold light is entirely lost after the glowing + fire of the duet.</p> + <p>The work suffers everywhere from a lack of balance. It is an almost inevitable + defect, arising from its very grandeur. A mediocre work may quite easily be perfect + of its kind; but it is rarely that a work lofty aim attains perfection. A landscape + of little dells and smiling meadows is brought more readily into pleasing harmony + than a landscape of dazzling Alps, torrents, glaciers, and tempests; for the heights + may sometimes overwhelm the picture and spoil the effect. And so it is with certain + great pages of <i>Tristan</i>. We may take for example the verses which tell of + excruciating expectation—in the second act, Isolde's expectation on the night + filled with desire; and, in the third act,<a name="page94" + id="page94"/>Tristan's expectation, as he lies wounded and delirious, + waiting for the vessel that brings Isolde and death—or we may take the Prelude, + that expression of eternal desire that is like a restless sea for ever moaning and + beating itself upon the shore.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>The quality that touches me most deeply in <i>Tristan</i> is the evidence of + honesty and sincerity in a man who was treated by his enemies as a charlatan that + used superficial and grossly material means to arrest and amaze the public eye. What + drama is more sober or more disdainful of exterior effect than <i>Tristan</i>? Its + restraint is almost carried to excess. Wagner rejected any picturesque episode in it + that was irrelevant to his subject. The man who carried all Nature in his + imagination, who at his will made the storms of the <i>Walküre</i> rage, or the + soft light of Good Friday shine, would not even depict a bit of the sea round the + vessel in the first act. Believe me, that must have been a sacrifice, though he + wished it so. It pleased him to enclose this terrible drama within the four walls of + a chamber of tragedy. There are hardly any choruses; there is nothing to distract + one's attention from the mystery of human souls; there are only two real + parts—those of the lovers; and if there is a third, it belongs to Destiny, into + whose hands the victims are delivered. What a fine seriousness there is in this love + play. Its passion remains sombre and stern; there is no laughter in it, only a belief + which is almost religious, more <a name="page95" + id="page95"/>religious perhaps in its sincerity than that of + <i>Parsifal</i>.</p> + <p>It is a lesson for dramatists to see a man suppressing all frivolous trifling and + empty episodes in order to concentrate his subject entirely on the inner life of two + living souls. In that Wagner is our master, a better, stronger, and more profitable + master to follow, in spite of his mistakes, than all the other literary and dramatic + authors of his time.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>I see that criticism has filled a larger place in these notes than I meant it to + do. But in spite of that, I love <i>Tristan</i>; for me and for others of my time it + has long been an intoxicating draught. And it has never lost anything of its + grandeur; the years have left its beauty untouched, and it is for me the highest + point of art reached by anyone since Beethoven's death.</p> + <p>But as I was listening to it the other evening I could not help thinking: Ah, + Wagner, you will one day go too, and join Gluck and Bach and Monteverde and + Palestrina and all the great souls whose names still live among men, but whose + thoughts are only felt by a handful of the initiated, who try in vain to revive the + past. You, also, are already of the past, though you were the steady light of our + youth, the strong source of life and death, of desire and renouncement, whence we + drew our moral force and our power of resistance against the world. And the world, + ever greedy for new sensations, goes on its way amid the unceasing ebb and flow of + its <a name="page96" id="page96"/>desires. + Already its thoughts have changed, and new musicians are making new songs for the + future. But it is the voice of a century of tempest that passes with you.</p> + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h2><a name="CAMILLE_SAINT_SAENS" id="CAMILLE_SAINT_SAENS"></a> CAMILLE + SAINT-SAËNS</h2> + <a name="page97" id="page97"/> + <p>M. Saint-Saëns has had the rare honour of becoming a classic during his + lifetime. His name, though it was long unrecognised, now commands universal respect, + not less by his worth of character than by the perfection of his art. No artist has + troubled so little about the public, or been more indifferent to criticism whether + popular or expert. As a child he had a sort of physical repulsion for outward + success:</p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span class="i5">"De l'applaudissement<br /> + </span> <span>J'entends encor le bruit qui, chose assez étrange,<br /> + </span> <span>Pour ma pudeur d'enfant était comme une fange<br /> + </span> <span>Dont le flot me venait toucher; je redoutais<br /> + </span> <span>Son contact, et parfois, malin, je l'évitais,<br /> + </span> <span>Affectant la raideur."<a name="FNanchor_110_110" + id="FNanchor_110_110"></a><a href="#Footnote_110_110" + class="fnanchor">[110]</a><br /> + </span> + </div> + </div> + <p>Later on, he achieved success by a long and painful struggle, in which he had to + fight against the kind of stupid criticism that condemned him "to listen to one of + Beethoven's symphonies as a penance <a name="page98" + id="page98"/>likely to give him the most excruciating torture."<a + name="FNanchor_111_111" id="FNanchor_111_111"></a><a href="#Footnote_111_111" + class="fnanchor">[111]</a> And yet after this, and after his admission to the + Academy, after <i>Henry VIII</i> and the <i>Symphonie avec orgue</i>, he still + remained aloof from praise or blame, and judged his triumphs with sad severity:</p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span>"Tu connaîtras les yeux menteurs, l'hypocrisie<br /> + </span> <span class="i5">Des serrements de mains,<br /> + </span> <span>Le masque d'amitié cachant la jalousie,<br /> + </span> <span class="i5">Les pâles lendemains<br /> + </span> + </div> + <div class="stanza"> + <span>"De ces jours de triomphe où le troupeau vulgaire<br /> + </span> <span class="i5">Qui pèse au même poids<br /> + </span> <span>L'histrion ridicule et le génie austère<br /> + </span> <span class="i5">Vous mets sur le pavois."<a name="FNanchor_112_112" + id="FNanchor_112_112"></a><a href="#Footnote_112_112" + class="fnanchor">[112]</a><br /> + </span> + </div> + </div> + <p>M. Saint-Saëns has now grown old, and his fame has spread abroad, but he has + not capitulated. Not many years ago he wrote to a German journalist: "I take very + little notice of either praise or censure, not because I have an exalted idea of my + own merits (which would be foolish), but because in doing my work, and fulfilling the + function of my nature, as an apple-tree grows apples, I have no need to trouble + myself with other people's views."<a name="FNanchor_113_113" + id="FNanchor_113_113"></a><a href="#Footnote_113_113" class="fnanchor">[113]</a><a name="page99" id="page99"/></p> + <p>Such independence is rare at any time; but it is very rare in our day, when the + power of public opinion is tyrannical; and it is rarest of all in France, where + artists are perhaps more sociable than in other countries. Of all qualities in an + artist it is the most precious; for it forms the foundation of his character, and is + the guarantee of his conscience and innate strength. So we must not hide it under a + bushel.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>The significance of M. Saint-Saëns in art is a double one, for one must judge + him from the inside as well as the outside of France. He stands for something + exceptional in French music, something which was almost unique until just lately: + that is, a great classical spirit and a fine breadth of musical culture—German + culture, we must say, since the foundation of all modern art rests on the German + classics. French music of the nineteenth century is rich in clever artists, + imaginative writers of melody, and skilful dramatists; but it is poor in true + musicians, and in good and solid workmanship. Apart from two or three splendid + exceptions, our composers have too much the character of gifted amateurs who compose + music as a pastime, and regard it, not as a special form of thought, but as a sort of + dress for literary ideas. Our musical education is superficial: it may be got for a + few years, in a formal way, at a Conservatoire, but it is not within reach of all; + the child does not breathe music as, in a way, he breathes the atmosphere of <a name="page100" id="page100"/>literature and + oratory; and although nearly everyone in France has an instinctive feeling for + beautiful writing, only a very few people care for beautiful music. From this arise + the common faults and failings in our music. It has remained a luxurious art; it has + not become, like German music, the poetical expression of the people's thought.</p> + <p>To bring this about we should need a combination of conditions that are very rare + in France; though such conditions went to the making of Camille Saint-Saëns. He + had not only remarkable natural talent, but came of a family of ardent musicians, who + devoted themselves to his education. At five years of age he was nourished on the + orchestral score of <i>Don Juan</i>;<a name="FNanchor_114_114" + id="FNanchor_114_114"></a><a href="#Footnote_114_114" class="fnanchor">[114]</a> as a + little boy</p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span>"De dix ans, délicat, frêle, le teint jaunet,<br /> + </span> <span>Mais confiant, naïf, plein d'ardeur et de joie,"<a + name="FNanchor_115_115" id="FNanchor_115_115"></a><a href="#Footnote_115_115" + class="fnanchor">[115]</a><br /> + </span> + </div> + </div> + <p>he "measured himself against Beethoven and Mozart" by playing in a public concert; + at sixteen years of age he wrote his <i>Première Symphonie</i>. As he grew + older he soaked himself in the music of Bach and Händel, and was able to compose + at will after the manner of Rossini, Verdi, Schumann, and Wagner.<a + name="FNanchor_116_116" id="FNanchor_116_116"></a><a href="#Footnote_116_116" + class="fnanchor">[116]</a> He has written excellent music in all styles—the + Grecian style, and that of the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries. His + compositions are of every kind: masses, grand operas, <a + name="page101" id="page101"/>light operas, cantatas, symphonies, + symphonic poems; music for the orchestra, the organ, the piano, the voice, and + chamber music. He is the learned editor of Gluck and Rameau; and is thus not only an + artist, but an artist who can talk about his art. He is an unusual figure in + France—one would have thought rather to find his home in Germany.</p> + <p>In Germany, however, they make no mistake about him. There, the name of Camille + Saint-Saëns stands for the French classical spirit, and is thought worthiest to + represent us in music from the time of Berlioz until the appearance of the young + school of César Franck—though Franck himself is as yet little known in + Germany. M. Saint-Saëns possesses, indeed, some of the best qualities of a + French artist, and among them the most important quality of all—perfect + clearness of conception. It is remarkable how little this learned artist is bothered + by his learning, and how free he is from all pedantry. Pedantry is the plague of + German art, and the greatest men have not escaped it. I am not speaking of Brahms, + who was ravaged with it, but of delightful geniuses like Schumann, or of powerful + ones like Bach. "This unnatural art wearies one like the sanctimonious salon of some + little provincial town; it stifles one, it is enough to kill one."<a + name="FNanchor_117_117" id="FNanchor_117_117"></a><a href="#Footnote_117_117" + class="fnanchor">[117]</a> "Saint-Saëns is not a pedant," wrote Gounod; "he has + <a name="page102" id="page102"/>remained too + much of a child and become too clever for that." Besides, he has always been too much + of a Frenchman.</p> + <p>Sometimes Saint-Saëns reminds me of one of our eighteenth-century writers. + Not a writer of the <i>Encyclopédie</i>, nor one of Rousseau's camp, but + rather of Voltaire's school. He has a clearness of thought, an elegance and precision + of expression, and a quality of mind that make his music "not only noble, but very + noble, as coming of a fine race and distinguished family."<a name="FNanchor_118_118" + id="FNanchor_118_118"></a><a href="#Footnote_118_118" class="fnanchor">[118]</a></p> + <p>He has also excellent discernment, of an unemotional kind; and he is "calm in + spirit, restrained in imagination, and keeps his self-control even in the midst of + the most disturbing emotions."<a name="FNanchor_119_119" id="FNanchor_119_119"></a><a + href="#Footnote_119_119" class="fnanchor">[119]</a> This discernment is the enemy of + anything approaching obscurity of thought or mysticism; and its outcome was that + curious book, <i>Problèmes et Mystères</i>—a misleading title, + for the spirit of reason reigns there and makes an appeal to young people to protect + "the light of a menaced world" against "the mists of the North, Scandinavian gods, + Indian divinities, Catholic miracles, Lourdes, spiritualism, occultism, and + obscurantism."<a name="FNanchor_120_120" id="FNanchor_120_120"></a><a + href="#Footnote_120_120" class="fnanchor">[120]</a></p> + <p>His love and need of liberty is also of the eighteenth century. One may say that + liberty is his only passion. "I am passionately fond of liberty," he wrote.<a + name="FNanchor_121_121" id="FNanchor_121_121"></a><a href="#Footnote_121_121" + class="fnanchor">[121]</a></p> + <p><a name="page103" id="page103"/>And he has + proved it by the absolute fearlessness of his judgments on art; for not only has he + reasoned soundly against Wagner, but dared to criticise the weaknesses of Gluck and + Mozart, the errors of Weber and Berlioz, and the accepted opinions about Gounod; and + this classicist, who was nourished on Bach, goes so far as to say: "The performance + of works by Bach and Händel to-day is an idle amusement," and that those who + wish to revive their art are like "people who would live in an old mansion that has + been uninhabited for centuries."<a name="FNanchor_122_122" + id="FNanchor_122_122"></a><a href="#Footnote_122_122" class="fnanchor">[122]</a> He + went even further; he criticised his own work and contradicted his own opinions. His + love of liberty made him form, at different periods, different opinions of the same + work. He thought that people had a right to change their opinions, as sometimes they + deceived themselves. It seemed to him better boldly to admit an error than to be the + slave of consistency. And this same feeling showed itself in other matters besides + art: in ethics, as is shown by some verses which he addressed to a young friend, + urging him not to be bound by a too rigid austerity:</p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span>"Je sens qu'une triste chimère<br /> + </span> <span>A toujours assombri ton âme: la Vertu...."<a + name="FNanchor_123_123" id="FNanchor_123_123"></a><a href="#Footnote_123_123" + class="fnanchor">[123]</a><br /> + </span> + </div> + </div> + <p>and in metaphysics also, where he judges religions, faith, and the Gospels with a + quiet freedom of thought, seeking in Nature alone the basis of morals and + society.<a name="page104" id="page104"/></p> + <p>Here are some of his opinions, taken at random from <i>Problèmes et + Mystères</i>:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"As science advances, God recedes."</p> + <p>"The soul is only a medium for the expression of thought."</p> + <p>"The discouragement of work, the weakening of character, the sharing of one's + goods under pain of death—this is the Gospel teaching on the foundation of + society."</p> + <p>"The Christian virtues are not social virtues."</p> + <p>"Nature is without aim: she is an endless circle, and leads us nowhere."</p> + </div> + <p>His thoughts are unfettered and full of love for humanity and a sense of the + responsibility of the individual. He called Beethoven "the greatest, the only really + great artist," because he upheld the idea of universal brotherhood. His mind is so + comprehensive that he has written books on philosophy, on the theatre, on classical + painting,<a name="FNanchor_124_124" id="FNanchor_124_124"></a><a + href="#Footnote_124_124" class="fnanchor">[124]</a> as well as scientific essays,<a + name="FNanchor_125_125" id="FNanchor_125_125"></a><a href="#Footnote_125_125" + class="fnanchor">[125]</a> volumes of verse, and even plays.<a + name="FNanchor_126_126" id="FNanchor_126_126"></a><a href="#Footnote_126_126" + class="fnanchor">[126]</a></p> + <p>He has been able to take up all sorts of things, I will not say with equal skill, + but with discernment and undeniable ability. He shows a type of mind rare among + artists and, above all, among musicians. The two principles that he enunciates and + himself <a name="page105" id="page105"/>follows + out are: "Keep free from all exaggeration" and "Preserve the soundness of your mind's + health."<a name="FNanchor_127_127" id="FNanchor_127_127"></a><a + href="#Footnote_127_127" class="fnanchor">[127]</a> They are certainly not the + principles of a Beethoven or a Wagner, and it would be rather difficult to find a + noted musician of the last century who had applied them. They tell us, without need + of comment, what is distinctive about M. Saint-Saëns, and what is defective in + him. He is not troubled by any sort of passion. Nothing disturbs the clearness of his + reason. "He has no prejudices; he takes no side"<a name="FNanchor_128_128" + id="FNanchor_128_128"></a><a href="#Footnote_128_128" + class="fnanchor">[128]</a>—one might add, not even his own, since he is not + afraid to change his views—"he does not pose as a reformer of anything"; he is + altogether independent, perhaps almost too much so. He seems sometimes as if he did + not know what to do with his liberty. Goethe would have said, I think, that he needed + a little more of the devil in him.</p> + <p>His most characteristic mental trait seems to be a languid melancholy, which has + its source in a rather bitter feeling of the futility of life;<a + name="FNanchor_129_129" id="FNanchor_129_129"></a><a href="#Footnote_129_129" + class="fnanchor">[129]</a> and this is accompanied by fits of weariness which are not + altogether healthy, followed by capricious moods and nervous gaiety, and a freakish + liking for burlesque and mimicry. It is his eager, restless spirit that makes him + rush about the world writing Breton and Auvergnian rhapsodies, Persian songs, + Algerian suites, Portuguese barcarolles, Danish, Russian, or Arabian caprices, + souvenirs of Italy, African fan<a name="page106" + id="page106"/>tasias, and Egyptian concertos; and, in the same way, + he roams through the ages, writing Greek tragedies, dance music of the sixteenth and + seventeenth centuries, and preludes and fugues of the eighteenth. But in all these + exotic and archaic reflections of times and countries through which his fancy + wanders, one recognises the gay, intelligent countenance of a Frenchman on his + travels, who idly follows his inclinations, and does not trouble to enter very deeply + into the spirit of the people he meets, but gleans all he can, and then reproduces it + with a French complexion—after the manner of Montaigne in Italy, who compared + Verona to Poitiers, and Padua to Bordeaux, and who, when he was in Florence, paid + much less attention to Michelangelo than to "a very strangely shaped sheep, and an + animal the size of a large mastiff, shaped like a cat and striped with black and + white, which they called a tiger."</p> + <p>From a purely musical point of view there is some resemblance between M. + Saint-Saëns and Mendelssohn. In both of them we find the same intellectual + restraint, the same balance preserved among the heterogeneous elements of their work. + These elements are not common to both of them, because the time, the country, and the + surroundings in which they lived are not the same; and there is also a great + difference in their characters. Mendelssohn is more ingenuous and religious; M. + Saint-Saëns is more of a dilettante and more sensuous. They are not so much + kindred spirits by their science as good company by a common purity of taste, a sense + of <a name="page107" id="page107"/>rhythm, and + a genius for method, which gave all they wrote a neo-classic character.</p> + <p>As for the things that directly influenced M. Saint-Saëns, they are so + numerous that it would be difficult and rather bold of me to pretend to be able to + pick them out. His remarkable capacity for assimilation has often moved him to write + in the style of Wagner or Berlioz, of Händel or Rameau, of Lulli or Charpentier, + or even of some English harpsichord or clavichord player of the sixteenth century, + like William Byrd—whose airs are introduced quite naturally in the music of + <i>Henry VIII</i>; but we must remember that these are deliberate imitations, the + amusements of a virtuoso, about which M. Saint-Saëns never deceives himself. His + memory serves him as he pleases, but he is never troubled by it.</p> + <p>As far as one can judge, M. Saint-Saëns' musical ideas are infused with the + spirit of the great classics belonging to the end of the eighteenth century—far + more, whatever people may say, with the spirit of Beethoven, Haydn, and Mozart, than + with the spirit of Bach. Schumann's seductiveness also left its mark upon him, and he + has felt the influence of Gounod, Bizet, and Wagner. But a stronger influence was + that of Berlioz, his friend and master,<a name="FNanchor_130_130" + id="FNanchor_130_130"></a><a href="#Footnote_130_130" class="fnanchor">[130]</a> and, + above all, that of Liszt. We must stop at this last name.</p> + <p>M. Saint-Saëns has good reason for liking Liszt, for Liszt was also a lover + of freedom, and had shaken off traditions and pedantry, and scorned German <a name="page108" id="page108"/>routine; and he liked + him, too, because his music was a reaction from the stiff school of Brahms.<a + name="FNanchor_131_131" id="FNanchor_131_131"></a><a href="#Footnote_131_131" + class="fnanchor">[131]</a> He was enthusiastic about Liszt's work, and was one of the + earliest and most ardent champions of that new music of which Liszt was the leading + spirit—of that "programme" music which Wagner's triumph seemed to have nipped + in the bud, but which has suddenly and gloriously burst into life again in the works + of Richard Strauss. "Liszt is one of the great composers of our time," wrote M. + Saint-Saëns; "he has dared more than either Weber, or Mendelssohn, or Schubert, + or Schumann. He has created the symphonic poem. He is the deliverer of instrumental + music.... He has proclaimed the reign of free music."<a name="FNanchor_132_132" + id="FNanchor_132_132"></a><a href="#Footnote_132_132" class="fnanchor">[132]</a> This + was not said impulsively in a moment of enthusiasm; M. Saint-Saëns has always + held this opinion. All his life he has remained faithful to his admiration of + Liszt—since 1858, when he dedicated a <i>Veni Creator</i> to "the Abbé + Liszt," until 1886, when, a few months after Liszt's death, he dedicated his + masterpiece, the <i>Symphonic avec orgue</i>, "To the memory of Franz Liszt."<a + name="FNanchor_133_133" id="FNanchor_133_133"></a><a href="#Footnote_133_133" + class="fnanchor">[133]</a></p> + <p>"<a name="page109" id="page109"/>People have + not hesitated to scoff at what they call my weakness for Liszt's works. But even if + the feelings of affection and gratitude that he inspired in me did come like a prism + and interpose themselves between my eyes and his face, I do not see anything greatly + to be regretted in it.<a name="FNanchor_134_134" id="FNanchor_134_134"></a><a + href="#Footnote_134_134" class="fnanchor">[134]</a> I had not yet felt the charm of + his personal fascination, I had neither heard nor seen him, and I did not owe him + anything at all, when my interest was gripped in reading his first symphonic poems; + and when later they pointed the way which was to lead to <i>La Danse macabre</i>, + <i>Le Rouet d'Omphale</i>, and other works of the same nature, I am sure that my + judgment was not biassed by any prejudice in his favour, and that I alone was + responsible for what I did."<a name="FNanchor_135_135" id="FNanchor_135_135"></a><a + href="#Footnote_135_135" class="fnanchor">[135]</a></p> + <p>This influence seems to me to explain some of M. Saint-Saëns' work. Not only + is this influence evident in his symphonic poems—some of his best + work—but it is to be found in his suites for orchestra, his fantasias, and his + rhapsodies, where the descriptive and narrative element is strong. "Music should + charm unaided," said M. Saint-Saëns; "but its effect is much finer when we use + our imagination and let it flow in some particular channel, thus <a name="page110" id="page110"/>imaging the music. It + is then that all the faculties of the soul are brought into play for the same end. + What art gains from this is not greater beauty, but a wider field for its + scope—that is, a greater variety of form and a larger liberty."<a + name="FNanchor_136_136" id="FNanchor_136_136"></a><a href="#Footnote_136_136" + class="fnanchor">[136]</a></p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>And so we find that M. Saint-Saëns has taken part in the vigorous attempt of + modern German symphony writers to bring into music some of the power of the other + arts: poetry, painting, philosophy, romance, drama—the whole of life. But what + a gulf divides them and him! A gulf made up, not only of diversities of style, but of + the difference between two races and two worlds. Beside the frenzied outpourings of + Richard Strauss, who flounders uncertainly between mud and debris and genius, the + Latin art of Saint-Saëns rises up calm and ironical. His delicacy of touch, his + careful moderation, his happy grace, "which enters the soul by a thousand little + paths,"<a name="FNanchor_137_137" id="FNanchor_137_137"></a><a + href="#Footnote_137_137" class="fnanchor">[137]</a> bring with them the pleasures of + beautiful speech and honest thought; and we cannot but feel their charm. Compared + with the restless and troubled art of to-day, his music strikes us by its calm, its + tranquil harmonies, its velvety modulations, its crystal clearness, its smooth and + flowing style, and an elegance that cannot be put into words. Even his classic + coldness does us good by its reaction against the exaggerations, sincere as they are, + of the new school. At times one feels oneself carried<a + name="page111" id="page111"/>back to Mendelssohn, even to Spontini + and the school of Gluck. One seems to be travelling in a country that one knows and + loves; and yet in M. Saint-Saëns' works one does not find any direct resemblance + to the works of other composers; for with no one are reminiscences rarer than with + this master who carries all the old masters in his mind—it is his spirit that + is akin to theirs. And that is the secret of his personality and his value to us; he + brings to our artistic unrest a little of the light and sweetness of other times. His + compositions are like fragments of another world.</p> + <p>"From time to time," he said, in speaking of <i>Don Giovanni</i>, "in the sacred + earth of Hellene we find a fragment, an arm, the debris of a torso, scratched and + damaged by the ravages of time; it is only the shadow of the god that the sculptor's + chisel once created; but the charm is somehow still there, the sublime style is + radiant in spite of everything."<a name="FNanchor_138_138" + id="FNanchor_138_138"></a><a href="#Footnote_138_138" class="fnanchor">[138]</a></p> + <p>And so with this music. It is sometimes a little pale, a little too restrained; + but in a phrase, in a few harmonies, there will shine out a clear vision of the + past.</p> + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h2><a name="VINCENT_DINDY" id="VINCENT_DINDY"></a> VINCENT D'INDY</h2> + <a name="page112" id="page112"/> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"I consider that criticism is useless, I would even say that it is harmful.... + Criticism generally means the opinion some man or other holds about another + person's work. How can that opinion help forward the growth of art? It is + interesting to know the ideas, even the erroneous ideas, of geniuses and men of + great talent, such as Goethe, Schumann, Wagner, Sainte-Beuve, and Michelet, when + they wish to indulge in criticism; but it is of no interest at all to know whether + Mr. So-and-so likes, or does not like, such-and-such dramatic or musical work."<a + name="FNanchor_139_139" id="FNanchor_139_139"></a><a href="#Footnote_139_139" + class="fnanchor">[139]</a></p> + </div> + <p>So writes M. Vincent d'Indy.</p> + <p>After such an expression of opinion one imagines that a critic ought to feel some + embarrassment in writing about M. Vincent d'Indy. And I myself ought to be the more + concerned in the matter, for in the number of the review where the above was written + the only other opinions expressed with equal conviction belonged to the author of + this book. There is only one thing to be done—to copy M. d'Indy's example; for + that forsworn enemy of criticism is himself a keen critic.<a + name="page113" id="page113"/></p> + <p>It is not altogether on M. d'Indy's musical gifts that I want to dwell. It is + known that in Europe to-day he is one of the masters of dramatic musical expression, + of orchestral colouring, and of the science of style. But that is not the end of his + attainments; he has artistic originality, which springs from something deeper still. + When an artist has some worth, you will find it not only in his work but in his + being. So we will endeavour to explore M. d'Indy's being.</p> + <p>M. d'Indy's personality is not a mysterious one. On the contrary, it is open and + clear as daylight; and we see this in his musical work, in his artistic activities, + and in his writings. To his own writings we may apply the exception of his rule about + criticism in favour of a small number of men whose thoughts are interesting even when + they are erroneous. It would be a pity indeed not to know M. d'Indy's + thoughts—even the erroneous ones; for they let us catch a glimpse, not only of + the ideas of an eminent artist, but of certain surprising characteristics of the + thought of our time. M. d'Indy has closely studied the history of his art; but the + chief interest of his writings lies rather in their unconscious expression of the + spirit of modern art than in what they tell us about the past.</p> + <p>M. d'Indy is not a man hedged in by the boundaries of his art; his mind is open + and well fertilised. Musicians nowadays are no longer entirely absorbed in their + notes, but let their minds go out to other interests. And it is not one of the least + interesting phenomena of French music to-day that gives us these learned and + thoughtful composers, who are <a name="page114" + id="page114"/>conscious of what they create, and bring to their art a + keen critical faculty, like that of M. Saint-Saëns, M. Dukas, or M. d'Indy. From + M. d'Indy we have had scholarly editions of Rameau, Destouches, and Salomon de Rossi. + Even in the middle of rehearsals of <i>L'Étranger</i> at Brussels he was + working at a reconstruction of Monteverde's <i>Orfeo</i>. He has published selections + of folk-songs with critical notes, essays on Beethoven's predecessors, a history of + Musical Composition, and debates and lectures. This fine intellectual culture is not, + however, the most remarkable of M. d'Indy's characteristics, though it may have been + the most remarked. Other musicians share this culture with him; and his real + distinction lies in his moral and almost religious qualities, and it is this side of + him that gives him an unusual interest for us among other contemporary artists.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <br /> + <br /> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span>"Maneant in vobis Fides, Spes, Caritas.<br /> + </span> <span>Tria haec: major autem horum est Caritas.<br /> + </span> + </div> + </div> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"An artist must have at least Faith, faith in God and faith in his art; for it + is Faith that disposes him to <i>learn</i>, and by his learning to raise himself + higher and higher on the ladder of Being, up to his goal, which is God.</p> + <p>"An artist should practise Hope; for he can expect nothing from the present; he + knows that his mission is to <i>serve</i>, and to give his work for the life and + teaching of the generations that shall come after him.</p> + </div> + <a name="page115" id="page115"/> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"An artist should be inspired by a splendid Charity—'the greatest of + these.' To <i>love</i> should be his aim in life; for the moving principle of all + creation is divine and charitable Love."</p> + </div> + <p>Who speaks like this? Is it the monk Denys in his cell at Mount Athos? Or Cennini, + who spread the pious teaching of the Giotteschi? Or one of the old painters of + Sienna, who in their profession of faith called themselves "by the grace of God, + those who manifest marvellous things to common and illiterate men, by the virtue of + the holy faith, and to its glory"?</p> + <p>No; it was the director of the <i>Schola Cantorum</i>, addressing the students in + an inaugural speech, or giving them a lecture on Composition.<a + name="FNanchor_140_140" id="FNanchor_140_140"></a><a href="#Footnote_140_140" + class="fnanchor">[140]</a></p> + <p>We must consider a little this singular book, where a living science and a Gothic + spirit are closely intermingled (I use the word "Gothic" in its best sense; I know it + is the highest praise one can give M. d'Indy). This work has not received the + attention it deserves. It is a record of the spirit of contemporary art; and if it + stands rather apart from other writings, it should not be allowed to pass unnoticed + on that account.</p> + <p>In this book, Faith is shown to be everything—the beginning and the end. We + learn how it fans the flame of genius, nourishes thought, directs work, <a name="page116" id="page116"/>and governs even the + modulations and the style of a musician. There is a passage in it that one would + think was of the thirteenth century; it is curious, but not without dignity:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"One should have an aim in the progressive march of modulations, as one has in + the different stages of life. The reason, instincts, and faith that guide a man in + the troubles of his life also guide the musician in his choice of modulations. Thus + useless and contradictory modulations, an undecided balance between light and + shade, produce a painful and confusing impression on the hearer, comparable to that + which a poor human being inspires when he is feeble and inconsistent, buffeted + between the East and the West in the course of his unhappy life, without an aim and + without belief."<a name="FNanchor_141_141" id="FNanchor_141_141"></a><a + href="#Footnote_141_141" class="fnanchor">[141]</a></p> + </div> + <p>This book seems to be of the Middle Ages by reason of a sort of scholastic spirit + of abstraction and classification.</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"In artistic creation, seven faculties are called into play by the soul: the + Imagination, the Affections, the Understanding, the Intelligence, the Memory, the + Will, and the Conscience."<a name="FNanchor_142_142" id="FNanchor_142_142"></a><a + href="#Footnote_142_142" class="fnanchor">[142]</a></p> + </div> + <p>And again its mediaeval spirit is shown by an extraordinary symbolism, which + discovers in every<a name="page117" + id="page117"/>thing (as far as I understand it) the imprint of divine + mysteries, and the mark of God in Three Persons in such things as the beating of the + heart and ternary rhythms—"an admirable application of the principle of the + Unity of the Trinity"!<a name="FNanchor_143_143" id="FNanchor_143_143"></a><a + href="#Footnote_143_143" class="fnanchor">[143]</a></p> + <p>From these remote times comes also M. d'Indy's method of writing history, not by + tracing facts back to laws, but by deducing, on the contrary, facts from certain + great general ideas, which have once been admitted, but not proved by frequent + recurrence, such as: "The origin of art is in religion"<a name="FNanchor_144_144" + id="FNanchor_144_144"></a><a href="#Footnote_144_144" + class="fnanchor">[144]</a>—a fact which is anything but certain. From this + reasoning it follows that folk-songs are derived from Gregorian chants, and not the + Gregorian chants from the folk-songs—as I would sooner believe. The history of + art may thus become a sort of history of the world in moral achievement. One could + divide it into two parts: the world before the coming of Pride, and after it.</p> + <p>"Subdued by the Christian faith, that formidable enemy of man, Pride, rarely + showed itself in the soul of an artist in the Middle Ages. But with the weakening of + religious belief, with the spirit of the Reformation applying itself almost at the + same time to every branch of human learning, we see Pride reappear, and watch its + veritable Renaissance."<a name="FNanchor_145_145" id="FNanchor_145_145"></a><a + href="#Footnote_145_145" class="fnanchor">[145]</a><a + name="page118" id="page118"/></p> + <p>Finally, this Gothic spirit shows itself—in a less original way, it is + true—in M. d'Indy's religious antipathies, which, in spite of the author's + goodness of heart and great personal tolerance, constantly break out against the two + faiths that are rivals to his own; and to them he attributes all the faults of art + and all the vices of humanity. Each has its offence. Protestantism is made + responsible for the extremes of individualism;<a name="FNanchor_146_146" + id="FNanchor_146_146"></a><a href="#Footnote_146_146" class="fnanchor">[146]</a> and + Judaism, for the absurdities of its customs and the weakness of its moral sense.<a + name="FNanchor_147_147" id="FNanchor_147_147"></a><a href="#Footnote_147_147" + class="fnanchor">[147]</a> I do not know which of the two is the more soundly + belaboured; the second has the privilege of being so, not only in writing, but in + pictures.<a name="FNanchor_148_148" id="FNanchor_148_148"></a><a + href="#Footnote_148_148" class="fnanchor">[148]</a> The worst of it is, these + antipathies are apt to spoil the fairness of M. d'Indy's artistic judgment. It goes + without saying that the Jewish musicians are treated with scant consideration; and + even the great Protestant musicians, giants in their art, do not escape rebuke. If + Goudimel is mentioned, it is because he was Palestrina's master, and his achievement + of "turning the Calvinist psalms into chorales" is dismissed as being of little + importance.<a name="FNanchor_149_149" id="FNanchor_149_149"></a><a + href="#Footnote_149_149" class="fnanchor">[149]</a></p> + <p><a name="page119" id="page119"/> + Händel's oratorios are spoken of as "chilling, and, frankly speaking, + tedious."<a name="FNanchor_150_150" id="FNanchor_150_150"></a><a + href="#Footnote_150_150" class="fnanchor">[150]</a> Bach himself escapes with this + qualification: "If he is great, it is not because of, but in spite of the dogmatic + and parching spirit of the Reformation."<a name="FNanchor_151_151" + id="FNanchor_151_151"></a><a href="#Footnote_151_151" class="fnanchor">[151]</a></p> + <p>I will not try to play the part of judge; for a man is sufficiently judged by his + own writings. And, after all, it is rather interesting to meet people who are sincere + and not afraid to speak their minds. I will admit that I rather enjoy—a little + perversely, perhaps—some of these extreme opinions, where the writer's + personality stands strongly revealed.</p> + <p>So the old Gothic spirit still lives among us, and informs the mind of one of our + best-known artists, and also, without doubt, the minds of hundreds of those who + listen to him and admire him. M. Louis Laloy has shown the persistence of certain + forms of plain-song in M. Debussy's <i>Pelléas</i>; and in a dim sense of + far-away kinship he finds the cause of the mysterious charm that such music holds for + some of us.<a name="FNanchor_152_152" id="FNanchor_152_152"></a><a + href="#Footnote_152_152" class="fnanchor">[152]</a> This learned paradox is possible. + Why not? The mixtures of race and the vicissitudes of history have given us so full + and complex a soul that we may very well find its beginnings there, if it pleases + us—or the beginnings of quite other things. Of beginnings there is no end; the + choice is quite <a name="page120" id="page120"/> + embarrassing, and I imagine one's inclination has as much to do with the matter as + one's temperament.</p> + <p>However that may be, M. d'Indy hails from the Middle Ages, and not from antiquity + (which does not exist for him<a name="FNanchor_153_153" id="FNanchor_153_153"></a><a + href="#Footnote_153_153" class="fnanchor">[153]</a>), or from the Renaissance, which + he confounds with the Reformation (though the two sisters are enemies) in order to + crush it the better.<a name="FNanchor_154_154" id="FNanchor_154_154"></a><a + href="#Footnote_154_154" class="fnanchor">[154]</a> "Let us take for models," he + says, "the fine workers in art of the Middle Ages."<a name="FNanchor_155_155" + id="FNanchor_155_155"></a><a href="#Footnote_155_155" class="fnanchor">[155]</a></p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>In this return to the Gothic spirit, in this awakening of faith, there is a + name—a modern one this time—that they are fond of quoting at the + <i>Schola</i>; it is that of César Franck, under whose direction the little + Conservatoire in the Rue Saint-Jacques was placed. And indeed they could quote no + better name than that of this simple-hearted man. Nearly all who came into contact + with him felt his irresistible charm—a charm that has perhaps a great deal to + do with the influence that his works still have on French music to-day. None has felt + Franck's power, both morally and musically, more than M. Vincent d'Indy; and none + holds a more profound reverence for the man whose pupil he was for so long.</p> + <p><a name="page121" id="page121"/>The first + time I saw M. d'Indy was at a concert of the <i>Société nationale</i>, + in the Salle Pleyel, in 1888. They were playing several of Franck's works; among + others, for the first time, his admirable <i>Thème, fugue, et variation</i>, + for the harmonium and pianoforte, a composition in which the spirit of Bach is + mingled with a quite modern tenderness. Franck was conducting, and M. d'Indy was at + the pianoforte. I shall always remember his reverential manner towards the old + musician, and how careful he was to follow his directions; one would have said he was + a diligent and obedient pupil. It was a touching homage from one who had already + proved himself a master by works like <i>Le Chant de la cloche</i>, + <i>Wallenstein</i>, <i>La Symphonie sur un thème montagnard</i>, and who was + perhaps at that time better known and more popular than César Franck himself. + Since then twenty years have passed, and I still see M. d'Indy as I saw him that + evening; and, whatever may happen in the future, his memory for me will be always + associated with that of the grand old artist, presiding with his fatherly smile over + the little gathering of the faithful.</p> + <p>Of all the characteristics of Franck's fine moral nature, the most remarkable was + his religious faith. It must have astonished the artists of his time, who were even + more destitute of such a thing than they are now. It made itself felt in some of his + followers, especially in those who were near the master's heart, as M. d'Indy was. + The religious thought of the latter reflects in some degree the thought of his + master; though the shape of that thought may have undergone unconscious alteration. I + do not <a name="page122" id="page122"/>know if + Franck altogether fits the conception people have of him to-day. I do not want to + introduce personal memories of him here. I knew him well enough to love him, and to + catch a glimpse of the beauty and sincerity of his soul; but I did not know him well + enough to discover the secrets of his mind. Those who had the happiness of being his + intimate friends seem always to represent him as a mystic who shut himself away from + the spirit of his time. I hope at some future date one of his friends will publish + some of the conversations that he had with him, of which I have heard. But this man + who had so strong a faith was also very independent. In his religion he had no + doubts: it was the mainspring of his life; though faith with him was much more a + matter of feeling than a matter of doctrine. But all was feeling with Franck, and + reason made little appeal to him. His religious faith did not disturb his mind, for + he did not measure men and their works by its rules; and he would have been incapable + of putting together a history of art according to the Bible. This great Catholic had + at times a very pagan soul; and he could enjoy without a qualm the musical + dilettantism of Renan and the sonorous nihilism of Leconte de Lisle. There were no + limits to his vast sympathies. He did not attempt to criticise the thing he + loved—understanding was already in his heart. Perhaps he was right; and perhaps + there was more trouble in the depths of his heart than the valiant serenity of its + surface would lead us to believe.</p> + <p>His faith too.... I know how dangerous it is to <a + name="page123" id="page123"/>interpret a musician's feelings by his + music; but how can we do otherwise when we are told by Franck's followers that the + expression of the soul is the only end and aim of music? Do we find his faith, as + expressed through his music always full of peace and calm?<a name="FNanchor_156_156" + id="FNanchor_156_156"></a><a href="#Footnote_156_156" class="fnanchor">[156]</a> I + ask those who love that music because they find some of their own sadness reflected + there. Who has not felt the secret tragedies that some of his musical passages + enfold—those short, characteristically abrupt phrases which seem to rise in + supplication to God, and often fall back in sadness and in tears? It is not all light + in that soul; but the light that is there does not affect us less because it shines + from afar,</p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span>"Dans un écartement de nuages, qui laisse<br /> + </span> <span>Voir au-dessus des mers la céleste allégresse...."<a + name="FNanchor_157_157" id="FNanchor_157_157"></a><a href="#Footnote_157_157" + class="fnanchor">[157]</a><br /> + </span> + </div> + </div> + <p>And so Franck seems to me to differ from M. d'Indy in that he has not the latter's + urgent desire for clearness.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>Clearness is the distinguishing quality of M. d'Indy's mind. There are no shadows + about him. His ideas and his art are as clear as the look that gives so much youth to + his face. For him to examine, <a name="page124" + id="page124"/>to arrange, to classify, to combine, is a necessity. No + one is more French in spirit. He has sometimes been taxed with Wagnerism, and it is + true that he has felt Wagner's influence very strongly. But even when this influence + is most apparent it is only superficial: his true spirit is remote from Wagner's. You + may find in <i>Fervaal</i> a few trees like those in <i>Siegfried's</i> forest; but + the forest itself is not the same; broad avenues have been cut in it, and daylight + fills the caverns of the Niebelungs.</p> + <p>This love of clearness is the ruling factor of M. d'Indy's artistic nature. And + this is the more remarkable, for his nature is far from being a simple one. By his + wide musical education and his constant thirst for knowledge he has acquired a very + varied and almost contradictory learning. It must be remembered that M. d'Indy is a + musician familiar with the music of other countries and other times; all kinds of + musical forms are floating in his mind; and he seems sometimes to hesitate between + them. He has arranged these forms into three principal classes, which seem to him to + be models of musical art: the decorative art of the singers of plain-song, the + architectural art of Palestrina and his followers, and the expressive art of the + great Italians of the seventeenth century.<a name="FNanchor_158_158" + id="FNanchor_158_158"></a><a href="#Footnote_158_158" class="fnanchor">[158]</a> But + in doing this is not his eclecticism trying to reconcile arts that are naturally + disunited? Again, we must remember that M. d'Indy has had direct or indirect contact + with some of the greatest musical personalities of our time: with Wagner, Liszt, + Brahms, and César Franck.</p> + <p><a name="page125" id="page125"/>And he has + been readily attracted by them; for he is not one of those egotistic geniuses whose + thoughts are fixed on his own interests, nor has he one of those carnivorous minds + that sees nothing, looks for nothing, and relishes nothing, unless it may be + afterwards useful to it. His sympathies are readily with others, he is happy in + giving homage to their greatness, and quick to appreciate their charm. He speaks + somewhere of the "irresistible need of transformation" that every artist feels.<a + name="FNanchor_159_159" id="FNanchor_159_159"></a><a href="#Footnote_159_159" + class="fnanchor">[159]</a> But in order to escape being overwhelmed by conflicting + elements and interests, one should have great force of feeling or will, in order to + be able to eliminate what is not necessary, and choose out and transform what is. M. + d'Indy eliminates hardly anything; he makes use of it. In his music he exercises the + qualities of an army general: understanding of his purpose and the patience to attain + it, a perfect knowledge of the means at his disposal, the spirit of order, and + command over his work and himself. Despite the variety of the materials he employs, + the whole is always clear. One might almost reproach him with being too clear; he + seems to simplify too much.</p> + <p>Nothing helps one to grasp the essence of M. d'Indy's personality more than his + last dramatic work. His personality shows itself plainly in all his compositions, but + nowhere is it more evident than in <i>L'Étranger</i>.<a + name="FNanchor_160_160" id="FNanchor_160_160"></a><a href="#Footnote_160_160" + class="fnanchor">[160]</a><a name="page126" + id="page126"/></p> + <p>The scene of <i>L'Étranger</i> is laid in France, by the sea, whose + murmuring calm we hear in a symphonic introduction. The fishermen are coming back to + port; the fishing has been bad. But one among them, "a man about forty years old, + with a sad and dignified air," has been more fortunate than the others. The fishermen + envy him, and vaguely suspect him of sorcery. He tries to enter into friendly + conversation with them, and offers his catch to a poor family. But in vain; his + advances are repulsed and his generosity is eyed with suspicion. He is a + stranger—the Stranger.<a name="FNanchor_161_161" id="FNanchor_161_161"></a><a + href="#Footnote_161_161" class="fnanchor">[161]</a> Evening falls, and the angelus + rings. Some work-girls come trooping out of their workshop, singing a merry + folk-song.<a name="FNanchor_162_162" id="FNanchor_162_162"></a><a + href="#Footnote_162_162" class="fnanchor">[162]</a> One of the young girls, Vita, + goes up to the Stranger and speaks to him, for she alone, of all the village, is his + friend. The two feel themselves drawn together by a secret sympathy. Vita confides + artlessly in the unknown man; they love each other though they do not admit it. The + Stranger tries to repress his feelings; for Vita is young and already affianced, and + he thinks that he has no right to claim her. But Vita, offended by his coldness, + <a name="page127" id="page127"/>seeks to wound + him, and succeeds. In the end he betrays himself. "Yes, he loves her, and she knew it + well. But now that he has told her so, he will never see her again; and he bids her + good-bye."</p> + <p>That is the first act. Up to this point we seem to be witnessing a very human and + realistic drama—the ordinary story of the man who tries to do good and receives + ingratitude, and the sad tragedy of old age that comes to a heart still young and + unable to resign itself to growing old. But the music puts us on our guard. We had + heard its religious tone when the Stranger was speaking, and it seemed to us that we + recognised a liturgical melody in the principal theme. What secret is being hidden + from us? Are we not in France? Yet, in spite of the folk-song and a passing breath of + the sea, the atmosphere of the Church and César Franck is evident. Who is this + Stranger?</p> + <p>He tells us in the second act.</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"My name? I have none. I am He who dreams; I am He who loves. I have passed + through many countries, and sailed on many seas, loving the poor and needy, + dreaming of the happiness of the brotherhood of man."</p> + <p>"Where have I seen you?—for I know you."</p> + <p>"Where? you ask. But everywhere: under the warm sun of the East, by the white + oceans of the Pole.... I have found you everywhere, for you are Beauty itself, you + are immortal Love!"</p> + </div> + <p>The music is not without a certain nobility, and <a + name="page128" id="page128"/>bears the imprint of the calm, strong + spirit of belief. But I was sorry that the story was only about a mere entity when I + had been getting interested in a man. I can never understand the attraction of this + kind of symbolism. Unless it is allied to sublime powers of creation in metaphysics + or morals—such as that possessed by a Goethe or an Ibsen—I do not see + what such symbolism can add to life, though I see very well what it takes away from + it. But it is, after all, a matter of taste; and, anyway, there is nothing in this + story to astonish us greatly. This transition from realism to symbolism is something + in opera with which we have grown only too familiar since the time of Wagner.</p> + <p>But the story does not stop there; for we leave symbolic abstractions to enter a + still more extraordinary domain, which is removed even farther still from + realities.</p> + <p>There had been some talk at the beginning of an emerald that sparkled in the + Stranger's cap; and this emerald now takes its turn in the action of the piece. "It + had sparkled formerly in the bows of the boat that carried the body of Lazarus, the + friend of our Master, Jesus; and the boat had safely reached the port of the + Phoceans—without a helm or sails or oars. For by this miraculous stone a clean + and upright heart could command the sea and the winds." But now that the Stranger has + done amiss, by falling a victim to passion, its power is gone; so he gives it to + Vita.</p> + <p>Then follows a real scene in fairyland. Vita stands before the sea and invokes it + in an incan<a name="page129" id="page129"/> + tation full of weird and beautiful vocal music: "O sea! Sinister sea with your angry + charm, gentle sea with your kiss of death, hear me!" And the sea replies in a song. + Voices mingle with the orchestra in a symphony of increasing anger. Vita swears she + will give herself to no one but the Stranger. She lifts the emerald above her head, + and it shines with a lurid light. "'Receive, O sea, as a token of my oath, the sacred + stone, the holy emerald! Then may its power be no longer invoked, and none may know + again its protecting virtue. Jealous sea, take back your own, the last offering of a + betrothed!' With an impressive gesture she throws the emerald into the waves, and a + dark green light suddenly shines out against the black sky. This supernatural light + slowly spreads over the water until it reaches the horizon, and the sea begins to + roll in great billows." Then the sea takes up its song in an angrier tone; the + orchestra thunders, and the storm bursts.</p> + <p>The boats put hurriedly back to land, and one of them seems likely to be dashed to + pieces on the shore. The whole village turns out to watch the disaster; but the men + refuse to risk their lives in aid of the shipwrecked crew. Then the Stranger gets + into a boat, and Vita jumps in after him. The squall redoubles in violence. A wave of + enormous height breaks on the jetty, flooding the scene with a dazzling green light. + The crowd recoil in fear. There is a silence; and an old fisherman takes off his + woollen cap and intones the <i>De Profundis</i>. The villagers take up the + chant....<a name="page130" id="page130"/></p> + <p>One may see by this short account what a heterogeneous work it is. Two or three + quite different worlds are brought into it: the realism of the bourgeois characters + of Vita's mother and lover is mixed up with symbolisms of Christianity, represented + by the Stranger, and with the fairy-tale of the magic emerald and the voices of the + ocean. This complexity, which is evident enough in the poem, is even more evident in + the music, where a union of different arts and different ideas is attempted. We get + the art of the folk-song, religious art, the art of Wagner, the art of Franck, as + well as a note of familiar realism (which is something akin to the Italian + <i>opéra-bouffe</i>) and descriptions of sensation that are quite personal. As + there are only two short acts, the rapidity of the action only serves to accentuate + this impression. The changes are very abrupt: we are hurried from a world of human + beings to a world of abstract ideas, and then taken from an atmosphere of religion to + a land of fairies. The work is, however, clear enough from a musical point of view. + The more complex the elements that M. d'Indy gathers round him the more anxious he is + to bring them into harmony. It is a difficult task, and is only possible when the + different elements are reduced to their simplest expression and brought down to their + fundamental qualities—thus depriving them of the spice of their individuality. + M. d'Indy puts different styles and ideas on the anvil, and then forges them + vigorously. It is natural that here and there we should see the mark of the hammer, + the imprint of his determination; but it is only by <a + name="page131" id="page131"/>his determination that he welded the + work into a solid whole.</p> + <p>Perhaps it is determination that brings unity now and then into M. d'Indy's + spirit. With reference to this, I will dwell upon one point only, since it is + curious, and seems to me to be of general artistic interest. M. d'Indy writes his own + poems for his "<i>actions musicales</i>"—Wagner's example, it seems, has been + catching. We have seen how the harmony of a work may suffer through the dual gifts of + its author; though he may have thought to perfect his composition by writing both + words and music. But an artist's poetical and musical gifts are not necessarily of + the same order. A man has not always the same kind of talent in other arts that he + has in the art which he has made his own—I am speaking not only of his + technical skill, but of his temperament as well. Delacroix was of the Romantic school + in painting, but in literature his style was Classic. We have all known artists who + were revolutionaries in their own sphere, but conservative and behind the times in + their opinions about other branches of art. The double gift of poetry and music is in + M. d'Indy up to a certain point. But is his reason always in agreement with his + heart?<a name="FNanchor_163_163" id="FNanchor_163_163"></a><a + href="#Footnote_163_163" class="fnanchor">[163]</a></p> + <p><a name="page132" id="page132"/>Of course + his nature is too dignified to let the quarrel be shown openly. His heart obeys the + commands of his reason, or compromises with it, and by seeming respectful of + authority saves appearances. His reason, represented here by the poet, likes simple, + realistic, and relevant action, together with moral or even religious teaching. His + heart, represented by the musician, is romantic; and if he followed it altogether he + would wander off to any subject that enabled him to indulge in his love of the + picturesque, such as the descriptive symphony, or even the old form of opera.</p> + <p>For myself, I am in sympathy with his heart; and I find his heart is in the right, + and his reason in the wrong. There is nothing that M. d'Indy has made more his own + than the art of painting landscapes in music. There is one page in <i>Fervaal</i> at + the beginning of Act II which calls up misty mountain tops covered with pine forests; + there is another page in <i>L'Étranger</i> where one sees strange lights + glimmering on the sea while a storm is brooding.<a name="FNanchor_164_164" + id="FNanchor_164_164"></a><a href="#Footnote_164_164" class="fnanchor">[164]</a> I + should like to see M. d'Indy give himself up freely, in spite of all theories, to + this descriptive lyricism, in which he so excels; or I wish at least he would seek + inspiration in a subject where both his religious beliefs and his imagination could + find satisfaction: a subject such as one of the beautiful episodes of the Golden + Legend, or the one which <i>L'Étranger</i> itself recalls—the romantic + voyage of the Magdalen in Provence. But it is foolish to wish an artist to <a name="page133" id="page133"/>do anything but the + thing he likes; he is the best judge of what pleases him.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>In this sketchy portrait I must not forget one of the finest of this composer's + gifts—his talent as a teacher of music. Everything has fitted M. d'Indy for + this part. By his knowledge and his precise, orderly mind he must be a perfect + teacher of composition. If I submit some question of harmony or melodic phrasing to + his analysis, the result is the essence of clear, logical reasoning; and if the + reasoning is a little dry and simplifies the thing almost too much, it is still very + illuminating and from the hand of a master of French prose. And in this I find him + exercising the same consistent instinct of good sense and sincerity, the same art of + development, the same seventeenth and eighteenth century principles of classic + rhetoric that he applies to his music. In truth, M. d'Indy could write a musical + <i>Discourse on Style</i>, if he wished.</p> + <p>But, above all, he is gifted with the moral qualities of a teacher—the + vocation for teaching, first of all. He has a firm belief in the absolute duty of + giving instruction in art, and, what is rarer still, in the efficacious virtue of + that teaching. He readily shares Tolstoy's scorn, which he sometimes quotes, of the + foolishness of art for art's sake.</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"At the bottom of art is this essential condition—teaching. The aim of art + is neither gain nor glory; the true aim of art is to teach, to <a name="page134" id="page134"/>elevate gradually + the spirit of humanity; in a word, to serve in the highest + sense—'<i>dienen</i>' as Wagner says by the mouth of the repentant Kundry, in + the third act of Parsifal."<a name="FNanchor_165_165" id="FNanchor_165_165"></a><a + href="#Footnote_165_165" class="fnanchor">[165]</a></p> + </div> + <p>There is in this a mixture of Christian humility and aristocratic pride. M. d'Indy + has a sincere desire for the welfare of humanity, and he loves the people; but he + treats them with an affectionate kindness, at once protective and tolerant; he + regards them as children that must be led.<a name="FNanchor_166_166" + id="FNanchor_166_166"></a><a href="#Footnote_166_166" class="fnanchor">[166]</a></p> + <p>The popular art that he extols is not an art belonging to the people, but that of + an aristocracy interested in the people. He wishes to enlighten them, to mould them, + to direct them, by means of art. Art is the source of life; it is the spirit of + progress; it gives the most precious of possessions to the soul—liberty. And no + one enjoys this liberty more than the artist. In a lecture to the <i>Schola</i> he + said:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"What makes the name of 'artist' so splendid is that the artist is + free—absolutely free. Look about you, and tell me if from this point of view + there is any career finer than that of an artist who is conscious of his mission? + The Army? The Law? The University? Politics?"</p> + </div> + <p>And then follows a rather cold appreciation of these different careers.<a name="page135" id="page135"/></p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"There is no need to mention the excessive bureaucracy and officialism which is + the crying evil of this country. We find everywhere submission to rules and + servitude to the State. But what government, pope, emperor, or president could + oblige an artist to think and write against his will? Liberty—that is the + true wealth and the most precious inheritance of the artist, the liberty to think, + and the liberty that no one has the power to take away from us—that of doing + our work according to the dictates of our conscience."</p> + </div> + <p>Who does not feel the infectious warmth and beauty of these spirited words? How + this force of enthusiasm and sincerity must grip all young and eager hearts. "There + are two qualities," says M. d'Indy, on the last page of <i>Cours de Composition</i>, + "which a master should try to encourage and develop in the spirit of the pupil, for + without them science is useless; these qualities are an unselfish love of art and + enthusiasm for good work." And these two virtues radiate from M. d'Indy's personality + as they do from his writings; that is his power.</p> + <p>But the best of his teaching lies in his life. One can never speak too highly of + his disinterested devotion for the good of art. As if it were not enough to put all + his might into his own creations, M. d'Indy gives his time and the results of his + study unsparingly to others. Franck gave lessons in order to be able to live; M. + d'Indy gives them for the pleasure of instructing, and to serve his art and aid <a name="page136" id="page136"/>artists. He directs + schools, and accepts and almost seeks out the most thankless, though the most + necessary, kinds of teaching. Or he will apply himself devoutly to the study of the + past and the resuscitation of some old master. And he seems to take so much pleasure + in training young minds to appreciate music, or in repairing the injustices of + history to some fine but forgotten musician, that he almost forgets about himself. To + what work or to what worker, worthy of interest, or seeming to be so, has he ever + refused his advice and help? I have known his kindness personally, and I shall always + be sincerely grateful for it.</p> + <p>His devotion and his faith have not been in vain. The name of M. d'Indy will be + associated in history, not only with fine works, but with great works: with the + <i>Société Nationale de Musique</i>, of which he is president; with the + <i>Schola Cantorum</i>, which he founded with Charles Bordes, and which he directs; + with the young French school of music, a group of skilful artists and innovators, to + whom he is a kind of elder brother, giving them encouragement by his example and + helping them through the first hard years of struggle; and, lastly, with an awakening + of music in Europe, with a movement which, after the death of Wagner and Franck, + attracted the interest of the world by its revival of the art of the Middle Ages and + the Renaissance. M. d'Indy has been the chief representative of all this artistic + evolution in France. By his deeds, by his example, and by his spirit, he was among + the first to stir up interest in the musical education of France to-day.<a name="page137" id="page137"/>He has done more for + the advancement of our music than the entire official teaching of the Conservatoires + A day will come when, by the force of things and in spite of all resistance, such a + man will take the place that belongs to him at the head of the organisation of music + in France.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>I have tried to unearth M. d'Indy's strongest characteristics, and I think I have + found them in his faith and in his activity, I am only too aware of the pitfalls that + have beset me in this attempt; it is always difficult to criticise a man's + personality, and it is most difficult when he is alive and still in the midst of his + development. Every man is a mystery, not only to others, but to himself. There is + something very presumptuous about pretending to know anyone who does not quite know + himself. And yet one cannot live without forming opinions; it is a necessity of life. + The people we see and know (or say we know), our friends, and those we love, are + never what we think them. Often they are not at all like the portrait we conjure up; + for we walk among the phantoms of our hearts. But still one must go on having + opinions, and go on constructing and creating things, if we do not want to become + impotent through inertia. Error is better than doubt, provided we err in good faith; + and the main thing is to speak out the thing that one really feels and believes. I + hope M. d'Indy will forgive me if I have gone far wrong, and that he will see in + these pages a sincere effort to understand him and a keen <a + name="page138" id="page138"/>sympathy with himself, and even with his + ideas, though I do not always share them. But I have always thought that in life a + man's opinions go for very little, and that the only thing that matters is the man + himself. Freedom of spirit is the greatest happiness one can know; one must be sorry + for those who have not got it. And there is a secret pleasure in rendering homage to + another's splendid creed, even though it is one that we do not ourselves profess.</p> + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <a name="page139" id="page139"/> + <h2><a name="RICHARD_STRAUSS" id="RICHARD_STRAUSS"></a>RICHARD STRAUSS</h2> + <p>The composer of <i>Heldenleben</i> is no longer unknown to Parisians. Every year + at Colonne's or Chevillard's we see his tall, thin silhouette reappear in the + conductor's desk. There he is with his abrupt and imperious gestures, his wan and + anxious face, his wonderfully clear eyes, restless and penetrating at the same time, + his mouth shaped like a child's, a moustache so fair that it is nearly white, and + curly hair growing like a crown above his high round forehead.</p> + <p>I should like to try to sketch here the strange and arresting personality of the + man who in Germany is considered the inheritor of Wagner's genius—the man who + has had the audacity to write, after Beethoven, an Heroic Symphony, and to imagine + himself the hero.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>Richard Strauss is thirty-four years old.<a name="FNanchor_167_167" + id="FNanchor_167_167"></a><a href="#Footnote_167_167" class="fnanchor">[167]</a> He + was born in Munich on 11 June, 1864. His father, a well-known virtuoso, was first + horn in the Royal orchestra, and his mother was a daughter of the brewer Pschorr. He + was brought up among musical surroundings. At four years old he played the piano, and + at six he composed little dances,<a name="page140" + id="page140"/><i>Lieder</i>, sonatas, and even overtures for the + orchestra. Perhaps this extreme artistic precocity has had something to do with the + feverish character of his talents, by keeping his nerves in a state of tension and + unduly exciting his mind. At school he composed choruses for some of Sophocles' + tragedies. In 1881, Hermann Levi had one of the young collegian's symphonies + performed by his orchestra. At the University he spent his time in writing + instrumental music. Then Bülow and Radecke made him play in Berlin; and + Bülow, who became very fond of him, had him brought to Meiningen as + <i>Musikdirector</i>. From 1886 to 1889 he held the same post at the + <i>Hoftheater</i> in Munich. From 1889 to 1894 he was <i>Kapellmeister</i> at the + <i>Hoftheater</i> in Weimar. He returned to Munich in 1894 as + <i>Hofkapellmeister</i>, and in 1897 succeeded Hermann Levi. Finally, he left Munich + for Berlin, where at present he conducts the orchestra of the Royal Opera.</p> + <p>Two things should be particularly noted in his life: the influence of Alexander + Ritter—to whom he has shown much gratitude—and his travels in the south + of Europe. He made Ritter's acquaintance in 1885. This musician was a nephew of + Wagner's, and died some years ago. His music is practically unknown in France, though + he wrote two well-known operas, <i>Fauler Hans</i> and <i>Wem die Krone</i>? and was + the first composer, according to Strauss, to introduce Wagnerian methods into the + <i>Lied</i>. He is often discussed in Bülow's and Liszt's letters. "Before I met + him," says Strauss, "I had been brought up on strictly classical lines; I had lived + <a name="page141" id="page141"/>entirely on + Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, and had just been studying Mendelssohn, Chopin, + Schumann, and Brahms. It is to Ritter alone I am indebted for my knowledge of Liszt + and Wagner; it was he who showed me the importance of the writings and works of these + two masters in the history of art. It was he who by years of lessons and kindly + counsel made me a musician of the future (<i>Zukunftsmusiker</i>), and set my feet on + a road where now I can walk unaided and alone. It was he also who initiated me in + Schopenhauer's philosophy."</p> + <p>The second influence, that of the South, dates from April, 1886, and seems to have + left an indelible impression upon Strauss. He visited Rome and Naples for the first + time, and came back with a symphonic fantasia called <i>Aus Italien</i>. In the + spring of 1892, after a sharp attack of pneumonia, he travelled for a year and a half + in Greece, Egypt, and Sicily. The tranquillity of these favoured countries filled him + with never-ending regret. The North has depressed him since then, "the eternal grey + of the North and its phantom shadows without a sun."<a name="FNanchor_168_168" + id="FNanchor_168_168"></a><a href="#Footnote_168_168" class="fnanchor">[168]</a> When + I saw him at Charlottenburg, one chilly April day, he told me with a sigh that he + could compose nothing in winter, and that he longed for the warmth and light of + Italy. His music is infected by that longing; and it makes one feel how his spirit + suffers in the gloom of Germany, and ever yearns for the colours, the laughter, and + the joy of the South.</p> + <p><a name="page142" id="page142"/>Like the + musician that Nietzsche dreamed of,<a name="FNanchor_169_169" + id="FNanchor_169_169"></a><a href="#Footnote_169_169" class="fnanchor">[169]</a> he + seems "to hear ringing in his ears the prelude of a deeper, stronger music, perhaps a + more wayward and mysterious music; a music that is super-German, which, unlike other + music, would not die away, nor pale, nor grow dull beside the blue and wanton sea and + the clear Mediterranean sky; a music super-European, which would hold its own even by + the dark sunsets of the desert; a music whose soul is akin to the palm trees; a music + that knows how to live and move among great beasts of prey, beautiful and solitary; a + music whose supreme charm is its ignorance of good and evil. Only from time to time + perhaps there would flit over it the longing of the sailor for home, golden shadows, + and gentle weaknesses; and towards it would come flying from afar the thousand tints + of the setting of a moral world that men no longer understood; and to these belated + fugitives it would extend its hospitality and sympathy." But it is always the North, + the melancholy of the North, and "all the sadness of mankind," mental anguish, the + thought of death, and the tyranny of life, that come and weigh down afresh his spirit + hungering for light, and force it into feverish speculation and bitter argument. + Perhaps it is better so.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>Richard Strauss is both a poet and a musician. These two natures live together in + him, and each <a name="page143" id="page143"/> + strives to get the better of the other. The balance is not always well maintained; + but when he does succeed in keeping it by sheer force of will the union of these two + talents, directed to the same end, produces an effect more powerful than any known + since Wagner's time. Both natures have their source in a mind filled with heroic + thoughts—a rarer possession, I consider, than a talent for either music or + poetry. There are other great musicians in Europe; but Strauss is something more than + a great musician, for he is able to create a hero.</p> + <p>When one talks of heroes one is thinking of drama. Dramatic art is everywhere in + Strauss's music, even in works that seem least adapted to it, such as his + <i>Lieder</i> and compositions of pure music. It is most evident in his symphonic + poems, which are the most important part of his work. These poems are: <i>Wanderers + Sturmlied</i> (1885), <i>Aus Italien</i> (1886), <i>Macbeth</i> (1887), <i>Don + Juan</i> (1888), <i>Tod und Verklärung</i> (1889), <i>Guntram</i> (1892-93), + <i>Till Eulenspiegel</i> (1894), <i>Also sprach Zarathustra</i> (1895), <i>Don + Quixote</i> (1897), and <i>Heldenleben</i> (1898).<a name="FNanchor_170_170" + id="FNanchor_170_170"></a><a href="#Footnote_170_170" class="fnanchor">[170]</a></p> + <p>I shall not say much about the four first works, where the mind and manner of the + artist is taking shape. The <i>Wanderers Sturmlied</i> (the song of a traveller + during a storm, op. 14) is a vocal sextette with an orchestral accompaniment, whose + subject is taken from a poem of Goethe's. It was written before Strauss met Ritter, + and its construction is <a name="page144" + id="page144"/>after the manner of Brahms, and shows a rather affected + thought and style. <i>Aus Italien</i> (op. 16) is an exuberant picture of impressions + of his tour in Italy, of the ruins at Rome, the seashore at Sorrento, and the life of + the Italian people. <i>Macbeth</i> (op. 23) gives us a rather undistinguished series + of musical interpretations of poetical subjects. <i>Don Juan</i> (op. 20) is much + finer, and translates Lenau's poem into music with bombastic vigour, showing us the + hero who dreams of grasping all the joy of the world, and how he fails, and dies + after he has lost faith in everything.</p> + <p><i>Tod und Verklärung</i> ("Death and Transfiguration," op. 24<a + name="FNanchor_171_171" id="FNanchor_171_171"></a><a href="#Footnote_171_171" + class="fnanchor">[171]</a>) marks considerable progress in Strauss's thought and + style. It is still one of the most stirring of Strauss's works, and the one that is + conceived with the most perfect unity. It was inspired by a poem of Alexander + Ritter's, and I will give you an idea of its subject.</p> + <p>In a wretched room, lit only by a nightlight, a sick man lies in bed. Death draws + near him in the midst of awe-inspiring silence. The unhappy man seems to wander in + his mind at times, and to find comfort in past memories. His life passes before his + eyes: his innocent childhood, his happy youth, the struggles of middle age, and his + efforts to attain the splendid goal of his desires, which always eludes him. He had + been striving all his life for this goal, and at last thought it was within reach, + when Death, in a voice of thunder, cries, suddenly, "Stop!" And <a name="page145" id="page145"/>even now in his agony + he struggles desperately, being set upon realising his dream; but the hand of Death + is crushing life out of his body, and night is creeping on. Then resounds in the + heavens the promise of that happiness which he had vainly sought for on + earth—Redemption and Transfiguration.</p> + <p>Richard Strauss's friends protested vigorously against this orthodox ending; and + Seidl,<a name="FNanchor_171a_171a" id="FNanchor_171a_171a"></a><a href="#Footnote_171a_171a" + class="fnanchor">[171a]</a> + Jorisenne,<a name="FNanchor_171b_171b" id="FNanchor_171b_171b"></a><a href="#Footnote_171b_171b" + class="fnanchor">[171b]</a> and Wilhelm Mauke<a name="FNanchor_171c_171c" id="FNanchor_171c_171c"></a><a href="#Footnote_171c_171c" class="fnanchor">[171c]</a> + pretended that the subject was something + loftier, that it was the eternal struggle of the soul against its lower self and its + deliverance by means of art. I shall not enter into that discussion, though I think + that such a cold and commonplace symbolism is much less interesting than the struggle + with death, which one feels in every note of the composition. It is a classical work, + comparatively speaking; broad and majestic and almost like Beethoven in style. The + realism of the subject in the hallucinations of the dying man, the shiverings of + fever, the throbbing of the veins, and the despairing agony, is transfigured by the + purity of the form in which it is cast. It is realism after the manner of the + symphony in C minor, where Beethoven argues with Destiny. If all suggestion of a + programme is taken away, the symphony still remains intelligible and impressive by + its harmonious expression of feeling.</p> + <p><a name="page146" id="page146"/>Many German + musicians think that Strauss has reached the highest point of his work in <i>Tod und + Verklärung</i>. But I am far from agreeing with them, and believe myself that + his art has developed enormously as the result of it. It is true it is the summit of + one period of his life, containing the essence of all that is best in it; but + <i>Heldenleben</i> marks the second period, and is its corner-stone. How the force + and fulness of his feeling has grown since that first period! But he has never + re-found the delicate and melodious purity of soul and youthful grace of his earlier + work, which still shines out in <i>Guntram</i>, and is then effaced.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>Strauss has directed Wagner's dramas at Weimar since 1889. While breathing their + atmosphere he turned his attention to the theatre, and wrote the libretto of his + opera <i>Guntram</i>. Illness interrupted his work, and he was in Egypt when he took + it up again. The music of the first act was written between December, 1892, and + February, 1893, while travelling between Cairo and Luxor; the second act was finished + in June, 1893, in Sicily; and the third act early in September, 1893, in Bavaria. + There is, however, no trace of an oriental atmosphere in this music. We find rather + the melodies of Italy, the reflection of a mellow light, and a resigned calm. I feel + in it the languid mind of the convalescent, almost the heart of a young girl whose + tears are ready to flow, though she is smiling a little at her own sad dreams. It + seems to me that Strauss must have a secret affection for this work, which <a name="page147" id="page147"/>owes its inspiration + to the undefinable impressions of convalescence. His fever fell asleep in it, and + certain passages are full of the caressing touch of nature, and recall Berlioz's + <i>Les Troyens</i>. But too often the music is superficial and conventional, and the + tyranny of Wagner makes itself felt—a rare enough occurrence in Strauss's other + works. The poem is interesting; Strauss has put much of himself into it, and one is + conscious of the crisis that unsettled his broad-minded but often self-satisfied and + inconsistent ideas.</p> + <p>Strauss had been reading an historical study of an order of + <i>Minnesänger</i> and mystics, which was founded in Austria in the Middle Ages + to fight against the corruption of art, and to save souls by the beauty of song. They + called themselves <i>Streiter der Liebe</i> ("Warriors of Love"). Strauss, who was + imbued at that time with neo-Christian ideas and the influence of Wagner and Tolstoy, + was carried away by the subject, and took Guntram from the <i>Streiter der Liebe</i>, + and made him his hero.</p> + <p>The action takes place in the thirteenth century, in Germany. The first act gives + us a glade near a little lake. The country people are in revolt against the nobles, + and have just been repulsed. Guntram and his master Friedhold distribute alms among + them, and the band of defeated men then take flight into the woods. Left alone, + Guntram begins to muse on the delights of springtime and the innocent awakening of + Nature. But the thought of the misery that its beauty hides weighs upon him. He + thinks of men's evil doing, of human suffering, and <a + name="page148" id="page148"/>of civil war. He gives thanks to Christ + for having led him to this unhappy country, kisses the cross, and decides to go to + the court of the tyrant who is the cause of all the trouble, and make known to him + the Divine revelation. At that moment Freihild appears. She is the wife of Duke + Robert, who is the cruellest of all the nobles, and she is horrified by all that is + happening around her; life seems hateful to her, and she wishes to drown herself. But + Guntram prevents her; and the pity that her beauty and trouble had at first aroused + changes unconsciously into love when he recognises her as the beloved princess and + sole benefactress of the unhappy people. He tells her that God has sent him to her + for her salvation. Then he goes to the castle, where he believes himself to be sent + on the double mission of saving the people—and Freihild.</p> + <p>In the second act, the princes celebrate their victory in the Duke's castle. After + some pompous talk on the part of the official <i>Minnesänger</i>, Guntram is + invited to sing. Discouraged beforehand by the wickedness of his audience, and + feeling that he can sing to no purpose, he hesitates and is on the point of leaving + them. But Freihild's sadness holds him back, and for her sake he sings. His song is + at first calm and measured, and expresses the melancholy that fills him in the midst + of a feast which celebrates triumphant power. He then loses himself in dreams, and + sees the gentle figure of Peace moving among the company. He describes her lovingly + and with youthful tenderness, which approaches ecstasy as he draws a picture of the + <a name="page149" id="page149"/>ideal life of + humanity made free. Then he paints War and Death, and the disorder and darkness that + they spread over the world. He addresses himself directly to the Prince; he shows him + his duty, and how the love of his people would be his recompense; he threatens him + with the hate of the unhappy who are driven to despair; and, finally, he urges the + nobles to rebuild the towns, to liberate their prisoners, and to come to the aid of + their subjects. His song is ended amid the profound emotion of his audience. Duke + Robert, feeling the danger of these outspoken words, orders his men to seize the + singer; but the vassals side with Guntram. At this juncture news is brought that the + peasants have renewed the attack. Robert calls his men to arms, but Guntram, who + feels that he will be supported by those around him, orders Robert's arrest. The Duke + draws his sword, but Guntram kills him. Then a sudden change comes over Guntram's + spirit, which is explained in the third act. In the scene that follows he speaks no + word, his sword falls from his hand, and he lets his enemies again assume their + authority over the crowd; he allows himself to be bound and taken to prison, while + the band of nobles noisily disperses to fight against the rebels. But Freihild is + full of an unaffected and almost savage joy at her deliverance by Guntram's sword. + Love for Guntram fills her heart, and her one desire is to save him.</p> + <p>The third act takes place in the prison of the château; and it is a + surprising, uncertain, and very curious act. It is not a logical result of the action + <a name="page150" id="page150"/>that has + preceded it. One feels a sudden commotion in the poet's ideas, a crisis of feeling + which disturbed him even as he wrote, and a difficulty which he did not succeed in + solving. The new light towards which he was beginning to move appears very clearly. + Strauss was too advanced in the composition of his work to escape the neo-Christian + renouncement which had to finish the drama; he could only have avoided that by + completely remodelling his characters. So Guntram rejects Freihild's love. He sees he + has fallen, even as the others, under the curse of sin. He had preached charity to + others when he himself was full of egoism; he had killed Robert rather to satisfy his + instinctive and animal jealousy than to deliver the people from a tyrant. So he + renounces his desires, and expiates the sin of being alive by retirement from the + world. But the interest of the act does not lie in this anticipated + <i>dénouement</i>, which since <i>Parsifal</i> has become rather common; it + lies in another scene, which has evidently been inserted at the last moment, and + which is uncomfortably out of tune with the action, though in a singularly grand way. + This scene gives us a dialogue between Guntram and his former companion, Friedhold.<a + name="FNanchor_172_172" id="FNanchor_172_172"></a><a href="#Footnote_172_172" + class="fnanchor">[172]</a></p> + <p><a name="page151" id="page151"/>Friedhold + had initiated him in former days, and he now comes to reproach him for his crime, and + to bring him before the Order, who will judge him. In the original version of the + poem Guntram complies, and sacrifices his passion to his vow. But while Strauss had + been travelling in the East he had conceived a sudden horror for this Christian + annihilation of will, and Guntram revolts along with him, and refuses to submit to + the rules of his Order. He breaks his lute—a symbol of false hope in the + redemption of humanity through faith—and rouses himself from the glorious + dreams in which he used to believe, for he sees they are shadows that are scattered + by the light of real life. He does not abjure his former vows; but he is not the same + man he was when he made them. While his experience was immature he was able to + believe that a man ought to submit himself to rules, and that life should be governed + by laws. A single hour has enlightened him. Now he is free and alone—alone with + his spirit. "I alone can lessen my suffering; I alone can expiate my crime. Through + myself alone God speaks to me; to me alone God speaks. <i>Ewig einsam</i>." It is the + proud awakening of individualism, the powerful pessimism of the Super-man. Such an + expression of feeling gives the character of action to renouncement and even to + negation itself, for it is a strong affirmation of the will.</p> + <p>I have dwelt rather at length on this drama on account of the real value of its + thought and, above all, on account of what one may call its autobiographical + interest. It was at this time that Strauss's mind began to take more definite form. + His further experience will develop that form still more, but without making any + important change in it.</p> + <p><i>Guntram</i> was the cause of bitter disappointment to its author. He did not + succeed in getting it pro<a name="page152" + id="page152"/>duced at Munich, for the orchestra and singers declared + that the music could not be performed. It is even said that they got an eminent + critic to draw up a formal document, which they sent to Strauss, certifying that + <i>Guntram</i> was not meant to be sung. The chief difficulty was the length of the + principal part, which took up by itself, in its musings and discourses, the + equivalent of an act and a half. Some of its monologues, like the song in the second + act, last half an hour on end. Nevertheless, <i>Guntram</i> was performed at Weimar + on 16 May, 1894. A little while afterwards Strauss married the singer who played + Freihild, Pauline de Ahna, who had also created Elizabeth in <i>Tannhäuser</i> + at Bayreuth, and who has since devoted herself to the interpretation of her husband's + <i>Lieder</i>.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>But the rancour of his failure at the theatre still remained with Strauss, and he + turned his attention again to the symphonic poem, in which he showed more and more + marked dramatic tendencies, and a soul which grew daily prouder and more scornful. + You should hear him speak in cold disdain of the theatre-going public—"that + collection of bankers and tradespeople and miserable seekers after pleasure"—to + know the sore that this triumphant artist hides. For not only was the theatre long + closed to him, but, by an additional irony, he was obliged to conduct musical rubbish + at the opera in Berlin, on account of the poor taste in music—really of Royal + origin—that prevailed there.<a name="page153" + id="page153"/></p> + <p>The first great symphony of this new period was <i>Till Eulenspiegel's lustige + Streiche, nach alter Schelmenweise, in Rondeauform</i> ("Till Eulenspiegel's Merry + Pranks, according to an old legend, in rondeau form"), op. 28.<a + name="FNanchor_173_173" id="FNanchor_173_173"></a><a href="#Footnote_173_173" + class="fnanchor">[173]</a> Here his disdain is as yet only expressed by witty + bantering, which scoffs at the world's conventions. This figure of Till, this devil + of a joker, the legendary hero of Germany and Flanders, is little known with us in + France. And so Strauss's music loses much of its point, for it claims to recall a + series of adventures which we know nothing about—Till crossing the market place + and smacking his whip at the good women there; Till in priestly attire delivering a + homely sermon; Till making love to a young woman who rebuffs him; Till making a fool + of the pedants; Till tried and hung. Strauss's liking to present, by musical + pictures, sometimes a character, sometimes a dialogue, or a situation, or a + landscape, or an idea—that is to say, the most volatile and varied impressions + of his capricious spirit—is very marked here. It is true that he falls back on + several popular subjects, whose meaning would be very easily grasped in Germany; and + that he develops them, not quite in the strict form of a rondeau, as he pretends, but + still with a certain method, so that apart from a few frolics, which are + unintelligible without a programme, the whole has real musical unity. This symphony, + which is a great favourite in Germany, seems to me less original than some of his + other compositions. It sounds rather <a name="page154" + id="page154"/>like a refined piece of Mendelssohn's, with curious + harmonies and very complicated instrumentation.</p> + <p>There is much more grandeur and originality in his <i>Also sprach Zarathustra, + Tondichtung frei, nach Nietzsche</i> ("Thus spake Zarathustra, a free Tone-poem, + after Nietzsche"), op. 30.<a name="FNanchor_174_174" id="FNanchor_174_174"></a><a + href="#Footnote_174_174" class="fnanchor">[174]</a> Its sentiments are more broadly + human, and the programme that Strauss has followed never loses itself in picturesque + or anecdotic details, but is planned on expressive and noble lines. Strauss protests + his own liberty in the face of Nietzsche's. He wishes to represent the different + stages of development that a free spirit passes through in order to arrive at that of + Super-man. These ideas are purely personal, and are not part of some system of + philosophy. The sub-titles of the work are: <i>Von den Hinterweltern</i> ("Of + Religious Ideas"), <i>Von der grossen Sehnsucht</i> ("Of Supreme Aspiration"), <i>Von + den Freuden und Leidenschaften</i> ("Of Joys and Passions"), <i>Das Grablied</i> + ("The Grave Song"), <i>Von der Wissenschaft</i> ("Of Knowledge"), <i>Der + Genesende</i> ("The Convalescent"—the soul delivered of its desires), <i>Das + Tanzlied</i> ("Dancing Song"), <i>Nachtlied</i> ("Night Song"). We are shown a man + who, worn out by trying to solve the riddle of the universe, seeks refuge in + religion. Then he revolts against ascetic ideas, and gives way madly to his passions. + But he is quickly sated and disgusted and, weary to death, he tries science, but + rejects it again, and succeeds in ridding himself of the uneasiness its knowledge + <a name="page155" id="page155"/>brings by + laughter—the master of the universe—and the merry dance, that dance of + the universe where all the human sentiments enter hand-in-hand—religious + beliefs, unsatisfied desires, passions, disgust, and joy. "Lift up your hearts on + high, my brothers! Higher still! And mind you don't forget your legs! I have + canonised laughter. You super-men, learn to laugh!"<a name="FNanchor_175_175" + id="FNanchor_175_175"></a><a href="#Footnote_175_175" class="fnanchor">[175]</a> And + the dance dies away and is lost in ethereal regions, and Zarathustra is lost to sight + while dancing in distant worlds. But if he has solved the riddle of the universe for + himself, he has not solved it for other men; and so, in contrast to the confident + knowledge which fills the music, we get the sad note of interrogation at the end.</p> + <p>There are few subjects that offer richer material for musical expression. Strauss + has treated it with power and dexterity; he has preserved unity in this chaos of + passions, by contrasting the <i>Sehnsucht</i> of man with the impassive strength of + Nature. As for the boldness of his conceptions, I need hardly remind those who heard + the poem at the Cirque d'été of the intricate "Fugue of Knowledge," the + trills of the wood wind and the trumpets that voice Zarathustra's laugh, the dance of + the universe, and the audacity of the conclusion which, in the key of B major, + finishes up with a note of interrogation, in C natural, repeated three times.</p> + <p>I am far from thinking that the symphony is without a fault. The themes are of + unequal value: some are quite commonplace; and, in a general way, <a name="page156" id="page156"/>the working up of the + composition is superior to its underlying thought. I shall come back later on to + certain faults in Strauss's music; here I only want to consider the overflowing life + and feverish joy that set these worlds spinning.</p> + <p><i>Zarathustra</i> shows the progress of scornful individualism in + Strauss—"the spirit that hates the dogs of the populace and all that abortive + and gloomy breed; the spirit of wild laughter that dances like a tempest as gaily on + marshes and sadness as it does in fields."<a name="FNanchor_176_176" + id="FNanchor_176_176"></a><a href="#Footnote_176_176" class="fnanchor">[176]</a> That + spirit laughs at itself and at its idealism in the <i>Don Quixote</i> of 1897, + <i>fantastische Variationen uber ein Thema ritterlichen Charakters</i> ("Don Quixote, + fantastic variations on a theme of knightly character"), op. 35; and that symphony + marks, I think, the extreme point to which programme music may be carried. In no + other work does Strauss give better proof of his prodigious cleverness, intelligence, + and wit; and I say sincerely that there is not a work where so much force is expended + with so great a loss for the sake of a game and a musical joke which lasts forty-five + minutes, and has given the author, the executants, and the public a good deal of + tiring work. These symphonic poems are most difficult to play on account of the + complexity, the independence, and the fantastic caprices of the different parts. + Judge for yourself what the author expects to get out of the music by these few + extracts from the programme:—</p> + <p><a name="page157" id="page157"/>The + introduction represents Don Quixote buried in books of chivalrous romance; and we + have to see in the music, as we do in little Flemish and Dutch pictures, not only Don + Quixote's features, but the words of the books he reads. Sometimes it is the story of + a knight who is righting a giant, sometimes the adventures of a knight-errant who has + dedicated himself to the services of a lady, sometimes it is a nobleman who has given + his life in fulfilment of a vow to atone for his sins. Don Quixote's mind becomes + confused (and our own with it) over all these stories; he is quite distracted. He + leaves home in company with his squire. The two figures are drawn with great spirit; + the one is an old Spaniard, stiff, languishing, distrustful, a bit of a poet, rather + undecided in his opinions but obstinate when his mind is once made up; the other is a + fat, jovial peasant, a cunning fellow, given to repeating himself in a waggish way + and quoting droll proverbs—translated in the music by short-winded phrases that + always return to the point they started from. The adventures begin. Here are the + windmills (trills from the violins and wood wind), and the bleating army of the grand + emperor, Alifanfaron (tremolos from the wood wind); and here, in the third variation, + is a dialogue between the knight and his squire, from which we are to guess that + Sancho questions his master on the advantages of a chivalrous life, for they seem to + him doubtful. Don Quixote talks to him of glory and honour; but Sancho has no thought + for it. In reply to these grand words he urges the superiority of sure profits, fat + meals, and sounding money.<a name="page158" + id="page158"/>Then the adventures begin again. The two companions fly + through the air on wooden horses; and the illusion of this giddy voyage is given by + chromatic passages on the flutes, harps, kettledrums, and a "windmachine," while "the + tremolo of the double basses on the key-note shows that the horses have never left + the earth."<a name="FNanchor_177_177" id="FNanchor_177_177"></a><a + href="#Footnote_177_177" class="fnanchor">[177]</a></p> + <p>But I must stop. I have said enough to show the fun the author is indulging in. + When one hears the work one cannot help admiring the composer's technical knowledge, + skill in orchestration, and sense of humour. And one is all the more surprised that + he confines himself to the illustration of texts<a name="FNanchor_178_178" + id="FNanchor_178_178"></a><a href="#Footnote_178_178" class="fnanchor">[178]</a> when + he is so capable of creating comic and dramatic matter without it. Although <i>Don + Quixote</i> is a marvel of skill and a very wonderful work, in which Strauss has + developed a suppler and richer style, it marks, to my mind, a progress in his + technique and a backward step in his mind, for he seems to have adopted the decadent + conceptions of an art suited to playthings and trinkets to please a frivolous and + affected society.</p> + <p>In <i>Heldenleben</i> ("The Life of a Hero"), op. 40,<a name="FNanchor_179_179" + id="FNanchor_179_179"></a><a href="#Footnote_179_179" class="fnanchor">[179]</a> he + recovers himself, and with a stroke of his wings reaches the summits. Here there is + no foreign text for the music to study or illustrate or transcribe. Instead, there is + lofty passion and an heroic will <a name="page159" + id="page159"/>gradually developing itself and breaking down all + obstacles. Without doubt Strauss had a programme in his mind, but he said to me + himself: "You have no need to read it. It is enough to know that the hero is there + fighting against his enemies." I do not know how far that is true, or if parts of the + symphony would not be rather obscure to anyone who followed it without the text; but + this speech seems to prove that he has understood the dangers of the literary + symphony, and that he is striving for pure music.</p> + <p><i>Heldenleben</i> is divided into six chapters: The Hero, The Hero's Adversaries, + The Hero's Companion, The Field of Battle, The Peaceful Labours of the Hero, The + Hero's Retirement from the World, and the Achievement of His Ideal. It is an + extraordinary work, drunken with heroism, colossal, half barbaric, trivial, and + sublime. An Homeric hero struggles among the sneers of a stupid crowd, a herd of + brawling and hobbling ninnies. A violin solo, in a sort of concerto, describes the + seductions, the coquetry, and the degraded wickedness of woman. Then strident + trumpet-blasts sound the attack; and it is beyond me to give an idea of the terrible + charge of cavalry that follows, which makes the earth tremble and our hearts leap; + nor can I describe how an iron determination leads to the storming of towns, and all + the tumultuous din and uproar of battle—the most splendid battle that has ever + been painted in music. At its first performance in Germany I saw people tremble as + they listened to it, and some rose up suddenly and made violent <a name="page160" id="page160"/>gestures quite + unconsciously. I myself had a strange feeling of giddiness, as if an ocean had been + upheaved, and I thought that for the first time for thirty years Germany had found a + poet of Victory.</p> + <p><i>Heldenleben</i> would be in every way one of the masterpieces of musical + composition if a literary error had not suddenly cut short the soaring flight of its + most impassioned pages, at the supreme point of interest in the movement, in order to + follow the programme; though, besides this, a certain coldness, perhaps weariness, + creeps in towards the end. The victorious hero perceives that he has conquered in + vain: the baseness and stupidity of men have remained unaltered. He stifles his + anger, and scornfully accepts the situation. Then he seeks refuge in the peace of + Nature. The creative force within him flows out in imaginative works; and here + Richard Strauss, with a daring warranted only by his genius, represents these works + by reminiscences of his own compositions, and <i>Don Juan, Macbeth, Tod und + Verklärung, Till, Zarathustra, Don Quixote, Guntram</i>, and even his + <i>Lieder</i>, associate themselves with the hero whose story he is telling. At times + a storm will remind this hero of his combats; but he also remembers his moments of + love and happiness, and his soul is quieted. Then the music unfolds itself serenely, + and rises with calm strength to the closing chord of triumph, which is placed like a + crown of glory on the hero's head.</p> + <p>There is no doubt that Beethoven's ideas have often inspired, stimulated, and + guided Strauss's own ideas. One feels an indescribable reflection of <a name="page161" id="page161"/>the first + <i>Heroic</i> and of the <i>Ode to Joy</i> in the key of the first part (E flat); and + the last part recalls, even more forcibly, certain of Beethoven's <i>Lieder</i>. But + the heroes of the two composers are very different: Beethoven's hero is more + classical and more rebellious; and Strauss's hero is more concerned with the exterior + world and his enemies, his conquests are achieved with greater difficulty, and his + triumph is wilder in consequence. If that good Oulibicheff pretends to see the + burning of Moscow in a discord in the first <i>Heroic</i>, what would he find here? + What scenes of burning towns, what battlefields! Besides that there is cutting scorn + and a mischievous laughter in <i>Heldenleben</i> that is never heard in Beethoven. + There is, in fact, little kindness in Strauss's work; it is the work of a disdainful + hero.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>In considering Strauss's music as a whole, one is at first struck by the diversity + of his style. The North and the South mingle; and in his melodies one feels the + attraction of the sun. Something Italian had crept into <i>Tristan</i>; but how much + more of Italy there is in the work of this disciple of Nietzsche. The phrases are + often Italian and their harmonies ultra-Germanic. Perhaps one of the greatest charms + of Strauss's art is that we are able to watch the rent in the dark clouds of German + polyphony, and see shining through it the smiling line of an Italian coast and the + gay dancers on its shore. This is not merely a vague analogy. It <a name="page162" id="page162"/>would be easy, if + idle, to notice unmistakable reminiscences of France and Italy even in Strauss's most + advanced works, such as <i>Zarathustra</i> and <i>Heldenleben</i>. Mendelssohn, + Gounod, Wagner, Rossini, and Mascagni elbow one another strangely. But these + disparate elements have a softer outline when the work is taken as a whole, for they + have been absorbed and controlled by the composer's imagination.</p> + <p>His orchestra is not less composite. It is not a compact and serried mass like + Wagner's Macedonian phalanxes; it is parcelled out and as divided as possible. Each + part aims at independence and works as it thinks best, without apparently troubling + about the other parts. Sometimes it seems, as it did when reading Berlioz, that the + execution must result in incoherence, and weaken the effect. But somehow the result + is very satisfying. "Now doesn't that sound well?" said Strauss to me with a smile, + just after he had finished conducting <i>Heldenleben</i>.<a name="FNanchor_180_180" + id="FNanchor_180_180"></a><a href="#Footnote_180_180" class="fnanchor">[180]</a></p> + <p>But it is especially in Strauss's subjects that caprice and a disordered + imagination, the enemy of all reason, seem to reign. We have seen that these <a name="page163" id="page163"/>poems try to express + in turn, or even simultaneously, literary texts, pictures, anecdotes, philosophical + ideas, and the personal sentiments of the composer. What unity is there in the + adventures of Don Quixote or Till Eulenspiegel? And yet unity is there, not in the + subjects, but in the mind that deals with them. And these descriptive symphonies with + their very diffuse literary life are vindicated by their musical life, which is much + more logical and concentrated. The caprices of the poet are held in rein by the + musician. The whimsical Till disports himself "after the old form of rondeau," and + the folly of Don Quixote is told in "ten variations on a chivalrous theme, with an + introduction and finale." In this way, Strauss's art, one of the most literary and + descriptive in existence, is strongly distinguished from others of the same kind by + the solidarity of its musical fabric, in which one feels the true musician—a + musician brought up on the great masters, and a classic in spite of everything.</p> + <p>And so throughout that music a strong unity is felt among the unruly and often + incongruous elements. It is the reflection, so it seems to me, of the soul of the + composer. Its unity is not a matter of what he feels, but a matter of what he wishes. + His emotion is much less interesting to him than his will, and it is less intense, + and often quite devoid of any personal character. His restlessness seems to come from + Schumann, his religious feeling from Mendelssohn, his voluptuousness from Gounod or + the Italian masters, his passion from<a name="page164" + id="page164"/>Wagner.<a name="FNanchor_181_181" + id="FNanchor_181_181"></a><a href="#Footnote_181_181" class="fnanchor">[181]</a> But + his will is heroic, dominating, eager, and powerful to a sublime degree. And that is + why Richard Strauss is noble and, at present, quite unique. One feels in him a force + that has dominion over men.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>It is through this heroic side that he may be considered as an inheritor of some + of Beethoven's and Wagner's thought. It is this heroic side which makes him a + poet—one of the greatest perhaps in modern Germany, who sees herself reflected + in him and in his hero. Let us consider this hero.</p> + <p>He is an idealist with unbounded faith in the power of the mind and the liberating + virtue of art. This idealism is at first religious, as in <i>Tod und + Verklärung</i>, and tender and compassionate as a woman, and full of youthful + illusions, as in <i>Guntram</i>. Then it becomes vexed and indignant with the + baseness of the world and the difficulties it encounters. Its scorn increases, and + becomes sarcastic <i>(Till Eulenspiegel)</i>; it is exasperated with years of + conflict, and, in increasing bitterness, develops into a contemptuous heroism. How + Strauss's laugh whips and stings us in <i>Zarathustra</i>! How his will bruises and + cuts us in <i>Heldenleben</i>! Now that he has proved his power by victory, his pride + knows no limit; he is elated and is unable to see that his lofty visions have become + realities. But the people <a name="page165" + id="page165"/>whose spirit he reflects see it. There are germs of + morbidity in Germany to-day, a frenzy of pride, a belief in self, and a scorn for + others that recalls France in the seventeenth century. "<i>Dem Deutschen gehört + die Welt</i>" ("Germany possesses the world") calmly say the prints displayed in the + shop windows in Berlin. But when one arrives at this point the mind becomes + delirious. All genius is raving mad if it comes to that; but Beethoven's madness + concentrated itself in himself, and imagined things for his own enjoyment. The genius + of many contemporary German artists is an aggressive thing, and is characterised by + its destructive antagonism. The idealist who "possesses the world" is liable to + dizziness. He was made to rule over an interior world. The splendour of the exterior + images that he is called upon to govern dazzles him; and, like Caesar, he goes + astray. Germany had hardly attained the position of empire of the world when she + found Nietzsche's voice and that of the deluded artists of the <i>Deutsches + Theater</i> and the <i>Secession</i>. Now there is the grandiose music of Richard + Strauss.</p> + <p>What is all this fury leading to? What does this heroism aspire to? This force of + will, bitter and strained, grows faint when it has reached its goal, or even before + that. It does not know what to do with its victory. It disdains it, does not believe + in it, or grows tired of it.<a name="FNanchor_182_182" id="FNanchor_182_182"></a><a + href="#Footnote_182_182" class="fnanchor">[182]</a></p> + <p>Like Michelangelo's <i>Victory</i>, it has set its knee on <a name="page166" id="page166"/>the captive's back, + and seems ready to despatch him. But suddenly it stops, hesitates, and looks about + with uncertain eyes, and its expression is one of languid disgust, as though + weariness had seized it.</p> + <p>And this is how the work of Richard Strauss appears to me up to the present. + Guntram kills Duke Robert, and immediately lets fall his sword. The frenzied laugh of + Zarathustra ends in an avowal of discouraged impotence. The delirious passion of Don + Juan dies away in nothingness. Don Quixote when dying forswears his illusions. Even + the Hero himself admits the futility of his work, and seeks oblivion in an + indifferent Nature. Nietzsche, speaking of the artists of our time, laughs at "those + Tantaluses of the will, rebels and enemies of laws, who come, broken in spirit, and + fall at the foot of the cross of Christ." Whether it is for the sake of the Cross or + Nothingness, these heroes renounce their victories in disgust and despair, or with a + resignation that is sadder still. It was not thus that Beethoven overcame his + sorrows. Sad adagios make their lament in the middle of his symphonies, but a note of + joy and triumph is always sounded at the end. His work is the triumph of a conquered + hero; that of Strauss is the defeat of a conquering hero. This irresoluteness of the + will can be still more clearly seen in contemporary German literature, and in + particular in the author of <i>Die versunkene Glocke</i>. But it is more striking in + Strauss, because he is more heroic. And so we get all this display of superhuman + will, and the end is only "My desire is gone!"</p> + <p><a name="page167" id="page167"/>In this lies + the undying worm of German thought—I am speaking of the thought of the choice + few who enlighten the present and anticipate the future. I see an heroic people, + intoxicated by its triumphs, by its great riches, by its numbers, by its force, which + clasps the world in its great arms and subjugates it, and then stops, fatigued by its + conquest, and asks: "Why have I conquered?"</p> + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <a name="page168" id="page168"/> + <h2><a name="HUGO_WOLF" id="HUGO_WOLF"></a>HUGO WOLF</h2> + <p>The more one learns of the history of great artists, the more one is struck by the + immense amount of sadness their lives enclose. Not only are they subjected to the + trials and disappointments of ordinary life—which affect them more cruelly + through their greater sensitiveness—but their surroundings are like a desert, + because they are twenty, thirty, fifty, or even hundreds of years in advance of their + contemporaries; and they are often condemned to despairing efforts, not to conquer + the world, but to live.</p> + <p>These highly-strung natures are rarely able to keep up this incessant struggle for + very long; and the finest genius may have to reckon with illness and misery and even + premature death. And yet there were people like Mozart and Schumann and Weber who + were happy in spite of everything, because they had been able to keep their soul's + health and the joy of creation until the end; and though their bodies were worn out + with fatigue and privation, a light was kept burning which sent its rays far into the + darkness of their night. There are worse destinies; and Beethoven, though he was + poor, shut up within himself, and deceived in his affections, was far from being the + most unhappy of men. In his case, he possessed nothing but himself; <a name="page169" id="page169"/>but he possessed + himself truly, and reigned over the world that was within him; and no other empire + could ever be compared with that of his vast imagination, which stretched like a + great expanse of sky, where tempests raged. Until his last day the old Prometheus in + him, though fettered by a miserable body, preserved his iron force unbroken. When + dying during a storm, his last gesture was one of revolt; and in his agony he raised + himself on his bed and shook his fist at the sky. And so he fell, struck down by a + single blow in the thick of the fight.</p> + <p>But what shall be said of those who die little by little, who outlive themselves, + and watch the slow decay of their souls?</p> + <p>Such was the fate of Hugo Wolf, whose tragic destiny has assured him a place apart + in the hell of great musicians.<a name="FNanchor_183_183" + id="FNanchor_183_183"></a><a href="#Footnote_183_183" class="fnanchor">[183]</a></p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>He was born at Windischgratz in Styria, 13 March, 1860. He was the fourth son of a + currier—a currier-musician, like old Veit Bach, the baker-musician, and Haydn's + father, the wheelwright-musician. Philipp Wolf played the violin, the guitar, and the + piano, and used to have little quintet parties at his <a + name="page170" id="page170"/>house, in which he played the first + violin, Hugo the second violin, Hugo's brother the violoncello, an uncle the horn, + and a friend the tenor violin. The musical taste of the country was not properly + German. Wolf was a Catholic; and his taste was not formed, like that of most German + musicians, by books of chorales. Besides that, in Styria they were fond of playing + the old Italian operas of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. Later on, Wolf used to + like to think that he had a few drops of Latin blood in his veins; and all his life + he had a predilection for the great French musicians.</p> + <p>His term of apprenticeship was not marked by anything brilliant. He went from one + school to another without being kept long anywhere. And yet he was not a worthless + lad; but he was always very reserved, little caring to be intimate with others, and + passionately devoted to music. His father naturally did not want him to take up music + as a profession; and he had the same struggles that Berlioz had. Finally he succeeded + in getting permission from his family to go to Vienna, and he entered the + Conservatoire there in 1875. But he was not any the happier for it, and at the end of + two years he was sent away for being unruly.</p> + <p>What was to be done? His family was ruined, for a fire had demolished their little + possessions. He felt the silent reproaches of his father already weighing upon + him—for he loved his father dearly, and remembered the sacrifices he had made + for him. He did not wish to return to his own province; indeed he could not + return—that would have been <a name="page171" + id="page171"/>death. It was necessary that this boy of seventeen + should find some means of earning a livelihood and be able to instruct himself at the + same time. After his expulsion from the Conservatoire he attended no other school; he + taught himself. And he taught himself wonderfully; but at what a cost! The suffering + he went through from that time until he was thirty, the enormous amount of energy he + had to expend in order to live and cultivate the fine spirit of poetry that was + within him—all this effort and toil was, without doubt, the cause of his + unhappy death. He had a burning thirst for knowledge and a fever for work which made + him sometimes forget the necessity for eating and drinking.</p> + <p>He had a great admiration for Goethe, and was infatuated by Heinrich von Kleist, + whom he rather resembles both in his gifts and in his life; he was an enthusiast + about Grillparzer and Hebbel at a time when they were but little appreciated; and he + was one of the first Germans to discover the worth of Mörike, whom, later on, he + made popular in Germany. Besides this, he read English and French writers. He liked + Rabelais, and was very partial to Claude Tillier, the French novelist of the + provinces, whose <i>Oncle Benjamin</i> has given pleasure to so many German + provincial families, by bringing before them, as Wolf said, the vision of their own + little world, and helping them by his own jovial good humour to bear their troubles + with a smiling face. And so little Wolf, with hardly enough to eat, found the means + of learning both French and English, <a name="page172" + id="page172"/>in order better to appreciate the thoughts of foreign + artists.</p> + <p>In music he learned a great deal from his friend Schalk,<a name="FNanchor_184_184" + id="FNanchor_184_184"></a><a href="#Footnote_184_184" class="fnanchor">[184]</a> a + professor at the Vienna Conservatoire; but, like Berlioz, he got most of his + education from the libraries, and spent months in reading the scores of the great + masters. Not having a piano, he used to carry Beethoven's sonatas to the Prater Park + in Vienna and study them on a bench in the open air. He soaked himself in the + classics—in Bach and Beethoven, and the German masters of the + <i>Lied</i>—Schubert and Schumann. He was one of the young Germans who was + passionately fond of Berlioz; and it is due to Wolf that France was afterwards + honoured in the possession of this great artist, whom French critics, whether of the + school of Meyerbeer, Wagner, Franck, or Debussy, have never understood. He was also + early a friend of old Anton Bruckner, whose music we do not know in France, neither + his eight symphonies, nor his <i>Te Deum</i>, nor his masses, nor his cantatas, nor + anything else of his fertile work. Bruckner had a sweet and modest character, and an + endearing, if rather childish, personality. He was rather crushed all his life by the + Brahms party; but, like Franck in France, he gathered round him new and original + talent to fight the academic art of his time.</p> + <p>But of all these influences, the strongest was that of Wagner. Wagner came to + Vienna in 1875 to <a name="page173" + id="page173"/>conduct <i>Tannhäuser</i> and <i>Lohengrin</i>. + There was then among the younger people a fever of enthusiasm similar to that which + <i>Werther</i> had caused a century before. Wolf saw Wagner. He tells us about it in + his letters to his parents. I will quote his own words, and though they make one + smile, one loves the impulsive devotion of his youth; and they make one feel, too, + that a man who inspires such an affection, and who can do so much good by a little + sympathy, is to blame when he does not befriend others—above all if he has + suffered, like Wagner, from loneliness and the want of a helping hand. You must + remember that this letter was written by a boy of fifteen.</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"I have been to—guess whom?... to the master, Richard Wagner! Now I will + tell you all about it, just as it happened. I will copy the words down exactly as I + wrote them in my note-book.</p> + <p>"On Thursday, 9 December, at half-past ten, I saw Richard Wagner for the second + time at the Hotel Imperial, where I stayed for half an hour on the staircase, + awaiting his arrival (I knew that on that day he would conduct the last rehearsal + of his <i>Lohengrin</i>). At last the master came down from the second floor, and I + bowed to him very respectfully while he was yet some distance from me. He thanked + me in a very friendly way. As he neared the door I sprang forward and opened it for + him, upon which he looked fixedly at me for a few seconds, and then went on his way + to <a name="page174" id="page174"/>the + rehearsal at the Opera. I ran as fast as I could, and arrived at the Opera sooner + than Richard Wagner did in his cab. I bowed to him again, and I wanted to open the + door of his cab for him; but as I could not get it open, the coachman jumped down + from his seat and did it for me. Wagner said something to the coachman—I + think it was about me. I wanted to follow him into the theatre, but they would not + let me pass.</p> + <p>"I often used to wait for him at the Hotel Imperial; and on this occasion I made + the acquaintance of the manager of the hotel, who promised that he would interest + himself on my behalf. Who was more delighted than I when he told me that on the + following Saturday afternoon, 11 December, I was to come and find him, so that he + could introduce me to Mme. Cosima's maid and Richard Wagner's valet! I arrived at + the appointed hour. The visit to the lady's maid was very short. I was advised to + come the following day, Sunday, 12 December, at two o'clock. I arrived at the right + hour, but found the maid and the valet and the manager still at table.... Then I + went with the maid to the master's rooms, where I waited for about a quarter of an + hour until he came. At last Wagner appeared in company with Cosima and Goldmark. I + bowed to Cosima very respectfully, but she evidently did not think it worth while + to honour me with a single glance. Wagner was going into his room without paying + any attention to me, when the maid said to him in a beseeching voice: 'Ah,<a name="page175" id="page175"/>Herr Wagner, it is + a young musician who wishes to speak to you; he has been waiting for you a long + time.'</p> + <p>"He then came out of his room, looked at me, and said: 'I have seen you before, + I think. You are....'</p> + <p>"Probably he wanted to say, 'You are a fool.'</p> + <p>"He went in front of me and opened the door of the reception-room, which was + furnished in a truly royal style. In the middle of the room was a couch covered in + velvet and silk. Wagner himself was wrapped in a long velvet mantle bordered with + fur.</p> + <p>"When I was inside the room he asked me what I wanted."</p> + </div> + <p>Here Hugo Wolf, to excite the curiosity of his parents, broke off his story and + put "To be continued in my next." In his next letter he continues:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"I said to him: 'Highly honoured master, for a long time I have wanted to hear + an opinion on my compositions, and it would be....'</p> + <p>"Here the master interrupted me and said: 'My dear child, I cannot give you an + opinion of your compositions; I have far too little time; I can't even get my own + letters written. I understand nothing at all about music <i>(Ich verstehe gar + nichts von der Musik</i>).'</p> + <p>"I asked the master whether I should ever be able really to do anything, and he + said to me: 'When I was your age and composing music, no <a + name="page176" id="page176"/>one could tell me then whether I + should ever do anything great. You could at most play me your compositions on the + piano; but I have no time to hear them. When you are older, and when you have + composed bigger works, and if by chance I return to Vienna, you shall show me what + you have done. But that is no use now; I cannot give you an opinion of them + yet.'</p> + <p>"When I told the master that I took the classics as models, he said: 'Good, + good. One can't be original at first.' And he laughed, and then said, 'I wish you, + dear friend, much happiness in your career. Go on working steadily, and if I come + back to Vienna, show me your compositions.'</p> + <p>"Upon that I left the master, profoundly moved and impressed."</p> + </div> + <p>Wolf and Wagner did not see each other again. But Wolf fought unceasingly on + Wagner's behalf. He went several times to Bayreuth, though he had no personal + intercourse with the Wagner family; but he met Liszt, who, with his usual goodness, + wrote him a kind letter about a composition that he had sent him, and showed him what + alterations to make in it.</p> + <p>Mottl and the composer, Adalbert de Goldschmidt, were the first friends to aid him + in his years of misery, by finding him some music pupils. He taught music to little + children of seven and eight years old; but he was a poor teacher, and found giving + lessons was a martyrdom. The money he earned hardly served to feed him, and he only + ate <a name="page177" id="page177"/>once a + day—Heaven knows how. To comfort himself he read Hebbel's Life; and for a time + he thought of going to America. In 1881 Goldschmidt got him the post of second + <i>Kapellmeister</i> at the Salzburg theatre. It was his business to rehearse the + choruses for the operettas of Strauss and Millöcker. He did his work + conscientiously, but in deadly weariness; and he lacked the necessary power of making + his authority felt. He did not stay long in this post, and came back to Vienna.</p> + <p>Since 1875 he had been writing music: <i>Lieder</i>, sonatas, symphonies, + quartets, etc., and already his <i>Lieder</i> held the most important place. He also + composed in 1883 a symphonic poem on the <i>Penthesilea</i> of his friend Kleist.</p> + <p>In 1884 he succeeded in getting a post as musical critic. But on what a paper! It + was the <i>Salonblatt</i>—a mundane journal filled with articles on sport and + fashion news. One would have said that this little barbarian was put there for a + wager. His articles from 1884 to 1887 are full of life and humour. He upholds the + great classic masters in them: Gluck, Mozart, Beethoven, and—Wagner; he defends + Berlioz; he scourges the modern Italians, whose success at Vienna was simply + scandalous; he breaks lances for Bruckner, and begins a bold campaign against Brahms. + It was not that he disliked or had any prejudice against Brahms; he took a delight in + some of his works, especially his chamber music, but he found fault with his + symphonies and was shocked by the carelessness of the declamation in his + <i>Lieder</i> and, in general, could not bear his want <a + name="page178" id="page178"/>of originality and power, and found him + lacking in joy and fulness of life. Above all, he struck at him as being the head of + a party that was spitefully opposed to Wagner and Bruckner and all innovators. For + all that was retrograde in music in Vienna, and all that was the enemy of liberty and + progress in art and criticism, was giving Brahms its detestable support by gathering + itself about him and spreading his fame abroad; and though Brahms was really far + above his party as an artist and a man, he had not the courage to break away from + it.</p> + <p>Brahms read Wolf's articles, but his attacks did not seem to stir his apathy. The + "Brahmines," however, never forgave Wolf. One of his bitterest enemies was Hans von + Bülow, who found anti-Brahmism "the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost—which + shall not be forgiven."<a name="FNanchor_185_185" id="FNanchor_185_185"></a><a + href="#Footnote_185_185" class="fnanchor">[185]</a> Some years later, when Wolf + succeeded in getting his own compositions played, he had to submit to criticisms like + that of Max Kalbeck, one of the leaders of "Brahmism" at Vienna:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"Herr Wolf has lately, as a reporter, raised an irresistible laugh in musical + circles. So someone suggested he had better devote himself to composition. The last + products of his muse show that this well-meant advice was bad. He ought to go back + to reporting."</p> + </div> + <p>An orchestral society in Vienna gave Wolf's <i>Penthesilea</i> a trial reading; + and it was rehearsed, <a name="page179" + id="page179"/>in disregard of all good taste, amid shouts of + laughter. When it was finished, the conductor said: "Gentlemen, I ask your pardon for + having allowed this piece to be played to the end; but I wanted to know what manner + of man it is that dares to write such things about the master, Brahms."</p> + <p>Wolf got a little respite from his miseries by going to stay a few weeks in his + own country with his brother-in-law, Strasser, an inspector of taxes.<a + name="FNanchor_186_186" id="FNanchor_186_186"></a><a href="#Footnote_186_186" + class="fnanchor">[186]</a> He took with him his books, his poets, and began to set + them to music.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>He was now twenty-seven years old, and had as yet published nothing. The years of + 1887 and 1888 were the most critical ones of his life. In 1887 he lost his father + whom he loved so much, and that loss, like so many of his other misfortunes, gave + fresh impulse to his energies. The same year, a generous friend called Eckstein + published his first collection of <i>Lieder</i>. Wolf up to that time had been + smothered, but this publication stirred the life in him, and was the means of + unloosing his genius. Settled at Perchtoldsdorf, near Vienna, in February, 1888, in + absolute peace, he wrote in three months fifty-three <i>Lieder</i> to the words of + Eduard Mörike, the pastor-poet of Swabia, who died in 1875, and who, + misunderstood and laughed at during his lifetime, is now covered with honour, and + univer<a name="page180" id="page180"/>sally + popular in Germany. Wolf composed his songs in a state of exalted joy and almost + fright at the sudden discovery of his creative power.</p> + <p>In a letter to Dr. Heinrich Werner, he says:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"It is now seven o'clock in the evening, and I am so happy—oh, happier + than the happiest of kings. Another new <i>Lied</i>! If you could hear what is + going on in my heart!... the devil would carry you away with pleasure!...</p> + <p>"Another two new <i>Lieder</i>! There is one that sounds so horribly strange + that it frightens me. There is nothing like it in existence. Heaven help the + unfortunate people who will one day hear it!...</p> + <p>"If you could only hear the last <i>Lied</i> I have just composed you would only + have one desire left—to die.... Your happy, happy Wolf."</p> + </div> + <p>He had hardly finished the <i>Mörike-Lieder</i> when he began a series of + <i>Lieder</i> on poems of Goethe. In three months (December, 1888, to February, 1889) + he had written all the <i>Goethe-Liederbuch</i>—fifty-one <i>Lieder</i>, some + of which are, like <i>Prometheus</i>, big dramatic scenes.</p> + <p>The same year, while still at Perchtoldsdorf, after having published a volume of + Eichendorff <i>Lieder</i>, he became absorbed in a new cycle—the + <i>Spanisches-Liederbuch</i>, on Spanish poems translated by Heyse. He wrote these + forty-four songs in the same ecstasy of gladness:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"What I write now, I write for the future.... Since Schubert and<a name="page181" id="page181"/>Schumann there has + been nothing like it!"</p> + </div> + <p>In 1890, two months after he had finished the <i>Spanisches-Liederbuch</i>, he + composed another cycle of <i>Lieder</i> on poems called <i>Alten Weisen</i>, by the + great Swiss writer Gottfried Keller. And lastly, in the same year, he began his + <i>Italienisches-Liederbuch</i>, on Italian poems, translated by Geibel and + Heyse.</p> + <p>And then—then there was silence.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>The history of Wolf is one of the most extraordinary in the history of art, and + gives one a better glimpse of the mysteries of genius than most histories do.</p> + <p>Let us make a little <i>résumé</i>. Wolf at twenty-eight years old + had written practically nothing. From 1888 to 1890 he wrote, one after another, in a + kind of fever, fifty-three Mörike <i>Lieder</i>, fifty-one Goethe <i>Lieder</i>, + forty-four Spanish <i>Lieder</i>, seventeen Eichendorff <i>Lieder</i>, a dozen Keller + <i>Lieder</i>, and the first Italian <i>Lieder</i>—that is about two hundred + <i>Lieder</i>, each one having its own admirable individuality.</p> + <p>And then the music stops. The spring has dried up. Wolf in great anguish wrote + despairing letters to his friends. To Oskar Grohe, on 2 May, 1891, he wrote:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"I have given up all idea of composing. Heaven knows how things will finish. + Pray for my poor soul."</p> + </div> + <p><a name="page182" id="page182"/>And to + Wette, on 13 August, 1891, he says:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"For the last four months I have been suffering from a sort of mental + consumption, which makes me very seriously think of quitting this world for + ever.... Only those who truly live should live at all. I have been for some time + like one who is dead. I only wish it were an apparent death; but I am really dead + and buried; though the power to control my body gives me a seeming life. It is my + inmost, my only desire, that the flesh may quickly follow the spirit that has + already passed. For the last fifteen days I have been living at Traunkirchen, the + pearl of Traunsee.... All the comforts that a man could wish for are here to make + my life happy—peace, solitude, beautiful scenery, invigorating air, and + everything that could suit the tastes of a hermit like myself.<a + name="FNanchor_187_187" id="FNanchor_187_187"></a><a href="#Footnote_187_187" + class="fnanchor">[187]</a> And yet—and yet, my friend, I am the most + miserable creature on earth. Everything around me breathes peace and happiness, + everything throbs with life and fulfils its functions.... I alone, oh God!... I + alone live like a beast that is deaf and senseless. Even reading hardly serves to + distract me now, though I bury myself in books in my despair. As for composition, + that is finished; I can no longer bring to mind the meaning of a harmony or a + melody, and I almost begin to doubt if the compositions that bear my name are + really mine. Good God! what <a name="page183" + id="page183"/>is the use of all this fame? What is the good of + these great aims if misery is all that lies at the end of it?...</p> + <p>"<i>Heaven gives a man complete genius or no genius at all. Hell has given me + everything by halves</i>.</p> + <p>"O unhappy man, how true, how true it is! In the flower of your life you went to + hell; into the evil jaws of destiny you threw the delusive present and yourself + with it. O Kleist!"</p> + </div> + <p>Suddenly, at Döbling, on 29 November, 1891, the stream of Wolf's genius + flowed again, and he wrote fifteen Italian <i>Lieder</i>, sometimes several in one + day. In December it stopped again; and this time for five years. These Italian + melodies show, however, no trace of any effort, nor a greater tension of mind than is + shown in his preceding works. On the contrary, they have the air of being the + simplest and most natural work that Wolf ever did. But the matter is of no real + consequence, for when Wolf's genius was not stirring within him he was useless. He + wished to write thirty-three Italian <i>Lieder</i>, but he had to stop after the + twenty-second, and in 1891 he published one volume only of the + <i>Italienisches-Liederbuch</i>. The second volume was completed in a month, five + years later, in 1896.</p> + <p>One may imagine the tortures that this solitary man suffered. His only happiness + was in creation, and he saw his life cease, without any apparent cause, for years + together, and his genius come and go, and return for an instant, and then go + again.<a name="page184" id="page184"/>Each time + he must have anxiously wondered if it had gone for ever, or how long it would be + before it came back again. In letters to Kaufmann on 6 August, 1891, and 26 April, + 1893, he says:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"You ask me for news of my opera.<a name="FNanchor_188_188" + id="FNanchor_188_188"></a><a href="#Footnote_188_188" class="fnanchor">[188]</a> + Good Heavens! I should be content if I could write the tiniest little + <i>Liedchen</i>. And an opera, now?... I firmly believe that it is all over with + me.... I could as well speak Chinese as compose anything. It is horrible.... What I + suffer from this inaction I cannot tell you. I should like to hang myself."</p> + </div> + <p>To Hugo Faisst he wrote on 21 June, 1894:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"You ask me the cause of my great depression of spirit, and would pour balm on + my wounds. Ah yes, if you only could! But no herb grows that could cure my + sickness; only a god could help me. If you can give me back my inspirations, and + wake up the familiar spirit that is asleep in me, and let him possess me anew, I + will call you a god and raise altars to your name. My cry is to gods and not to + men; the gods alone are fit to pronounce my fate. But however it may end, even if + the worst comes, I will bear it—yes, even if no ray of sunshine lightens my + life again.... And with that we will, once for all, turn the page and have done + with this dark chapter of my life."</p> + </div> + <a name="page185" id="page185"/> + <p>This letter—and it is not the only one—recalls the melancholy stoicism + of Beethoven's letters, and shows us sorrows that even the unhappy Beethoven did not + know. And yet how can we tell? Perhaps Beethoven, too, suffered similar anguish in + the sad days that followed 1815, before the last sonatas, the <i>Missa Solemnis</i>, + and the Ninth Symphony had awaked to life in him.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>In March, 1895, Wolf lived once more, and in three months had written the piano + score of <i>Corregidor</i>. For many years he had been attracted towards the stage, + and especially towards light opera. Enthusiast though he was for Wagner's work, he + had declared openly that it was time for musicians to free themselves from the + Wagnerian <i>Musik-Drama</i>. He knew his own gifts, and did not aspire to take + Wagner's place. When one of his friends offered him a subject for an opera, taken + from a legend about Buddha, he declined it, saying that the world did not yet + understand the meaning of Buddha's doctrines, and that he had no wish to give + humanity a fresh headache. In a letter to Grohe, on 28 June, 1890, he says:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"Wagner has, by and through his art, accomplished such a mighty work of + liberation that we may rejoice to think that it is quite useless for us to storm + the skies, since he has conquered them for us. It is much wiser to seek out a + pleasant nook in this lovely heaven. I want to find a little <a name="page186" id="page186"/>place there for + myself, not in a desert with water and locusts and wild honey, but in a merry + company of primitive beings, among the tinkling of guitars, the sighs of love, the + moonlight, and such-like—in short, in a quite ordinary + <i>opéra-comique</i>, without any rescuing spectre of Schopenhauerian + philosophy in the background."</p> + </div> + <p>After having sought the libretto of an opera from the whole world, from poets + ancient and modern,<a name="FNanchor_189_189" id="FNanchor_189_189"></a><a + href="#Footnote_189_189" class="fnanchor">[189]</a> and after having tried to write + one himself, he finally took that of Madame Rosa Mayreder, an adaptation of a Spanish + novelette of Don Pedro de Alarcón. This was <i>Corregidor</i>, which, after + having been refused by other theatres, was played in June, 1896, at Mannheim. The + work was not a success in spite of its musical qualities, and the poorness of the + libretto helped on its failure.</p> + <p>But the main thing was that Wolf's creative genius had returned. In April, 1896, + he wrote straight away the twenty-two songs of the second volume of the + <i>Italienisches-Liederbuch</i>. At Christmas his friend Müller sent him some of + Michelangelo's poems, translated into German by Walter Robert-Tornow; and Wolf, + deeply moved by their beauty, decided at once to devote a whole volume of + <i>Lieder</i> to them. In 1897 he composed the first three melodies. At the same time + he was also working at a new opera,<a name="page187" + id="page187"/><i>Manuel Venegas</i>, a poem by Moritz Hoernes, + written after the style of Alarcón. He seemed full of strength and happiness + and confidence in his renewed health. Müller was speaking to him of the + premature death of Schubert, and Wolf replied, "A man is not taken away before he has + said all he has to say."</p> + <p>He worked furiously, "like a steam-engine," as he said, and was so absorbed in the + composition of <i>Manuel Venegas</i> (September, 1897) that he went without rest, and + had hardly time to take necessary food. In a fortnight he had written fifty pages of + the pianoforte score, as well as the <i>motifs</i> for the whole work, and the music + of half the first act.</p> + <p>Then madness came. On 20 September he was seized while he was working at the great + recitative of Manuel Venegas in the first act.</p> + <p>He was taken to Dr. Svetlin's private hospital in Vienna, and remained there until + January, 1898. Happily he had devoted friends who took care of him and made up for + the indifference of the public; for what he had earned himself would not have enabled + him even to die in peace. When Schott, the publisher, sent him in October, 1895, his + royalties for the editions of his <i>Lieder</i> of Mörike, Goethe, Eichendorff, + Keller, Spanish poetry, and the first volume of Italian poetry, their total for five + years came to eighty-six marks and thirty-five pfennigs! And Schott calmly added that + he had not expected so good a result. So it was Wolf's friends, and especially Hugo + Faisst, who not only saved him from misery by their unobtrusive and often secret + <a name="page188" id="page188"/>generosity, but + spared him the horror of destitution in his last misfortunes.</p> + <p>He recovered his reason, and was sent in February, 1898, for a voyage to Trieste + and Venetia to complete his cure and prevent him from thinking of work. The + precaution was unnecessary; for he says in a letter to Hugo Faisst, written in the + same month:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"There is no need for you to trouble yourself or fear that I shall overdo + things. A real distaste for work has taken possession of me, and I believe I shall + never write another note. My unfinished opera has no more interest for me, and + music altogether is hateful. You see what my kind friends have done for me! I + cannot think how I shall be able to exist in this state.... Ah, happy Swabians! one + may well envy you. Greet your beautiful country for me, and be warmly greeted + yourself by your unhappy and worn-out friend, Hugo Wolf."</p> + </div> + <p>When he returned to Vienna, however, he seemed to be a little better, and had + apparently regained his health and cheerfulness. But to his own astonishment he had + become, as he says in a letter to Faisst, a quiet, sedate, and silent man, who wished + more and more to be alone. He did not compose anything fresh, but revised his + Michelangelo <i>Lieder</i>, and had them published. He made plans for the winter, and + rejoiced in the thought of passing it in the country near Gmunden, "in perfect quiet, + undis<a name="page189" id="page189"/>turbed, + and living only for art." In his last letter to Faisst, 17 September, 1898, he + says:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"I am quite well again now, and have no more need of any cures. You would need + them more than I."</p> + </div> + <p>Then came a fresh seizure of madness, and this time all was finished.</p> + <p>In the autumn of 1898 Wolf was taken to an asylum at Vienna. At first he was able + to receive a few visits and to enjoy a little music by playing duets with the + director of the establishment, who was himself a musician and a great admirer of + Wolf's works. He was even able in the spring to take a few walks out of doors with + his friends and an attendant. But he was beginning not to recognise things or people + or even himself. "Yes," he would say, sighing, "if only I were Hugo Wolf!" From the + middle of 1899 his malady grew rapidly worse, and general paralysis followed. At the + beginning of 1900 his speech was affected, and, finally, in August, 1901, all his + body. At the beginning of 1902 all hope was given up by the doctors; but his heart + was still sound, and the unhappy man dragged out his life for another year. He died + on 16 February, 1903, of peripneumonia.</p> + <p>He was given a magnificent funeral, which was attended by all the people who had + done nothing for him while he was alive. The Austrian State, the town of Vienna, his + native town Windischgratz, the Conservatoire that had expelled him, the<a name="page190" id="page190"/><i>Gesellschaft der + Musikfreunde</i> who had been so long unfriendly to his works, the Opera that had + been closed to him, the singers that had scorned him, the critics that had scoffed at + him—they were all there. They sang one of his saddest melodies, + <i>Resignation</i>, a setting of a poem of Eichendorff's, and a chorale by his old + friend Bruckner, who had died several years before him. His faithful friends, Faisst + at the head of them, took care to have a monument erected to his memory near those of + Beethoven and Schubert.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>Such was his life, cut short at thirty-seven years of age—for one cannot + count the five years of complete madness. There are not many examples in the art + world of so terrible a fate. Nietzsche's misfortune is nowhere beside this, for + Nietzsche's madness was, to a certain extent, productive, and caused his genius to + flash out in a way that it never would have done if his mind had been balanced and + his health perfect. Wolf's madness meant prostration. But one may see how, even in + the space of thirty-seven years, his life was strangely parcelled out. For he did not + really begin his creative work until he was twenty-seven years old; and as from 1890 + to 1895 he was condemned to five years' silence, the sum total of his real life, his + productive life, is only four or five years. But in those few years he got more out + of life than the greater part of artists do in a long career, and in his work he left + the imprint of a person<a name="page191" + id="page191"/>ality that no one could forget after once having known + it.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>Wolf's work consists chiefly, as we have already seen, of <i>Lieder</i>, and these + <i>Lieder</i> are characterised by the application to lyrical music of principles + established by Wagner in the domain of drama. That does not mean he imitated Wagner. + One finds here and there in Wolf's music Wagnerian forms, just as elsewhere there are + evident reminiscences of Berlioz. It is the inevitable mark of his time, and each + great artist in his turn contributes his share to the enrichment of the language that + belongs to us all. But the real Wagnerism of Wolf is not made up of these unconscious + resemblances; it lies in his determination to make poetry the inspiration of music. + "To show, above all," he wrote to Humperdinck in 1890, "that poetry is the true + source of my music."</p> + <p>When a man is both a poet and a musician, like Wagner, it is natural that his + poetry and music should harmonise perfectly. But when it is a matter of translating + the soul of other poets into music, special gifts of mental subtlety and an abounding + sympathy are needed. These gifts were possessed by Wolf in a very high degree. No + musician has more keenly savoured and appreciated the poets. "He was," said one of + his critics, G. Kühl, "Germany's greatest psychologist in music since Mozart." + There was nothing laboured about his psychology. Wolf was incapable of setting to + <a name="page192" id="page192"/>music poetry + that he did not really love. He used to have the poetry he wished to translate read + over to him several times, or in the evening he would read it aloud to himself. If he + felt very stirred by it he lived apart with it, and thought about it, and soaked + himself in its atmosphere; then he went to sleep, and the next morning he was able to + write the <i>Lied</i> straight away. But some poems seemed to sleep in him for years, + and then would suddenly awake in him in a musical form. On these occasions he would + cry out with happiness. "Do you know?" he wrote to Müller, "I simply shouted + with joy." Müller said he was like an old hen after it had laid an egg.</p> + <p>Wolf never chose commonplace poems for his music—which is more than can be + said of Schubert or Schumann. He did not use anything written by contemporary poets, + although he was in sympathy with some of them, such as Liliencron, who hoped very + much to be translated into music by him. But he could not do it; he could not use + anything in the work of a great poet unless he became so intimate with it that it + seemed to be a part of him.</p> + <p>What strikes one also in the <i>Lieder</i> is the importance of the pianoforte + accompaniment and its independence of the voice. Sometimes the voice and the + pianoforte express the contrast that so often exists between the words and the + thought of the poem; at other times they express two personalities, as in his setting + of Goethe's <i>Prometheus</i>, where the accompaniment represents Zeus sending out + his thunderbolts, and the voice interprets<a name="page193" + id="page193"/>Titan; or again, he may depict, as in the setting of + Eichendorff's <i>Serenade</i>, a student in love in the accompaniment, while the song + is the voice of an old man who is listening to it and thinking of his youth. But in + whatever he is describing, the pianoforte and the voice have always their own + individuality. You cannot take anything away from his <i>Lieder</i> without spoiling + the whole; and it is especially so with his instrumental passages, which give us the + beginning and end of his emotion, and which circle round it and sum it up. The + musical form, following closely the poetic form, is extremely varied. It may + sometimes express a fugitive thought, a brief record of a poetic impression or some + little action, or it may be a great epic or dramatic picture. Müller remarks + that Wolf put more into a poem than the poet himself—as in the + <i>Italienisches-Liederbuch</i>. It is the worst reproach they can make about him, + and it is not an ordinary one. Wolf excelled especially in setting poems which + accorded with his own tragic fate, as if he had some presentiment of it. No one has + better expressed the anguish of a troubled and despairing soul, such as we find in + the old harp-player in <i>Wilhelm Meister</i>, or the splendid nihility of certain + poems of Michelangelo.</p> + <p>Of all his collections of <i>Lieder</i>, the 53 <i>Gedichte von Eduard + Mörike, komponiert für eine Singstimme und Klavier</i> (1888), the first + published, is the most popular. It gained many friends for Wolf, not so much among + artists (who are always in the minority) as among those critics who are the best and + most disinterested of all—the homely, honest people who <a name="page194" id="page194"/>do not make a + profession of art, but enjoy it as their spiritual daily bread. There are a number of + these people in Germany, whose hard lives are beautified by their love of music. Wolf + found these friends in all parts, but he found most of them in Swabia. At Stuttgart, + at Mannheim, at Darmstadt, and in the country round about these towns he became very + popular—the only popular musician since Schubert and Schumann. All classes of + society unite in loving him. "His <i>Lieder</i>," says Herr Decsey, "are on the + pianos of even the poorest houses, by the side of Schubert's <i>Lieder</i>." + Stuttgart became for Wolf, as he said himself, a second home. He owes this + popularity, which is without parallel in Swabia, to the people's passionate love of + <i>Lieder</i> and, above all, of the poetry of Mörike, the Swabian pastor, who + lives again in Wolf's songs. Wolf has set to music a quarter of Mörike's poems, + he has brought Mörike into his own, and given him one of the first places among + German poets. Such was really his intention, and he said so when he had a portrait of + Mörike put on the title-page of the songs. Whether the reading of his poetry + acted as a balm to Wolf's unquiet spirit, or whether he became conscious of his + genius for the first time when he expressed this poetry in music, I do not know; but + he felt deep gratitude towards it, and wished to show it by beginning the first + volume with that fine and rather Beethoven-like song, <i>Der Genesende an die + Hoffnung</i> ("The Convalescent's Ode to Hope").</p> + <p>The fifty-one <i>Lieder</i> of the <i>Goethe-Liederbuch</i> (1888-89) were + composed in groups of <i>Lieder</i>: the<a name="page195" + id="page195"/><i>Wilhelm Meister Lieder</i>, the <i>Divan (Suleika) + Lieder</i>, etc. Wolf even tried to identify himself with the poet's line of thought; + and in this we often find him in rivalry with Schubert. He avoided using the poems in + which he thought Schubert had exactly conveyed the poet's meaning, as in + <i>Geheimes</i> and <i>An Schwager Kronos</i>; but he told Müller that there + were times when Schubert did not understand Goethe at all, because he concerned + himself with translating their general lyrical thought rather than with showing the + real nature of Goethe's characters. The peculiar interest of Wolf's <i>Lieder</i> is + that he gives each poetic figure its individual character. The Harpist and Mignon are + traced with marvellous insight and restraint; and in some passages Wolf shows that he + has re-discovered Goethe's art of presenting a whole world of sadness in a single + word. The serenity of a great soul soars over the chaos of passions.</p> + <p>The <i>Spanisches-Liederbuch nach Heyse und Geibel</i> (1889-90) had already + inspired Schumann, Brahms, Cornelius, and others. But none had tried to give it its + rough and sensual character. Müller shows how Schumann, especially, robbed the + poems of their true nature. Not only did he invest them with his own sentimentalism, + but he calmly arranged poems of the most marked individual character to be sung by + four voices, which makes them quite absurd; and, worse than this, he changed the + words and their sense when they stood in his way. Wolf, on the contrary, steeped + himself in this melancholy and voluptuous world, and would not let anything <a name="page196" id="page196"/>draw him from it; and + out of it he produced, as he himself said proudly, some masterpieces. The ten + religious songs that come at the beginning of the collection suggest the delusions of + mysticism, and weep tears of blood; they are distressing to the ear and mind alike, + for they are the passionate expression of a faith that puts itself on the rack. By + the side of them one finds smiling visions of the Holy Family, which recall Murillo. + The thirty-four folk-songs are brilliant, restless, whimsical, and wonderfully varied + in form. Each represents a different subject, a personality drawn with incisive + strokes, and the whole collection overflows with life. It is said that the + <i>Spanisches-Liederbuch</i> is to Wolf's work what <i>Tristan</i> is to Wagner's + work.</p> + <p>The <i>Italienisches-Liederbuch</i> (1890-96) is quite different. The character of + the songs is very restrained, and Wolf's genius here approached a classic clearness + of form. He was always seeking to simplify his musical language, and said that if he + wrote anything more, he wished it to be like Mozart's writings. These <i>Lieder</i> + contain nothing that is not absolutely essential to their subject; so the melodies + are very short, and are dramatic rather than lyrical. Wolf gave them an important + place in his work: "I consider them," he wrote to Kaufmann, "the most original and + perfect of my compositions."</p> + <p>As for the <i>Michelangelo Gedichten</i> (1897), they were interrupted by the + outbreak of his malady, and he had only time to write four, of which he suppressed + one. Their associations are pathetic when one remembers the tragic time at which they + were com<a name="page197" id="page197"/>posed; + and, by a sort of prophetic instinct, they exhale heaviness of spirit and mournful + pride. The second melody is perhaps more beautiful than anything else Wolf wrote; it + is truly his death-song:</p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span><i>Alles endet, was entstehet.<br /> + </i></span> Alles, alles rings vergehet.<a name="FNanchor_190_190" + id="FNanchor_190_190"></a><a href="#Footnote_190_190" + class="fnanchor">[190]</a><br /> + </div> + </div> + <p>And it is a dead man that sings:</p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span><i>Menschen waren wir ja auch,<br /> + </i></span> Froh und traurig, so wie Ihr.<br /> + <span>Und nun sind wir leblos hier,<br /> + </span> <span>Sind nur Erde, wie Ihr sehet. +<a name="FNanchor_191_191" + id="FNanchor_191_191"></a><a href="#Footnote_191_191" + class="fnanchor">[191]</a></span><br /> + </div> + </div> + <p>At the moment he was writing this song, in the short respite he had from his + illness, he himself was nearly a dead man.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>As soon as Wolf was really dead his genius was recognised all over Germany. His + sufferings pro<a name="page198" id="page198"/> + voked an almost excessive reaction in his favour. <i>Hugo-Wolf-Vereine</i> were + founded everywhere; and to-day we have publications, collections of letters, + souvenirs, and biographies in abundance. It is a case of who can cry loudest that he + always understood the genius of the unhappy artist, and work himself into the + greatest fury against his traducers. A little later, and monuments and statues will + spring up all over.</p> + <p>I doubt if Wolf with his rough, sincere nature would have found much consolation + in this tardy homage if he could have foreseen it. He would have said to his + posthumous admirers: "You are hypocrites. It is not for me that you raise those + statues; it is for yourselves. It is that you may make speeches, form committees, and + delude yourselves and others that you were my friends. Where were you when I had need + of you? You let me die. Do not play a comedy round my grave. Look rather around you, + and see if there are not other Wolfs who are struggling against your hostility or + your indifference. As for me, I have come safe to port."</p> + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <a name="page199" id="page199"/> + <h2><a name="DON_LORENZO_PEROSI" id="DON_LORENZO_PEROSI"></a>DON LORENZO PEROSI</h2> + <p>The winter that held Italian thought in its cold clasp is over, and great trees + that seemed to be asleep are putting out new life in the sun. Yesterday it was poetry + that awaked, and to-day it is music—the sweet music of Italy, calm in its + passion and sadness, and artless in its knowledge. Are we really witnessing the + return of its spring? Is it the incoming of some great tide of melody, which will + wash away the gloom and doubt of our life to-day? As I was reading the oratorios of + this young priest of Piedmont, I thought I heard, far away, the song of the children + of old Greece: "The swallow has come, has come, bringing the gay seasons and glad + years.</p> + <p>"Έαρ ἤδη" I welcome the coming of Don Lorenzo + Perosi with great hope.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>The abbé Perosi, the precentor of St. Mark's chapel at Venice and the + director of the Sistine chapel, is twenty-six years old.<a name="FNanchor_192_192" + id="FNanchor_192_192"></a><a href="#Footnote_192_192" class="fnanchor">[192]</a> He + is short in stature and of youthful appearance, with a head a little too big for his + body, and open and regular features lighted up by intelligent black eyes, his only + peculiarity being a projecting underlip. <a name="page200" + id="page200"/>He is simple-hearted and modest, and has a friendly + warmth of affection. When he is conducting the orchestra his striking silhouette, his + slow and awkward gestures in expressive passages, and his naïve movements of + passion at dramatic moments, bring to mind one of Fra Angelico's monks.</p> + <p>For the last eighteen months Don Perosi has been working at a cycle of twelve + oratorios descriptive of the life of Christ. In this short time he has finished four: + <i>The Passion</i>, <i>The Transfiguration</i>, <i>The Resurrection of Lazarus</i>, + <i>The Resurrection of Christ</i>. Now he is at work on the fifth—<i>The + Nativity</i>.</p> + <p>These compositions alone place him in the front rank of contemporary musicians. + They abound in faults; but their qualities are so rare, and his soul shines so + clearly through them, and such fine sincerity breathes in them, that I have not the + courage to dwell on their weaknesses. So I shall content myself with remarking, in + passing, that the orchestration is inadequate and awkward, and that the young + musician should strive to make it fuller and more delicate; and though he shows great + ease in composition, he is often too impetuous, and should resist this tendency; and + that, lastly, there are sometimes traces of bad taste in the music and reminiscences + of the classics—all of which are the sins of youth, which age will certainly + cure.</p> + <p>Each of the oratorios is really a descriptive mass, which from beginning to end + traces out one dominating thought. Don Perosi said to me: "The mistake of artists + to-day is that they attach themselves too much to details and neglect the whole. They + <a name="page201" id="page201"/>begin by + carving ornaments, and forget that the most important thing is the unity of their + work, its plan and general outline. The outline must first of all be beautiful."</p> + <p>In his own musical architecture one finds well-marked airs, numerous recitatives, + Gregorian or Palestrinian choruses, chorales with developments and variations in the + old style, and intervening symphonies of some importance.</p> + <p>The whole work is to be preceded by a grand prelude, very carefully worked out, to + which Don Perosi attaches particular worth. He wishes, he says, that his building + shall have a beautiful door elaborately carved after the fashion of the artists of + the Renaissance and Gothic times. And so he means to compose the prelude after the + rest of the oratorio is finished, when he is able to think about it in undisturbed + peace. He wishes to concentrate a moral atmosphere in it, the very essence of the + soul and passions of his sacred drama. He also confided to me that of all he has yet + composed there is nothing he likes better than the introductions to <i>The + Transfiguration</i> and <i>The Resurrection of Christ</i>.</p> + <p>The dramatic tendency of these oratorios is very marked, and it is chiefly on that + account that they have conquered Italy. In spite of some passages which have strayed + a little in the direction of opera, or even melodrama, the music shows great depth of + feeling. The figures of the women especially are drawn with delicacy; and in the + second part of <i>Lazarus</i>, Mary's air, "Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother + had not died," recalls something <a name="page202" + id="page202"/>of Gluck's <i>Orfeo</i> in its heart-broken sadness. + And again, in the same oratorio, when Jesus gives the order to raise the stone from + the tomb, Martha's speech, "Domine, jam foetet," is very expressive of her sadness, + fear, and shame, and human horror. I should like to quote one more passage, the most + moving of all, which is found in the <i>Resurrection of Christ</i>, when Mary + Magdalene is beside the tomb of Christ; here, in her speech with the angels, in her + touching lamentation, and in the words of the Evangelist, "And when she had thus + said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was + Jesus," we hear a melody filled with tenderness, and seem to see Christ's eyes + shining as they rest on Mary before she has recognised Him.</p> + <p>It is not, however, Perosi's dramatic genius that strikes me in his work; it is + rather his peculiar mournfulness, which is indescribable, his gift of pure poetry, + and the richness of his flowing melody. However deep the religious feeling in the + music may be, the music itself is often stronger still, and breaks in upon the drama + that it may express itself freely. Take, for instance, the fine symphonic passage + that follows the arrival of Jesus and His friends at Martha and Mary's house, after + the death of their brother (p. 12 <i>et seq.</i> of <i>Lazarus</i>). It is true the + orchestra expresses regrets and sighs, the excesses of sorrow mingled with words of + consolation and faith, in a sort of languishing funeral march that is feminine and + Christian in character. This, according to the composer, is a picture he has painted + of the persons in the drama before he makes <a name="page203" + id="page203"/>them speak. But, in spite of himself, the result is a + flood of pure music, and his soul sings its own song of joy and sadness. Sometimes + his spirit, in its naïve and delicate charm, recalls that of Mozart; but his + musical visions are always dominated and directed by a religious strength like that + of Bach. Even the portions where the dramatic feeling is strongest are really little + symphonies, such as the music that describes the miracle in <i>The + Transfiguration</i>, and the illness of Lazarus. In the latter great depth of + suffering is expressed; indeed, sadness could not have been carried farther even by + Bach, and the same serenity of mind runs through its despair.</p> + <p>But what joy there is when these deeds of faith have been performed—when + Jesus has cured the possessed man, or when Lazarus has opened his eyes to the light. + The heart of the multitude overflows perhaps in rather childish thanksgiving; and at + first it seemed to me expressed in a commonplace way. But did not the joy of all + great artists so express itself?—the joy of Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach, who, + when once they had thrown their cares aside, knew how to amuse themselves like the + rest of the populace. And the simple phrase at the beginning soon assumes fuller + proportions, the harmonies gain in richness, a glowing ardour fills the music, and a + chorale blends with the dances in triumphant majesty.</p> + <p>All these works are radiant with a happy ease of expression. <i>The Passion</i> + was finished in September, 1897, <i>The Transfiguration</i> in February, 1898.<a name="page204" id="page204"/><i>Lazarus</i> in + June, 1898, and <i>The Resurrection of Christ</i> in November, 1898. Such an output + of work takes us back to eighteenth-century musicians.</p> + <p>But this is not the only resemblance between the young musician and his + predecessors. Much of their soul has passed into his. His style is made up of all + styles, and ranges from the Gregorian chant to the most modern modulations. All + available materials are used in this work. This is an Italian characteristic. Gabriel + d'Annunzio threw into his melting-pot the Renaissance, the Italian painters, music, + the writers of the North, Tolstoy, Dostoïevsky, Maeterlinck, and our French + writers, and out of it he drew his wonderful poems. So Don Perosi, in his + compositions, welds together the Gregorian chant, the musical style of the + contrapuntists of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Palestrina, Roland, + Gabrieli, Carissimi, Schütz, Bach, Händel, Gounod, Wagner—I was going + to say César Franck, but Don Perosi told me that he hardly knew this composer + at all, though his style bears some resemblance to Franck's.</p> + <p>Time does not exist for Don Perosi. When he courteously wished to praise French + musicians, the first name he chose—as if it were that of a + contemporary—was that of Josquin, and then that of Roland de Lassus, who seems + to him so great and profound a musician that he admires him most of all. And Don + Perosi's universality of style is a trait that is Catholic as well as Italian. He + expresses his mind quite clearly on the subject. "Great artists formerly," he says, + "were more <a name="page205" id="page205"/> + eclectic than ourselves, and less fettered by their nationalities. Josquin's school + has peopled all Europe. Roland has lived in Flanders, in Italy, and in Germany. With + them the same style expressed the same thought everywhere. We must do as they did. We + must try to recreate a universal art in which the resources of all countries and all + times are blended."</p> + <p>As a matter of fact, I do not think this is quite correct. I rather doubt if + Josquin and Roland were eclectic at all; for they did not really combine the styles + of different countries, but thrust upon other countries the style that the + Franco-Flemish school had just created, a style which they themselves were enriching + daily. But Don Perosi's idea deserves our appreciation, and one must praise his + endeavour to create a universal style. It would be a good thing for music if + eclecticism, thus understood, could bring back some of the equilibrium that has been + lost since Wagner's death; it would be a benefit to the human spirit, which might + then find in the unity of art a powerful means of bringing about the unity of mind. + Our aim should be to efface the differences of race in art, so that it may become a + tongue common to all peoples, where the most opposite ideas may be reconciled. We + should all join in working to build the cathedral of European art. And the place of + the director of the Sistine chapel among the first builders is very plain.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <a name="page206" id="page206"/> + <p>Don Perosi sat down to the piano and played me the <i>Te Deum</i> of <i>The + Nativity</i>, which he had written the day before. He played very sweetly, with + youthful gaiety, and sang the choral parts in an undertone. Every now and then he + would look at me, not for praise, but to see if we were sharing the same thoughts. He + would look me well in the face with his quiet eyes, then turn back to his score, and + then look at me again. And I felt a comforting calm radiating from him and his music, + from its happy harmony and the full and rhythmic serenity of its spirit. And how + pleasant it was after the tempests and convulsions of art in these later days. Can we + not tear ourselves away from that romantic suffering in music which was begun by + Beethoven? After a century of battles, of revolutions, and of political and social + strife, whose pain has found its reflection in art, let us begin to build a new city + of art, where men may gather together in brotherly love for the same ideal. However + Utopian that hope may sound now, let us think of it as a symptom of new directions of + thought, and let us hope that Don Perosi may be one of those who will bring into + music that divine peace, that peace which Beethoven craved for in despair at the end + of his <i>Missa Solemnis</i>, that joy that he sang about but never knew.</p> + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <a name="page207" id="page207"/> + <h2><a name="FRENCH_AND_GERMAN_MUSIC" id="FRENCH_AND_GERMAN_MUSIC"></a>FRENCH AND + GERMAN MUSIC</h2> + <p>In May, 1905, the first musical festival of Alsace-Lorraine took place at + Strasburg. It was an important artistic event, and meant the bringing together of two + civilisations that for centuries had been at variance on the soil of Alsace, more + anxious for dispute than for mutual understanding.</p> + <p>The official programme of the <i>fêtes musicales</i> laid stress on the + reconciliatory purpose of its organisers, and I quote these words from the programme + book, drawn up by Dr. Max Bendiner, of Strasburg:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"Music may achieve the highest of all missions: she may be a bond between + nations, races, and states, who are strangers to one another in many ways; she may + unite what is disunited, and bring peace to what is hostile.... No country is more + suited for her friendly aid than Alsace-Lorraine, that old meeting-place of people, + where from time immemorial the North and South have exchanged their material and + their spiritual wealth; and no place is readier to welcome her than Strasburg, an + old town built by the Romans, which has remained to this day a centre of spiritual + life. All great intellectual currents have left their mark on the people of + Alsace-Lorraine; and so they have been destined to play the part <a name="page208" id="page208"/>of mediator between + different times and different peoples; and the East and the West, the past and the + present, meet here and join hands. In such festivals as this, it is not a matter of + gaining aesthetic victories; it is a matter of bringing together all that is great + and noble and eternal in the art of different times and different nations."</p> + </div> + <p>It was a splendid ambition for Alsace—the eternal field of battle—to + wish to inaugurate these European Olympian games. But in spite of good intentions, + this meeting of nations resulted in a fight, on musical ground, between two + civilisations and two arts—French art and German art. For these two arts + represent to-day all that is truly alive in European music.</p> + <p>Such jousts are very stirring, and may be of great service to all combatants. But, + unhappily, France was very indifferent in the matter. It was the duty of our + musicians and critics to attend an international encounter like this, and to see that + the conditions of the combat were fair. By that I mean our art should be represented + as it ought to be, so that we may learn something from the result. But the French + public does nothing at such a time; it remains absorbed in its concerts at Paris, + where everyone knows everyone else so well that they are not able and do not dare to + criticise freely. And so our art is withering away in an atmosphere of coteries, + instead of seeking the open air and enjoying a vigorous fight with foreign art. For + the majority of our critics would rather deny the existence of <a name="page209" id="page209"/>foreign art than try + to understand it. Never have I regretted their indifference more than I did at the + Strasburg festival, where, in spite of the unfavourable conditions in which French + art was represented through our own carelessness, I realised what its force might + have been if we had been interested spectators in the fight.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>Perfect eclecticism had been exercised in the making up of the programme. One + found mixed together the names of Mozart, Wagner, and Brahms; César Franck and + Gustave Charpentier; Richard Strauss and Mahler. There were French singers like + Cazeneuve and Daraux, and French and Italian virtuosi like Henri Marteau and + Ferruccio Busoni, together with German, Austrian, and Scandinavian artists. The + orchestra (the <i>Strassbürger Städtische Orchester</i>) and the choir, + which was formed of different <i>Chorvereine</i> of Strasburg, were conducted by + Richard Strauss, Gustav Mahler, and Camille Chevillard. But the names of these famous + <i>Kapellmeister</i> must not let us forget the man who was really the soul of the + concerts—Professor Ernst Münch, of Strasburg, an Alsatian, who conducted + all the rehearsals, and who effaced himself at the last moment, and left all the + honours to the conductors of foreign orchestras. Professor Münch, who is also + organist at Saint-Guillaume, has done more than anyone else for music in Strasburg, + and has trained excellent choirs (the "<i>Choeurs de Saint-Guillaume</i>") there, and + organised splendid <a name="page210" + id="page210"/>concerts of Bach's music with the aid of another + Alsatian, Albert Schweitzer, whose name is well known to musical historians. The + latter is director of the clerical college of St. Thomas (<i>Thomasstift</i>), a + pastor, an organist, a professor at the University of Strasburg, and the author of + interesting works on theology and philosophy. Besides this he has written a now + famous book, <i>Jean-Sebastien Bach</i>, which is doubly remarkable: first, because + it is written in French (though it was published in Leipzig by a professor of the + University of Strasburg), and secondly, because it shows an harmonious blend of the + French and German spirit, and gives fresh life to the study of Bach and the old + classic art. It was very interesting to me to make the acquaintance of these people, + born on Alsatian soil, and representing the best Alsatian culture and all that was + finest in the two civilisations.</p> + <p>The programme for the three days' festival was as follows:</p> + <p>Saturday, May 20th.</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p><i>Oberon Overture</i>: Weber (conducted by Richard Strauss).</p> + <p><i>Les Béatitudes</i>: César Franck (conducted by Camille + Chevillard).</p> + <p><i>Impressions d'ltalie</i>: Gustav Charpentier (conducted by Camille + Chevillard).</p> + <p>Three songs by Jean Sibelius, Hugo Wolf, Armas Järnefelt (sung by Mme. + Järnefelt).</p> + <p>The last scene from <i>Die Meistersinger</i>: Wagner (conducted by Richard + Strauss).</p> + </div> + <a name="page211" id="page211"/> + <p>Sunday, May 21st.</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p><i>Cinquième Symphonie</i>: Gustav Mahler (conducted by Gustav + Mahler).</p> + <p><i>Rhapsodie</i>, for contralto, choir, and orchestra: Johannes Brahms + (conducted by Ernst Münch).</p> + <p><i>Strasburg Concerto in G major</i>, for violin (played by Henri Marteau; + conducted by Richard Strauss).</p> + <p><i>Sinfonia domestica</i>: Richard Strauss (conducted by Richard Strauss).</p> + </div> + <p>Monday, May 22nd.</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p><i>Coriolan Overture</i>: Beethoven (conducted by Gustav Mahler).</p> + <p><i>Concerto in G major</i>, for piano: Beethoven (played by Ferruccio + Busoni).</p> + <p><i>Lieder: An die enfernie Geliebte</i>: Beethoven (sung by Ludwig Hess).</p> + <p><i>Choral Symphony</i>: Beethoven (conducted by Gustav Mahler).</p> + </div> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>M. Chevillard alone represented our French musicians at the festival; and they + could have made no better choice of a conductor. But Germany had delegated her two + greatest composers, Strauss and Mahler, to come to conduct their newest compositions. + And I think it would not have been too much to set up one of our own foremost + composers to combat the glory which these two enjoy in their own country.</p> + <p>M. Chevillard had been asked to conduct, not one of the works of our recent + masters, like Debussy or<a name="page212" + id="page212"/>Dukas, whose style he renders to perfection, but + Franck's <i>Les Béatitudes</i>, a work whose spirit he does not, to my mind, + quite understand. The mystic tenderness of Franck escapes him, and he brings out only + what is dramatic. And so that performance of <i>Les Béatitudes</i>, though in + many respects fine, left an imperfect idea of Franck's genius.</p> + <p>But what seemed inconceivable, and what justly annoyed M. Chevillard, was that the + whole of <i>Les Béatitudes</i> was not given, but only a section of them. And + on this subject I shall take the liberty of recommending that French artists who are + guests at similar festivals should not in future agree to a programme with their eyes + shut, but have their own wishes considered, or refuse their help. If French musicians + are to be given a place in German <i>Musikfeste</i>, French people must be allowed to + choose the works that are to represent them. And, above all, a French conductor must + not be brought from Paris, and find on his arrival a mutilated score and an arbitrary + choice of a few fragments that are not even whole in themselves. For they played five + out of the eight <i>Béatitudes</i>, and cuts had been made in the third and + eighth <i>Béatitudes</i>. That showed a want of respect for art, for works + should be given as they are, or not at all.</p> + <p>And it would have been more seemly if in this three-day festival the organisers + had had the courteousness to devote the first day to French music, and had set aside + one whole concert for it. But, without doubt, they had carefully sand<a name="page213" id="page213"/>wiched the French + works in between German works to weaken their effect, and lessen the probable (and + actual) enthusiasm with which French music would be received in the presence of the + Statthalter of Alsace-Lorraine by a section of the Alsatian public. In addition to + this, and by a choice that neither myself nor anyone else in Strasburg could believe + was dictated by musical reasons, the German work chosen to end the evening was the + final scene from <i>Die Meistersinger</i>, with its ringing couplet from Hans Sachs, + in which he denounces foreign insincerity and foreign frivolity (<i>Wälschen + Dunst mit wälschen Tand</i>). This lack of courtesy—though the words were + really nonsense when this very concert was given to show that foreign art could not + be ignored—would not be worth while raking up if it did not further serve to + show how regrettable is the indifference of French artists who take part in these + festivals. And this mistake would never have occurred if they had taken care to + acquaint themselves with the programme beforehand and put their veto upon it.</p> + <p>I have mentioned this little incident partly because my views were shared by many + Alsatians in the audience, who expressed their annoyance to me afterwards. But, + putting it aside, our French artists ought not to have consented to let our music be + represented by a mutilated score of <i>Les Béatitudes</i> and by Charpentier's + <i>Impressions d'Italie</i>, for the latter, though a brilliantly clever work, is not + of the first rank, and was too easily crushed by one of Wagner's most stupendous + compositions.<a name="page214" id="page214"/>If + people wish to institute a joust between French and German art, let it be a fair one, + I repeat; let Wagner be matched with Berlioz, and Strauss with Debussy, and Mahler + with Dukas or Magnard.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>Such were the conditions of the combat; and they were, whether intentionally or + not, unfavourable to France. And yet to the eyes of an impartial observer the result + was full of hope and encouragement for us.</p> + <p>I have never bothered myself in art with questions of nationality. I have not even + concealed my preference for German music; and I consider, even to-day, that Richard + Strauss is the foremost musical composer in Europe. Having said this, I am freer to + speak of the strange impression that I had at the Strasburg festival—an + impression of the change that is coming over music, and the way that French art is + silently setting about taking the place of German art.</p> + <p>"<i>Wälschen Dunst und wälschen Tand</i>...." How that reproachful + speech seems to be misplaced when one is listening to the honest thought expressed in + César Franck's music. In <i>Les Béatitudes</i>, nothing, or next to + nothing, was done for art's sake. It is the soul speaking to the soul. As Beethoven + wrote, at the end of his mass in D, "<i>Vom Herzen ... zu Herzen</i>!" ("It comes + from the heart to go to the heart"). I know no one but Franck in the last century, + unless it is Beethoven, who has possessed in so high a degree the virtue of being + himself and speaking <a name="page215" + id="page215"/>only the truth without thought of his public. Never + before has religious faith been expressed with such sincerity. Franck is the only + musician besides Bach who has really <i>seen</i> the Christ, and who can make other + people see him too. I would even venture to say that his Christ is simpler than + Bach's; for Bach's thoughts are often led away by the interest of developing his + subject, by certain habits of composition, and by repetitions and clever devices, + which weaken his strength. In Franck's music we get Christ's speech itself, unadorned + and in all its living force. And in the wonderful harmony between the music and the + sacred words we hear the voice of the world's conscience. I once heard someone say to + Mme. Cosima Wagner that certain passages in <i>Parsifal</i>, particularly the chorus + "<i>Durch Mitleid wissend</i>," had a quality that was truly religious and the force + of a revelation. But I find a greater force and a more truly Christian spirit in + <i>Les Béatitudes</i>.</p> + <p>And here is an astonishing thing. At this German musical festival it was a + Frenchman who represented not only serious music moulded in a classical form, but a + religious spirit and the spirit of the Gospels. The characters of two nations have + been reversed. The Germans have so changed that they are only able to appreciate this + seriousness and religious faith with difficulty. I watched the audience on this + occasion; they listened politely, a little astonished and bored, as if to say, "What + business has this Frenchman with depth and piety of soul?"<a + name="page216" id="page216"/></p> + <p>"There is no doubt," said Henri Lichtenberger, who sat by me at the concert, "our + music is beginning to bore the Germans."</p> + <p>It was only the other day that German music enjoyed the privilege of boring us in + France.</p> + <p>And so, to make up for the austere grandeur of <i>Les Béatitudes</i> they + had it immediately followed by Gustave Charpentier's <i>Impressions d'Italie</i>. You + should have seen the relief of the audience. At last they were to have some French + music—as Germans understand it. Charpentier is, of all living French musicians, + the most liked in Germany; he is indeed the only one who is popular with artists and + the general public alike. Shall I say that the sincere pleasure they take in his + orchestration and the gay life of his subjects is enhanced a little by a slight + disdain for French frivolity—<i>wälschen Tand</i>?</p> + <p>"Now listen to that," said Richard Strauss to me during the third movement of + <i>Impressions d'Italie</i>; "that is the true music of Montmartre, the utterance of + fine words ... Liberty!... Love!... which no one believes."</p> + <p>And on the whole he found the music quite charming, and, without doubt, in the + depths of his heart approved of this Frenchman according to conventional notions that + are current in Germany alone. Strauss is really very fond of Charpentier, and was his + patron in Berlin; and I remember how he showed childish delight in <i>Louise</i> when + it was first performed in Paris.</p> + <p>But Strauss, and most other Germans, are quite on the wrong track when they try to + persuade <a name="page217" id="page217"/> + themselves that this amusing French frivolity is still the exclusive property of + France. They really love it because it has become German; and they are quite + unconscious of the fact. The German artists of other times did not find much pleasure + in frivolity; but I could have easily shown Strauss his liking for it by taking + examples from his own works. The Germans of to-day have but little in common with the + Germans of yesterday.</p> + <p>I am not speaking of the general public only, The German public of to-day are + devotees of Brahms and Wagner, and everything of theirs seems good to them; they have + no discrimination, and, while they applaud Wagner and encore Brahms, they are, in + their hearts, not only frivolous, but sentimental and gross. The most striking thing + about this public is their cult of power since Wagner's death. When listening to the + end of <i>Die Meistersinger</i> I felt how the haughty music of the great march + reflected the spirit of this military nation of shop-keepers, bursting with rude + health and complacent pride.</p> + <p>The most remarkable thing of all is that German artists are gradually losing the + power of understanding their own splendid classics and, in particular, Beethoven. + Strauss, who is very shrewd and knows exactly his own limitations, does not willingly + enter Beethoven's domain, though he feels his spirit in a much more living way than + any of the other German <i>Kapellmeister</i>. At the Strasburg festival he contented + himself with conducting, besides his own symphony, the <i>Oberon Overture</i> and a + Mozart <a name="page218" id="page218"/> + concerto. These performances were interesting; a personality like his is so curious + that it is quite amusing to find it coming out in the works he conducts. But how + Mozart's features took on an offhand and impatient air; and how the rhythms were + accentuated at the expense of the melodic grace. In this case, however, Strauss was + dealing with a concerto, where a certain liberty of interpretation is allowed. But + Mahler, who was less discreet, ventured upon conducting the whole of the Beethoven + concert. And what can be said of that evening? I will not speak of the <i>Concerto + for pianoforte, in G major</i>, which Busoni played with a brilliant and superficial + execution that took away all breadth from the work; it is enough to note that his + interpretation was enthusiastically received by the public. German artists were not + responsible for that performance; but they were responsible for that fine cycle of + <i>Lieder, An die entfernte Geliebte</i>, which was bellowed by a Berlin tenor at the + top of his voice, and for the <i>Choral Symphony</i>, which was, for me, an + unspeakable performance. I could never have believed that a German orchestra + conducted by the chief <i>Kapellmeister</i> of Austria could have committed such + misdeeds. The time was incredible: the scherzo had no life in it; the adagio was + taken in hot haste without leaving a moment for dreams; and there were pauses in the + finale which destroyed the development of the theme and broke the thread of its + thought. The different parts of the orchestra fell over one another, and the whole + was uncertain and lacking in balance. I once <a name="page219" + id="page219"/>severely criticised the neo-classic stiffness of + Weingartner; but I should have appreciated his healthy equilibrium and his effort to + be exact after hearing this neurasthenic rendering of Beethoven. No; we can no longer + hear Beethoven and Mozart in Germany to-day, we can only hear Mahler and Strauss. + Well, let it be so. We will resign ourselves. The past is past. Let us leave + Beethoven and Mozart, and speak of Mahler and Strauss.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>Gustav Mahler is forty-six years old.<a name="FNanchor_193_193" + id="FNanchor_193_193"></a><a href="#Footnote_193_193" class="fnanchor">[193]</a> He + is a kind of legendary type of German musician, rather like Schubert, and half-way + between a school-master and a clergyman. He has a long, clean-shaven face, a pointed + skull covered with untidy hair, a bald forehead, a prominent nose, eyes that blink + behind his glasses, a large mouth and thin lips, hollow cheeks, a rather tired and + sarcastic expression, and a general air of asceticism. He is excessively nervous, and + silhouette caricatures of him, representing him as a cat in convulsions in the + conductor's desk, are very popular in Germany.</p> + <p>He was born at Kalischt in Bohemia, and became a pupil of Anton Bruckner at + Vienna, and afterwards <i>Hofoperndirecktor</i> ("Director of the Opera") there. I + hope one day to study this artist's work in greater detail, for he is second only to + Strauss as a composer in Germany, and the principal musician of South Germany.</p> + <p>His most important work is a suite of sym<a name="page220" + id="page220"/>phonies; and it was the fifth symphony of this suite + that he conducted at the Strasburg festival. The first symphony, called <i>Titan</i>, + was composed in 1894. The construction of the whole is on a massive and gigantic + scale; and the melodies on which these works are built up are like rough-hewn blocks + of not very good quality, but imposing by reason of their size, and by the obstinate + repetition of their rhythmic design, which is maintained as if it were an obsession. + This heaping-up of music both crude and learned in style, with harmonies that are + sometimes clumsy and sometimes delicate, is worth considering on account of its bulk. + The orchestration is heavy and noisy; and the brass dominates and roughly gilds the + rather sombre colouring of the great edifice. The underlying idea of the composition + is neo-classic, and rather spongy and diffuse. Its harmonic structure is composite: + we get the style of Bach, Schubert, and Mendelssohn fighting that of Wagner and + Bruckner; and, by a decided liking for canon form, it even recalls some of Franck's + work. The whole is like a showy and expensive collection of bric-à-brac.</p> + <p>The chief characteristic of these symphonies is, generally speaking, the use of + choral singing with the orchestra. "When I conceive a great musical painting (<i>ein + grosses musikalisches Gemälde</i>)," says Mahler, "there always comes a moment + when I feel forced to employ speech (<i>das Wort</i>) as an aid to the realisation of + my musical conception."</p> + <p>Mahler has got some striking effects from this combination of voices and + instruments, and he did <a name="page221" + id="page221"/>well to seek inspiration in this direction from + Beethoven and Liszt. It is incredible that the nineteenth century should have put + this combination to so little use; for I think the gain may be poetical as well as + musical.</p> + <p>In the <i>Second Symphony in C minor</i>, the first three parts are purely + instrumental; but in the fourth part the voice of a contralto is heard singing these + sad and simple words:</p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span>"<i>Der Mensch liegt in grösster Noth!</i><br /> + </span> <span><i>Der Mensch liegt in grösster Pein!</i><br /> + </span> <span><i>Je lieber möcht ich im Himmel sein</i>!"<a + name="FNanchor_194_194" id="FNanchor_194_194"></a><a href="#Footnote_194_194" + class="fnanchor">[194]</a><br /> + </span> + </div> + </div> + <p>The soul strives to reach God with the passionate cry:</p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span>"<i>Ich bin von Gott und will wieder zu Gott</i>."<a + name="FNanchor_195_195" id="FNanchor_195_195"></a><a href="#Footnote_195_195" + class="fnanchor">[195]</a><br /> + </span> + </div> + </div> + <p>Then there is a symphonic episode (<i>Der Rufer in der Wüste</i>), and we + hear "the voice of one crying in the wilderness" in fierce and anguished tones. There + is an apocalyptic finale where the choir sing Klopstock's beautiful ode on the + promise of the Resurrection:</p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span>"<i>Aufersteh'n, ja, aufersteh'n wirst du, mein Staub, nach</i><br /> + </span> <span><i>kurzer Ruh</i>!"<a name="FNanchor_196_196" + id="FNanchor_196_196"></a><a href="#Footnote_196_196" + class="fnanchor">[196]</a><br /> + </span> + </div> + </div> + <p>The law is proclaimed with:</p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span>"<i>Was entstanden ist, dass mus vergehen,</i><br /> + </span> <span><i>Was vergangen, auferstehen</i>!"<a name="FNanchor_197_197" + id="FNanchor_197_197"></a><a href="#Footnote_197_197" + class="fnanchor">[197]</a><br /> + </span> + </div> + </div> + <p><a name="page222" id="page222"/>And all the + orchestra, the choirs, and the organ, join in the hymn of Eternal Life.</p> + <p>In the <i>Third Symphony</i>, known as <i>Ein Sommermorgentraum</i> ("A Summer + Morning's Dream"), the first and the last parts are for the orchestra alone; the + fourth part contains some of the best of Mahler's music, and is an admirable setting + of Nietzsche's words:</p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span>"<i>O Mensch! O Mensch! Gib Acht! gib Acht!</i><br /> + </span> <span class="poem"><i>Was spricht die tiefe Mitternacht</i>?"<a + name="FNanchor_198_198" id="FNanchor_198_198"></a><a href="#Footnote_198_198" + class="fnanchor">[198]</a><br /> + </span> + </div> + </div> + <p>The fifth part is a gay and stirring chorus founded on a popular legend.</p> + <p>In the <i>Fourth Symphony in G major</i>, the last part alone is sung, and is of + an almost humorous character, being a sort of childish description of the joys of + Paradise.</p> + <p>In spite of appearances, Mahler refuses to connect these choral symphonies with + programme-music. Without doubt he is right, if he means that his music has its own + value outside any sort of programme; but there is no doubt that it is always the + expression of a definite <i>Stimmung</i>, of a conscious mood; and the fact is, + whether he likes it or not, that <i>Stimmung</i> gives an interest to his music far + beyond that of the music itself. His personality seems to me far more interesting + than his art.</p> + <p>This is often the case with artists in Germany; Hugo Wolf is another example of + it. Mahler's <a name="page223" id="page223"/> + case is really rather curious. When one studies his works one feels convinced that he + is one of those rare types in modern Germany—an egoist who feels with + sincerity. Perhaps his emotions and his ideas do not succeed in expressing themselves + in a really sincere and personal way; for they reach us through a cloud of + reminiscences and an atmosphere of classicism. I cannot help thinking that Mahler's + position as director of the Opera, and his consequent saturation in the music that + his calling condemns him to study, is the cause of this. There is nothing more fatal + to a creative spirit than too much reading, above all when it does not read of its + own free will, but is forced to absorb an excessive amount of nourishment, the larger + part of which is indigestible. In vain may Mahler try to defend the sanctuary of his + mind; it is violated by foreign ideas coming from all parts, and instead of being + able to drive them away, his conscience, as conductor of the orchestra, obliges him + to receive them and almost embrace them. With his feverish activity, and burdened as + he is with heavy tasks, he works unceasingly and has no time to dream. Mahler will + only be Mahler when he is able to leave his administrative work, shut up his scores, + retire within himself, and wait patiently until he has become himself again—if + it is not too late.</p> + <p>His <i>Fifth Symphony</i>, which he conducted at Strasburg, convinced me, more + than all his other works, of the urgent necessity of adopting this course. In this + composition he has not allowed <a name="page224" + id="page224"/>himself the use of the choruses, which were one of the + chief attractions of his preceding symphonies. He wished to prove that he could write + pure music, and to make his claim surer he refused to have any explanation of his + composition published in the concert programme, as the other composers in the + festival had done; he wished it, therefore, to be judged from a strictly musical + point of view. It was a dangerous ordeal for him.</p> + <p>Though I wished very much to admire the work of a composer whom I held in such + esteem, I felt it did not come out very well from the test. To begin with, this + symphony is excessively long—it lasts an hour and a half—though there is + no apparent justification for its proportions. It aims at being colossal, and mainly + achieves emptiness. The <i>motifs</i> are more than familiar. After a funeral march + of commonplace character and boisterous movement, where Beethoven seems to be taking + lessons from Mendelssohn, there comes a scherzo, or rather a Viennese waltz, where + Chabrier gives old Bach a helping hand. The adagietto has a rather sweet + sentimentality. The rondo at the end is presented rather like an idea of Franck's, + and is the best part of the composition; it is carried out in a spirit of mad + intoxication and a chorale rises up from it with crashing joy; but the effect of the + whole is lost in repetitions that choke it and make it heavy. Through all the work + runs a mixture of pedantic stiffness and incoherence; it moves along in a desultory + way, and suffers from abrupt checks in the course of its development and from + super<a name="page225" id="page225"/>fluous + ideas that break in for no reason at all, with the result that the whole hangs + fire.</p> + <p>Above all, I fear Mahler has been sadly hypnotised by ideas about + power—ideas that are getting to the head of all German artists to-day. He seems + to have an undecided mind, and to combine sadness and irony with weakness and + impatience, to be a Viennese musician striving after Wagnerian grandeur. No one + expresses the grace of <i>Ländler</i> and dainty waltzes and mournful reveries + better than he; and perhaps no one is nearer the secret of Schubert's moving and + voluptuous melancholy; and it is Schubert he recalls at times, both in his good + qualities and certain of his faults. But he wants to be Beethoven or Wagner. And he + is wrong; for he lacks their balance and gigantic force. One saw that only too well + when he was conducting the <i>Choral Symphony</i>.</p> + <p>But whatever he may be, or whatever disappointment he may have brought me at + Strasburg, I will never allow myself to speak lightly or scoffingly of him. I am + confident that a musician with so lofty an aim will one day create a work worthy of + himself.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>Richard Strauss is a complete contrast to Mahler. He has always the air of a + heedless and discontented child. Tall and slim, rather elegant and supercilious, he + seems to be of a more refined race than most other German artists of to-day. + Scornful, <i>blasé</i> with success, and very exacting, his bearing towards + other musicians has nothing of Mahler's <a name="page226" + id="page226"/>winning modesty. He is not less nervous than Mahler, + and while he is conducting the orchestra he seems to indulge in a frenzied dance + which follows the smallest details of his music—music that is as agitated as + limpid water into which a stone has been flung. But he has a great advantage over + Mahler; he knows how to rest after his labours. Both excitable and sleepy by nature, + his highly-strung nerves are counterbalanced by his indolence, and there is in the + depths of him a Bavarian love of luxury. I am quite sure that when his hours of + intense living are over, after he has spent an excessive amount of energy, he has + hours when he is only partially alive. One then sees his eyes with a vague and sleepy + look in them; and he is like old Rameau, who used to walk about for hours as if he + were an automaton, seeing nothing and thinking of nothing.</p> + <p>At Strasburg Strauss conducted his <i>Sinfonia Domestica</i>, whose programme + seems boldly to defy reason, and even good taste. In the symphony he pictures himself + with his wife and his boy (<i>"Meiner lieben Frau und unserm Jungen gewidmet"</i>). + "I do not see," said Strauss, "why I should not compose a symphony about myself; I + find myself quite as interesting as Napoleon or Alexander." Some people have replied + that everybody else might not share his interest. But I shall not use that argument; + it is quite possible for an artist of Strauss's worth to keep us entertained. What + grates upon me more is the way in which he speaks of himself. The disproportion + between his subject <a name="page227" + id="page227"/>and the means he has of expressing it is too strong. + Above all, I do not like this display of the inner and secret self. There is a want + of reticence in this <i>Sinfonia Domestica</i>. The fireside, the sitting-room, and + the bedchamber, are open to all-comers. Is this the family feeling of Germany to-day? + I admit that the first time I heard the work it jarred upon me for purely moral + reasons, in spite of the liking I have for its composer. But afterwards I altered my + first opinion, and found the music admirable. Do you know the programme?</p> + <p>The first part shows you three people: a man, a woman, and a child. The man is + represented by three themes: a <i>motif</i> full of spirit and humour, a thoughtful + <i>motif</i>, and a <i>motif</i> expressing eager and enthusiastic action. The woman + has only two themes: one expressing caprice, and the other love and tenderness. The + child has a single <i>motif</i>, which is quiet, innocent, and not very defined in + character; its real value is not shown until it is developed.... Which of the two + parents is he like? The family sit round him and discuss him. "He is just like his + father" (<i>Ganz der Papa</i>), say the aunts. "He is the image of his mother" + (<i>Ganz die Mama</i>), say the uncles.</p> + <p>The second part of the symphony is a scherzo which represents the child at play; + there are terribly noisy games, games of Herculean gaiety, and you can hear the + parents talking all over the house. How far we seem from Schumann's good little + children and their simple-hearted families! At last the child is put to bed; they + rock him to <a name="page228" id="page228"/> + sleep, and the clock strikes seven. Night comes. There are dreams and some uneasy + sleep. Then a love scene.... The clock strikes seven in the morning. Everybody wakes + up, and there is a merry discussion. We hear a double fugue in which the theme of the + man and the theme of the woman contradict each other with exasperating and ludicrous + obstinacy; and the man has the last word. Finally there is the apotheosis of the + child and family life.</p> + <p>Such a programme serves rather to lead the listener astray than to guide him. It + spoils the idea of the work by emphasising its anecdotal and rather comic side. For + without doubt the comic side is there, and Strauss has warned us in vain that he did + not wish to make an amusing picture of married life, but to praise the sacredness of + marriage and parenthood; but he possesses such a strong vein of humour that it cannot + help getting the better of him. There is nothing really grave or religious about the + music, except when he is speaking of the child; and then the rough merriment of the + man grows gentle, and the irritating coquetry of the woman becomes exquisitely + tender. Otherwise Strauss's satire and love of jesting get the upper hand, and reach + an almost epic gaiety and strength.</p> + <p>But one must forget this unwise programme, which borders on bad taste and at times + on something even worse. When one has succeeded in forgetting it one discovers a + well-proportioned symphony in four parts—Allegro, Scherzo, Adagio, and Finale + in fugue form—and one of the finest works in contem<a + name="page229" id="page229"/>porary music. It has the passionate + exuberance of Strauss's preceding symphony, <i>Heldenleben</i>, but it is superior in + artistic construction; one may even say that it is Strauss's most perfect work since + <i>Tod und Verklärung</i> ("Death and Transfiguration"), with a richness of + colouring and technical skill that <i>Tod und Verklärung</i> did not possess. + One is dazzled by the beauty of an orchestration which is light and pliant, and + capable of expressing delicate shades of feeling; and this struck me the more after + the solid massiveness of Mahler's orchestration, which is like heavy unleavened + bread. With Strauss everything is full of life and sinew, and there is nothing + wasted. Possibly the first setting-out of his themes has rather too schematic a + character; and perhaps the melodic utterance is rather restricted and not very lofty; + but it is very personal, and one finds it impossible to disassociate his personality + from these vigorous themes that burn with youthful ardour, and cut the air like + arrows, and twist themselves in freakish arabesques. In the adagio depicting night, + there is, though in very bad taste, much seriousness and reverie and stirring + emotion. The fugue at the end is of astonishing sprightliness; and is a mixture of + colossal jesting and heroic pastoral poetry worthy of Beethoven, whose style it + recalls in the breadth of its development. The final apotheosis is filled with life; + its joy makes the heart beat. The most extravagant harmonic effects and the most + abominable discords are softened and almost disappear in the wonderful combination of + <i>timbres</i>. It is the work of a strong and sensual <a + name="page230" id="page230"/>artist, the true heir of the Wagner of + the <i>Meistersinger</i>.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>Upon the whole, these works make one see that, in spite of their apparent + audacity, Strauss and Mahler are beginning to make a surreptitious retreat from their + early standpoint, and are abandoning the symphony with a programme. Strauss's last + work will lose nothing by calling itself quite simply <i>Sinfonia Domestica</i>, + without adding any further information. It is a true symphony; and the same may be + said of Mahler's composition. But Strauss and Mahler are already reforming + themselves, and are coming back to the model of the classic symphony.</p> + <p>But there are more important conclusions to be drawn from a hearing of this kind. + The first is that Strauss's talent is becoming more and more exceptional in the music + of his country. With all his faults, which are considerable, Strauss stands alone in + his warmth of imagination, in his unquenchable spontaneity and perpetual youth. And + his knowledge and his art are growing every day in the midst of other German art + which is growing old. German music in general is showing some grave symptoms. I will + not dwell on its neurasthenia, for it is passing through a crisis which will teach it + wisdom; but I fear, nevertheless, that this excessive nervous excitement will be + followed by torpor. What is really disquieting is that, in spite of all the talent + that still abounds, Germany is fast losing her <a + name="page231" id="page231"/>chief musical endowments. Her melodic + charm has nearly disappeared. One could search the music of Strauss, Mahler, or Hugo + Wolf, without finding a melody of any real value, or of any true originality, outside + its application to a text, or a literary idea, and its harmonic development. And + besides that, German music is daily losing its intimate spirit; there are still + traces of this spirit in Wolf, thanks to his exceptionally unhappy life; but there is + very little of it in Mahler, in spite of all his efforts to concentrate his mind on + himself; and there is hardly any at all in Strauss, although he is the most + interesting of the three composers. German musicians have no longer any depth.</p> + <p>I have said that I attribute this fact to the detestable influence of the theatre, + to which nearly all these artists are attached as <i>Kapellmeister</i>, or directors + of opera. To this they owe the melodramatic character of their music, even though it + is on the surface only—music written for show, and aiming chiefly at + effect.</p> + <p>More baneful even than the influence of the theatre is the influence of success. + These musicians have nowadays too many facilities for having their music played. A + work is played almost before it is finished, and the musician has no time to live + with his work in solitude and silence. Besides this, the works of the chief German + musicians are supported by tremendous booming of some kind or another: by their + <i>Musikfeste</i>, by their critics, their press, and their "Musical Guides" + (<i>Musikführer</i>), which are apologetic explanations of their works, + scattered <a name="page232" id="page232"/> + abroad in millions to set the fashion for the sheep-like public. And with all this a + musician grows soon contented with himself, and comes to believe any favourable + opinion about his work. What a difference from Beethoven, who, all his life, was + hammering out the same subjects, and putting his melodies on the anvil twenty times + before they reached their final form. That is where Mahler is so lacking. His + subjects are a rather vulgarised edition of some of Beethoven's ideas in their + unfinished state. But Mahler gets no further than the rough sketch.</p> + <p>And, lastly, I want to speak of the greatest danger of all that menaces music in + Germany; <i>there is too much music in Germany</i>. This is not a paradox. There is + no worse misfortune for art than a super-abundance of it. The music is drowning the + musicians. Festival succeeds festival: the day after the Strasburg festival there was + to be a Bach festival at Eisenach; and then, at the end of the week, a Beethoven + festival at Bonn. Such a plethora of concerts, theatres, choral societies, and + chamber-music societies, absorbs the whole life of the musician. When has he time to + be alone to listen to the music that sings within him? This senseless flood of music + invades the sanctuaries of his soul, weakens its power, and destroys its sacred + solitude and the treasures of its thought.</p> + <p>You must not think that this excess of music existed in the old days in Germany. + In the time of the great classic masters, Germany had hardly any institutions for the + giving of regular concerts, and choral performances were hardly known. In <a name="page233" id="page233"/>the Vienna of Mozart + and Beethoven there was only a single association that gave concerts, and no + <i>Chorvereine</i> at all, and it was the same with other towns in Germany. Does the + wonderful spread of musical culture in Germany during the last century correspond + with its artistic creation? I do not think so; and one feels the inequality between + the two more every day.</p> + <p>Do you remember Goethe's ballad of <i>Der Zauberlehrling</i> (<i>L'Apprenti + Sorcier</i>) which Dukas so cleverly made into music? There, in the absence of his + master, an apprentice set working some magic spells, and so opened sluice-gates that + no one could shut; and the house was flooded.</p> + <p>This is what Germany has done. She has let loose a flood of music, and is about to + be drowned in it.</p> + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <a name="page234" id="page234"/> + <h2><a name="CLAUDE_DEBUSSY" id="CLAUDE_DEBUSSY"></a>CLAUDE DEBUSSY</h2> + <h4>PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE</h4> + <p>The first performance of <i>Pelléas et Mélisande</i> in Paris, on + April 30th, 1902, was a very notable event in the history of French music; its + importance can only be compared with that of the first performance of Lully's + <i>Cadmus et Hermione</i>, Rameau's <i>Hippolyte et Aricie</i>, and Quick's + <i>Iphigénie en Aulide</i>; and it may be looked upon as one of the three or + four red-letter days in the calendar of our lyric stage.<a name="FNanchor_199_199" + id="FNanchor_199_199"></a><a href="#Footnote_199_199" class="fnanchor">[199]</a></p> + <p>The success of <i>Pelléas et Mélisande</i> is due to many things. + Some of them are trivial, such as fashion, which has certainly played its part here + as it has in all other successes, though it is a relatively weak part; some of them + are more important, and arise from something innate in the spirit of French genius; + and there are also moral and aesthetic reasons for its success, and, in the widest + sense, purely musical reasons.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>In speaking of the moral reasons of the success <a + name="page235" id="page235"/>of <i>Pelléas et + Mélisande</i>, I would like to draw your attention to a form of thought which + is not confined to France, but which is common nowadays in a section of the more + distinguished members of European society, and which has found expression in + <i>Pelléas et Mélisande</i>. The atmosphere in which Maeterlinck's + drama moves makes one feel the melancholy resignation of the will to Fate. We are + shown that nothing can change the order of events; that, despite our proud illusions, + we are not master of ourselves, but the servant of unknown and irresistible forces, + which direct the whole tragicomedy of our lives. We are told that no man is + responsible for what he likes and what he loves—that is if he knows what he + likes and loves—and that he lives and dies without knowing why.</p> + <p>These fatalistic ideas, reflecting the lassitude of the intellectual aristocracy + of Europe, have been wonderfully translated into music by Debussy; and when you feel + the poetic and sensual charm of the music, the ideas become fascinating and + intoxicating, and their spirit is very infectious. For there is in all music an + hypnotic power which is able to reduce the mind to a state of voluptuous + submission.</p> + <p>The cause of the artistic success of <i>Pelléas et Mélisande</i> is + of a more specially French character, and marks a reaction that is at once + legitimate, natural, and inevitable; I would even say it is vital—a reaction of + French genius against foreign art, and especially against Wagnerian art and its + awkward representatives in France.<a name="page236" + id="page236"/></p> + <p>Is the Wagnerian drama perfectly adapted to German genius? I do not think so; but + that is a question which I will leave German musicians to decide. For ourselves, we + have the right to assert that the form of Wagnerian drama is antipathetic to the + spirit of French people—to their artistic taste, to their ideas about the + theatre, and to their musical feeling. This form may have forced itself upon us, and, + by the right of victorious genius, may have strongly influenced the French mind, and + may do so again; but nothing will ever make it anything but a stranger in our + land.</p> + <p>It is not necessary to dwell upon the differences of taste. The Wagnerian ideal + is, before everything else, an ideal of power. Wagner's passional and intellectual + exaltation and his mystic sensualism are poured out like a fiery torrent, which + sweeps away and burns all before it, taking no heed of barriers. Such an art cannot + be bound by ordinary rules; it has no need to fear bad taste—and I commend it. + But it is easy to understand that other ideals exist, and that another art might be + as expressive by its proprieties and niceties as by its richness and force. And this + former art—our own—is not so much a reaction against Wagnerian art as a + reaction against its caricatures in France and the consequent abuse of an + ill-regulated power.</p> + <p>Genius has a right to be what it will—to trample underfoot, if it wishes, + taste and morals and the whole of society. But when those who are not geniuses wish + to do the same thing they only make themselves ridiculous and odious. There have been + <a name="page237" id="page237"/>too many monkey + Wagners in France. During the last ten or twenty years scarcely one French musician + has escaped Wagner's influence. One understands only too well the revolt of the + French mind, in the name of naturalness and good taste, against exaggerations and + extremes of passion, whether sincere or not. <i>Pelléas et + Mélisande</i> came as a manifestation of this revolt. It is an uncompromising + reaction against over-emphasis and excess, and against anything that oversteps the + limits of the imagination. This distaste of exaggerated words and sentiments results + in what is like a fear of showing the feelings at all, even when they are most deeply + stirred. With Debussy the passions almost whisper; and it is by the imperceptible + vibrations of the melodic line that the love in the hearts of the unhappy couple is + shown, by the timid "Oh, why are you going?" at the end of the first act, and the + quiet "I love you, too," in the last scene but one. Think of the wild lamentations of + the dying Ysolde, and then of the death of Mélisande, without cries and + without words.</p> + <p>From a scenic point of view, <i>Pelléas et Mélisande</i> is also + quite opposed to the Bayreuth ideal. The vast proportions—almost immoderate + proportions—of the Wagnerian drama, its compact structure and the intense + concentration of mind which from beginning to end holds these enormous works and + their ideology together, and which is often displayed at the expense of the action + and even the emotions, are as far removed as they can be from the French love of + clear, logical, and temperate action. The <a name="page238" + id="page238"/>little pictures of <i>Pelléas et + Mélisande</i>, small and sharply cut, each marking without stress a new stage + in the evolution of the drama, are built up in quite a different way from those of + the Wagnerian theatre.</p> + <p>And, as if he wished to accentuate this antagonism, the author of + <i>Pelléas et Mélisande</i> is now writing a <i>Tristan</i>, whose plot + is taken from an old French poem, the text of which has been recently brought to + light by M. Bédier. In its calm and lofty strain it is a wonderful contrast to + Wagner's savage and pedantic, though sublime poem.</p> + <p>But it is especially by the manner in which they conceive the respective + relationships of poetry and music to opera that the two composers differ. With + Wagner, music is the kernel of the opera, the glowing focus, the centre of + attraction; it absorbs everything, and it stands absolutely first. But that is not + the French conception. The musical stage, as we conceive it in France (if not what we + actually possess), should present such a combination of the arts as go to make an + harmonious whole. We demand that an equal balance shall be kept between poetry and + music; and if their equilibrium must be a little upset, we should prefer that poetry + was not the loser, as its utterance is more conscious and rational. That was Gluck's + aim; and because he realised it so well he gained a reputation among the French + public which nothing will destroy. Debussy's strength lies in the methods by which he + has approached this ideal of musical temperateness and disinterestedness, and in the + way he has placed his <a name="page239" + id="page239"/>genius as a composer at the service of the drama. He + has never sought to dominate Maeterlinck's poem, or to swallow it up in a torrent of + music; he has made it so much a part of himself that at the present time no Frenchman + is able to think of a passage in the play without Debussy's music singing at the same + time within him.</p> + <p>But apart from all these reasons that make the work important in the history of + opera, there are purely musical reasons for its success, which are of deeper + significance still.<a name="FNanchor_200_200" id="FNanchor_200_200"></a><a + href="#Footnote_200_200" class="fnanchor">[200]</a> <i>Pelléas et + Mélisande</i> has brought about a reform in the dramatic music of France. This + reform is concerned with several things, and, first of all, with recitative.</p> + <p>In France we have never had—apart from a few attempts in + <i>opéra-comique</i>—a recitative that exactly expressed our natural + speech. Lully and Rameau took for their model the high-flown declamation of the + tragedy stage of their time. And French opera for the past twenty years has chosen a + more dangerous model still—the declamation of Wagner, with its vocal leaps and + its resounding and heavy accentuation. Nothing could be more displeasing in French. + All people of taste suffered from it, though they did not admit it. At this time, + Antoine, Gémier, and Guitry were making theatrical declamation more natural, + and this made the exaggerated declamation of the French opera appear more ridiculous + and more archaic still. And so a <a name="page240" + id="page240"/>reform in recitative was inevitable. Jean-Jacques + Rousseau had foreseen it in the very direction in which Debussy<a + name="FNanchor_201_201" id="FNanchor_201_201"></a><a href="#Footnote_201_201" + class="fnanchor">[201]</a> has accomplished it. He showed in his <i>Lettre sur la + musique française</i> that there was no connection between the inflections of + French speech, "whose accents are so harmonious and simple," and "the shrill and + noisy intonations" of the recitative of French opera. And he concluded by saying that + the kind of recitative that would best suit us should "wander between little + intervals, and neither raise nor lower the voice very much; and should have little + sustained sound, no noise, and no cries of any description—nothing, indeed, + that resembled singing, and little inequality in the duration or value of the notes, + or in their intervals." This is the very definition of Debussy's recitative.</p> + <p>The symphonic fabric of <i>Pelléas et Mélisande</i> differs just as + widely from Wagner's dramas. With Wagner it is a living thing that springs from one + great root, a system of interlaced phrases whose powerful growth puts out branches in + every direction, like an oak. Or, to take another simile, it is like a painting, + which though it has not been executed at a single sitting, yet gives us that + impression; and, in spite of the retouching and altering to which it has been + subjected, still has the effect of a compact whole, of an indestructible amalgam, + from <a name="page241" id="page241"/>which + nothing can be detached. Debussy's system, on the contrary, is, so to speak, a sort + of classic impressionism—an impressionism that is refined, harmonious, and + calm; that moves along in musical pictures, each of which corresponds to a subtle and + fleeting moment of the soul's life; and the painting is done by clever little strokes + put in with a soft and delicate touch. This art is more allied to that of Moussorgski + (though without any of his roughness) than that of Wagner, in spite of one or two + reminiscences of <i>Parsifal</i>, which are only extraneous traits in the work. In + <i>Pelléas et Mélisande</i> one finds no persistent <i>leitmotifs</i> + running through the work, or themes which pretend to translate into music the life of + characters and types; but, instead, we have phrases that express changing feelings, + that change with the feelings. More than that, Debussy's harmony is not, as it was + with Wagner and all the German school, a fettered harmony, tightly bound to the + despotic laws of counterpoint; it is, as Laloy<a name="FNanchor_202_202" + id="FNanchor_202_202"></a><a href="#Footnote_202_202" class="fnanchor">[202]</a> has + said, a harmony that is first of all harmonious, and has its origin and end in + itself.</p> + <p>As Debussy's art only attempts to give the impression of the moment, without + troubling itself with what may come after, it is free from care, and takes its fill + in the enjoyment of the moment. In the garden of harmonies it selects the most + beautiful flowers; for sincerity of expression takes a second <a name="page242" id="page242"/>place with it, and + its first idea is to please. In this again it interprets the aesthetic sensualism of + the French race, which seeks pleasure in art, and does not willingly admit ugliness, + even when it seems to be justified by the needs of the drama and of truth. Mozart + shared the same thought: "Music," he said, "even in the most terrible situations, + ought never to offend the ear; it should charm it even there; and, in short, always + remain music."</p> + <p>As for Debussy's harmonic language, his originality does not consist, as some of + his foolish admirers have said, in the invention of new chords, but in the new use he + makes of them. A man is not a great artist because he makes use of unresolved + sevenths and ninths, consecutive major thirds and ninths, and harmonic progressions + based on a scale of whole tones; one is only an artist when one makes them say + something. And it is not on account of the peculiarities of Debussy's style—of + which one may find isolated examples in great composers before him, in Chopin, Liszt, + Chabrier, and Richard Strauss—but because with Debussy these peculiarities are + an expression of his personality, and because <i>Pelléas et + Mélisande</i>, "the land of ninths," has a poetic atmosphere which is like no + other musical drama ever written.</p> + <p>Lastly, the orchestration is purposely restrained, light, and divided, for Debussy + has a fine disdain for those orgies of sound to which Wagner's art has accustomed us; + it is as sober and polished as a fine classic phrase of the latter part of the + seventeenth century. <i>Ne quid nimis</i> ("Nothing superfluous")<a name="page243" id="page243"/>is the artist's + motto. Instead of amalgamating the <i>timbres</i> to get a massive effect, he + disengages their separate personalities, as it were, and delicately blends them + without changing their individual nature. Like the impressionist painters of to-day, + he paints with primary colours, but with a delicate moderation that rejects anything + harsh as if it were something unseemly.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <p>I have given more than enough reasons to account for the success of + <i>Pelléas et Mélisande</i> and the place that its admirers give it in + the history of opera. There is every reason to believe that the composer has not been + as acutely conscious of his musico-dramatic reform as his disciples have been. The + reform with him has a more instinctive character; and that is what gives it its + strength. It responds to an unconscious yet profound need of the French spirit. I + would even venture to say that the historical importance of Debussy's work is greater + than its artistic value. His personality is not without faults, and the gravest are + perhaps negative faults—the absence of certain qualities, and even of the + strong and extravagant faults which made the heroes of the art world, like Beethoven + and Wagner. His voluptuous nature is at once changeable and precise; and his dreams + are as clear and delicate as the art of a poet of the Pleiades in the sixteenth + century, or of a Japanese painter. But among all his gifts he has a quality which I + have not found so evident in any other musician—except perhaps Mozart; and this + <a name="page244" id="page244"/>quality is a + genius for good taste. Debussy has it in excess, so that he almost sacrifices the + other elements of art to it, until the passionate force of his music, even its very + life, seems to be impoverished. But one must not deceive oneself; that impoverishment + is only apparent, and in all his work there are evidences that his passion is only + veiled. It is only the trembling of the melodic line, or the orchestration which, + like a shadow passing before the eyes, tells us of the drama that is being played in + the hearts of his characters. This lofty shame of emotion is something as rare in + opera as a Racine tragedy is in poetry—they are works of the same order, and + both of them perfect flowers of the French spirit. Anyone who lives in foreign parts + and is curious to know what France is like and understand her genius should study + <i>Pelléas et Mélisande</i> as they would study Racine's + <i>Bérénice</i>.</p> + <p>Not that Debussy's art entirely represents French genius any more than Racine's + does; for there is quite another side to it which is not represented there; and that + side is heroic action, the intoxication of reason and laughter, the passion for + light, the France of Rabelais, Molière, Diderot, and in music, we will + say—for want of better names—the France of Berlioz and Bizet. To tell the + truth, that is the France I prefer. But Heaven preserve me from ignoring the other! + It is the balance between these two Frances that makes French genius. In our + contemporary music, <i>Pelléas et Mélisande</i> is at one end of the + pole of our art and <i>Carmen</i> is at the other. The one is all on the surface, all + life, with no <a name="page245" id="page245"/> + shadows, and no underneath. The other is below the surface, bathed in twilight, and + enveloped in silence. And this double ideal is the alternation between the gentle + sunlight and the faint mist that veils the soft, luminous sky of the Isle of + France.</p> + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <a name="AWAKENING" id="AWAKENING"></a> + <div class="center"> + <img src="images/music254.png" alt="music" title="music" /> + </div> + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h2>THE AWAKENING: A SKETCH OF THE MUSICAL + MOVEMENT IN PARIS SINCE 1870</h2> + <a name="page246" id="page246"/> + <p>It is not possible in a few pages to give an account of forty years of active and + fruitful life without many omissions, and also without a certain dryness entailed by + lists of names. But I have purposely abstained from trying to arouse interest by any + artifices of writing and treatment, as I wish to let deeds speak for themselves.</p> + <p>I want to show, by this simple account, the splendid efforts made by musicians in + France since 1870, and the growth of the faith and energy that has recreated French + music. Such an awakening seems to me a fine thing to look upon, and very comforting. + But few people in France realise it, outside a handful of musicians. It is to the + public at large I dedicate these pages, so that they may know what a generation of + artists with large hearts <a name="page247" + id="page247"/>and strong determination have done for the honour of + our race. The nation must not be allowed to forget what she owes to some of her + sons.</p> + <p>But you must not accuse me of contradicting myself if in another work, which will + appear at the same time as this one,<a name="FNanchor_203_203" + id="FNanchor_203_203"></a><a href="#Footnote_203_203" class="fnanchor">[203]</a> I + indulge in some sarcasm over the failings and absurdities of French music to-day. I + think that for the last ten years French musicians have rather imprudently and + prematurely proclaimed their victory, and that, in a general way, their + works—apart from three or four—are not worth as much as their endeavours. + But their endeavours are heroic; and I know nothing finer in the whole history of + France. May they continue! But that is only possible by practising a + virtue—modesty. The completion of a part is not the completion of the + whole.</p> + <br /> + <a name='paris' id='paris'></a> + <h4>PARIS AND MUSIC</h4> + <p>The nature of Paris is so complex and unstable that one feels it is presumptuous + to try to define it. It is a city so highly-strung, so ingrained with fickleness, and + so changeable in its tastes, that a book that truly describes it at the moment it is + written is no longer accurate by the time it is published. And then, there is not + only one Paris; there are two or three Parises—fashionable Paris, middle-class + Paris, intellectual Paris, vulgar Paris—all living side by side, but + intermingling very little. If you do not know the little towns within the great<a name="page248" id="page248"/>Town, you cannot know + the strong and often inconsistent life of this great organism as a whole.</p> + <p>If one wishes to get an idea of the musical life of Paris, one must take into + account the variety of its centres and the perpetual flow of its thought—a + thought which never stops, but is always over-shooting the goal for which it seemed + bound. This incessant change of opinion is scornfully called "fashion" by the + foreigner. And there is, without doubt, in the artistic aristocracy of Paris, as in + all great towns, a herd of idle people on the watch for new fashions—in art, as + well as in dress—who wish to single out certain of them for no serious reason + at all. But, in spite of their pretensions, they have only an infinitesimal share in + the changes of artistic taste. The origin of these changes is in the Parisian brain + itself—a brain that is quick and feverish, always working, greedy of knowledge, + easily tired, grasping to-day the splendours of a work, seeing to-morrow its defects, + building up reputations as rapidly as it pulls them down, and yet, in spite of all + its apparent caprices, always logical and sincere. It has its momentary infatuations + and dislikes, but no lasting prejudices; and, by its curiosity, its absolute liberty, + and its very French habit of criticising everything, it is a marvellous barometer, + sensitive to all the hidden currents of thought in the soul of the West, and often + indicating, months in advance, the variations and disturbances of the artistic and + political world.</p> + <p>And this barometer is registering what is happening just now in the world of + music, where a move<a name="page249" + id="page249"/>ment has been making itself felt in France for several + years, whose effect other nations—perhaps more musical nations—will not + feel till later. For the nations that have the strongest artistic traditions are not + necessarily those that are likely to develop a new art. To do that one must have a + virgin soil and spirits untrammelled by a heritage from the past. In 1870 no one had + a lighter heritage to bear than French musicians; for the past had been forgotten, + and such a thing as real musical education did not exist.</p> + <p>The musical weakness of that time was a very curious thing, and has given many + people the impression that France has never been a musical nation. Historically + speaking, nothing could be more wrong. Certainly there are races more gifted in music + than others; but often the seeming differences of race are really the differences of + time; and a nation appears great or little in its art according to what period of its + history we consider. England was a musical nation until the Revolution of 1688; + France was the greatest musical nation in the sixteenth century; and the recent + publications of M. Henry Expert have given us a glimpse of the originality and + perfection of the Franco-Belgian art during the Renaissance. But without going back + as far as that, we find that Paris was a very musical town at the time of the + Restoration, at the time of the first performance of Beethoven's symphonies at the + Conservatoire, and the first great works of Berlioz, and the Italian Opera. In + Berlioz's <i>Mémoires</i> you can read about the enthusiasm, the tears, <a name="page250" id="page250"/>and the feeling, that + the performances of Gluck's and Spontini's operas aroused; and in the same book one + sees clearly that this musical warmth lasted until 1840, after which it died down + little by little, and was succeeded by complete musical apathy in the second + Empire—an apathy from which Berlioz suffered cruelly, so that one may even say + he died crushed by the indifference of the public. At this time Meyerbeer was + reigning at the Opera. This incredible weakening of musical feeling in France, from + 1840 to 1870, is nowhere better shown than in its romantic and realistic writers, for + whom music was an hermetically sealed door. All these artists were "<i>visuels</i>," + for whom music was only a noise. Hugo is supposed to have said that Germany's + inferiority was measured by its superiority in music.<a name="FNanchor_204_204" + id="FNanchor_204_204"></a><a href="#Footnote_204_204" class="fnanchor">[204]</a> "The + elder Dumas detested," Berlioz says, "even bad music."<a name="FNanchor_205_205" + id="FNanchor_205_205"></a><a href="#Footnote_205_205" class="fnanchor">[205]</a> The + journal of the Goncourts calmly reflects the almost universal scorn of literary men + for music. In a conversation which took place in 1862 between Goncourt and + Théophile Gautier, Goncourt said:</p> + <p>"We confessed to him our complete infirmity, our musical deafness—we who, at + the most, only liked military music."<a name="page251" + id="page251"/></p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"Well," said Gautier, "what you tell me pleases me very much. I am like you; I + prefer silence to music. I have only just succeeded, after having lived part of my + life with a singer, in being able to tell good music from bad; but it is all the + same to me."<a name="FNanchor_206_206" id="FNanchor_206_206"></a><a + href="#Footnote_206_206" class="fnanchor">[206]</a></p> + </div> + <p>And he added:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"But it is a very curious thing that all other writers of our time are like + this. Balzac hated music. Hugo could not stand it. Even Lamartine, who himself is + like a piano to be hired or sold, holds it in horror!"</p> + </div> + <p>It needed a complete upheaval of the nation—a political and moral + upheaval—to change that frame of mind. Some indication of the change was making + itself felt in the last years of the second Empire. Wagner, who suffered from the + hostility or indifference of the public in 1860, at the time when + <i>Tannhäuser</i> was performed at the Opera, had already found, however, a few + understanding people in Paris who discerned his genius and sincerely admired him. The + most interesting of the writers who first began to understand musical emotion is + Charles Baudelaire. In 1861, Pasdeloup gave the first <i>Concerts populaires de + musique classique</i> at the Cirque d'Hiver. The Berlioz Festival, organised by M. + Reyer, on March 23rd, 1870, a year after Berlioz's death, revealed to France the + grandeur of its greatest musical genius, and was the beginning of a campaign of + public reparation to his memory.</p> + <p><a name="page252" id="page252"/>The + disasters of the war in 1870 regenerated the nation's artistic spirit. Music felt its + effect immediately.<a name="FNanchor_207_207" id="FNanchor_207_207"></a><a + href="#Footnote_207_207" class="fnanchor">[207]</a> On February 24th, 1871, the + <i>Société nationale de Musique</i> was instituted to propagate the + works of French composers; and in 1873 the <i>Concerts de l'Association + artistique</i> were started under M. Colonne's direction; and these concerts, besides + making people acquainted with the classic composers of symphonies and the masters of + the young French school, were especially devoted to the honouring of Berlioz, whose + triumph reached its summit about 1880.<a name="FNanchor_208_208" + id="FNanchor_208_208"></a><a href="#Footnote_208_208" class="fnanchor">[208]</a></p> + <p>At this time Wagner's success, in its turn, began to make itself felt. For this M. + Lamoureux, whose concerts began in 1882, was chiefly responsible. Wagner's influence + considerably helped forward the progress of French art, and aroused a love for music + in people other than musicians; and, by his all-embracing personality and the vast + domain of his work in art, not only engaged the interest of the musical world, but + that of <a name="page253" id="page253"/>the + theatrical world, and the world of poetry and the plastic arts. One may say that from + 1885 Wagner's work acted directly or indirectly on the whole of artistic thought, + even on the religious and intellectual thought of the most distinguished people in + Paris. And a curious historical witness of its world-wide influence and momentary + supremacy over all other arts was the founding of the <i>Revue + Wagnérienne</i>, where, united by the same artistic devotion, were found + writers and poets such as Verlaine, Mallarmé, Swinburne, Villiers de l'Isle + Adam, Huysmans, Richepin, Catulle Mendès, Édouard Rod, Stuart Merrill, + Ephraim Mikhaël, etc., and painters like Fantin-Latour, Jacques Blanche, Odilon + Redon; and critics like Teodor de Wyzewa, H.S. Chamberlain, Hennequin, Camille + Benoît, A. Ernst, de Fourcaud, Wilder, E. Schuré, Soubies, Malherbe, + Gabriel Mourey, etc. These writers not only discussed musical subjects, but judged + painting, literature, and philosophy, from a Wagnerian point of view. Hennequin + compared the philosophic systems of Herbert Spencer and Wagner. Teodor de Wyzewa made + a study of Wagnerian literature—not the literature that commentated and the + paintings that illustrated Wagner's works, but the literature and the painting that + were inspired by Wagner's principles—from Egyptian statuary to Degas's + paintings, from Homer's writings to those of Villiers de l'Isle Adam! In a word, the + whole universe was seen and judged by the thought of Bayreuth. And though this folly + scarcely lasted more than three or four years—the length of the life of that + little magazine—<a name="page254" + id="page254"/>Wagner's genius dominated nearly the whole of French + art for ten or twelve years.<a name="FNanchor_209_209" id="FNanchor_209_209"></a><a + href="#Footnote_209_209" class="fnanchor">[209]</a> An ardent musical propaganda by + means of concerts was carried on among the public; and the young intellectuals of the + day were won over. But the finest service that Wagnerism rendered to French art was + that it interested the general public in music; although the tyranny its influence + exercised became, in time, very stifling.</p> + <p>Then, in 1890, there were signs of a movement that was in revolt against its + despotism. The great wind from the East began to drop, and veered to the North. + Scandinavian and Russian influences were making themselves felt. An exaggerated + infatuation for Grieg, though limited to a small number of people, was an indication + of the change in public taste. In 1890, César Franck died in Paris. Belgian by + birth and temperament, and French in feeling and by musical education, he had + remained outside the Wagnerian movement in his own serene and fecund solitude. To his + intellectual greatness and the charm his personal genius held for the little band of + friends who knew and revered him he added the authority of his knowledge. + Unconsciously he brought back to us the soul of Sebastian Bach, with its infinite + richness and depth; and through this he found himself the head of a school (without + having wished it) and the greatest teacher of contemporary French music. After his + death, his <a name="page255" id="page255"/>name + was the means of rallying together the younger school of musicians. In 1892, the + <i>Chanteurs de Saint-Gervais</i>, under the direction of M. Charles Bordes, + reinstated to honour and popularised Gregorian and Palestrinian music; and, following + the initiative of their director, the <i>Schola Cantorum</i> was founded in 1894 for + the revival of religious music. Ambition grew with success; and from the + <i>Schola</i> sprang the <i>École Supérieure de Musique</i>, under the + direction of Franck's most famous pupil, M. Vincent d'Indy. This school, founded on a + solid knowledge, not only of the classics, but of the primitives in music, took from + its very beginning in 1900 a frankly national character, and was in some ways opposed + to German art. At the same time, performances of Bach and seventeenth-and + eighteenth-century music became more and more frequent; and more intimate + relationship with the artists of other countries, repeated visits of the great + <i>Kapellmeister</i>, foreign virtuosi and composers (especially Richard Strauss), + and, lastly, of Russian composers, completed the education of the Parisian musical + public, who, after repeated rebukes from the critics, became conscious of the + awakening of a national personality, and of an impatient desire to free itself from + German tutelage. By turns it gratefully and warmly received M. Bruneau's <i>Le + Rêve</i> (1891), M. d'Indy's <i>Fervaal</i> (1898), M. Gustave Charpentier's + <i>Louise</i> (1900)—all of which seemed like works of liberation. But, as a + matter of fact, these lyric dramas were by no means free from foreign influences, and + especially <a name="page256" id="page256"/>from + Wagnerian influences. M. Debussy's <i>Pelléas et Mélisande</i>, in + 1902, seemed to mark more truly the emancipation of French music. From this time on, + French music felt that it had left school, and claimed to have founded a new art, + which reflected the spirit of the race, and was freer and suppler than the Wagnerian + art. These ideas, which were seized upon and enlarged by the press, brought about + rather quickly a conviction in French artists of France's superiority in music. Is + that conviction justified? The future alone can tell us. But one may see by this + brief outline of events how real is the evolution of the musical spirit in France + since 1870, in spite of the apparent contradictions of fashion which appear on the + surface of art. It is the spirit of France that is, after long oppression and by a + patient but eager initiation, realising its power and wishing to dominate in its + turn.</p> + <p>I wanted at first to trace the broad line of the movement which for the last + thirty years has been affecting French music; and now I shall consider the musical + institutions that have had their share in this movement. You will not be surprised if + I ignore some of the most celebrated, which have lost their interest in it, in order + that I may consider those that are the true authors of our regeneration.</p> + <br /> + <a name='before' id='before'></a> + <h4>MUSICAL INSTITUTIONS BEFORE 1870</h4> + <p>It is not by any means the oldest and most celebrated musical institutions which + have taken the largest share in this evolution of music in the last thirty + years.<a name="page257" id="page257"/></p> + <p>The <i>Académie des Beaux-Arts</i>, where six chairs are reserved for the + musical section, could have played a very important part in the musical organisation + of France by the authority of its name, and by the many prizes that it gives for + composition and criticism, especially by the <i>Prix de Rome</i>, which it awards + every year. But it does not play its part well, partly because of the antiquated + statutes that govern it, by which a handful of musicians are associated with a great + number of painters, sculptors, and architects, who are ignorant of music and mock at + the musicians, as they did in the time of Berlioz; and partly because it is the + custom of the Academy that the little group of musicians shall be trained in a very + conservative way. One of the names of these musicians is justly celebrated—that + of M. Saint-Saëns; but there are others whose fame is of poorer quality, and + others still who have no fame at all. And the whole forms a little group, which + though it does not put any actual obstacles in the way of the progress of art, yet + does not look upon it favourably, but remains rather apart in an indifferent or even + hostile spirit.</p> + <p>The <i>Conservatoire national de Musique et de Déclamation</i>, which dates + from the last years of the <i>Ancien Régime</i> and the Revolution, was + designed by its patriotic and-democratic origin to serve the cause of national art + and free progress.<a name="FNanchor_210_210" id="FNanchor_210_210"></a><a + href="#Footnote_210_210" class="fnanchor">[210]</a></p> + <p><a name="page258" id="page258"/>It was for a + long time the corner-stone of the edifice of music in Paris. But although it has + always numbered in its ranks many illustrious and devoted professors—among whom + it recognised, a little late, the founder of the young French school, César + Franck—and though the majority of artists who have made a name in French music + have received its teaching, and the list of laureates of Rome who have come from its + composition classes includes all the heads of the artistic movement to-day in all its + diversity, and ranges from M. Massenet to M. Bruneau, and from M. Charpentier to M. + Debussy—in spite of all this, it is no secret that, since 1870, the official + action with regard to the movement amounts to almost nothing; though we must at least + do it justice, and say that it has not hindered it.<a name="FNanchor_211_211" + id="FNanchor_211_211"></a><a href="#Footnote_211_211" class="fnanchor">[211]</a></p> + <p>But if the spirit of this academy has often destroyed the effect of the excellent + teaching there, by making success in academic competitions the chief aim of the + professors and their pupils, yet a certain freedom <a + name="page259" id="page259"/>has always reigned in the institution. + And though this freedom is mainly the result of indifference, it has, however, + permitted the more independent temperaments to develop in peace—from Berlioz to + M. Ravel. One should be grateful for this. But such virtues are too negative to give + the Conservatoire a high place in the musical history of the Third Republic; and it + is only lately, under the direction of M. Gabriel Fauré, that it has + endeavoured, not without difficulty, to get back its place at the head of French art, + which it had lost, and which others had taken.</p> + <p>The <i>Société des Concerts du Conservatoire</i>, founded in 1828 + under the direction of Habeneck, has had its hour of glory in the musical history of + Paris. It was through this society that Beethoven's greatness was revealed to + France.<a name="FNanchor_212_212" id="FNanchor_212_212"></a><a + href="#Footnote_212_212" class="fnanchor">[212]</a> It was at the Conservatoire that + the early important works of Berlioz were first given: <i>La Fantastique</i>, + <i>Harold</i>, and <i>Roméo et Juliette</i>. It was there, nearer our own + time, that Saint-Saëns's <i>Symphonie avec Orgue</i> and César Franck's + <i>Symphonie</i> were played for the first time. But for a long time the + Conservatoire seemed to take its name too literally, and to restrict its sphere to + that of a museum for classical music.</p> + <p><a name="page260" id="page260"/>In later + years, however, the <i>Société des Concerts</i>, with M. Marty, began + to consider new works. Its orchestra, composed of eminent instrumentalists, enjoys a + classical fame; though it is now no longer alone in the excellence of its + performances, and has perhaps lost a little the secret that it claimed to possess for + the interpretation of great classical works. It excels in works of a neo-classic + character, like those of M. Saint-Saëns, which are stronger in style and taste + than in life and passion. The Conservatoire concerts have also a relative superiority + over other concerts in Paris in the performance of choral works, which up to the + present have been very second-rate. But these concerts are not easy of access for the + general public, as the number of seats for sale is very limited. And so the society + is representative of a little public whose taste is, broadly speaking, conservative + and official; and the noise of the strife outside its doors only reaches its ears + slowly, and with a deadened sound.</p> + <p>The influence of the Conservatoire is, in music especially, an influence of the + past and of the Government. One may say much the same of the Opera. This ancient + association, which bears the imposing name of <i>Académie nationale de + Musique</i> and dates from 1669, is a sort of national institution which is more + concerned with the history of official art than with living art. The satire with + which Jean-Jacques describes, in his <i>Nouvelle Héloïse</i>, the stiff + solemnity and mournful pomp of its performances has not lost much of its truth. What + is lacking in the Opera to-day is the enthusiasm that <a + name="page261" id="page261"/>accompanied its former musical struggles + in the times of the "<i>Encyclopédistes</i>" and the "<i>guerre des + coins</i>." The great battles of art are now fought outside its doors; and it has + become by degrees a showy <i>salon</i>, a little faded perhaps, where the public is + more interested in itself than in the performance. In spite of the enormous sums that + it swallows up every year (nearly four million francs),<a name="FNanchor_213_213" + id="FNanchor_213_213"></a><a href="#Footnote_213_213" class="fnanchor">[213]</a> only + one or two new pieces are produced in a year, and they are rarely works that are + representative of the modern school. And though it has at last admitted Wagner's + dramas into its repertory, one can no longer consider these works, half a century + old, to be in the vanguard of music. The most esteemed masters of the French school, + such as Massenet, Reyer, Chausson, and Vincent d'Indy, had to seek refuge in the + Théâtre de la Monnaie at Brussels before they could get their works + received at the Opera in Paris. And the classical composers fare no better. Neither + <i>Fidelio</i> nor Gluck's tragedies—with the exception of <i>Armide</i>, which + was put on under pressure of fashion—are represented; and when by chance they + give <i>Freischütz</i> or <i>Don Juan</i>, one wonders if it would not have been + better to let them rest in oblivion, rather than treat them sacrilegiously by adding, + cutting, introducing ballets and new recitatives, and deforming their style so as to + bring them "up to date."<a name="FNanchor_214_214" id="FNanchor_214_214"></a><a + href="#Footnote_214_214" class="fnanchor">[214]</a></p> + <p><a name="page262" id="page262"/>In spite of + the changes of taste and the campaign of the press, the Opera has remained to this + day as it was in the time of Meyerbeer and Gounod and their disciples. But it would + be foolish to pretend that it has not its public. The receipts show well enough that + <i>Faust</i> is in greater favour than <i>Siegfried</i> or <i>Tristan</i>, not to + speak of the more recent works of the new French school, which cannot be acclimatised + there.</p> + <p>Without doubt, the enormous stage at the Opera does not lend itself well to modern + musical dramas, which are intimate and concentrated, and would be lost in its immense + space, which is more adapted for formal processions like the marches in the + <i>Prophète</i> and <i>Aïda</i>. Besides this, there is the conventional + acting of the majority of the singers, the dull lifelessness of the choruses, the + defective acoustics, and the exaggerated utterance and gestures of the actors, + demanded by the great dimensions of the place—all of which is a serious + obstacle to the conception of a living and simple art. But the chief obstacle will + always lie in the very nature of such a theatre—a theatre of luxury and vanity, + created for a set of snobs, whose least interest is the music, who have not enough + intellect to create a fashion, but who servilely follow every fashion after it is + thirty years old. Such a theatre no longer counts in the history of French music; and + its next directors will need a vast amount of ingenuity and energy to get a semblance + of life into such a dead colossus.<a name="page263" + id="page263"/></p> + <p>But it is quite another affair with the Opéra-Comique. This theatre has + taken a very active part in the development of modern music. Without renouncing its + classic traditions, or its delightful repertory of the old + <i>opéra-comiques</i>, it has had understanding enough, under the judicious + management of M. Albert Carré, to hold itself open for any interesting + productions in dramatic music. It takes no side among the different schools; and the + representatives of the old-fashioned light opera with their songs elbow the leaders + of the advanced school. No association has done more important work, among musical + dramas as well as musical comedies, during the last twenty years. In this theatre, + which produced <i>Carmen</i> in 1875, <i>Manon</i> in 1884, and the <i>Roi d'Ys</i> + in 1888, were played the principal dramas of M. Bruneau, as well as M. Charpentier's + <i>Louise</i>, M. Debussy's <i>Pelléas et Mélisande</i>, and M. Dukas's + <i>Ariane et Barbebleue</i>. It may seem astonishing that such works should have + found a place at the Opéra-Comique and not at the Opera. But if two musical + theatres of different kinds exist, one of which pretends to have the monopoly of + great art, while the other with a simpler and more intimate character seeks only to + please, it is always the latter that has a better chance of development and of making + new discoveries; for the first is oppressed by traditions that become ever stiffer + and more pedantic, while the other with its simplicity and lack of pretension is able + to accommodate itself to any manner of life. How many artists have revolu<a name="page264" id="page264"/>tionised their times + while they were merely looked upon as people who amused! Frescobaldi and Philipp + Emanuel Bach brought fresh life to art, but were scorned by the so-called + representatives of fine art; Mozart's <i>opere buffe</i> have more of truth and life + in them than his <i>opere serie</i>; and there is as much dramatic power in an + <i>opéra-comique</i> like <i>Carmen</i> as in all the repertory of grand Opera + to-day. And so the Opéra-Comique theatre has become the home of the boldest + experiments in musical drama. The most daring or the most violent ventures into + musical realism, after the manner of Charpentier or Bruneau, and the subtle fantasies + of a delicate art of dreams, like that of Debussy, have found a welcome there. It has + also been open to various kinds of foreign art: Humperdinck's <i>Hänsel und + Gretel</i>, Verdi's <i>Falstaff</i>, the works of Puccini, Mascagni, and the young + Italian school, Richard Strauss's <i>Feuersnot</i>, Rimsky-Korsakow's + <i>Snégourotchka</i>, have all been played. And they have even given the + classic masterpieces of opera there: <i>Fidelio</i>, <i>Orfeo</i>, <i>Alceste</i>, + the two <i>Iphigénies</i>; and taken more pains with them and mounted them + with more pious zeal than they do at the Opera. The operas themselves are more at + home there, too, for the size of the theatre is more like that of the + eighteenth-century theatres. It is true that the stage rather lacks depth; but the + ingenuity of the director and the admirable scenic artists he employs has succeeded + in making one forget this defect, and accomplished marvels. No theatre in Paris has + more artistic staging, and some of the scenery that has been <a + name="page265" id="page265"/>designed lately is a masterpiece of its + kind. The Opéra-Comique has also the advantage of excellent conductors, and + one of them, M. Messager, who is now Director, has, by his clever interpretations, + greatly contributed to the success of the works of the new school.</p> + <br /> + <a name='new' id='new'></a> + <h4>NEW MUSICAL INSTITUTIONS</h4> + <h4>1. <i>The Société Nationale</i></h4> + <p>Before 1870, French music had already in the Opera and the Opéra-Comique + (without counting the various endeavours of the Théâtre Lyrique) an + outlet which was nearly enough for the needs of her dramatic productions. Even when + musical taste was most decadent, the works of Gounod, Ambroise Thomas, and + Massé, had always upheld the name of French <i>opéra-comique</i>. But + what was almost entirely lacking was an outlet for symphonic music and chamber-music. + "Before 1870," wrote M. Saint-Saëns in <i>Harmonie et Mélodie</i>, "a + French composer who was foolish enough to venture on to the ground of instrumental + music had no other means of getting his works performed than by himself arranging a + concert for them." Such was Berlioz's case; for he had to gather together an + orchestra and hire a room each time he wished to get a hearing for his great + symphonies. The financial result was often disastrous: the performance of the + <i>Damnation de Faust</i> in 1846 was, for example, a complete failure, and he had to + give it up. The Conservatoire, which was formerly more hospitable, <a name="page266" id="page266"/>rather reluctantly + performed a portion of <i>L'Enfance du Christ</i>; but it gave young composers no + encouragement.</p> + <p>The first man who attempted to make the symphony popular, M. Saint-Saëns + tells us in his <i>Portraits et Souvenirs</i>, was Seghers, a dissentient member of + the <i>Société des Concerts du Conservatoire</i>, who during several + years (1848-1854) was conductor of the <i>Société de + Sainte-Cécile</i>, which had its quarters in a room in the rue de la + Chaussée d'Antin. There he had performed Mendelssohn's <i>Symphonie + Italienne</i>, the overtures to <i>Tannhäuser</i> and <i>Manfred</i>, Berlioz's + <i>Fuite en Égypte</i>, and Gounod's and Bizet's early, works. But lack of + money cut short his efforts.</p> + <p>Pasdeloup took up the work. After having been conductor for the + <i>Société des jeunes artistes du Conservatoire</i> since 1851, in the + Salle Herz, he founded, in 1861, at the Cirque d'Hiver, with the financial support of + a rich moneylender, the first <i>Concerts populaires de musique classique</i>. + Unhappily, says M. Saint-Saëns, Pasdeloup, even up to 1870, made an almost + exclusive selection of German classical works. He raised an impenetrable barrier + before the young French school, and the only French works he played were symphonies + by Gounod and Gouvy, and the overtures of <i>Les Francs-Juges</i> and <i>La + Muette</i>. It was impossible to set up a rival society against him; and an exclusive + monopoly in music was, therefore, held by him. According to M. Saint-Saëns he + was a mediocre musician, and had, in spite of his passion for music, "immense <a name="page267" id="page267"/>incapacity." In + <i>Harmonie et Mélodie</i> M. Saint-Saëns says: "The few chamber-music + societies that existed were also closed to all new-comers; their programmes only + contained the names of undisputed celebrities, the writers of classic symphonies. In + those times one had really to be devoid of all common sense to write music."</p> + <p>A new generation was growing up, however,—a generation that was serious and + thoughtful, that was more attracted by pure music than by the theatre, that was + filled with a burning desire to found a national art. To this generation M. + Saint-Saëns and M. Vincent d'Indy belong. The war of 1870 strengthened these + ideas about music, and, while the war was still raging, there sprang from them the + <i>Société Nationale de Musique</i>.</p> + <p>One must speak of this society with respect, for it was the cradle and sanctuary + of French art.<a name="FNanchor_215_215" id="FNanchor_215_215"></a><a + href="#Footnote_215_215" class="fnanchor">[215]</a> All that was great in French + music from 1870 to 1900 found a home there. Without it, the greater part of the works + that are the honour of our music would never have been played; perhaps they would not + ever have been written. The Society possessed the rare merit of being able to + anticipate public opinion by ten or eleven years, and in some ways it has formed the + public mind and obliged it to honour those whom the Society had already recognised as + great musicians.</p> + <p><a name="page268" id="page268"/>The two + founders of the Society were Romaine Bussine, professor of Singing at the + Conservatoire, and M. Camille Saint-Saëns. And, following their initiative, + César Franck, Ernest Guiraud, Massenet, Garcin, Gabriel Fauré, Henri + Duparc, Théodore Dubois, and Taffanel, joined forces with them, and at a + meeting on 25 February, 1871, agreed to found a musical society that should give + hearings to the works of living French composers exclusively. The first meetings were + interrupted by the doings of the Commune; but they began again in October, 1871. The + Society's early statutes were drawn up by Alexis de Castillon, a military officer and + a talented composer, who, after having served in the war of 1870 at the head of the + <i>mobiles</i> of Eure-et-Loire, was one of the founders of French chamber-music, and + died prematurely in 1873, aged thirty-five. It was these statutes, signed by + Saint-Saëns, Castillon, and Garcin, that gave the Society its title of + <i>Société Nationale de Musique</i>, and its device, "<i>Ars + gallica</i>." This is what the statutes say about the aims of the Society:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"The aim of the Society is to aid the production and the popularisation of all + serious musical works, whether published or unpublished, of French composers; to + encourage and bring to light, so far as is in its power, all musical endeavour, + whatever form it may take, on condition that there is evidence of high, artistic + aspiration on the part of the author.... It is in brotherly love, with complete + forgetfulness of self, and with the firm intention of aiding one <a name="page269" id="page269"/>another as far as + they can, that the members of the Society will co-operate, each in his own sphere + of action, for the study and performance of the works which they shall be called + upon to select and to interpret."</p> + </div> + <p>The first Committee was made up as follows: President, Bussine; Vice-President, + Saint-Saëns; Secretary, Alexis de Castillon; Under-Secretary, Jules Garcin; + Treasurer, Lenepveu. The members of the Committee were: César Franck, + Théodore Dubois, E. Guiraud, Fissot, Bourgault-Ducoudray, Fauré, and + Lalo.</p> + <p>The first concert was given on 25 November, 1871, in the Salle Pleyel; and it is + worthy of note that the first work played was a trio of César Franck's. Since + then the Society has given three hundred and fifty performances of chamber-music or + orchestral works. The best known French composers and virtuosi have taken part as + executants, among others: César Franck, Saint-Saëns, Massenet, Bizet, + Vincent d'Indy, Fauré, Chabrier, Guiraud, Debussy, Lekeu, Lamoureux, + Chevillard, Taffanel, Widor, Messager, Diémer, Sarasate, Risler, Cortot, + Ysaye, etc. And among the compositions that have been played for the first time it is + enough to mention the following:</p> + <p>César Franck: Nearly the whole of his works, including his Sonata, Trio, + Quartette, Quintette, Symphonic Variations, Preludes and Fugues, Mass, + <i>Rédemption</i>, <i>Psyche</i>, and a part of <i>Les + Béatitudes</i>.</p> + <p>Saint-Saëns: <i>Phaéton</i>, <i>Second Symphony</i>, Sonatas,<a name="page270" id="page270"/>Persian Melodies, the + <i>Rapsodie d'Auvergne</i>, and a quartette.</p> + <p>Vincent d'Indy: The trilogy of <i>Wallenstein</i>, the <i>Poême des + Montagues</i>, the <i>Symphonie sur un thème montagnard</i>, and + quartettes.</p> + <p>Chabrier: Part of <i>Gwendoline</i>.</p> + <p>Lalo: Fragments of the <i>Roi d'Ys</i>, Rhapsodies and Symphonies.</p> + <p>Bruneau: <i>Penthésilée</i>, <i>La Belle au Bois Dormant</i>.</p> + <p>Chausson: <i>Viviane</i>, <i>Hélène</i>, <i>La Tempête</i>, a + quartette and a symphony.</p> + <p>Debussy: <i>La Damoiselle élue</i>, the <i>Prélude à + l'après-midi d'un faune</i>, a quartette, pieces for the pianoforte, and + melodies.</p> + <p>Dukas: <i>L'Apprenti Sorcier</i>, and a sonata for the pianoforte.</p> + <p>Lekeu: <i>Andromède</i>.</p> + <p>Alberic Magnard: Symphonies and a quartette.</p> + <p>Ravel: <i>Schéhérazade</i>, <i>Histoires Naturelles</i>, etc.</p> + <p>Saint-Saëns was director with Bussine until 1886. But from 1881 the influence + of Franck and his disciples became more and more felt; and Saint-Saëns began to + lose interest in the efforts of the new school. In 1886 there was a division of + opinion about a proposition of Vincent d'Indy's to introduce the works of classical + masters and foreign composers into the programmes. This proposition was adopted; but + Saint-Saëns and Bussine sent in their resignations. Franck then became the true + president, although he refused the title; and after his death, in 1890, Vincent + d'Indy took his place. Under these two directors a quite important place <a name="page271" id="page271"/>was given to old and + classical music by composers such as Palestrina, Vittoria, Josquin, Bach, + Händel, Rameau, Gluck, Beethoven, Schumann, Liszt, and Brahms. Foreign + contemporary music only occupied a very limited place. Wagner's name only appears + once, in a transcription of the <i>Venusberg</i> for the pianoforte; and Richard + Strauss's name figures only against his Quartette. Grieg had his hour of popularity + there about 1887, as well as the Russians—Moussorgski, Borodine, + Rimsky-Korsakow, Liadow, and Glazounow—whom M. Debussy has perhaps helped to + make known to us. At the present moment the Society seems more exclusively French + than ever; and the influence of M. Vincent d'Indy and the school of Franck is + predominant. That is only natural; the <i>Société Nationale</i> most + truly earned its title to glory by discerning César Franck's genius; for the + Society was a little sanctuary where the great artist was honoured at a time when he + was ignored or laughed at by the rest of the world. This character of a sanctuary was + kept even after victory. In its general programme of 1903-1904, the Society reminded + us with pride that it had remained faithful to the promises made in 1871; and it + added that if, in order to permit its members to keep abreast of the general progress + of art, it had little by little allowed classical masterpieces and modern foreign + works of interest on its programmes, it had, however, always kept its guest-chamber + open, and shaped many a future reputation there.</p> + <p>Nothing is truer. The <i>Société Nationale</i> is indeed <a name="page272" id="page272"/>a guest-chamber, + where for the past thirty years a guest-chamber art and guest-chamber opinions have + been formed; and from it some of the profoundest and most poetic French music has + been derived, such as Franck's and Debussy's chamber-music. But its atmosphere is + becoming daily more rarefied. That is a danger. It is to be feared that this art and + thought may be absorbed by the decadent subtleties or pedantic scholasticism which is + apt to accompany all coteries—in short, that its music will be salon-music + rather than chamber-music. Even the Society itself seems to have felt this at times; + and at different periods has sought contact with the general public, and put itself + into direct communication with it. "It becomes more and more necessary," wrote M. + Saint-Saëns, "that French composers should find something intermediate between + an intimate hearing of their music and a performance of it before the general + public—something which would not be a speculative thing like a big concert, but + which would be analogous to the artistic attraction of an exhibition of painting, and + which would dare everything. It is a new aim for the <i>Société + Nationale</i>." But it does not seem that it has yet attained this goal, nor that it + is near attaining it, despite some not quite happy attempts.</p> + <p>But at least the <i>Société Nationale</i> has gloriously achieved + the task it set itself. In thirty years it has created in Paris a little centre of + earnest composers of symphonies and chamber-music, and a cultured public that seems + able to understand them.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <a name="page273" id="page273"/> + <h4>2. <i>The Grand Symphony Concerts</i></h4> + <p>Although it was an urgent matter that young French composers should unite to + withstand the general indifference of the public, it was more urgent still that that + indifference should be attacked, and that music should be brought within reach of + ordinary people. It was a matter of taking up and completing Pasdeloup's work in a + more artistic and more modern spirit.</p> + <p>A publisher of music, Georges Hartmann, feeling the forces that were drawing + together in French art, gathered about him the greater part of the talented men of + the young school—Franck, Bizet, Saint-Saëns, Massenet, Delibes, Lalo, A. + de Castillon, Th. Dubois, Guiraud, Godard, Paladilhe, and Joncières—and + undertook to produce their works in public. He rented the Odéon theatre, and + got together an orchestra, the conductorship of which he entrusted to M. + Édouard Colonne. And on 2 March, 1873, the <i>Concert National</i> was + inaugurated in a musical matinée, where M. Saint-Saëns played his + <i>Concerto in G minor</i> and Mme. Viardot sang Schubert's <i>Roi des Aulnes</i>. In + the first year six ordinary concerts were given, and, besides that, two sacred + concerts with choirs, at which César Franck's <i>Rédemption</i> and + Massenet's <i>Marie-Magdeleine</i> were performed. In 1874 the Odéon was + abandoned for the Châtelet. This venture attracted some attention, and the + concerts were patronised by the public; but the financial results were not <a name="page274" id="page274"/>great.<a + name="FNanchor_216_216" id="FNanchor_216_216"></a><a href="#Footnote_216_216" + class="fnanchor">[216]</a> Hartmann was discouraged and wished to give the whole + thing up. But M. Édouard Colonne conceived the idea of turning his orchestra + into a society, and of continuing the work under the name of <i>Association + Artistique</i>. Among the artist-founders were MM. Bruneau, Benjamin Godard, and Paul + Hillemacher. Its early days were full of struggle; but owing to the perseverance of + the Association all obstacles were finally overcome. In 1903 a festival was held to + celebrate its thirtieth anniversary. During these thirty years it had given more than + eight hundred concerts, and had performed the works of about three hundred composers, + of which half were French. The four composers most frequently heard at the + Châtelet were Saint-Saëns, Wagner, Beethoven, and Berlioz.<a + name="FNanchor_217_217" id="FNanchor_217_217"></a><a href="#Footnote_217_217" + class="fnanchor">[217]</a></p> + <p>Berlioz is almost the exclusive property of the Châtelet. Not only have they + performed his works there more frequently than anywhere else,<a + name="FNanchor_218_218" id="FNanchor_218_218"></a><a href="#Footnote_218_218" + class="fnanchor">[218]</a> but they are better understood there than in other places. + The Colonne orchestra and its conductor, gifted with great warmth of + spirit,—though it is sometimes a little intemperate—are rather bothered + by works of a classic nature and by those that show contemplative feeling; but they + give wonderful ex<a name="page275" + id="page275"/>pression to Berlioz's tumultuous romanticism, his + poetic enthusiasm, and the bright and delicate colouring of his paintings and his + musical landscapes. Although Berlioz has his place at the Chevillard and + Conservatoire concerts, it is to the Châtelet that his followers flock; and + their enthusiasm has not been affected by the campaign that for several years has + been directed against Berlioz by some French critics under the influence of the + younger musical party—the followers of d'Indy and Debussy.</p> + <p>It is also at the Châtelet that the keenest musical passion has been + preserved in the public, even to this day. Thanks to the size of the theatre, which + is one of the largest in Paris, and to the great number of cheap seats, you may + always find there a number of young students who make the most interested kind of + public possible. And the music is something more than a pleasure to them—it is + a necessity. There are some that make great sacrifices in order to have a seat at the + Sunday concerts. And many of these young men and women live all the week on the + thought of forgetting the world for a few hours in musical enjoyment. Such a public + did not exist in France before 1870. It is to the honour of the Châtelet and + the Pasdeloup concerts to have created it.</p> + <p>Édouard Colonne has done more than educate musical taste in France; for no + one has worked harder than he to break down the barriers that separated the French + public from the art of other lands; and, at the same time, he has himself helped + <a name="page276" id="page276"/>to make French + art known to foreigners. When he himself was conducting concerts all over Europe he + entrusted the conductorship at the Châtelet to the great German + <i>Kapellmeister</i> and to foreign composers—to Richard Strauss, Grieg, + Tschaikowsky, Hans Richter, Hermann Levi, Mottl, Nikisch, Mengelberg, Siegfried + Wagner, and many others. No other conductor has done so much for Parisian music + during the last thirty years; and we must not forget it.<a name="FNanchor_219_219" + id="FNanchor_219_219"></a><a href="#Footnote_219_219" class="fnanchor">[219]</a></p> + <p>The Lamoureux concerts have had from the beginning a very different character from + the Colonne concerts. That difference lies partly in the personality of the two + conductors, and partly in the fact that the Lamoureux concerts, although of later + date than the Colonne concerts by less than ten years, represent a new generation in + music. The progress of the musical public was singularly rapid: hardly had they + explored the rich treasure-house of Berlioz's music than they were making discoveries + in the world of Wagner. And in that world they needed a new guide, who had intimate + knowledge of Wagner's art and of German art in general. Charles Lamoureux was that + guide. In 1873 he conducted special performances of Bach and Händel, given by + the <i>Societé de l'Harmonie sacrée</i>. After leaving the + conductorship of the Opera, he inaugurated, on 21 October, 1881, at the + Château-d'Eau theatre, the <i>Société des Nouveaux Concerts</i>. + These concerts had at first very comprehensive programmes of <a + name="page277" id="page277"/>every kind of music and every kind of + school. At the first concert there were works of Beethoven, Händel, Gluck, + Sacchini, Cimarosa, and Berlioz. In the first year Lamoureux had Beethoven's <i>Ninth + Symphony</i> performed, as well as a large part of <i>Lohengrin</i>, and numerous + works of young French musicians. Various compositions of Lalo, Vincent d'Indy, and + Chabrier, were performed there for the first time. But it was especially to the study + of Wagner's works that Lamoureux most gladly devoted himself. It was he who gave the + first hearings of Wagner in their entirety in France, such as the first and second + act of <i>Tristan</i>, in 1884-1885. The Wagnerian battle was still going on at that + time, as the notice printed at the head of the programme of <i>Tristan</i> shows.</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"The management of the <i>Société des Nouveaux Concerts</i> is + desirous of avoiding any disturbance during the performance of the second act of + <i>Tristan</i>, and urgently and respectfully begs that the audience will abstain + from giving any mark of their approval or disapproval before the end of the + act."</p> + </div> + <p>The same year, in the Eden theatre, to which the concerts had been transferred, + Lamoureux conducted, for the first time in Paris, the first act of the + <i>Walküre</i>. In these concerts the tenor, Van Dyck, made his + <i>début</i>; later, he was one of the leading performers at Bayreuth. In + 1886-1887 Lamoureux rehearsed and conducted the only <a + name="page278" id="page278"/>performance of <i>Lohengrin</i> at the + Eden theatre. Disturbances in the streets prevented further performances. Lamoureux + then established himself in the concert-room of the Cirque des Champs + Élysées, where for eleven years he has given what are called the + <i>Concerts-Lamoureux</i>. He continued to spread the knowledge of Wagner's works, + and has sometimes had the help of some of the most celebrated of the Bayreuth + artists, among others, that of Mme. Materna and Lilli Lehmann. At the end of the + season of 1897 Lamoureux wished to disband his orchestra in order to conduct concerts + abroad. But the members of the orchestra decided to remain together under the name of + the <i>Association des Concerts-Lamoureux</i>, with Lamoureux's son-in-law, M. + Camille Chevillard, as conductor. But Lamoureux was not long before he returned to + the conductorship of the concerts, which had now returned to the Château-d'Eau + theatre; and a few months before his death, in 1899, he conducted the first + performance of <i>Tristan</i> at the Nouveau theatre. And so he had the happiness of + being present at the complete triumph of the cause for which he had fought so + stubbornly for nearly twenty years.<a name="FNanchor_220_220" + id="FNanchor_220_220"></a><a href="#Footnote_220_220" class="fnanchor">[220]</a></p> + <p>Lamoureux's performances of Wagner's works have been among the best that have ever + been given. He had a regard for the work as a whole and a care for its details, to + which the Colonne orchestra did not quite attain. On the other hand, Lamoureux's + <a name="page279" id="page279"/>defect was the + exuberant liveliness with which he interpreted compositions of a romantic nature. He + did not fully understand these works; and although he knew much more about classic + art than his rival, he rendered its letter rather than its spirit, and paid such + sedulous attention to detail that music like Beethoven's lost its intensity and its + life. But both his talents and his defects fitted him to be an excellent interpreter + of the young neo-Wagnerian school, the principal representatives of which in France + were then M. Vincent d'Indy and M. Emmanuel Chabrier. Lamoureux had need, to a + certain extent, to be himself directed either by the living traditions of Bayreuth, + or by the thought of modern and living composers; and the greatest service he + rendered to French music was his creation, thanks to his extreme care for material + perfection, of an orchestra that was marvellously equipped for symphonic music.</p> + <p>This seeking for perfection has been carried on by his successor, M. Camille + Chevillard, whose orchestra is even more refined still. One may say, I think, that it + is to-day the best in Paris. M. Chevillard is more attracted by pure music than + Lamoureux was; and he rightly finds that dramatic music has been occupying too large + a place in Parisian concerts. In a letter published by the <i>Mercure de France</i>, + in January, 1903, he reproaches the educators of public taste with having fostered a + liking for opera, and with not having awakened a respect for pure music: "Any four + bars from one of Mozart's quartettes have," he says, "a greater <a name="page280" id="page280"/>educational value + than a showy scene from an opera." No one in Paris conducts classic works better than + he, especially the works that possess clean, plastic beauty; and in Germany itself it + would be difficult to find anyone who would give a more delicate interpretation of + some of Händel's and Mozart's symphonic works. His orchestra has kept, moreover, + the superiority that it had already acquired in its repertory of Wagner's works. But + M. Chevillard has communicated a warmth and energy of rhythm to it that it did not + possess before. His interpretations of Beethoven, even if they are somewhat + superficial, are very full of life. Like Lamoureux, he has hardly caught the spirit + of French romantic works—of Berlioz, and still less of Franck and his school; + and he seems to have but lukewarm sympathy for the more recent developments of French + music. But he understands well the German romantic composers, especially Schumann, + for whom he has a marked liking; and he tried, though without great success, to + introduce Liszt and Brahms into France, and was the first among us to attract real + attention to Russian music, whose brilliant and delicate colouring he excels in + rendering. And, like M. Colonne, he has brought the great German <i>Kapellmeister</i> + among us—Weingartner, Nikisch, and Richard Strauss, the last mentioned having + directed the first performance in Paris of his symphonic poems, <i>Zarathustra</i>, + <i>Don Quixote</i>, and <i>Heldenleben</i>, at the Lamoureux concerts.</p> + <p>Nothing could have better completed the musical <a + name="page281" id="page281"/>education of the public than this + continuous defile, for the past ten years, of <i>Kapellmeister</i> and foreign + virtuosi, and the comparisons that their different styles and interpretations + afforded. Nothing has better helped forward the improvement of Parisian orchestras + than the emulation brought about by the meetings between Parisian conductors and + those of other countries. At present our own conductors are worthy rivals of the best + in Germany. The string instruments are good; the wood has kept its old French + superiority; and though the brass is still the weakest part of our orchestras, it has + made great progress. One may still criticise the grouping of orchestras at concerts, + for it is often defective; there is a disproportion between the different families of + instruments and, in consequence, between their different sonorities, some of which + are too thin and others too dull. But these defects are fairly common all over Europe + to-day. Unhappily, more peculiar to France is the insufficiency or poor quality of + the choirs, whose progress has been far from keeping pace with that of the + orchestras. It is to this side of music that the directors of concerts must now bring + their efforts to bear.</p> + <p>The Lamoureux Concerts have not had as stable a dwelling-place as the + Châtelet Concerts. They have wandered about Paris from one room to + another—from the Cirque d'Hiver to the Cirque d'Été, and from the + Château-d'Eau to the Nouveau Théâtre. At the present moment they + are in the Salle Gaveau, which is much too small for them. In spite of the progress + of music and musical taste, Paris <a name="page282" + id="page282"/>has not yet a concert-hall, as the smallest provincial + towns in Germany have; and this shameful indifference, unworthy of the artistic + renown of Paris, obliges the symphonic societies to take refuge in circuses or + theatres, which they share with other kinds of performers, though the acoustics of + these places are not intended for concerts. And so it happens that for six years the + Chevillard Concerts have been given at the back of a music-hall, which has the same + entrance, and which is only separated from the concert-room by a small passage, so + that the roaring choruses of a <i>danse du venire</i> may mingle with an adagio of + Beethoven's or a scene from the Tetralogy. Worse than this, the smallness of the + place into which these concerts have been crammed has been a serious obstacle in the + way of making them popular. Nevertheless, in the promenade and galleries of the + Nouveau Théâtre, in later years, arose what may be called a little war + over concertos. It was rather a curious episode in the history of the musical taste + of Paris, and merits a few words here. In every country, but especially in those + countries that are least musical, a virtuoso profits by public favour, often to the + detriment of the work he is performing; for what is most liked in music is the + musician. The virtuoso—whose importance must not be underrated, and who is + worthy of honour when he is a reverential and sympathetic interpreter of + genius—has too often taken a lamentable part, especially in Latin countries, in + the degrading of musical taste; for empty virtuosity makes a desert of art. The <a name="page283" id="page283"/>fashion of inept + fantasias and acrobatic variations has, it is true, gone by; but of late years + virtuosity has returned in an offensive way, and, sheltering itself under the solemn + classical name of "concertos," it usurped a place of rather exaggerated importance in + symphony concerts, and especially in M. Chevillard's concerts—a place which + Lamoureux would never have given it. Then the younger and more enthusiastic part of + the public began to revolt; and very soon, with perfect impartiality and quite + indiscriminately, began to hiss famous and obscure virtuosi alike in their + performance of any concerto, whether it was splendid or detestable. Nothing found + favour with them—neither the playing of Paderewski, nor the music of + Saint-Saëns and the great masters. The management of the concerts went its own + way and tried in vain to put out the disturbers, and to forbid them entry to the + concert-room; and the battle went on for a long time, and critics were drawn into it. + But in spite of its ridiculous excesses, and the barbarism of the methods by which + the parterre expressed its opinions, that quarrel is not without interest. It proved + how a passion and enthusiasm for music had been roused in France; and the passion, + though unjust in its expression, was more fruitful and of far greater worth than + indifference.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <h4>3. <i>The Schola Cantorum</i></h4> + <p>The Lamoureux Concerts had served their purpose, and, in their turn, their heroic + mission came <a name="page284" id="page284"/>to + an end. They had forced Wagner on Paris; and Paris, as always, had overshot the mark, + and could swear by no one but Wagner. French musicians were translating Gounod's or + Massenet's ideas into Wagner's style; Parisian critics repeated Wagner's theories at + random, whether they understood them or not—generally when they did not + understand them. A reaction was inevitable directly Paris was well saturated with + Wagner; and it came about in 1890, among a chosen few, some of whom had been, and + were even still, under Wagner's influence. It was at first only a mild reaction, and + showed itself in a return to the classics of the past and to the great primitives in + music.</p> + <p>There had been several attempts in this direction before, but none of them had + succeeded in making any impression on the mass of the public. In 1843, Joseph + Napoléon Ney, Prince of Moszkowa, founded in Paris a society for the + performance of religious and classical vocal music. This society, which the Prince + himself conducted in his own house, set itself to perform the vocal works of the + sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.<a name="FNanchor_221_221" + id="FNanchor_221_221"></a><a href="#Footnote_221_221" class="fnanchor">[221]</a></p> + <p>In 1853, Louis Niedermeyer founded in Paris an <i>École de musique + religieuse et classique</i>, which strove "to form singers, organists, choir-masters, + and composers of music, by the study of the classic works of the great masters of the + fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth <a name="page285" + id="page285"/>centuries." This school, subsidised by the State, was a + nursery for some real musicians. It reckoned among its pupils some noted composers, + conductors, organists, and historians; among others, M. Gabriel Fauré, M. + André Messager, M. Eugène Gigout, and M. Henry Expert. M. + Saint-Saëns was a professor there, and became its president. Nearly five hundred + organists, choir-masters, and professors of music of the Conservatoire and other + French colleges were trained there. But this school, serious in intention, and a + refuge for the classic spirit in the midst of the prevailing bad taste, did not + trouble itself about influencing the public, and, in fact, almost ignored it.</p> + <p>Lamoureux attempted in 1873 to perform the great choral works of Bach and + Händel; and in 1878 the celebrated French organist, M. Alexandre Guilmant, + ventured to give concerts at the Trocadéro for the organ and orchestra, which + were devoted to religious music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. But the + deplorable acoustics of the concert-room had a prejudicial effect on the works that + were performed there; and the public did not respond very warmly to M. Guilmant's + efforts, and seemed from the first only to find an historical interest in the + masterpieces, and to miss their depth and life altogether.</p> + <p>Then a pupil of Franck's, M. Henry Expert, who began his admirable works on + Musical History in 1882, laid the foundation of the <i>Société J.S. + Bach</i>, in order to spread the knowledge of ancient music written between the + twelfth and eighteenth cen<a name="page286" + id="page286"/>turies. And he succeeded in interesting in his + undertaking, not only the principal French musicians, such as César Franck, + Saint-Saëns, and Gounod, but also foreigners, such as Hans von Bülow, + Tschaikowsky, Grieg, Sgambati, and Gevaert. Unhappily this society never got farther + than arranging what it wanted to do, and only sketched out the plans that were + realised later by Charles Bordes.</p> + <p>The general public were not really interested in the art of the old musicians + until the <i>Association des Chanteurs de Saint-Gervais</i> was founded in 1892 by + Charles Bordes, the choirmaster of the church of Saint-Gervais. The immediate success + and the noisy renown of the Society were due to other things besides the talent of + its conductor, who combined with a lively artistic intelligence both common-sense and + energy and a remarkable gift for organisation—it was due partly to the help of + favourable circumstances, partly to the surfeit of Wagnerism, of which I have just + spoken, and partly to the birth of a new religious art, which had sprung up since the + death of César Franck round the memory of that great musician.</p> + <p>It is not my intention here to write an appreciation of César Franck's + genius, but it is not possible to understand the musical movement in Paris of the + last fifteen years if one does not take into account the importance of his teaching. + The organ class at the Conservatoire, where in 1872 Franck succeeded his old master + Benoist, was for a long time, as M. Vincent d'Indy says, "the true centre for the + <a name="page287" id="page287"/>study of + Composition at the Conservatoire. Many of his fellow-workers could never bring + themselves to look upon him as one of themselves, because he had the boldness to see + in art something other than the means of earning a living. Indeed, César + Franck was not of them; and they made him feel this." But the young students made no + mistake about the matter. "At this time," M. d'Indy also tells us,<a + name="FNanchor_222_222" id="FNanchor_222_222"></a><a href="#Footnote_222_222" + class="fnanchor">[222]</a> "that is to say from 1872 to 1876, the three courses of + Advanced Musical Composition were given by three professors who were not at all + fitted for their work. One was Victor Massé, a composer of simple light operas + and a man with no understanding of a symphony, who was very frequently ill and had to + entrust his teaching to one of his pupils; another was Henri Reber, an oldish + musician with narrow and dogmatic ideas; and the third was François Bazin, who + was not capable of distinguishing in his pupil's fugues a false answer from a true + one, and whose highest title to glory is derived from a composition called <i>Le + Voyage en Chine</i>. So it is not surprising that César Franck's teaching, + founded on that of Bach and Beethoven, but admitting, as well, imagination and all + new and liberal ideas, did, at that time, draw to him all young minds that had lofty + ambitions and that were really in love with their art. And so, quite unconsciously, + the master attracted to himself all the sincere and artistic talent that was + scattered <a name="page288" id="page288"/>about + the different classes of the Conservatoire, as well as that of his outside + pupils."</p> + <p>Among those who received his direct teaching<a name="FNanchor_223_223" + id="FNanchor_223_223"></a><a href="#Footnote_223_223" class="fnanchor">[223]</a> were + Henri Duparc, Alexis de Castillon, Vincent d'Indy, Ernest Chausson, Pierre de + Bréville, Augusta Holmes, Louis de Serres, Charles Bordes, Guy Ropartz, and + Guillaume Lekeu. And if to these we add the pupils in the organ classes, who also + came under his influence, we have, among others, Samuel Rousseau, Gabriel + Pierné, Auguste Chapuis, Paul Vidal, and Georges Marty; and also the virtuosi + who were for some time intimate with him, such as Armand Parent and Eugène + Ysaye, to whom Franck dedicated his violin sonata. And if one thinks, too, of the + artists who, though not his pupils, felt his power—artists such as Gabriel + Fauré, Alexandre Guilmant, Emmanuel Chabrier, and Paul Dukas—one may see + that nearly the whole musical generation of Paris of that time took its inspiration + from César Franck. And it was largely with the intention of perpetuating his + teaching that his pupils, Charles Bordes and Vincent d'Indy, and his friend, + Alexandre Guilmant, founded in 1894, four years after his death, the <i>Schola + Cantorum</i>, which has kept his memory alive ever since.</p> + <p>"Our revered father, Franck," said Vincent d'Indy, in a speech, "is in some ways + the grandfather of the <i>Schola Cantorum</i>; for it is his system of teaching that + we apply and try to carry on here."<a name="FNanchor_224_224" id="FNanchor_224_224"></a><a href="#Footnote_224_224" + class="fnanchor">[224]</a><a name="page289" + id="page289"/></p> + <p>The influence of Franck was twofold: it was artistic and moral. On the one hand he + was, if I may so put it, an admirable professor of musical architecture; he founded a + school of symphony and chamber-music such as France had never had before, which in + certain directions was newer and more daring than that of the German symphony + writers. And, on the other hand, he exercised by his own character a memorable + influence over all those who came into contact with him. His profound faith, that + fine, indulgent, and calm faith, shone round him like a glory. The Catholic party, + who were awakening to new life in France just then, tried, after his death, to + identify his ideals with their own. But this was, as we have said elsewhere,<a + name="FNanchor_225_225" id="FNanchor_225_225"></a><a href="#Footnote_225_225" + class="fnanchor">[225]</a> to narrow Franck's mind; for its great charm lay in its + harmonious union of religion and liberty, which never limited its artistic sympathies + to an exclusive ideal. The composer's son, M. Georges César-Franck, has in + vain protested against this monopoly of his father, and says:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"According to certain writers, who wish to reduce everything to a dead level and + deduce all things from a single cause, César Franck was a mystic whose true + domain was religious music. Nothing could be wider of the mark. The public is given + to generalisations, and is too easily gulled. They will judge a composer on a + single work, or a group of works, and class him once and for all.... In reality, my + father was a man of all-round <a name="page290" + id="page290"/>accomplishments. As a finished musician, he was + master of every form of composition. He wrote both religious and secular + music—melodies, dances, pastorales, oratorios, symphonic poems, symphonies, + sonatas, trios, and operas. He did not confine his attention to any particular kind + of work to the exclusion of other kinds; he was able to express himself in any way + he chose."<a name="FNanchor_226_226" id="FNanchor_226_226"></a><a + href="#Footnote_226_226" class="fnanchor">[226]</a></p> + </div> + <p>But as what was really religious in him found itself in agreement with a current + of thought that was rather powerful at that time, it was inevitable that this one + side of his genius should be first brought to light, and that religious music should + be the first to benefit by his work. And also one of the early manifestos<a + name="FNanchor_227_227" id="FNanchor_227_227"></a><a href="#Footnote_227_227" + class="fnanchor">[227]</a> of the <i>Schola Cantorum</i> dealt with the reform of + sacred music by carrying it back to great ancient models; and its first decision was + as follows: "Gregorian chant shall rest for all time the fountain-head and the base + of the Church's music, and shall constitute the only model by which it may be truly + judged."<a name="FNanchor_228_228" id="FNanchor_228_228"></a><a + href="#Footnote_228_228" class="fnanchor">[228]</a></p> + <p><a name="page291" id="page291"/>They added + to this, however, music <i>à la Palestrina</i>, and any music that conformed + to its principles or was inspired by its example. Such archaic ideas would certainly + never create a new kind of religious music, but at least they have helped to restore + the old art; and they received their official consecration in the famous letter + written by Pope Pius X on the Re-form of Sacred Music.</p> + <p>The achievement of an artistic ideal so restricted as this would not have + sufficed, however, to assure the success of the <i>Schola Cantorum</i>, nor establish + its authority with a public that was, whatever people may say, only lukewarm in its + religion, and that would only interest itself in the religious art of other days as + it would in a passing fashion. But the spirit of curiosity and the meaning of modern + life began to weigh little by little with the Schola's principles. After singing + Palestrinian and Gregorian chants at the Church of Saint-Gervais during Holy Week, + they played Carissimi, Schütz, and the Italian and German masters of the + seventeenth century. Then came Bach's cantatas; and their performance, given by M. + Bordes in the Salle d'Harcourt, attracted large audiences and started the cult of + this master in Paris. Then they sang Rameau and Gluck; and, finally, all ancient + music, sacred or secular, was approved. And so this little school, <a name="page292" id="page292"/>which had been + consecrated to the cult of ancient religious music, and had made so modest a + beginning,<a name="FNanchor_229_229" id="FNanchor_229_229"></a><a + href="#Footnote_229_229" class="fnanchor">[229]</a> developed into a School of Art + capable of satisfying modern wants; and in 1900, when M. Vincent d'Indy became + president of the <i>Schola</i>, it was decided to move the school into larger + premises in the Rue Saint-Jacques.</p> + <p>The programme of this new school was explained by M. Vincent d'Indy in his + Inauguration speech on 2 November, 1900, and showed how he based the foundations of + musical teaching upon history.</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"Art, in its journey across the ages, is a microcosm which has, like the world + itself, successive stages of youth, maturity, and old age; but it never + dies—it renews itself perpetually. It is not like a perfect circle; it is + like a spiral, and in its growth is always mounting higher. I believe in making + students follow the same path that art itself has followed, so that they shall + undergo during their term of study the same transformations that music itself has + undergone during the centuries. In this way they will come out much better armed + for the difficulties of modern art, since they will have lived, so to speak, the + life of art, and followed the natural and inevitable order of the forms that made + up the different epochs of artistic development."</p> + </div> + <p><a name="page293" id="page293"/>M. d'Indy + claims that this system may be applied as successfully to instrumentalists and + singers as to future composers. "For it is as profitable for them to know," he says, + "how to sing a liturgic monody properly, or to be able to play a Corelli sonata in a + suitable style, as it is for composers to study the structure of a motet or a suite." + M. d'Indy, moreover, obliged all students, without distinction, to attend the + lectures on vocal music; and, besides that, he instituted a special class to teach + the conducting of orchestras—which was something quite new to France. His + object, as he clearly said, was to give a new form to modern music by means of a + knowledge of the music of the past.</p> + <p>On this subject he says:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"Where shall we find the quickening life that will give us fresh forms and + formulas? The source is not really difficult to discover. Do not let us seek it + anywhere but in the decorative art of the plain-song singers, in the architectural + art of the age of Palestrina, and in the expressive art of the great Italians of + the seventeenth century. It is there, and <i>there alone</i>, that we shall find + melodic craft, rhythmic cadences, and a harmonic magnificence that is really + new—if our modern spirit can only learn how to absorb their nutritious + essence. And so I prescribe for all pupils in the School the careful study of + classic forms, because <i>they alone</i> are able to give the elements of a new + life to our music, which <a name="page294" + id="page294"/>will be founded on principles that are sane, solid, + and trustworthy."<a name="FNanchor_230_230" id="FNanchor_230_230"></a><a + href="#Footnote_230_230" class="fnanchor">[230]</a></p> + </div> + <p>This fine and intelligent eclecticism was likely to develop a critical spirit, but + was rather less adapted to form original personalities. In any case, however, it was + excellent discipline in the formation of musical taste; and, in truth, the + <i>École Supérieure de musique</i> of the Rue Saint-Jacques became a + new Conservatoire, both more modern and more learned than the old Conservatoire, and + freer, and yet less free, because more self-satisfied. The school developed very + quickly. From having twenty-one pupils in 1896, it had three hundred and twenty in + 1908. Eminent musicians and professors learned in the history and science of music + taught there, and M. d'Indy himself took the Composition classes.<a + name="FNanchor_231_231" id="FNanchor_231_231"></a><a href="#Footnote_231_231" + class="fnanchor">[231]</a> And in its short career the <i>Schola</i> may already be + credited with the training of young composers, such as MM. Roussel, Déodat de + Séverac, Gustave Bret, Labey, Samazeuilh, R. de Castéra, + Sérieyx, Alquier, Coindreau, Estienne, Le Flem, and Groz; and to these may be + added M. d'Indy's private pupils, Witkowski, and one of the foremost of modern + composers, Alberic Magnard.</p> + <p>Outside the influence that the School exercises by its teaching, its propaganda by + means of concerts and publications is very active. From its founda<a name="page295" id="page295"/>tion up to 1904 it + had given two hundred performances in one hundred and thirty provincial towns; more + than one hundred and fifty concerts in Paris, of which fifty were of orchestral and + choral music, sixty of organ music, and forty of chamber-music. These concerts have + been well attended by enthusiastic and appreciative audiences, and have been a school + for public taste. One does not look for perfect execution there,<a + name="FNanchor_232_232" id="FNanchor_232_232"></a><a href="#Footnote_232_232" + class="fnanchor">[232]</a> but for intelligent interpretations and a thirst for a + fuller knowledge of the great works of the past. They have revived Monteverde's + <i>Orfeo</i> and his <i>Incoronazione di Poppea</i>, which had been forgotten these + three centuries; and it was following an interest created by repeated performances of + Rameau at the <i>Schola</i><a name="FNanchor_233_233" id="FNanchor_233_233"></a><a + href="#Footnote_233_233" class="fnanchor">[233]</a> that <i>Dardanus</i> was + performed at Dijon under M. d'Indy's direction, <i>Castor et Pollux</i> at + Montpellier under M. Charles Bordes' direction, and that in 1908 the Opera at Paris + gave <i>Hippolyte et Aricie</i>. Branches of the <i>Schola</i> have, been started at + Lyons, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Avignon, Montpellier, Nancy, Épinal, + Montluçon, Saint-Chamond, and Saint-Jean-de<a + name="page296" id="page296"/>Luz.<a name="FNanchor_234_234" + id="FNanchor_234_234"></a><a href="#Footnote_234_234" class="fnanchor">[234]</a> A + publishing house has been associated with the School at Paris; and from this we get + Reviews, such as the <i>Tribune de Saint-Gervais</i>; publications of old music, such + as the <i>Anthologie des maîtres religieux primitifs des XVe, XVIe, et XVIIe + siècles</i>, edited by Charles Bordes; the <i>Archives des maîtres de + l'orgue des XVIe, XVIIe, et XVIIIe siècles</i>, edited by Alexandre Guilmant + and André Pirro; the <i>Concerts spirituels de la Schola</i>, the new editions + of <i>Orfeo</i>, and the <i>Incoronazione di Poppea</i>, edited by M. Vincent d'Indy; + and publications of modern music, such as the <i>Collection du chant populaire</i>, + the <i>Répertoire moderne de musique vocale et d'orgue</i>, and, notably, the + <i>Édition mutuelle</i>, published by the composers themselves, whose property + it is.</p> + <p>And all this shows such a marvellous activity and gives evidence of such + whole-hearted enthusiasm that I cannot bring myself to join issue with the critics + who have lately attacked the <i>Schola</i>, though their attacks have been in some + degree merited. Pettiness is to be found even in great artists, and imperfection in + every human work; and defects reveal themselves most clearly after a victory has been + won. The <i>Schola</i> has not escaped the critical periods that accompany growth, + through which <a name="page297" id="page297"/> + every work must pass if it is to triumph and endure. Without doubt, the sudden + illness and premature retirement of the founder of the work, M. Charles Bordes, + deprived the <i>Schola</i> of one of its most active forces—a force that was + perhaps necessary for the school's successful development. For this man had been the + school's life and soul, and retired, worn out by the heavy labours which he had borne + alone during ten years.<a name="FNanchor_235_235" id="FNanchor_235_235"></a><a + href="#Footnote_235_235" class="fnanchor">[235]</a></p> + <p>But M. d'Indy, like a courageous apostle, has continued the direction of the + <i>Schola</i> with a firm hand and unwearying care, despite his varied activities as + composer, professor, and <i>Kapellmeister</i>; and he is one of the surest and most + reliable guides for a young school of French music. And if his mind is rather given + to abstractions, and his moods are sometimes rather combative, and certain prejudices + (which are not always musical ones) make him lean towards ideals of reason and + immovable faith—and if at times his followers unconsciously distort his ideas, + and try to dam the stream which flows from life itself, I am convinced it is only the + <a name="page298" id="page298"/>passing + evidence of a reaction, perhaps a natural one, against the exaggerations they have + encountered, and that the <i>Schola</i> will always know how to avoid the rocks where + revolutionaries of the past have run aground and become the conservatives of the + morrow. I hope the <i>Schola</i> will never grow into the kind of aristocratic school + that builds walls about itself, but will always open wide its doors and welcome every + new force in music, even to such as have ideals opposed to its own. Its future renown + and the well-being of French art can only thus be maintained.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <h4>4. <i>The Chamber-Music Societies</i></h4> + <p>On parallel lines with the big symphony concerts and the new + <i>conservatoires</i>, societies were formed to spread the knowledge of, and form a + taste for, chamber-music. This music, so common in Germany, was almost unknown in + Paris before 1870. There was nothing but the Maurin Quartette, which gave five or six + concerts every winter in the Salle Pleyel, and played Beethoven's last quartettes + there. But these performances only attracted a small number of artists;<a + name="FNanchor_236_236" id="FNanchor_236_236"></a><a href="#Footnote_236_236" + class="fnanchor">[236]</a> and so far as the general public was concerned the + <i>Société des derniers quar<a name="page299" + id="page299"/>tuors de Beethoven</i> had the reputation for devoting + itself to a singular and incomprehensible kind of music that had been written by a + deaf man.</p> + <p>The true founder of chamber-music concerts in Paris was M. Émile Lemoine, + who started the society called <i>La Trompette</i>. He has given us a history of his + work in the <i>Revue Musicale</i> (15 October, 1903). He was an engineer at the + École Poly-technique; and after he had left school he formed, about 1860, a + quartette society of earnest amateurs, though they were not very skilled performers. + This little society continued to meet regularly, and after perfecting itself little + by little, finally opened its doors to the general public, which attended the + concerts in gradually increasing numbers. Then <i>La Trompette</i> came into being. + It prospered from the day that M. Saint-Saëns—who was at that time a young + man—made its acquaintance. He was pleased with these gatherings, and became an + intimate friend of Lemoine; and he interested himself in the society, and induced + other celebrated artists to take an interest in it, too. Among its early friends were + MM. Alphonse Duvernoy, Diémer, Pugno, Delsart, Breitner, Delaborde, Ch. de + Bériot, Fissot, Marsick, Loëb, Rémy, and Holmann. With such + patronage, <i>La Trompette</i> soon acquired fame in the musical world, and "it + represented in classical chamber-music the semi-official part played by the + <i>Société des Concerts du Conservatoire</i> in classical orchestral + music. Rubinstein, Paderewski, Eugène d'Albert, Hans von Bülow, Arthur de + Greef, Mme. Essipoff, and Mme. Menter, never missed getting a <a name="page300" id="page300"/>hearing there when + their tours led them to Paris; and to figure on the programme of <i>La Trompette</i> + was like the consecration of an artist." Such a society naturally contributed a great + deal to the spread of classical chamber-music in Paris. M. Lemoine writes:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"Classical music was so little known to the musical public that even the + audiences of <i>La Trompette</i>, cultured as they were, did not at all understand + Beethoven's last quartettes; and my friends jeered at my taste for enigmas. This + only made me the more determined that they should hear one of these great works at + each concert. And sometimes I would give the same work at two or three concerts + running if I thought it had not been properly appreciated. In that case I used to + say before the performance: 'It seems to me that such-and-such a work has not been + quite understood at the last hearing; and as it is a really marvellous work, I am + sure that your feeling is that you do not know it sufficiently. So I have included + it in to-day's programme.'"<a name="FNanchor_237_237" id="FNanchor_237_237"></a><a + href="#Footnote_237_237" class="fnanchor">[237]</a></p> + </div> + <p>These performances of sonatas, trios, and quartettes, were attentively listened to + by an audience of five or six hundred persons, the greater part of <a name="page301" id="page301"/>them cultured people, + students from the poly-technics and universities, who formed the kernel of a very + discerning and enthusiastic public for chamber-music.</p> + <p>By degrees, following the example of Émile Lemoine, other quartette + societies were formed; and at present they are so numerous that it would be difficult + to name them all. And then there sprang up the same spirit of intelligent curiosity + that had induced the French <i>Kapellmeister</i> of the symphony concert societies + sometimes to introduce their German and Russian colleagues as conductors; and for + this purpose the <i>Nouvelle Société Philharmonique de Paris</i> was + founded, in 1901, on the initiative of Dr. Fränkel and under the direction of M. + Emmanuel Rey, to give a hearing in Paris to the principal foreign quartette players. + And the profit was as great in one case as in the other; and the friendly rivalry + between French quartette players and those of other countries bore good fruit, and + gave us a fuller understanding of the inner character of German music.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <h4>5. <i>Musical Learning and the University</i></h4> + <p>While this movement was going on in the artistic world, scholars were taking their + share in it, and music was beginning to invade the University.</p> + <p>But the thing was brought about with some difficulty; for among these serious + people music did not count as a serious study. Music was thought <a name="page302" id="page302"/>of as an agreeable + art, a social accomplishment, and the idea of making it the subject of scientific + teaching must have been received with some amusement. Even up to the present time, + general histories of Art have refused to accord music a place, so little was thought + of it; and other arts were indignant at being mentioned in the same breath with it. + This is illustrated in the eternal dispute among M. Jourdain's masters, when the + fencing-master says:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"And from this we know what great consideration is due to us in a State; and how + the science of Fencing is far above all useless sciences, such as dancing and + music."</p> + </div> + <p>The first lectures on Aesthetics and Musical History were not given in France + until after the war of 1870.<a name="FNanchor_238_238" id="FNanchor_238_238"></a><a + href="#Footnote_238_238" class="fnanchor">[238]</a> They were then given at the + Conservatoire, and, until quite lately, were the only lectures on Music of any + importance in Paris. Since 1878 they have been given in a very excellent way by M. + Bourgault-Ducoudray; but, as is only natural in a school of music, their character is + artistic rather than scientific, and takes the form of a sort of illustration of the + practical work that is done at the Conservatoire. And as for Parisian musical + criticism as a whole, it had, thirty years ago, an <a + name="page303" id="page303"/>almost exclusively literary character, + and was without technical precision or historical knowledge.</p> + <p>There again, on the territory of science, as on that of art, a new generation of + musicians had sprung up since the war, a group of men versed in the history and + aesthetics of music such as France had never known before. About 1890 the result of + their labours began to appear. Henry Expert published his fine work, <i>Maîtres + Musiciens de la Renaissance</i>, in which he revived a whole century of French music. + Alexander Guilmant and André Pirro brought to daylight the works of our + seventeenth and eighteenth century organists. Pierre Aubry studied mediaeval music. + The admirable publications of the Benedictines of Solesmes awoke at the <i>Schola</i> + and in the world outside it a taste for the study of religious music. Michel Brenet + attacked all epochs of musical history, and produced, by his solid learning, some + fine work. Julien Tiersot began the history of French folk-song, and rescued the + music of the Revolution from oblivion. The publisher Durand set to work on his great + editions of Rameau and Couperin. Towards 1893 the study of Music was introduced at + the Sorbonne by some young professors, who made the subject the theses for their + doctor's degree.<a name="FNanchor_239_239" id="FNanchor_239_239"></a><a + href="#Footnote_239_239" class="fnanchor">[239]</a><a + name="page304" id="page304"/></p> + <p>This movement with regard to musical study grew rapidly; and the first + International Congress of Music, held in Paris at the time of the Universal + Exhibition of 1900, gave historians of music an opportunity of realising their + influence. In a few years, teaching about music was to be had everywhere. At first + there were the free lectures of M. Lionel Dauriac and M. Georges Houdard at the + Sorbonne, those of MM. Aubry, Gastoué, Pirro, and Vincent d'Indy at the + <i>Schola</i> and the <i>Institut Catholique</i>; and then, at the beginning of 1902, + there was the little Faculty of Music of the <i>École des Hautes Études + sociales</i>, making a centre for the efforts of French scholars of music; and, in + 1900, two official courses of lectures on Musical History and Aesthetics were given + at the College de France and the Sorbonne.</p> + <p>The progress of musical criticism was just as rapid. Professors of faculties, old + pupils of the École Normale Supérieure, or the École des + Chartes, such as Henri Lichtenberger, Louis Laloy, and Pierre Aubrey, examined works + of the past, and even of the present, by the exact methods of historical criticism. + Choir-masters and organists of great erudition, such as Andre Pirro and + Gastoué, and composers like Vincent d'Indy, Dukas, Debussy, and some others, + analysed their art with the confidence that the intimate knowledge of its practice + <a name="page305" id="page305"/>brings. A + perfect efflorescence of works on music appeared. A galaxy of distinguished writers + and a public were found to support two separate collections of Biographies of + Musicians (which were issued at the same time by different publishers), as well as + five or six good musical journals of a scientific character, some of which rivalled + the best in Germany. And, finally, the French section of the <i>Société + Internationale de Musique</i>, which was founded in 1899 in Berlin to establish + communication between the scholars of all countries, found so favourable a ground + with us that the number of its adherents in Paris alone is now over one hundred.</p> + <hr style='width: 45%;' /> + <h4>6. <i>Music and the People</i></h4> + <p>Thus music had almost come back to its own, as far as the higher kind of teaching + and the intellectual world were concerned. It remained for a place to be found for it + in other kinds of teaching; for there, and especially in secondary education, its + advance was less sure. It remained for us to make it enter into the life of the + nation and into the people's education. This was a difficult task, for in France art + has always had an aristocratic character; and it was a task in which neither the + State nor musicians were very interested. The Republic still continued to regard + music as something outside the people. There had even been opposition shown during + the last thirty years towards any <a name="page306" + id="page306"/>attempt at popular musical education. In the old days + of the Pasdeloup concerts one could pay seventy-five centimes for the cheapest + places, and have a seat for that; but at some of the symphony concerts to-day the + cheapest seats are two and four francs. And so the people that sometimes came to the + Pasdeloup concerts never come at all to the big concerts to-day.</p> + <p>And that is why one should applaud the enterprise of Victor Charpentier, who, in + March, 1905, founded a Symphonic Society of amateurs called <i>L'Orchestre</i>, to + give free hearings for the benefit of the people. And in that Paris, where forty + years ago one would have had a good deal of trouble to get together two or three + amateur quartettes, Victor Charpentier has been able to count on one hundred and + fifty good performers,<a name="FNanchor_240_240" id="FNanchor_240_240"></a><a + href="#Footnote_240_240" class="fnanchor">[240]</a> who under his direction, or that + of Saint-Saëns or Gabriel Fauré, have already given seventeen free + concerts, of which ten were given at the Trocadéro.<a name="FNanchor_241_241" + id="FNanchor_241_241"></a><a href="#Footnote_241_241" class="fnanchor">[241]</a> It + is to be hoped that the State will help forward such a generous work for the people + in a rather more practical way than it has done up till now.<a + name="FNanchor_242_242" id="FNanchor_242_242"></a><a href="#Footnote_242_242" + class="fnanchor">[242]</a><a name="page307" + id="page307"/></p> + <p>Attempts have been made at different times to found a <i>Théâtre + Lyrique Populaire</i>. But up to the present time none has succeeded. The first + attempts were made in 1847. M. Carvalho's old Théâtre-Lyrique was never + a financial success, though quite distinguished performances of operas were given + there, such as Gounod's <i>Faust</i> and Gluck's <i>Orfeo</i>, with Mme. Viardot as + an interpreter and Berlioz as conductor; and the directors who followed + Carvalho—Rety, Pasdeloup, etc.—did not succeed any better. In 1875 + Vizentini took over the Gaîté, with a grant of two hundred thousand + francs and excellent artists; but he had to give it up. Since then all sorts of other + schemes have been tried by Viollet-le-Duc, Guimet, Lamoureux, Melchior de + Vogüé and Julien Goujon, Gabriel Parisot, Colonne and Milliet, Deville, + Lagoanère, Corneille,<a name="page308" + id="page308"/>Gailhard, and Carré; but none of them achieved + any success. At the moment, a new attempt is being made; and this time the thing + seems to show every sign of being a success.</p> + <p>But whatever may be the educational value of the theatre and concerts, they are + not complete enough in themselves for the people. To make their influence deep and + enduring it must be combined with teaching. Music, no less than every other + expression of thought, has no use for the illiterate.</p> + <p>So in this case there was everything to be done. There was no other popular + teaching but that of the numerous Galin-Paris-Chevé schools. These schools + have rendered great service, and are continuing to render it; but their simplified + methods are not without drawbacks and gaps. Their purpose is to teach the people a + musical language different from that of cultured people; and although it may not be + as difficult as is supposed to go from a knowledge of the one to a knowledge of the + other, it is always wrong to raise up a fresh barrier—however small it + is—between the cultured people and the other people, who in our own country are + already too widely separated.</p> + <p>And besides, it is not enough to know one's letters; one must also have books to + read. What books have the people had?—so far songs sung at the café + concerts and the stupid repertoires of choral societies. The folk-song had + practically disappeared, and was not yet ready for re-birth; for the populace, even + more readily than the cul<a name="page309" + id="page309"/>tured people, are inclined to blush at anything which + suggests "popularity."<a name="FNanchor_243_243" id="FNanchor_243_243"></a><a + href="#Footnote_243_243" class="fnanchor">[243]</a></p> + <p>It is nearly twenty-five years since M. Bourgault-Ducoudray, who was one of the + people who fostered the growth of choral singing in France, pointed out, in an + account of the teaching of singing, the usefulness of making children sing the old + popular airs of the French provinces, and of getting the teachers to make collections + of them. In 1895, as the result of a meeting organised by the <i>Correspondance + générale de l'Instruction primaire</i>, delightful collections of + folk-songs were distributed in the schools. The melodies were taken from old airs + collected by M. Julien Tiersot, and M. Maurice Buchor had put some fresh and + sparkling verses to them. "M. Buchor," I wrote at the time, "will enjoy a pleasure + not common to poets of our day: his songs will soar up into the open air, like the + lark in his <i>Chanson de labour</i>. The populace may even recognise its own spirit + in them, and one day take possession of them, as if they were of their own + contriving."<a name="FNanchor_244_244" id="FNanchor_244_244"></a><a + href="#Footnote_244_244" class="fnanchor">[244]</a> This prediction has been almost + com<a name="page310" id="page310"/>pletely + realised, and M. Buchor's songs are now the property of all the people of France.</p> + <p>But M. Buchor did not remain content to be a poet of popular song. During the last + twelve years he has made, with untiring energy, a tour of all the Écoles + Normales in France, returning several times to places where he found signs of good + vocal ability. In each school he made the pupils sing his songs—in unison, or + in two or three parts, sometimes massing the boys' and girls' schools of one town + together. His ambition grew with his success; and to the folk-song melodies<a + name="FNanchor_245_245" id="FNanchor_245_245"></a><a href="#Footnote_245_245" + class="fnanchor">[245]</a> he began gradually to add pieces of classical music. And + to impress the music better on the singers he changed the existing words, and tried + to find others, which by their moral and poetic beauty more exactly translated the + musical feeling.<a name="FNanchor_246_246" id="FNanchor_246_246"></a><a + href="#Footnote_246_246" class="fnanchor">[246]</a></p> + <p><a name="page311" id="page311"/>And at last + he composed and grouped together twenty-four poems in his <i>Poème de la Vie + humaine</i><a name="FNanchor_247_247" id="FNanchor_247_247"></a><a + href="#Footnote_247_247" class="fnanchor">[247]</a>—fine odes and songs, + written for classic airs and choruses, a vast repertory of the people's joys and + sorrows, fitting the momentous hours of family or public life. With a people that has + ancient musical traditions, as Germany has, music is the vehicle for the words and + impresses them in the heart; but in France's case it is truer to say that the words + have brought the music of Händel and Beethoven into the hearts of French + school-children. The great thing is that the music has really got hold of them, and + that now one may hear the provincial Écoles Normales performing choruses from + <i>Fidelio, The Messiah</i>, Schumann's<a name="page312" + id="page312"/><i>Faust</i>, or Bach cantatas.<a + name="FNanchor_248_248" id="FNanchor_248_248"></a><a href="#Footnote_248_248" + class="fnanchor">[248]</a> The honour of this remarkable achievement, which no one + could have believed possible twenty years ago, belongs almost entirely to M. Maurice + Buchor.<a name="FNanchor_249_249" id="FNanchor_249_249"></a><a + href="#Footnote_249_249" class="fnanchor">[249]</a></p> + <p>M. Buchor's endeavours have been the most extensive and the most fruitful, but he + is not alone in individual effort. There was, twenty years ago, in the suburbs of + Paris and in the provinces, a large number of well-meaning people who devoted + themselves to the work of musical education with sincerity and splendid enthusiasm. + But their good works were too isolated, and were swamped by the <a name="page313" id="page313"/>apathy of the people + about them; though sometimes they kindled little fires of love and understanding in + art, which only needed coaxing in order to burn brightly; and even their less happy + efforts generally succeeded in lighting a few sparks, which were left smouldering in + people's hearts.<a name="FNanchor_250_250" id="FNanchor_250_250"></a><a + href="#Footnote_250_250" class="fnanchor">[250]</a></p> + <p>At length, as a result of these individual efforts, the State began to show an + interest in this educational movement, although it had for so long stood apart from + it.<a name="FNanchor_251_251" id="FNanchor_251_251"></a><a href="#Footnote_251_251" + class="fnanchor">[251]</a> It discovered, in its turn, the educational value of + singing. A musical test was instituted at the examination for the <i>Brevet + supérieur</i><a name="FNanchor_252_252" id="FNanchor_252_252"></a><a + href="#Footnote_252_252" class="fnanchor">[252]</a> which made the study of solfeggio + a more serious matter in the Écoles Normales. In 1903 an endeavour was made to + organise the teaching of music in the schools and colleges in a more rational way.<a + name="FNanchor_253_253" id="FNanchor_253_253"></a><a href="#Footnote_253_253" + class="fnanchor">[253]</a></p> + <p><a name="page314" id="page314"/>In 1904, + following the suggestions of M. Saint-Saëns and M. Bourgault-Ducoudray, + class-singing was incorporated with other subjects in the programme of teaching,<a + name="FNanchor_254_254" id="FNanchor_254_254"></a><a href="#Footnote_254_254" + class="fnanchor">[254]</a> and a free school of choral singing was started in Paris + under the honorary chairmanship of M. Henry Marcel, director of the Beaux-Arts, and + under the direction of M. Radiguer. Quite lately a choral society for young + school-girls has been formed, with the Vice-Provost as president and a membership of + from six to seven hundred young girls, who since 1906 have given an annual concert + under the direction of M. Gabriel Pierné. And lastly, at the end of 1907, an + association of professors was started to undertake the teaching of music in the + institutions of public instruction; its chairman was the Inspector-General, M. + Gilles, and its honorary presidents were M. Liard and M. Saint-Saëns. Its object + is to aid the progress of musical instruction by establishing a centre to promote + friendly relations among professors of music; by centralising their interests and + studies; by organising a circulating library of music and a periodical magazine in + which questions relating to music may be discussed; by establishing communication + between French professors and foreign professors; and by seeking to bring together + professors of music and professors in other branches of public teaching.</p> + <p>All this is not much, and we are yet terribly behindhand, especially as regards + secondary teaching, which is considered less important than primary <a name="page315" id="page315"/>teaching.<a + name="FNanchor_255_255" id="FNanchor_255_255"></a><a href="#Footnote_255_255" + class="fnanchor">[255]</a> But we are scrambling out of an abyss of ignorance, and it + is something to have the desire to get out of it. We must remember that Germany has + not always been in its present plethoric state of musical prosperity. The great + choral societies only date from the end of the eighteenth century. Germany in the + time of Bach was poor—if not poorer—in means for performing choral works + than France to-day. Bach's only executants were his pupils at the Thomasschule at + Leipzig, of which barely a score knew how to sing.<a name="FNanchor_256_256" + id="FNanchor_256_256"></a><a href="#Footnote_256_256" class="fnanchor">[256]</a> And + now these people gather together for the great <i>Männergesangsfeste</i> (choral + festivals) and the <i>Musikfeste</i> (music festivals) of Imperial Germany.</p> + <p>Let us hope on and persevere. The main thing is that a start has been made; the + thing that remains is to have patience and—persistence.</p> + <br /> + <a name='present' id='present'></a> + <h4>THE PRESENT CONDITION OF FRENCH MUSIC</h4> + <p>We have seen how the musical education of France is going on in theatres, in + concerts, in schools, by lectures and by books; and the Parisian's rather restless + desire for knowledge seems to be satisfied for the moment. The mind of Paris has made + a journey—a hasty journey, it is true <a name="page316" + id="page316"/>through the music of other countries and other times,<a + name="FNanchor_257_257" id="FNanchor_257_257"></a><a href="#Footnote_257_257" + class="fnanchor">[257]</a> and is now becoming introspective. After a mad enthusiasm + over discoveries in strange lands, music and musical criticism have regained their + self-possession and their jealous love of independence. A very decided reaction + against foreign music has been shown since the time of the Universal Exhibition of + 1900. This movement is not unconnected, consciously or unconsciously, with the + nationalist train of thought, which was stirred up in France, and especially in + Paris, somewhere about the same time. But it is also a natural development in the + evolution of music. French music felt new vigour springing up within her, and was + astonished at it; her days of preparation were over, and she aspired to fly alone; + and, in accordance with the eternal rule of history, the first use she made of her + newly-acquired strength was to defy her teachers. And this revolt against foreign + influences was directed—one had expected it—against the strongest of the + influences—the influence of German music as personified by Wagner. Two + discussions in magazines, in 1903 and 1904, brought this state of mind curiously to + light: one was an enquiry held by M. Jacques Morland in the <i>Mercure de France</i> + (January, 1903) as to <i>The Influence of German Music in France</i>; and the other + was that of M. Paul Landormy in the <i>Revue Bleue</i> (March and April,<a name="page317" id="page317"/>1904) as to <i>The + Present Condition of French Music</i>. The first was like a shout of deliverance, and + was not without exaggeration and a good deal of ingratitude; for it represented + French musicians and critics throwing off Wagner's influence because it had had its + day; the second set forth the theories of the new French school, and declared the + independence of that school.</p> + <p>For several years the leader of the young school, M. Claude Debussy, has, in his + writings in the <i>Revue Blanche</i> and <i>Gil Blas</i>, attacked Wagnerian art. His + personality is very French—capricious, poetic, and <i>spirituelle</i>, full of + lively intelligence, heedless, independent, scattering new ideas, giving vent to + paradoxical caprice, criticising the opinions of centuries with the teasing + impertinence of a little street boy, attacking great heroes of music like Gluck, + Wagner, and Beethoven, upholding only Bach, Mozart, and Weber, and loudly professing + his preference for the old French masters of the eighteenth century. But in spite of + this he is bringing back to French music its true nature and its forgotten + ideals—its clearness, its elegant simplicity, its naturalness, and especially + its grace and plastic beauty. He wishes music to free itself from all literary and + philosophic pretensions, which have burdened German music in the nineteenth century + (and perhaps have always done so); he wishes music to get away from the rhetoric + which has been handed down to us through the centuries, from its heavy construction + and precise orderliness, from its harmonic and rhythmic formulas, and the <a name="page318" id="page318"/>exercises of + oratorical embroidery. He wishes that all about it shall be painting and poetry; that + it shall explain its true feeling in a clear and direct way; and that melody, + harmony, and rhythm shall develop broadly along the lines of inner laws, and not + after the pretended laws of some intellectual arrangement. And he himself preaches by + example in his <i>Pelléas et Mélisande</i>, and breaks with all the + principles of the Bayreuth drama, and gives us the model of the new art of his + dreams. And on all sides discerning and well-informed critics, such as M. Pierre Lalo + of <i>Le Temps</i>, M. Louis Laloy of the <i>Revue Musicale</i> and the <i>Mercure + Musicale</i>, and M. Marnold of <i>Le Mercure de France</i>, have championed his + doctrines and his art. Even the <i>Schola Cantorum</i>, whose eclectic and archaic + spirit is very different from that of Debussy, seemed at first to be drawn into the + same current of thought; and this school which had so helped to propagate the foreign + influences of the past, did not seem to be quite insensible to the nationalistic + preoccupation of the last few years. So the <i>Schola</i> devoted itself more and + more—as was moreover its right and duty—to the French music of the past, + and filled its concert programmes with French works of the seventeenth and eighteenth + centuries—with Marc Antoine Charpentier, Du Mont, Leclair, Clérambault, + Couperin, and the French primitive composers for the organ, the harpsichord, and the + violin; and with the works of dramatic composers, especially of the great Rameau, + who, after a period of complete oblivion, suddenly benefited by this <a name="page319" id="page319"/>excessive reaction, + to the detriment of Gluck, whom the young critics, following M. Debussy's example, + severely abused.<a name="FNanchor_258_258" id="FNanchor_258_258"></a><a + href="#Footnote_258_258" class="fnanchor">[258]</a> There was even a moment when the + <i>Schola</i> took a decided share in the battle, and, through M. Charles Bordes, + issued a manifesto—<i>Credo</i>, as they called it—about a new art + founded on the ancient traditions of French music:</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"We wish to have free speech in music—a sustained recitative, infinite + variety, and, in short, complete liberty in musical utterance. We wish for the + triumph of natural music, so that it shall be as free and full of movement as + speech, and as plastic and rhythmic as a classical dance."</p> + </div> + <p>It was open war against the metrical art of the last three centuries, in the name + of national tradition (more or less freely interpreted), of folk-song, and of + Gregorian chant. And "the constant and avowed purpose of all this campaign was the + triumph of French music, and its cult."<a name="FNanchor_259_259" + id="FNanchor_259_259"></a><a href="#Footnote_259_259" class="fnanchor">[259]</a></p> + <p>This manifesto reflects in its own way the spirit of Debussy and his untrammelled + musical impressionism; and though it shows a good deal of naïveté and + some intolerance, there was in it a strength of youthful enthusiasm that accorded + <a name="page320" id="page320"/>with the great + hopes of the time, and foretold glorious days to come and a splendid harvest of + music.</p> + <p>Not many years have passed since then; yet the sky is already a little clouded, + the light not quite so bright. Hope has not failed; but it has not been fulfilled. + France is waiting, and is getting a little impatient. But the impatience is + unnecessary; for to found an art we must bring time to our aid; art must ripen + tranquilly. Yet tranquillity is what is most lacking in Parisian art. The artists, + instead of working steadily at their own tasks and uniting in a common aim, are given + up to sterile disputes. The young French school hardly exists any longer, as it has + now split up into two or three parties. To a fight against foreign art has succeeded + a fight among themselves: it is the deep-rooted evil of the country, this vain + expenditure of force. And most curious of all is the fact that the quarrel is not + between the conservatives and the progressives in music, but between the two most + advanced sections: the <i>Schola</i> on the one hand, who, should it gain the + victory, would through its dogmas and traditions inevitably develop the airs of a + little academy; and, on the other hand, the independent party, whose most important + representative is M. Debussy. It is not for us to enter into the quarrel; we would + only suggest to the parties in question that if any profit is to result from their + misunderstanding, it will be derived by a third party—the party in favour of + routine, the party that has never lost favour with the great theatre-going + public,—<a name="page321" id="page321"/>a + party that will soon make good the place it has lost if those who aim at defending + art set about fighting one another. Victory has been proclaimed too soon; for + whatever the optimistic representatives of the young school may say, victory has not + yet been gained; and it will not be gained for some time yet—not until public + taste is changed, not while the nation lacks musical education, nor until the + cultured few are united to the people, through whom their thoughts shall be + preserved. For not only—with a few rare and generous exceptions—do the + more aristocratic sections of society ignore the education of the people, but they + ignore the very existence of the people's soul. Here and there, a composer—such + as Bizet and M. Saint-Saëns, or M. d'Indy and his disciples—will build up + symphonies and rhapsodies and very difficult pieces for the piano on the popular airs + of Auvergne, Provence, or the Cevennes; but that is only a whim of theirs, a little + ingenious pastime for clever artists, such as the Flemish masters of the fifteenth + century indulged in when they decorated popular airs with polyphonic elaborations. In + spite of the advance of the democratic spirit, musical art—or at least all that + counts in musical art—has never been more aristocratic than it is to-day. + Probably the phenomenon is not peculiar to music, and shows itself more or less in + other arts; but in no other art is it so dangerous, for no other has roots less + firmly fixed in the soil of France. And it is no consolation to tell oneself that + this is according to the great French traditions, which have nearly always been <a name="page322" id="page322"/>aristocratic. + Traditions, great and small, are menaced to-day; the axe is ready for them. Whoever + wishes to live must adapt himself to the new conditions of life. The future of art is + at stake. To continue as we are doing is not only to weaken music by condemning it to + live in unhealthy conditions, but also to risk its disappearing sooner or later under + the rising flood of popular misconceptions of music. Let us take warning by the fact + that we have already had to defend music<a name="FNanchor_260_260" + id="FNanchor_260_260"></a><a href="#Footnote_260_260" class="fnanchor">[260]</a> when + it was attacked at some of the parliamentary assemblies; and let us remember the + pitifulness of the defence. We must not let the day come when a famous speech will be + repeated with a slight alteration—"The Republic has no need of musicians."</p> + <p>It is the historian's duty to point out the dangers of the present hour, and to + remind the French musicians who have been satisfied with their first victory that the + future is anything but sure, and that we must never disarm while we have a common + enemy before us, an enemy especially dangerous in a democracy—mediocrity.</p> + <p>The road that stretches before us is long and difficult. But if we turn our heads + and look back over the way we have come we may take heart. Which of us does not feel + a little glow of pride at the thought of what has been done in the last thirty <a name="page323" id="page323"/>years? Here is a town + where, before 1870, music had fallen to the most miserable depths, which to-day teems + with concerts and schools of music—a town where one of the first symphonic + schools in Europe has sprung from nothing, a town where an enthusiastic concert-going + public has been formed, possessing among its members some great critics with broad + interests and a fine, free spirit—all this is the pride of France. And we have, + too, a little band of musicians; among them, in the first rank, that great painter of + dreams, Claude Debussy; that master of constructive art, Dukas; that impassioned + thinker, Albéric Magnard; that ironic poet, Ravel; and those delicate and + finished writers, Albert Roussel and Déodat de Séverac; without mention + of the younger musicians who are in the vanguard of their art. And all this poetic + force, though not the most vigorous, is the most original in Europe to-day. Whatever + gaps one may find in our musical organisation, still so new, whatever results this + movement may lead to, it is impossible not to admire a people whom defeat has + aroused, and a generation that has accomplished the magnificent work of reviving the + nation's music with such untiring perseverance and such steadfast faith. The names of + Camille Saint-Saëns, César Franck, Charles Bordes, and Vincent d'Indy, + will remain associated before all others with this work of national regeneration, + where so much talent and so much devotion, from the leaders of orchestras and + celebrated composers down to that obscure body of artists and music-lovers, have + joined <a name="page324" id="page324"/>forces + in the fight against indifference and routine. They have the right to be proud of + their work. But for ourselves, let us waste no time in thinking about it. Our hopes + are great. Let us justify them.</p> + <hr style="width: 65%;" /> + <h2><a name="FOOTNOTES" id="FOOTNOTES"></a>FOOTNOTES:</h2> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span + class="label">[1]</span></a> "And you, Russia, who have saved me...." (Berlioz, + <i>Mémoires</i>, II, 353, Calmann-Lévy's edition, 1897).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span + class="label">[2]</span></a> <i>Mémoires</i>, II, 149.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span + class="label">[3]</span></a> The literary work of Berlioz is rather uneven. Beside + passages of exquisite beauty we find others that are ridiculous in their + exaggerated sentiment, and there are some that even lack good taste. But he had a + natural gift of style, and his writing is vigorous, and full of feeling, especially + towards the latter half of his life. The <i>Procession des Rogations</i> is often + quoted from the <i>Mémoires</i>; and some of his poetical text, particularly + that in <i>L'Enfance du Christ</i> and in <i>Les Troyens</i>, is written in + beautiful language and with a fine sense of rhythm. His <i>Mémoires</i> as a + whole is one of the most delightful books ever written by an artist. Wagner was a + greater poet, but as a prose writer Berlioz is infinitely superior. See Paul + Morillot's essay on <i>Berlioz écrivain</i>, 1903, Grenoble.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span + class="label">[4]</span></a> "Chance, that unknown god, who plays such a great part + in my life" (<i>Mémoires</i>, II, 161).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span + class="label">[5]</span></a> "I was fair," wrote Berlioz to Bülow (unpublished + letters, 1858). "A shock of reddish hair," he wrote in his <i>Mémoires</i>, + I, 165. "Sandy-coloured hair," said Reyer. For the colour of Berlioz's hair I rely + upon the evidence of Mme. Chapót, his niece.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span + class="label">[6]</span></a> Joseph d'Ortigue, <i>Le Balcon de l'Opéra</i>, + 1833.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span + class="label">[7]</span></a> E. Legouvé, <i>Soixante ans de souvenirs</i>. + Legouvé describes Berlioz here as he saw him for the first time.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span + class="label">[8]</span></a> "A passable baritone," says Berlioz + <i>(Mémoires</i>, I, 58). In 1830, in the streets of Paris, he sang "a bass + part" <i>(Mémoires</i>, I, 156). During his first visit to Germany the + Prince of Hechingen made him sing "the part of the violoncello" in one of his + compositions (<i>Mémoires</i>, II, 32).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span + class="label">[9]</span></a> There are two good portraits of Berlioz. One is a + photograph by Pierre Petit, taken in 1863, which he sent to Mme. Estelle Fornier. + It shows him leaning on his elbow, with his head bent, and his eyes fixed on the + ground as if he were tired. The other is the photograph which he had reproduced in + the first edition of his <i>Mémoires</i>, and which shows him leaning back, + his hands in his pockets, his head upright, with an expression of energy in his + face, and a fixed and stern look in his eyes.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span + class="label">[10]</span></a> He would go on foot from Naples to Rome in a straight + line over the mountains, and would walk at one stretch from Subiaco to Tivoli.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"><span + class="label">[11]</span></a> This brought on several attacks of bronchitis and + frequent sore throats, as well as the internal affection from which he died.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_12_12" id="Footnote_12_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_12"><span + class="label">[12]</span></a> "Music and love are the two wings of the soul," he + wrote in his <i>Mémoires</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_13_13" id="Footnote_13_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_13"><span + class="label">[13]</span></a> <i>Mémoires</i>, I, 11.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_14_14" id="Footnote_14_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_14"><span + class="label">[14]</span></a> Julien Tiersot, <i>Hector Berlioz et la + société de son temps</i>, 1903, Hachette.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_15_15" id="Footnote_15_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_15"><span + class="label">[15]</span></a> See the <i>Mémoires</i>, I, 139.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_16_16" id="Footnote_16_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_16"><span + class="label">[16]</span></a> "I do not know how to describe this terrible + sickness.... My throbbing breast seems to be sinking into space; and my heart, + drawing in some irresistible force, feels as though it would expand until it + evaporated and dissolved away. My skin becomes hot and tender, and flushes from + head to foot. I want to cry out to my friends (even those I do not care for) to + help and comfort me, to save me from destruction, and keep in the life that is + ebbing from me. I have no sensation of impending death in these attacks, and + suicide seems impossible; I do not want to die—far from it, I want very much + to live, to intensify life a thousandfold. It is an excessive appetite for + happiness, which becomes unbearable when it lacks food; and it is only satisfied by + intense delights, which give this great overflow of feeling an outlet. It is not a + state of spleen, though that may follow later ... spleen is rather the congealing + of all these emotions—the block of ice. Even when I am calm I feel a little + of this '<i>isolement</i>' on Sundays in summer, when our towns are lifeless, and + everyone is in the country; for I know that people are enjoying themselves away + from me, and I feel their absence. The <i>adagio</i> of Beethoven's symphonies, + certain scenes from Gluck's <i>Alceste</i> and <i>Armide</i>, an air from his + Italian opera <i>Telemacco</i>, the Elysian fields of his <i>Orfeo</i>, will bring + on rather bad attacks of this suffering; but these masterpieces bring with them + also an antidote—they make one's tears flow, and then the pain is eased. On + the other hand, the <i>adagio</i> of some of Beethoven's sonatas and Gluck's + <i>Iphigénie en Tauride</i> are full of melancholy, and therefore provoke + spleen ... it is then cold within, the sky is grey and overcast with clouds, the + north wind moans dully...." <i>(Mémoires</i>, I, 246).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_17_17" id="Footnote_17_17"></a><a href="#FNanchor_17_17"><span + class="label">[17]</span></a> <i>Mémoires</i>, I, 98.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_18_18" id="Footnote_18_18"></a><a href="#FNanchor_18_18"><span + class="label">[18]</span></a> "Isn't it really devilish," he said to + Legouvé, "tragic and silly at the same time? I should deserve to go to hell + if I wasn't there already."</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_19_19" id="Footnote_19_19"></a><a href="#FNanchor_19_19"><span + class="label">[19]</span></a> <i>Mémoires</i>, II, 335. See the touching + passages he wrote on Henrietta Smithson's death.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_20_20" id="Footnote_20_20"></a><a href="#FNanchor_20_20"><span + class="label">[20]</span></a> "One day, Henrietta, who was living alone at + Montmartre, heard someone ring the bell, and went to open the door.</p> + <p>"'Is Mme. Berlioz at home?'</p> + <p>"'I am Mme. Berlioz.'</p> + <p>"'You are mistaken; I asked for Mme. Berlioz.'</p> + <p>"'And I tell you, I am Mme. Berlioz.'</p> + <p>"'No, you are not. You are speaking of the old Mme. Berlioz, the one who was + abandoned; I am speaking of the young and pretty and loved one. Well, that is + myself!'</p> + <p>"And Recio went out and banged the door after her.</p> + <p>"Legouvé said to Berlioz, 'Who told you this abominable thing? I suppose + she who did it; and then she boasted about it into the bargain. Why didn't you turn + her out of the house?' 'How could I?' said Berlioz in broken tones, 'I love her'" + <i>(Soixante ans de souvenirs</i>).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_21_21" id="Footnote_21_21"></a><a href="#FNanchor_21_21"><span + class="label">[21]</span></a> From this woman's nature came his love of revenge, "a + thing needless, and yet necessary," he said to his friend Hiller, who, after having + made him write the <i>Symphonie fantastique</i> to spite Henrietta Smithson, next + made him write the wretched fantasia <i>Euphonia</i> to spite Camille Moke, now + Mme. Pleyel. One would feel obliged to draw more attention to the way he often + adorned or perverted the truth if one did not feel it arose from his irrepressible + and glowing imagination far more than from any intention to mislead; for I believe + his real nature to have been a-very straightforward one. I will quote the story of + his friend Crispino, a young countryman from Tivoli, as a characteristic example. + Berlioz says in his <i>Mémoires</i> (I, 229): "One day when Crispino was + lacking in respect I made-him a present of two shirts, a pair of trousers, and + three good kicks behind." In a note he added, "This is a lie, and is the result of + an artist's tendency to aim at effect. I never kicked Crispino." But Berlioz took + care afterwards to omit this note. One attaches as little importance to his other + small boasts as to this one. The errors in the <i>Mémoires</i> have been + greatly exaggerated; and besides, Berlioz is the first to warn his readers that he + only wrote what pleased him, and in his preface says that he is not writing his + Confessions. Can one blame him for that?</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_22_22" id="Footnote_22_22"></a><a href="#FNanchor_22_22"><span + class="label">[22]</span></a> <i>Mémoires</i>, II, 158. The heartaches + expressed in this chapter will be felt by every artist.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_23_23" id="Footnote_23_23"></a><a href="#FNanchor_23_23"><span + class="label">[23]</span></a> <i>Mémoires</i>, II, 349.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_24_24" id="Footnote_24_24"></a><a href="#FNanchor_24_24"><span + class="label">[24]</span></a> Berlioz has already touchingly replied to any + reproaches that might be made in the words that follow the story I have quoted. + "'Coward!' some young enthusiast will say, 'you ought to have written it; you + should have been bold.' Ah, young man, you who call me coward did not have to look + upon what I did; had you done so you, too, would have had no choice. My wife was + there, half dead, only able to moan; she had to have three nurses, and a doctor + every day to visit her; and I was sure of the disastrous result of any musical + adventure. No, I was not a coward; I know I was only human. I like to believe that + I honoured art in proving that she had left me enough reason to distinguish between + courage and cruelty" (<i>Mémoires</i>, II, 350).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_25_25" id="Footnote_25_25"></a><a href="#FNanchor_25_25"><span + class="label">[25]</span></a> In a note in the <i>Mémoires</i>, Berlioz + publishes a letter of Mendelssohn's which protests his "good friendship," and he + writes these bitter words: "I have just seen in a volume of Mendelssohn's Letters + what his friendship for me consisted of. He says to his mother, in what is plainly + a description of myself, '—— is a perfect caricature, without a spark + of talent ... there are times when I should like to swallow him up'" + (<i>Mémoires</i>, II, 48). Berlioz did not add that Mendelssohn also said: + "They pretend that Berlioz seeks lofty ideals in art. I don't think so at all. What + he wants is to get himself married." The injustice of these insulting words will + disgust all those who remember that when Berlioz married Henrietta Smithson she + brought as dowry nothing but debts; and that he had only three hundred francs + himself, which a friend had lent him.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_26_26" id="Footnote_26_26"></a><a href="#FNanchor_26_26"><span + class="label">[26]</span></a> Liszt repudiated him later.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_27_27" id="Footnote_27_27"></a><a href="#FNanchor_27_27"><span + class="label">[27]</span></a> Written in an article on the <i>Ouverture de + Waverley</i> (<i>Neue Zeitschrift für Musik</i>).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_28_28" id="Footnote_28_28"></a><a href="#FNanchor_28_28"><span + class="label">[28]</span></a> Wagner, who had criticised Berlioz since 1840, and + who published a detailed study of his works in his <i>Oper und Drama</i> in 1851, + wrote to Liszt in 1855: "I own that it would interest me very much to make the + acquaintance of Berlioz's symphonies, and I should like to see the scores. If you + have them, will you lend them to me?"</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_29_29" id="Footnote_29_29"></a><a href="#FNanchor_29_29"><span + class="label">[29]</span></a> See Berlioz's letter, cited by J. Tiersot, <i>Hector + Berlioz et la société de son temps</i>, p. 275.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_30_30" id="Footnote_30_30"></a><a href="#FNanchor_30_30"><span + class="label">[30]</span></a> <i>Roméo, Faust, La Nonne sanglante</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_31_31" id="Footnote_31_31"></a><a href="#FNanchor_31_31"><span + class="label">[31]</span></a> I shall content myself here with noting a fact, which + I shall deal with more fully in another essay at the end of this book: it is the + decline of musical taste in France—and, I rather think, in all + Europe—since 1835 or 1840. Berlioz says in his <i>Mémoires</i>: "Since + the first performance of <i>Roméo et Juliette</i> the indifference of the + French public for all that concerns art and literature has grown incredibly" + (<i>Mémoires</i>, II, 263). Compare the shouts of excitement and the tears + that were drawn from the dilettanti of 1830 (<i>Mémoires</i>, I, 81), at the + performances of Italian operas or Gluck's works, with the coldness of the public + between 1840 and 1870. A mantle of ice covered art then. How much Berlioz must have + suffered. In Germany the great romantic age was dead. Only Wagner remained to give + life to music; and he drained all that was left in Europe of love and enthusiasm + for music. Berlioz died truly of asphyxia.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_32_32" id="Footnote_32_32"></a><a href="#FNanchor_32_32"><span + class="label">[32]</span></a> Here is an official list of the towns where + <i>Benvenuto</i> has been played since 1879 (I am indebted for this information to + M. Victor Chapót, Berlioz's grandnephew). They are, in alphabetical order: + Berlin, Bremen, Brunswick, Dresden, Frankfort-On-Main, Freiburg-im-Breisgau, + Hamburg, Hanover, Karlsruhe, Leipzig, Mannheim, Metz, Munich, Prague, Schwerin, + Stettin, Strasburg, Stuttgart, Vienna, and Weimar.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_33_33" id="Footnote_33_33"></a><a href="#FNanchor_33_33"><span + class="label">[33]</span></a> <i>Mémoires</i>, II, 420.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_34_34" id="Footnote_34_34"></a><a href="#FNanchor_34_34"><span + class="label">[34]</span></a> "I do not know how Berlioz has managed to be cut off + like this. He has neither friends nor followers; neither the warm sun of popularity + nor the pleasant shade of friendship" (Liszt to the Princess of Wittgenstein, 16 + May, 1861).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_35_35" id="Footnote_35_35"></a><a href="#FNanchor_35_35"><span + class="label">[35]</span></a> In a letter to Bennet he says, "I am weary, I am + weary...." How often does this piteous cry sound in his letters towards the end of + his life. "I feel I am going to die.... I am weary unto death" (21 August, + 1868—six months before his death).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_36_36" id="Footnote_36_36"></a><a href="#FNanchor_36_36"><span + class="label">[36]</span></a> Letter to Asger Hammerick, 1865.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_37_37" id="Footnote_37_37"></a><a href="#FNanchor_37_37"><span + class="label">[37]</span></a> Letters to the Princess of Wittgenstein, 22 July, 21 + September, 1862; and August, 1864.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_38_38" id="Footnote_38_38"></a><a href="#FNanchor_38_38"><span + class="label">[38]</span></a> <i>Mémoires</i>, II, 335. He shocked + Mendelssohn, and even Wagner, by his irreligion. (See Berlioz's letter to Wagner, + 10 September, 1855.)</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_39_39" id="Footnote_39_39"></a><a href="#FNanchor_39_39"><span + class="label">[39]</span></a> <i>Les Grotesques de la Musique</i>, pp. 295-6.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_40_40" id="Footnote_40_40"></a><a href="#FNanchor_40_40"><span + class="label">[40]</span></a> Letter to the Abbé Girod. See Hippeau, + <i>Berlioz intime</i>, p. 434.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_41_41" id="Footnote_41_41"></a><a href="#FNanchor_41_41"><span + class="label">[41]</span></a> Letter to Bennet. He did not believe in patriotism. + "Patriotism? Fetichism! Cretinism!" (<i>Mémoires</i>, II, 261).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_42_42" id="Footnote_42_42"></a><a href="#FNanchor_42_42"><span + class="label">[42]</span></a> Letter to the Princess of Wittgenstein, 22 July, + 1862.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_43_43" id="Footnote_43_43"></a><a href="#FNanchor_43_43"><span + class="label">[43]</span></a> <i>Mémoires</i>, II, 391.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_44_44" id="Footnote_44_44"></a><a href="#FNanchor_44_44"><span + class="label">[44]</span></a> Letters to the Princess of Wittgenstein, 22 January, + 1859; 30 August, 1864; 13 July, 1866; and to A. Morel, 21 August, 1864.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_45_45" id="Footnote_45_45"></a><a href="#FNanchor_45_45"><span + class="label">[45]</span></a> " ... Qui viderit illas<br /> + <span style="margin-left: 4em;">De lacrymis factas sentiet esse + meis,"</span><br /> + wrote Berlioz, as an inscription for his <i>Tristes</i> in 1854.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_46_46" id="Footnote_46_46"></a><a href="#FNanchor_46_46"><span + class="label">[46]</span></a> "One instantly recognises a companion in misfortune; + and I found I was a happier man than Berlioz" (Wagner to Liszt, 5 July, 1855).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_47_47" id="Footnote_47_47"></a><a href="#FNanchor_47_47"><span + class="label">[47]</span></a> <i>Mémoires</i>, II, 396.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_48_48" id="Footnote_48_48"></a><a href="#FNanchor_48_48"><span + class="label">[48]</span></a> <i>Mémoires</i>, II, 415.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_49_49" id="Footnote_49_49"></a><a href="#FNanchor_49_49"><span + class="label">[49]</span></a> "Yes, it is to that escape from the world that + <i>Parsifal</i> owes its birth and growth. What man can, during a whole lifetime, + gaze into the depths of this world with a calm reason and a cheerful heart? When he + sees murder and rapine organised and legalised by a system of lies, impostures, and + hypocrisy, will he not avert his eyes and shudder with disgust?" (Wagner, + <i>Representations of the Sacred Drama of Parsifal at Bayreuth, in 1882</i>.)</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_50_50" id="Footnote_50_50"></a><a href="#FNanchor_50_50"><span + class="label">[50]</span></a> The scene was described to me by his friend, Malwida + von Meysenbug, the calm and fearless author of <i>Mémoires d'une + Idéaliste</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_51_51" id="Footnote_51_51"></a><a href="#FNanchor_51_51"><span + class="label">[51]</span></a> "I have only blank walls before my windows. On the + side of the street a pug dog has been barking for an hour, a parrot screaming, and + a parroqueet imitating the chirp of sparrows. On the side of the yard the + washerwomen are singing, and another parroqueet cries incessantly, 'Shoulder + arrms!' How long the day is!"</p> + <p>"The maddening noise of carriages shakes the silence of the night. Paris wet and + muddy! Parisian Paris! Now everything is quiet ... she is sleeping the sleep of the + unjust" (Written to Ferrand, <i>Lettres intimes</i>, pp. 269 and 302).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_52_52" id="Footnote_52_52"></a><a href="#FNanchor_52_52"><span + class="label">[52]</span></a> He used to say that nothing would remain of his work; + that he had deceived himself; and that he would have liked to burn his scores.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_53_53" id="Footnote_53_53"></a><a href="#FNanchor_53_53"><span + class="label">[53]</span></a> Blaze de Bury met him one autumn evening, on the + quay, just before his death, as he was returning from the Institute. "His face was + pale, his figure wasted and bent, and his expression dejected and nervous; one + might have taken him for a walking shadow. Even his eyes, those large round hazel + eyes, had extinguished their fire. For a second he clasped my hand in his own thin, + lifeless one, and repeated, in a voice that was hardly more than a whisper, + Aeschylus's words: 'Oh, this life of man! When he is happy a shadow is enough to + disturb him; and when he is unhappy his trouble may be wiped away, as with a wet + sponge, and all is forgotten'" (<i>Musiciens d'hier et d'aujourd'hui</i>).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_54_54" id="Footnote_54_54"></a><a href="#FNanchor_54_54"><span + class="label">[54]</span></a> <i>A travers chants</i>, pp. 8-9.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_55_55" id="Footnote_55_55"></a><a href="#FNanchor_55_55"><span + class="label">[55]</span></a> In truth, this genius was smouldering since his + childhood; it was there from the beginning; and the proof of it lies in the fact + that he used for his <i>Ouverture des Francs-Juges</i> and for the <i>Symphonie + fantastique</i> airs and phrases of quintets which he had written when twelve years + old (see <i>Mémoires</i>, I, 16-18).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_56_56" id="Footnote_56_56"></a><a href="#FNanchor_56_56"><span + class="label">[56]</span></a> The <i>Huit scènes de Faust</i> are taken from + Goethe's tragedy, translated by <i>Gérard de Nerval</i>, and they include: + (1) <i>Chants de la fête de Pâques</i>; (2) <i>Paysans sous les + tilleuls</i>; (3) <i>Concert des Sylphes</i>; (4 and 5) <i>Taverne d'Auerbach</i>, + with the two songs of the Rat and the Flea; (6) <i>Chanson du roi de + Thulé</i>; (7) <i>Romance de Marguerite</i>, "D'amour, l'ardente flamme," + and <i>Choeur de soldats</i>; (8) <i>Sérénade de + Méphistophélès</i>—that is to say, the most celebrated + and characteristic pages of the <i>Damnation</i> (see M. Prudhomme's essays on + <i>Le Cycle de Berlioz</i>).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_57_57" id="Footnote_57_57"></a><a href="#FNanchor_57_57"><span + class="label">[57]</span></a> One could hardly find a better manifestation of the + soul of a youthful musical genius than that in certain letters written at this + time; in particular the letter written to Ferrand on 28 June, 1828, with its + feverish postscript. What a life of rich and overflowing vigour! It is a joy to + read it; one drinks at the source of life itself.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_58_58" id="Footnote_58_58"></a><a href="#FNanchor_58_58"><span + class="label">[58]</span></a> <i>Mémoires</i>, I, 70.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_59_59" id="Footnote_59_59"></a><a href="#FNanchor_59_59"><span + class="label">[59]</span></a> <i>Ibid</i>. To make amends for this he published, in + 1829, a biographical notice of Beethoven, in which his appreciation of him is + remarkably in advance of his age. He wrote there: "The <i>Choral Symphony</i> is + the culminating point of Beethoven's genius," and he speaks of the Fourth Symphony + in C sharp minor with great discernment.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_60_60" id="Footnote_60_60"></a><a href="#FNanchor_60_60"><span + class="label">[60]</span></a> Beethoven died in 1827, the year when Berlioz was + writing his first important work, the <i>Ouverture des Francs-Juges</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_61_61" id="Footnote_61_61"></a><a href="#FNanchor_61_61"><span + class="label">[61]</span></a> He left Henrietta Smithson in 1842; she died in + 1854.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_62_62" id="Footnote_62_62"></a><a href="#FNanchor_62_62"><span + class="label">[62]</span></a> Written by Berlioz himself, in irony, in a letter of + 1855.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_63_63" id="Footnote_63_63"></a><a href="#FNanchor_63_63"><span + class="label">[63]</span></a> <i>Mémoires</i>, I, 307.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_64_64" id="Footnote_64_64"></a><a href="#FNanchor_64_64"><span + class="label">[64]</span></a> About this time he wrote to Liszt regarding + <i>L'Enfance du Christ</i>: "I think I have hit upon something good in Herod's + scena and air with the soothsayers; it is full of character, and will, I hope, + please you. There are, perhaps, more graceful and pleasing things, but with the + exception of the Bethlehem duet, I do not think they have the same quality of + originality" (17 December, 1854).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_65_65" id="Footnote_65_65"></a><a href="#FNanchor_65_65"><span + class="label">[65]</span></a> In 1830, old Rouget de Lisle called Berlioz, "a + volcano in eruption" (<i>Mémoires</i>, I, 158).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_66_66" id="Footnote_66_66"></a><a href="#FNanchor_66_66"><span + class="label">[66]</span></a> M. Camille Saint-Saëns wrote in his <i>Portraits + et Souvenirs</i>, 1900: "Whoever reads Berlioz's scores before hearing them played + can have no real idea of their effect. The instruments appear to be arranged in + defiance of all common sense; and it would seem, to use professional slang, that + <i>cela ne dut pas sonner</i>, but <i>cela sonne</i> wonderfully. If we find here + and there obscurities of style, they do not appear in the orchestra; light streams + into it and plays there as in the facets of a diamond."</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_67_67" id="Footnote_67_67"></a><a href="#FNanchor_67_67"><span + class="label">[67]</span></a> See the excellent essay of H. Lavoix, in his + <i>Histoire de l'Instrumentation</i>. It should be noticed that Berlioz's + observations in his <i>Traité d'instrumentation et d'orchestration + modernes</i> (1844) have not been lost upon Richard Strauss, who has just published + a German edition of the work, and some of whose most famous orchestral effects are + realisations of Berlioz's ideas.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_68_68" id="Footnote_68_68"></a><a href="#FNanchor_68_68"><span + class="label">[68]</span></a> One may judge of this instinct by one fact: he wrote + the overtures of <i>Les Francs-Juges</i> and <i>Waverley</i> without really knowing + if it were possible to play them. "I was so ignorant," he says, "of the mechanism + of certain instruments, that after having written the solo in D flat for the + trombone in the Introduction of <i>Les Francs-Juges</i>, I feared it would be + terribly difficult to play. So I went, very anxious, to one of the trombonists of + the Opera orchestra. He looked at the passage and reassured me. 'The key of D flat + is,' he said, 'one of the pleasantest for that instrument; and you can count on a + splendid effect for that passage'" <i>(Mémoires</i>, I, 63).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_69_69" id="Footnote_69_69"></a><a href="#FNanchor_69_69"><span + class="label">[69]</span></a> <i>Mémoires</i>, I, 64.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_70_70" id="Footnote_70_70"></a><a href="#FNanchor_70_70"><span + class="label">[70]</span></a> "Berlioz displayed, in calculating the properties of + mechanism, a really astounding scientific knowledge. If the inventors of our modern + industrial machinery are to be considered benefactors of humanity to-day, Berlioz + deserves to be considered as the true saviour of the musical world; for, thanks to + him, musicians can produce surprising effects in music by the varied use of simple + mechanical means.... Berlioz lies hopelessly buried beneath the ruins of his own + contrivances" (<i>Oper und Drama</i>, 1851).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_71_71" id="Footnote_71_71"></a><a href="#FNanchor_71_71"><span + class="label">[71]</span></a> Letter from Berlioz to Ferrand.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_72_72" id="Footnote_72_72"></a><a href="#FNanchor_72_72"><span + class="label">[72]</span></a> "The chief characteristics of my music are passionate + expression, inward warmth, rhythmic in pulses, and unforeseen effects. When I speak + of passionate expression, I mean an expression that desperately strives to + reproduce the inward feeling of its subject, even when the theme is contrary to + passion, and deals with gentle emotions or the deepest calm. It is this kind of + expression that may be found in <i>L'Enfance du Christ</i>, and, above all, in the + scene of <i>Le Ciel</i> in the <i>Damnation de Faust</i> and in the <i>Sanctus</i> + of the <i>Requiem</i>" (<i>Mémoires</i>, II, 361).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_73_73" id="Footnote_73_73"></a><a href="#FNanchor_73_73"><span + class="label">[73]</span></a> "So you are in the midst of melting glaciers in your + <i>Niebelungen</i>! To be writing in the presence of Nature herself must be + splendid. It is an enjoyment which I am denied. Beautiful landscapes, lofty peaks, + or great stretches of sea, absorb me instead of evoking ideas in me. I feel, but I + cannot express what I feel. I can only paint the moon when I see its reflection in + the bottom of a well" (Berlioz to Wagner, 10 September, 1855).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_74_74" id="Footnote_74_74"></a><a href="#FNanchor_74_74"><span + class="label">[74]</span></a> <i>Musikführer</i>, 29 November, 1903.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_75_75" id="Footnote_75_75"></a><a href="#FNanchor_75_75"><span + class="label">[75]</span></a> <i>Mémoires</i>, II, 361.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_76_76" id="Footnote_76_76"></a><a href="#FNanchor_76_76"><span + class="label">[76]</span></a> M. Jean Marnold has remarked this genius for monody + in Berlioz in his article on <i>Hector Berlioz, musicien (Mercure de France</i>, 15 + January, and 1 February, 1905).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_77_77" id="Footnote_77_77"></a><a href="#FNanchor_77_77"><span + class="label">[77]</span></a> Gluck himself said this in a letter to the <i>Mercure + de France</i>, February, 1773.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_78_78" id="Footnote_78_78"></a><a href="#FNanchor_78_78"><span + class="label">[78]</span></a> I am not speaking of the Franco-Flemish masters at + the end of the sixteenth century: of Jannequin, Costeley, Claude le Jeune, or + Mauduit, recently discovered by M. Henry Expert, who are possessed of so original a + flavour, and have yet remained almost entirely unknown from their own time to ours. + Religious wars bruised France's musical traditions and denied some of the grandeur + of her art.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_79_79" id="Footnote_79_79"></a><a href="#FNanchor_79_79"><span + class="label">[79]</span></a> It is amusing to find Wagner comparing Berlioz with + Auber, as the type of a true French musician—Auber and his mixed Italian and + German opera. That shows how Wagner, like most Germans, was incapable of grasping + the real originality of French music, and how he saw only its externals. The best + way to find out the musical characteristics of a nation is to study its folk-songs. + If only someone would devote himself to the study of French folk-song (and there is + no lack of material), people would realise perhaps how much it differs from German + folk-song, and how the temperament of the French race shows itself there as being + sweeter and freer, more vigorous and more expressive.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_80_80" id="Footnote_80_80"></a><a href="#FNanchor_80_80"><span + class="label">[80]</span></a> <i>Mémoires</i>, I, 221.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_81_81" id="Footnote_81_81"></a><a href="#FNanchor_81_81"><span + class="label">[81]</span></a> "Music to-day, in the vigour of her youth, is + emancipated and free and can do what she pleases. Many old rules have no longer any + vogue; they were made by unreflecting minds, or by lovers of routine for other + lovers of routine. New needs of the mind, of the heart, and of the sense of + hearing, make necessary new endeavours and, in some cases, the breaking of ancient + laws. Many forms have become too hackneyed to be still adopted. The same thing may + be entirely good or entirely bad, according to the use one makes of it, or the + reasons one has for making use of it. Sound and sonority are secondary to thought, + and thought is secondary to feeling and passion." (These opinions were given with + reference to Wagner's concerts in Paris, in 1860, and are taken from <i>A travers + chants</i>, p. 312.)</p> + <p>Compare Beethoven's words: "There is no rule that one may not break for the + advancement of beauty."</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_82_82" id="Footnote_82_82"></a><a href="#FNanchor_82_82"><span + class="label">[82]</span></a> Is it necessary to recall the <i>épître + dédicatoire</i> of <i>Alceste</i> in 1769, and Gluck's declaration that he + "sought to bring music to its true function—that of helping poetry to + strengthen the expression of the emotions and the interest of a situation ... and + to make it what fine colouring and the happy arrangement of light and shade are to + a skilful drawing"?</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_83_83" id="Footnote_83_83"></a><a href="#FNanchor_83_83"><span + class="label">[83]</span></a> This revolutionary theory was already Mozart's: + "Music should reign supreme and make one forget everything else.... In an opera it + is absolutely necessary that Poetry should be Music's obedient daughter" (Letter to + his father, 13 October, 1781). Despairing probably at being unable to obtain this + obedience, Mozart thought seriously of breaking up the form of opera, and of + putting in its place, in 1778, a sort of melodrama (of which Rousseau had given an + example in 1773), which he called "duodrama," where music and poetry were loosely + associated, yet not dependent on each other, but went side by side on two parallel + roads (Letter of 12 November, 1778).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_84_84" id="Footnote_84_84"></a><a href="#FNanchor_84_84"><span + class="label">[84]</span></a> <i>Tribune de Saint Gervais</i>, November, 1903.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_85_85" id="Footnote_85_85"></a><a href="#FNanchor_85_85"><span + class="label">[85]</span></a> <i>Mémoires</i>, II, 365.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_86_86" id="Footnote_86_86"></a><a href="#FNanchor_86_86"><span + class="label">[86]</span></a> "This composition contains a dose of sublimity much + too strong for the ordinary public; and Berlioz, with the splendid insolence of + genius, advises the conductor, in a note, to turn the page and pass it over" + (Georges de Massougnes, <i>Berlioz</i>). This fine study by Georges de Massougnes + appeared in 1870, and is very much in advance of its time.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_87_87" id="Footnote_87_87"></a><a href="#FNanchor_87_87"><span + class="label">[87]</span></a> "Oh, how I love, honour, and reverence Schumann for + having written this article alone" (Hugo Wolf, 1884).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_88_88" id="Footnote_88_88"></a><a href="#FNanchor_88_88"><span + class="label">[88]</span></a> <i>Neue Zeitschrift für Musik</i>. See <i>Hector + Berlioz und Robert Schumann</i>. Berlioz was constantly righting for this freedom + of rhythm—for "those harmonies of rhythm," as he said. He wished to form a + Rhythm class at the Conservatoire (<i>Mémoires</i>, II, 241), but such a + thing was not understood in France. Without being as backward as Italy on this + point, France is still resisting the emancipation of rhythm + (<i>Mémoires</i>, II, 196). But during the last ten years great progress in + music has been made in France.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_89_89" id="Footnote_89_89"></a><a href="#FNanchor_89_89"><span + class="label">[89]</span></a> <i>Ibid</i>. "A rare peculiarity," adds Schumann, + "which distinguishes nearly all his melodies." Schumann understands why Berlioz + often gives as an accompaniment to his melodies a simple bass, or chords of the + augmented and diminished fifth—ignoring the intermediate parts.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_90_90" id="Footnote_90_90"></a><a href="#FNanchor_90_90"><span + class="label">[90]</span></a> "What will then remain of actual art? Perhaps Berlioz + will be its sole representative. Not having studied the pianoforte, he had an + instinctive aversion to counterpoint. He is in this respect the opposite of Wagner, + who was the embodiment of counterpoint, and drew the utmost he could from its laws" + (Saint-Saëns).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_91_91" id="Footnote_91_91"></a><a href="#FNanchor_91_91"><span + class="label">[91]</span></a> Jacques Passy notes that with Berlioz the most + frequent phrases consist of twelve, sixteen, eighteen, or twenty bars. With Wagner, + phrases of eight bars are rare, those of four more common, those of two still more + so, while those of one bar are most frequent of all (<i>Berlioz et Wagner</i>, + article published in <i>Le Correspondant</i>, 10 June, 1888).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_92_92" id="Footnote_92_92"></a><a href="#FNanchor_92_92"><span + class="label">[92]</span></a> One must make mention here of the poorness and + awkwardness of Berlioz's harmony—which is incontestable—since some + critics and composers have been able to see (Am I saying something + ridiculous?—Wagner would say it for me) nothing but "faults of orthography" + in his genius. To these terrible grammarians—who, two hundred years ago, + criticised Molière on account of his "jargon"—I shall reply by quoting + Schumann.</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"Berlioz's harmonies, in spite of the diversity of their effect, obtained from + very scanty material, are distinguished by a sort of simplicity, and even by a + solidity and conciseness, which one only meets with in Beethoven.... One may find + here and there harmonies that are commonplace and trivial, and others that are + incorrect—at least according to the old rules. In some places his harmonies + have a fine effect, and in others their result is vague and indeterminate, or it + sounds badly, or is too elaborate and far-fetched. Yet with Berlioz all this + somehow takes on a certain distinction. If one attempted to correct it, or even + slightly to modify it—for a skilled musician it would be child's + play—the music would become dull" (Article on the <i>Symphonie + fantastique</i>).</p> + </div> + <br /> + <br /> + + <p>But let us leave that "grammatical discussion" as well as what Wagner wrote on + "the childish question as to whether it is permitted or not to introduce + 'neologisms' in matters of harmony and melody" (Wagner to Berlioz, 22 February, + 1860). As Schumann has said, "Look out for fifths, and then leave us in peace."</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_93_93" id="Footnote_93_93"></a><a href="#FNanchor_93_93"><span + class="label">[93]</span></a> <i>Mémoires</i>, I, 155.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_94_94" id="Footnote_94_94"></a><a href="#FNanchor_94_94"><span + class="label">[94]</span></a> These words are taken from Berlioz's directions on + the score of his arrangement of the <i>Marseillaise</i> for full orchestra and + double choir.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_95_95" id="Footnote_95_95"></a><a href="#FNanchor_95_95"><span + class="label">[95]</span></a> "From Beethoven," says Berlioz, "dates the advent in + art of colossal forms" (<i>Mémoires</i>, II, 112). But Berlioz forgot one of + Beethoven's models—Händel. One must also take into account the musicians + of the French revolution: Mehul, Gossec, Cherubini, and Lesueur, whose works, + though they may not equal their intentions, are not without grandeur, and often + disclose the intuition of a new and noble and popular art.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_96_96" id="Footnote_96_96"></a><a href="#FNanchor_96_96"><span + class="label">[96]</span></a> Letter to Morel, 1855. Berlioz thus describes the + <i>Tibiomnes</i> and the <i>Judex</i> of his <i>Te Deum</i>. Compare Heine's + judgment: "Berlioz's music makes me think of gigantic kinds of extinct animals, of + fabulous empires.... Babylon, the hanging gardens of Semiramis, the wonders of + Nineveh, the daring buildings of Mizraim."</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_97_97" id="Footnote_97_97"></a><a href="#FNanchor_97_97"><span + class="label">[97]</span></a> <i>Mémoires</i>, I, 17.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_98_98" id="Footnote_98_98"></a><a href="#FNanchor_98_98"><span + class="label">[98]</span></a> Letter to an unknown person, written probably about + 1855, in the collection of Siegfried Ochs, and published in the <i>Geschichte der + französischen Musik</i> of Alfred Bruneau, 1904. That letter contains a rather + curious analytical catalogue of Berlioz's works, drawn up by himself. He notes + there his predilection for compositions of a "colossal nature," such as the + <i>Requiem</i>, the <i>Symphonie funèbre et triomphale</i>, and the <i>Te + Deum</i>, or those of "an immense style," such as the <i>Impériale</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_99_99" id="Footnote_99_99"></a><a href="#FNanchor_99_99"><span + class="label">[99]</span></a> <i>Mémoires</i>, II, 364. See also the letter + quoted above.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_100_100" id="Footnote_100_100"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_100_100"><span class="label">[100]</span></a> + <i>Mémoires</i>, II, 363. See also II, 163, and the description of the great + festival of 1844, with its 1,022 performers.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_101_101" id="Footnote_101_101"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_101_101"><span class="label">[101]</span></a> Hermann Kretzschmar, + <i>Führer durch den Konzertsaal</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_102_102" id="Footnote_102_102"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_102_102"><span class="label">[102]</span></a> + <i>Mémoires</i>, I, 312.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_103_103" id="Footnote_103_103"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_103_103"><span class="label">[103]</span></a> Letter to some young + Hungarians, 14 February, 1861. See the <i>Mémoires</i>, II, 212, for the + incredible emotion which the <i>Marche de Rakoczy</i> roused in the audience at + Budapest, and, above all, for the astonishing scene at the end:—</p> + <div class="blockquot"> + <p>"I saw a man enter unexpectedly. He was miserably clad, but his face shone + with a strange rapture. When he saw me, he threw himself upon me and embraced me + with fervour; his eyes filled with tears, and he was hardly able to get out the + words, 'Ah, monsieur, monsieur! moi Hongrois ... pauvre diable ... pas parler + Français ... un poco Italiano. Pardonnez mon extase.... Ah! ai compris + votre canon.... Oui, oui, la grande-bataille.... Allemands chiens!' And then + striking his breast violently: 'Dans le coeur, moi ... je vous porte.... <i>Ah! + Français ... révolutionnaire ... savoir faire la musique des + révolutions</i>!'"</p> + </div></div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_104_104" id="Footnote_104_104"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_104_104"><span class="label">[104]</span></a> Written 5 May, + 1841.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_105_105" id="Footnote_105_105"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_105_105"><span class="label">[105]</span></a> Berlioz never + ceased to inveigh against the Revolution of 1848—which should have had his + sympathies. Instead of finding material, like Wagner, in the excitement of that + time for impassioned compositions, he worked at <i>L'Enfance du Christ</i>. He + affected absolute indifference—he who was so little made for indifference. + He approved the State's action, and despised its visionary hopes.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_106_106" id="Footnote_106_106"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_106_106"><span class="label">[106]</span></a> "My musical career + would finish very pleasingly if only I could live for a hundred and forty years" + <i>(Mémoires</i>, II, 390).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_107_107" id="Footnote_107_107"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_107_107"><span class="label">[107]</span></a> This solitude + struck Wagner. "Berlioz's loneliness is not only one of external circumstances; + its origin is in his temperament. Though he is a Frenchman, with quick sympathies + and interests like those of his fellow-citizens, yet he is none the less alone. + He sees no one before him who will hold out a helping hand, there is no one by + his side on whom he may lean" (Article written 5 May, 1841). As one reads these + words, one feels it was Wagner's lack of sympathy and not his intelligence that + prevented him from understanding Berlioz. In his heart I do not doubt that he + knew well who was his great rival. But he never said anything about + it—unless perhaps one counts an odd document, certainly not intended for + publication, where he (even he) compares him to Beethoven and to Bonaparte + (Manuscript in the collection of Alfred Bovet, published by Mottl in German + magazines, and by M. Georges de Massougnes in the <i>Revue d'art dramatique</i>, + 1 January, 1902).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_108_108" id="Footnote_108_108"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_108_108"><span class="label">[108]</span></a> F. Nietzsche, + <i>Der Fall Wagner</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_109_109" id="Footnote_109_109"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_109_109"><span class="label">[109]</span></a> The quotations from + Wagner are taken from his letters to Roeckel, Uhlig, and Liszt, between 1851 and + 1856.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_110_110" id="Footnote_110_110"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_110_110"><span class="label">[110]</span></a></p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span class="i5">Of applause<br /> + </span> <span>I still hear the noise; and, strangely enough,<br /> + </span> <span>In my childish shyness it seemed like mire<br /> + </span> <span>About to spot me; I feared<br /> + </span> <span>Its touch, and secretly shunned it,<br /> + </span> <span>Affecting obstinacy.<br /> + </span> + </div> + </div> + <br /> + <br /> + + <p>These verses were read by M. Saint-Saëns at a concert given on 10 June, + 1896, in the Salle Pleyel, to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of his + <i>début</i>, which he made in 1846. It was in this same Salle Pleyel that + he gave his first concert.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_111_111" id="Footnote_111_111"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_111_111"><span class="label">[111]</span></a> C. + Saint-Saëns, <i>Harmonie et Mélodie</i>, 1885.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_112_112" id="Footnote_112_112"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_112_112"><span class="label">[112]</span></a> C. + Saint-Saëns, <i>Rimes familières</i>, 1890.</p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span>You will know the lying eyes, the insincerity<br /> + </span> <span>Of pressures of the hand,<br /> + </span> <span>The mask of friendship that hides jealousy.<br /> + </span> <span>The tame to-morrows<br /> + </span> <span><br /> + </span> + <p><span><br /> + </span> <span>Of these days of triumph, when the vulgar herd<br /> + </span> <span>Crowns you with honour;<br /> + </span> <span>Judging rare genius to be<br /> + </span> <span>Equal in merit to the wit of clowns.<br /> + </span></p> + </div> + </div> + <br /> + <br /> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_113_113" id="Footnote_113_113"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_113_113"><span class="label">[113]</span></a> Letter written to + M. Levin, the correspondent of the <i>Boersen-Courier</i> of Berlin, 9 September, + 1901.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_114_114" id="Footnote_114_114"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_114_114"><span class="label">[114]</span></a> C. + Saint-Saëns, <i>Charles Gounod et le Don Juan de Mozart</i>, 1894.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_115_115" id="Footnote_115_115"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_115_115"><span class="label">[115]</span></a></p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span>But ten years old, slightly built and pale,<br /> + </span> <span>Yet full of simple confidence and joy (<i>Rimes + familières</i>).<br /> + </span> + </div> + </div> + <br /> + <br /> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_116_116" id="Footnote_116_116"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_116_116"><span class="label">[116]</span></a> Charles Gounod, + <i>Mémoires d'un Artiste</i>, 1896.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_117_117" id="Footnote_117_117"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_117_117"><span class="label">[117]</span></a> Quoted from + Saint-Saëns by Edmond Hippeau in <i>Henry VIII et L'Opéra + français</i>, 1883. M. Saint-Saëns speaks elsewhere of "these works, + well written, but heavy and unattractive, and reflecting in a tiresome way the + narrow and pedantic spirit of certain little towns in Germany" (<i>Harmonie et + Mélodie</i>).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_118_118" id="Footnote_118_118"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_118_118"><span class="label">[118]</span></a> Charles Gounod, + <i>"Ascanio" de Saint-Saëns</i>, 1890.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_119_119" id="Footnote_119_119"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_119_119"><span class="label">[119]</span></a> <i>Id., + ibid.</i></p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_120_120" id="Footnote_120_120"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_120_120"><span class="label">[120]</span></a> C. + Saint-Saëns, <i>Problèmes et Mystères</i>, 1894.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_121_121" id="Footnote_121_121"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_121_121"><span class="label">[121]</span></a> <i>Harmonie et + Mélodie</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_122_122" id="Footnote_122_122"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_122_122"><span class="label">[122]</span></a> C. + Saint-Saëns, <i>Portraits et Souvenirs</i>, 1900.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_123_123" id="Footnote_123_123"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_123_123"><span class="label">[123]</span></a></p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span>I know that a vain dream of virtue<br /> + </span> <span>Has always cast a shadow on your soul (<i>Rimes + familières</i>).<br /> + </span> + </div> + </div> + <br /> + <br /> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_124_124" id="Footnote_124_124"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_124_124"><span class="label">[124]</span></a> C. + Saint-Saëns, <i>Note sur les décors de théâtre dans + l'antiquité romaine</i>, 1880, where he discusses the mural paintings of + Pompeii.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_125_125" id="Footnote_125_125"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_125_125"><span class="label">[125]</span></a> Lecture on the + Phenomena of Mirages, given to the Astronomical Society of France in 1905.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_126_126" id="Footnote_126_126"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_126_126"><span class="label">[126]</span></a> C. + Saint-Saëns, <i>La Crampe des Écrivains</i>, a comedy in one act, + 1892.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_127_127" id="Footnote_127_127"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_127_127"><span class="label">[127]</span></a> <i>Harmonie et + Mélodie</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_128_128" id="Footnote_128_128"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_128_128"><span class="label">[128]</span></a> Charles Gounod, + <i>Mémoires d'un Artiste</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_129_129" id="Footnote_129_129"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_129_129"><span class="label">[129]</span></a> <i>Les Heures; + Mors; Modestie (Rimes familières</i>).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_130_130" id="Footnote_130_130"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_130_130"><span class="label">[130]</span></a> "Thanks to Berlioz, + all my generation has been shaped, and well shaped" <i>(Portraits et + Souvenirs</i>).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_131_131" id="Footnote_131_131"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_131_131"><span class="label">[131]</span></a> "I like Liszt's + music so much, because he does not bother about other people's opinions; he says + what he wants to say; and the only thing that he troubles about is to say it as + well as he possibly can" (Quoted by Hippeau).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_132_132" id="Footnote_132_132"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_132_132"><span class="label">[132]</span></a> The quotations are + taken from <i>Harmonie et Mélodie</i> and <i>Portraits et + Souvenirs</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_133_133" id="Footnote_133_133"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_133_133"><span class="label">[133]</span></a> In <i>Harmonie et + Mélodie</i> M. Saint-Saëns tells us that he organised and directed a + concert in the Théâtre-Italien where only Liszt's compositions were + played. But all his efforts to make the French musical public appreciate Liszt + were a failure.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_134_134" id="Footnote_134_134"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_134_134"><span class="label">[134]</span></a> The admiration was + mutual. M. Saint-Saëns even said that without Liszt he could not have + written <i>Samson et Dalila</i>. "Not only did Liszt have <i>Samson et Dalila</i> + performed at Weimar, but without him that work would never have come into being. + My suggestions on the subject had met with such hostility that I had given up the + idea of writing it; and all that existed were some illegible notes.... Then at + Weimar one day I spoke to Liszt about it, and he said to me, quite trustingly and + without having heard a note, 'Finish your work; I will have it performed here.' + The events of 1870 delayed its performance for several years." (<i>Revue + Musicale</i>, 8 November, 1901).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_135_135" id="Footnote_135_135"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_135_135"><span class="label">[135]</span></a> <i>Portraits et + Souvenirs</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_136_136" id="Footnote_136_136"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_136_136"><span class="label">[136]</span></a> <i>Harmonie et + Mélodie</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_137_137" id="Footnote_137_137"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_137_137"><span class="label">[137]</span></a> C. + Saint-Saëns, <i>Portraits et Souvenirs</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_138_138" id="Footnote_138_138"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_138_138"><span class="label">[138]</span></a> <i>Portraits et + Souvenirs</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_139_139" id="Footnote_139_139"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_139_139"><span class="label">[139]</span></a> <i>Revue d'Art + dramatique</i>, 5 February, 1899.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_140_140" id="Footnote_140_140"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_140_140"><span class="label">[140]</span></a> Vincent d'Indy: + <i>Cours de Composition musicale</i>, Book I, drawn up from notes taken in + Composition classes at the <i>Schola Cantorum</i>, 1897-1898, p. 16 (Durand, + 1902). See also the inaugural speech given at the school, and published by the + <i>Tribune de Saint-Gervais</i>, November, 1900.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_141_141" id="Footnote_141_141"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_141_141"><span class="label">[141]</span></a> Vincent d'Indy, + <i>Cours de Composition musicale</i>, p. 132.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_142_142" id="Footnote_142_142"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_142_142"><span class="label">[142]</span></a> <i>Id.</i>, + <i>ibid.</i>, p. 13.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_143_143" id="Footnote_143_143"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_143_143"><span class="label">[143]</span></a> <i>Id., ibid.</i>, + p. 25. In the thirteenth century, Philippe de Vitry, Bishop of Meaux, called + triple time "perfect," because "it hath its name from the Trinity, that is to + say, from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, in whom is divine + perfection."</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_144_144" id="Footnote_144_144"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_144_144"><span class="label">[144]</span></a> <i>Id., ibid.</i>, + pp. 66, 83, and <i>passim</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_145_145" id="Footnote_145_145"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_145_145"><span class="label">[145]</span></a> <i>Id., + ibid.</i></p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_146_146" id="Footnote_146_146"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_146_146"><span class="label">[146]</span></a> "Make war against + Particularism, that unwholesome fruit of the Protestant heresy!" (Speech to the + <i>Schola</i>, taken from the <i>Tribune de Saint-Gervais</i>, November, + 1900.)</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_147_147" id="Footnote_147_147"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_147_147"><span class="label">[147]</span></a> At least Judaism + has the honour of giving its name to a whole period of art, the "Judaic period." + "The modern style is the last phase of the Judaic school...." etc.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_148_148" id="Footnote_148_148"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_148_148"><span class="label">[148]</span></a> In the <i>Cours de + Composition musicale</i> M. d'Indy speaks of "the admirable initial T in the + <i>Rouleau mortuaire</i> of Saint-Vital (twelfth century), which represents Satan + vomiting two Jews ... an expressive and symbolic work of art, if ever there was + one." I should not mention this but for the fact that there are only two + illustrations in the whole book.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_149_149" id="Footnote_149_149"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_149_149"><span class="label">[149]</span></a> <i>Cours de + Composition musicale</i>, p. 160.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_150_150" id="Footnote_150_150"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_150_150"><span class="label">[150]</span></a> <i>L'Oratorio + moderne</i> (<i>Tribune de Saint-Gervais</i>, March, 1899).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_151_151" id="Footnote_151_151"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_151_151"><span class="label">[151]</span></a> <i>Ibid.</i> As + much as to say he was a Catholic without knowing it. And that is what a friend of + the <i>Schola</i>, M. Edgar Tinel, declares: "Bach is a truly Christian artist + and, without doubt, <i>a Protestant by mistake</i>, since in his immortal + <i>Credo</i> he confesses his faith in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church" + (<i>Tribune de Saint-Gervais</i>, August-September, 1902). M. Edgar Tinel was, as + you know, one of the principal masters of Belgian oratorio.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_152_152" id="Footnote_152_152"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_152_152"><span class="label">[152]</span></a> <i>Revue + musicale</i>, November, 1902.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_153_153" id="Footnote_153_153"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_153_153"><span class="label">[153]</span></a> "The only documents + extant on ancient music are either criticisms or appreciations, and not musical + texts" (<i>Cours de Composition</i>).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_154_154" id="Footnote_154_154"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_154_154"><span class="label">[154]</span></a> "The influence of + the Renaissance, with its pretension and vanity, caused a check in all the + arts—the effect of which we are still feeling" (<i>Traité de + Composition</i>, p. 89. See also the passage quoted before on Pride).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_155_155" id="Footnote_155_155"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_155_155"><span class="label">[155]</span></a> <i>Tribune de + Saint-Gervais</i>, November, 1900.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_156_156" id="Footnote_156_156"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_156_156"><span class="label">[156]</span></a> I speak of the + passages where he expresses himself freely, and is not interpreting a dramatic + situation necessary to his subject, as in that fine symphonic part of the + <i>Rédemption</i>, where he describes the triumph of Christ. But even + there we find traces of sadness and suffering.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_157_157" id="Footnote_157_157"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_157_157"><span class="label">[157]</span></a> Through a break in + the clouds, revealing Celestial joy shining above the deeps.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_158_158" id="Footnote_158_158"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_158_158"><span class="label">[158]</span></a> <i>Tribune de + Saint-Gervais</i> November, 1900.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_159_159" id="Footnote_159_159"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_159_159"><span class="label">[159]</span></a> <i>Id.</i>, + September, 1899.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_160_160" id="Footnote_160_160"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_160_160"><span class="label">[160]</span></a> + <i>L'Étranger</i>, "action musicale" in two acts. Poem and music by M. + Vincent d'Indy. Played for the first time at Brussels in the Théâtre + de la Monnaie, 7 January, 1903. The quotations from the drama, whose poetry is + not as good as its music, are taken from the score.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_161_161" id="Footnote_161_161"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_161_161"><span class="label">[161]</span></a> There is a certain + likeness in the subject to Herr Richard Strauss's <i>Feuersnot</i>. There, too, + the hero is a stranger who is persecuted, and treated as a sorcerer in the very + town to which he has brought honour. But the <i>dénouement</i> is not the + same; and the fundamental difference of temperament between the two artists is + strongly marked. M. d'Indy finishes with the renouncement of a Christian, and + Herr Richard Strauss by a proud and joyous affirmation of independence.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_162_162" id="Footnote_162_162"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_162_162"><span class="label">[162]</span></a> Found by M. d'Indy + in his own province, as he tells us in his <i>Chansons populaires du + Vivarais</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_163_163" id="Footnote_163_163"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_163_163"><span class="label">[163]</span></a> In his criticisms + his heart is not always in agreement with his mind. His mind denounces the + Renaissance, but his instinct obliges him to appreciate the great Florentine + painters of the Renaissance and the musicians of the sixteenth century. He only + gets out of the difficulty by the most extraordinary compromises, by saying that + Ghirlandajo and Filippo Lippi were Gothic, or by stating that the Renaissance in + music did not begin till the seventeenth century! (<i>Cours de Composition</i>, + pp. 214 and 216.)</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_164_164" id="Footnote_164_164"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_164_164"><span class="label">[164]</span></a> Act III, scene 3. + The power of that evocation is so strong that it carries the poet along with it. + It would seem that part of the action had only been conceived with a view to the + final effect of the sudden colouring of the waves.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_165_165" id="Footnote_165_165"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_165_165"><span class="label">[165]</span></a> <i>Cours de + Composition</i>, and <i>Tribune de Saint-Gervais</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_166_166" id="Footnote_166_166"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_166_166"><span class="label">[166]</span></a> <i>Cours de + Composition</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_167_167" id="Footnote_167_167"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_167_167"><span class="label">[167]</span></a> This essay was + written in 1899.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_168_168" id="Footnote_168_168"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_168_168"><span class="label">[168]</span></a> Nietzsche.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_169_169" id="Footnote_169_169"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_169_169"><span class="label">[169]</span></a> <i>Beyond Good and + Evil</i>, 1886. I hope I may be excused for introducing Nietzsche here, but his + thoughts seem constantly to be reflected in Strauss, and to throw much light on + the soul of modern Germany.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_170_170" id="Footnote_170_170"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_170_170"><span class="label">[170]</span></a> This article was + written in 1899. Since then the <i>Sinfonia Domestica</i>, has been produced, and + will be noticed in the essay <i>French and German Music</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_171_171" id="Footnote_171_171"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_171_171"><span class="label">[171]</span></a> Composed in 1889, + and performed for the first time at Eisenach in 1890.</p> + </div> + +<div class="footnote"> +<p><a name="Footnote_171a_171a" id="Footnote_171a_171a"></a> +<a href="#FNanchor_171a_171a"><span class="label">[171a]</span></a><i>Richard Strauss, eine Charakterskizze</i>, 1896, + Prague.</p></div> +<div class="footnote"> +<p><a name="Footnote_171b_171b" id="Footnote_171b_171b"></a> +<a href="#FNanchor_171b_171b"><span class="label">[171b]</span></a><i>R. Strauss, Essai critique et biologique</i>, 1898, + Brussels.</p></div> +<div class="footnote"> +<p><a name="Footnote_171c_171c" id="Footnote_171c_171c"></a> +<a href="#FNanchor_171c_171c"><span class="label">[171c]</span></a><i>Der Musikführer: Tod und Verklärung</i>, + Frankfort.</p></div> + + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_172_172" id="Footnote_172_172"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_172_172"><span class="label">[172]</span></a> Some people have + tried to see Alexander Ritter's thoughts in Friedhold, as they have seen + Strauss's thoughts in Guntram.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_173_173" id="Footnote_173_173"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_173_173"><span class="label">[173]</span></a> Composed in + 1894-95, and played for the first time at Cologne in 1895.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_174_174" id="Footnote_174_174"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_174_174"><span class="label">[174]</span></a> Composed in + 1895-96, and performed for the first time at Frankfort-On-Main in November, + 1896.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_175_175" id="Footnote_175_175"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_175_175"><span class="label">[175]</span></a> Nietzsche.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_176_176" id="Footnote_176_176"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_176_176"><span class="label">[176]</span></a> Nietzsche, + <i>Zarathustra</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_177_177" id="Footnote_177_177"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_177_177"><span class="label">[177]</span></a> Arthur Hahn, <i>Der + Musikführer: Don Quixote</i>, Frankfort.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_178_178" id="Footnote_178_178"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_178_178"><span class="label">[178]</span></a> At the head of each + variation Strauss has marked on the score the chapter of "Don Quixote" that he is + interpreting.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_179_179" id="Footnote_179_179"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_179_179"><span class="label">[179]</span></a> Finished in + December, 1898. Performed for the first time at Frankfort-On-Main on 3 March, + 1899. Published by Leuckart, Leipzig.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_180_180" id="Footnote_180_180"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_180_180"><span class="label">[180]</span></a> The composition of + the orchestra in Strauss's later works is as follows: In <i>Zarathustra</i>: one + piccolo, three flutes, three oboes, one English horn, one clarinet in E flat, two + clarinets in B, one bass-clarinet in B, three bassoons, one double-bassoon, six + horns in F, four trumpets in C, three trombones, three bass-tuba, kettledrums, + big drum, cymbals, triangle, chime of bells, bell in E, organ, two harps, and + strings. In <i>Heldenleben</i>: eight horns instead of six, five trumpets instead + of four (two in E flat, three in B); and, in addition, military drums.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_181_181" id="Footnote_181_181"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_181_181"><span class="label">[181]</span></a> In <i>Guntram</i> + one could even believe that he had made up his mind to use a phrase in + <i>Tristan</i>, as if he could not find anything better to express passionate + desire.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_182_182" id="Footnote_182_182"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_182_182"><span class="label">[182]</span></a> "The German spirit, + which but a little while back had the will to dominate Europe, the force to + govern Europe, has finally made up its mind to abandon it."—Nietzsche.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_183_183" id="Footnote_183_183"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_183_183"><span class="label">[183]</span></a> A large number of + works on Hugo Wolf have been published in Germany since his death. The chief is + the great biography of Herr Ernst Decsey—<i>Hugo Wolf</i> (Berlin, 1903-4). + I have found this book of great service; it is a work full of knowledge and + sympathy. I have also consulted Herr Paul Müller's excellent little + pamphlet, <i>Hugo Wolf (Moderne essays</i>, Berlin, 1904), and the collections of + Wolf's letters, in particular his letters to Oskar Grohe, Emil Kaufmann, and Hugo + Faisst.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_184_184" id="Footnote_184_184"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_184_184"><span class="label">[184]</span></a> Joseph Schalk was + one of the founders of the <i>Wagner-Verein</i> at Vienna, and devoted his life + to propagating the cult of Bruckner (who called him his "<i>Herr + Generalissimus</i> "), and to fighting for Wolf.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_185_185" id="Footnote_185_185"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_185_185"><span class="label">[185]</span></a> Letter of H. von + Bülow to Detlev von Liliencron.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_186_186" id="Footnote_186_186"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_186_186"><span class="label">[186]</span></a> Wolf's letters to + Strasser are of great value in giving us an insight into his artist's eager and + unhappy soul.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_187_187" id="Footnote_187_187"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_187_187"><span class="label">[187]</span></a> Wolf was living + there with a friend. He had not a lodging of his own until 1896, and that was due + to the generosity of his friends.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_188_188" id="Footnote_188_188"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_188_188"><span class="label">[188]</span></a> The writing of an + opera was Wolf's great dream and intention for many years.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_189_189" id="Footnote_189_189"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_189_189"><span class="label">[189]</span></a> Detlev von + Liliencron offered him an American subject. "But in spite of my admiration for + Buffalo Bill and his unwashed crew," said Wolf sarcastically, "I prefer my native + soil and people who appreciate the advantages of soap."</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_190_190" id="Footnote_190_190"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_190_190"><span class="label">[190]</span></a></p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span>All that is begun must end,<br /> + </span> <span>All around will sometime perish.<br /> + </span> + </div> + </div> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_191_191" id="Footnote_191_191"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_191_191"><span class="label">[191]</span></a></p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span>Once we were also men<br /> + </span> <span>Happy or sad like you;<br /> + </span> <span>Now life is taken from us,<br /> + </span> <span>We are only of earth, as you see.<br /> + </span> <span><br /> + </span> + <p><span><br /> + </span> <span><i>Chiunque nasce a morte arriva<br /> + </i></span> Nel fuggir del tempo, e'l sole<br /> + <span>Niuna cosa lascia viva....<br /> + </span> <span>Come voi, uomini fummo,<br /> + </span> <span>Lieti e tristi, come siete;<br /> + </span> <span>E or siam, come vedete,<br /> + </span> <span>Terra al sol, di vita priva</span>.<br /> + </p> + <p><br /> + <span>(Poems of Michelangelo, CXXXVI.)<br /> + </span></p> + </div> + </div> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_192_192" id="Footnote_192_192"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_192_192"><span class="label">[192]</span></a> This article was + written in 1899, on the occasion of Lorenzo Perosi's coming to Paris to direct + his oratorio <i>La Résurrection</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_193_193" id="Footnote_193_193"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_193_193"><span class="label">[193]</span></a> This essay was + written in 1905.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_194_194" id="Footnote_194_194"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_194_194"><span class="label">[194]</span></a> Man lies in + greatest misery; Man lies in greatest pain; I would I were in Heaven!</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_195_195" id="Footnote_195_195"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_195_195"><span class="label">[195]</span></a> I come from God, + and shall to God return.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_196_196" id="Footnote_196_196"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_196_196"><span class="label">[196]</span></a> Thou wilt rise + again, thou wilt rise again, O my dust, after a little rest.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_197_197" id="Footnote_197_197"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_197_197"><span class="label">[197]</span></a> What is born must + pass away; What has passed away must rise again.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_198_198" id="Footnote_198_198"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_198_198"><span class="label">[198]</span></a></p> + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <span>O Man! O Man! Have care! Have care!<br /> + </span> <span>What says dark midnight?<br /> + </span> + </div> + </div> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_199_199" id="Footnote_199_199"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_199_199"><span class="label">[199]</span></a> May I be allowed to + say that I am trying to write this study from a purely historical point of view, + by eliminating all personal feeling—which would be of no value here. As a + matter of fact, I am not a Debussyite; my sympathies are with quite another kind + of art. But I feel impelled to give homage to a great artist, whose work I am + able to judge with some impartiality.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_200_200" id="Footnote_200_200"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_200_200"><span class="label">[200]</span></a> That is for + musicians. But I am convinced that with the mass of the public the other reasons + have more weight—as is always the case.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_201_201" id="Footnote_201_201"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_201_201"><span class="label">[201]</span></a> We must also note + that during the first half of the seventeenth century people of taste objected to + the very theatrical declamation of French opera. "Our singers believe," wrote + Mersenne, in 1636, "that the exclamations and emphasis used by the Italians in + singing savour too much of tragedies and comedies, and so they do not wish to + employ them."</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_202_202" id="Footnote_202_202"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_202_202"><span class="label">[202]</span></a> No other critic + has, I think, discerned so shrewdly Debussy's art and genius. Some of his + analyses are models of clever intuition. The thought of the critic seems to be + one with that of the musician.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_203_203" id="Footnote_203_203"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_203_203"><span class="label">[203]</span></a> <i>Jean-Christophe + à Paris</i>, 1904.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_204_204" id="Footnote_204_204"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_204_204"><span class="label">[204]</span></a> One must at least + do Hugo the justice of saying that he always spoke of Beethoven with admiration, + although he did not know him. But he rather exalts him in order to take away from + the importance of a poet—the only one in the nineteenth century—whose + fame was shading his own; and when he wrote in his <i>William Shakespeare</i> + that "the great man of Germany is Beethoven" it was understood by all to mean + "the great man of Germany is not Goethe."</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_205_205" id="Footnote_205_205"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_205_205"><span class="label">[205]</span></a> Written in a letter + to his sister, Nanci, on 3 April, 1850.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_206_206" id="Footnote_206_206"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_206_206"><span class="label">[206]</span></a> We remark, + nevertheless, that that did not prevent Gautier from being a musical critic.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_207_207" id="Footnote_207_207"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_207_207"><span class="label">[207]</span></a> I wish to make + known from the beginning that I am only noticing here the greater musical doings + of the nation, and making no mention of works which have not had an important + influence on this movement.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_208_208" id="Footnote_208_208"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_208_208"><span class="label">[208]</span></a> In the meanwhile + France saw the brilliant rise and extinction of a great artist—the most + spontaneous of all her musicians—Georges Bizet, who died in 1875, aged + thirty-seven. "Bizet was the last genius to discover a new beauty," said + Nietzsche; "Bizet discovered new lands—the Southern lands of music," + <i>Carmen</i> (1875) and <i>L'Arlésienne</i> (1872) are masterpieces of + the lyrical Latin drama. Their style is luminous, concise, and well-defined; the + figures are outlined with incisive precision. The music is full of light and + movement, and is a great contrast to Wagner's philosophical symphonies, and its + popular subject only serves to strengthen its aristocratic distinction. By its + nature and its clear perception of the spirit of the race it was well in advance + of its time. What a place Bizet might have taken in our art if he had only lived + twenty years longer!</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_209_209" id="Footnote_209_209"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_209_209"><span class="label">[209]</span></a> Its influence is + shown, in varying degrees, in works such as M. Reyer's <i>Sigurd</i> (1884), + Chabrier's <i>Gwendoline</i> (1886), and M. Vincent d'Indy's <i>Le Chant de la + Cloche</i> (1886).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_210_210" id="Footnote_210_210"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_210_210"><span class="label">[210]</span></a> One knows that the + Conservatoire originated in <i>L'École gratuite de musique de la garde + nationale parisienne</i>, founded in 1792 by Sarrette, and directed by Gossec. It + was then a civic and military school, but, according to Chénier, was + changed into the <i>Institut national de musique</i> on 8 November, 1793, and + into the <i>Conservatoire</i> on 3 August, 1795. This Republican Conservatoire + made it its business to keep in contact with the spirit of the country, and was + directly opposed to the Opera, which was of monarchical origin. See M. Constant + Pierre's work <i>Le Conservatoire national de musique</i> (1900), and M. Julien + Tiersot's very interesting book <i>Les Fêtes et les Chants de la + Révolution française</i> (1908).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_211_211" id="Footnote_211_211"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_211_211"><span class="label">[211]</span></a> You must remember + that I am speaking here of <i>official</i> action only; for there have always + been masters among the Conservatoire teaching staff who have united a fine + musical culture with a broad-minded and liberal spirit. But the influence of + these independent minds is, generally speaking, small; for they have not the + disposing of academic successes; and when, by exception, they have a wide + influence, like that of César Franck, it is the result of personal work + outside the Conservatoire—work that is, as often as not, opposed to + Conservatoire principles.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_212_212" id="Footnote_212_212"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_212_212"><span class="label">[212]</span></a> It is to be noted + that since 1807 the Conservatoire pupils have made Beethoven's symphonies + familiar to Parisians. The <i>Symphony in C minor</i> was performed by them in + 1808; the <i>Heroic</i> in 1811. It was in connection with one of these + performances that the <i>Tablettes de Polymnie</i> gave a curious appreciation of + Beethoven, which is quoted by M. Constant Pierre: "This composer is often + grotesque and uncouth, and sometimes flies majestically like an eagle and + sometimes crawls along stony paths. It is as though one had shut up doves and + crocodiles together."</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_213_213" id="Footnote_213_213"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_213_213"><span class="label">[213]</span></a> This is according + to M. Rivet's report on the <i>Beaux-Arts</i> in 1906. The Opera employs 1370 + people, and its expenses are about 3,988,000 francs. The annual grant of the + State comes to about 800,000 francs.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_214_214" id="Footnote_214_214"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_214_214"><span class="label">[214]</span></a> On the occasion of + the revival of <i>Don Juan</i> in 1902, the <i>Revue Musicale</i> counted up the + pages that had been added to the original score. They came to two hundred and + twenty-eight.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_215_215" id="Footnote_215_215"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_215_215"><span class="label">[215]</span></a> The facts which + follow are taken from the archives of the <i>Société Nationale de + Musique</i>, and have been given me by M. Pierre de Bréville, the + Society's secretary.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_216_216" id="Footnote_216_216"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_216_216"><span class="label">[216]</span></a> It must be + remembered that the prices of the seats were much cheaper than they are to-day; + the best were only three francs.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_217_217" id="Footnote_217_217"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_217_217"><span class="label">[217]</span></a> There were about + 340 performances of Saint-Saëns' works, 380 of Wagner's, 390 of Beethoven's, + and 470 of Berlioz's. I owe these details to the kind information of M. Charles + Malherbe and M. Léon Petitjean, the secretary of the Colonne concerts.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_218_218" id="Footnote_218_218"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_218_218"><span class="label">[218]</span></a> The <i>Damnation de + Faust</i> alone was given in its entirety a hundred and fifty times in thirty + years.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_219_219" id="Footnote_219_219"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_219_219"><span class="label">[219]</span></a> It is known that M. + Colonne has now a helper in M. Gabriel Pierné, who will succeed him when + he retires.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_220_220" id="Footnote_220_220"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_220_220"><span class="label">[220]</span></a> My statements may + be verified by the account published in the <i>Revue Éolienne</i> of + January, 1902, by M. Léon Bourgeois, secretary of the Committee of the + <i>Association des Concerts-Lamoureux</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_221_221" id="Footnote_221_221"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_221_221"><span class="label">[221]</span></a> It published, in + eleven volumes, the ancient works that it performed. Before this experiment there + had been the <i>Concerts historiques de Fétis</i>, preceded by lectures, + which were inaugurated in 1832, and failed; and these were followed by + Amédée Méréaux's <i>Concerts historiques</i> in + 1842-1844.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_222_222" id="Footnote_222_222"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_222_222"><span class="label">[222]</span></a> The following + information was given by M. Vincent d'Indy at a lecture held on 20 February, + 1903, at the <i>École des Hautes Études sociales</i>—a + lecture which later became a chapter in M. d'Indy's book, <i>César + Franck</i> (1906).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_223_223" id="Footnote_223_223"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_223_223"><span class="label">[223]</span></a> A complete list may + be found in M. d'Indy's book.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_224_224" id="Footnote_224_224"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_224_224"><span class="label">[224]</span></a><i>Tribune de + Saint-Gervais</i>, November, 1900.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_225_225" id="Footnote_225_225"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_225_225"><span class="label">[225]</span></a> See the Essay on + <i>Vincent d'Indy</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_226_226" id="Footnote_226_226"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_226_226"><span class="label">[226]</span></a> <i>Revue d'histoire + et de critique musicale</i>, August-September, 1901.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_227_227" id="Footnote_227_227"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_227_227"><span class="label">[227]</span></a> "The <i>Schola + Cantorum</i> aims at creating a modern music truly worthy of the Church" (First + number of the <i>Tribune de Saint-Gervais</i>, the monthly bulletin of the + <i>Schola Cantorum</i>, January, 1895).</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_228_228" id="Footnote_228_228"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_228_228"><span class="label">[228]</span></a> The Schola had in + mind here the vigorous work of the French Benedictines, which had been done in + silence for the past fifty years; it was thinking, too, of the restoration of the + Gregorian chant during 1850 and 1860 by Dom Guéranger, the first abbot of + Solesmes, a work continued by Dom Jausions and Dom Pothier, the abbot of + Saint-Wandrille, who published in 1883 the <i>Mélodies + Grégoriennes</i>, the <i>Liber Gradualis</i>, and the <i>Liber + Antiphonarius</i>. This work was finally brought to a happy conclusion by Dom + Schmitt, and Dom Mocqucreau, the prior of Solesmes, who in 1889 began his + monumental work, the <i>Paléo-graphie Musicals</i>, of which nine volumes + had appeared in 1906. This great Benedictine school is an honour to France by the + scientific work it has lately done in music. The school is at present exiled from + France.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_229_229" id="Footnote_229_229"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_229_229"><span class="label">[229]</span></a> When Charles Bordes + opened the first <i>Schola Cantorum</i> in the Rue Stanislas he was without help + or resources, and had exactly thirty-seven francs and fifty centimes in hand. I + mention this detail to give an idea of the splendidly courageous and confident + spirit that Charles Bordes possessed.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_230_230" id="Footnote_230_230"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_230_230"><span class="label">[230]</span></a> <i>Tribune de + Saint-Gervais</i>, November, 1900.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_231_231" id="Footnote_231_231"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_231_231"><span class="label">[231]</span></a> There are actually + nine courses of Composition at the <i>Schola</i>—five for men and four for + women. M. d'Indy takes eight of them, as well as a mixed class for orchestra.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_232_232" id="Footnote_232_232"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_232_232"><span class="label">[232]</span></a> The orchestra is + mainly composed of pupils; and, by a generous arrangement, the financial profits + from rehearsals and performances are divided among the pupils who take part in + them, and credited to their account. And so besides the exhibitioners the + <i>Schola</i> has a great number of pupils who are not well off, but who manage + by these concerts to defray almost the entire expenses of their education there. + "The concerts serve more especially as aesthetic exercises for the pupils, and as + a means of according them teaching at small expense to themselves." I owe this + information and all that precedes it to the kindness of M. J. de la Laurencie, + the general secretary of the <i>Schola</i>, whom I should like to thank.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_233_233" id="Footnote_233_233"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_233_233"><span class="label">[233]</span></a> The <i>Schola</i> + has even performed, in an open-air theatre, Ramcau's <i>La Guirlande</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_234_234" id="Footnote_234_234"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_234_234"><span class="label">[234]</span></a> One may add to this + list the choral societies of Nantes and Besançon, which are bodies of the + same order as the <i>Chanteurs de Saint-Gervais</i>. And we may also attribute to + the influence of the <i>Schola</i> an independent society, the + <i>Société J.S. Bach</i>, started in Paris by an old <i>Schola</i> + pupil, M. Gustave Bret, which, since 1905, has devoted itself to the performance + of the great works of Bach. It is not one of the least merits of the + <i>Schola</i> that it has helped to form good amateur choirs of the same type as + the choral societies of Germany.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_235_235" id="Footnote_235_235"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_235_235"><span class="label">[235]</span></a> M. Charles Bordes + did not even then give up his labours altogether. Though obliged to retire to the + south of France for his health's sake, he founded, in November, 1905, the + <i>Schola</i> of Montpellier. This <i>Schola</i> has given about fifteen concerts + a year, and has performed some of Bach's cantatas, scenes from Rameau's and + Gluck's operas, Franck's oratorios, and Monteverde's <i>Orfeo</i>. In 1906 M. + Bordes organised an open-air performance of Rameau's <i>Guirlande</i>. In + January, 1908, he produced <i>Castor et Pollux</i> at the Montpellier theatre. + The man's activity was incredible, and nothing seemed to tire him. He was + planning to start a dramatic training-school at Montpellier for the production of + seventeenth and eighteenth century operas, when he died, in November, 1909, at + the age of forty-four, and so deprived French art of one of its best and most + unselfish servants.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_236_236" id="Footnote_236_236"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_236_236"><span class="label">[236]</span></a> The quality of the + audience atoned, it is true, for its small numbers. Berlioz used to come to these + concerts with his friends, Damcke and Stephen Heller; and it was after one of + these performances, when he had been very stirred by an <i>adagio</i> in the E + flat quartette, that he burst out with, "What a man! He could do everything, and + the others nothing!"</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_237_237" id="Footnote_237_237"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_237_237"><span class="label">[237]</span></a> The name, <i>La + Trompette</i>, was also the pretext for embellishing chamber-music, by + introducing the trumpet among the other instruments. To this end M. + Saint-Saëns wrote his fine septette for piano, trumpet, two violins, viola, + violoncello, and double bass; and M. Vincent d'Indy his romantic suite in D for + trumpet, two flutes, and string instruments.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_238_238" id="Footnote_238_238"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_238_238"><span class="label">[238]</span></a> On 12 September, + 1871, at the suggestion of Ambroise Thomas. The first lecturer was Barbereau, + who, however, only lectured for a year. He was succeeded by Gautier, Professor of + Harmony and Accompaniment, who in turn was replaced, in 1878, by M. + Bourgault-Ducoudray.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_239_239" id="Footnote_239_239"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_239_239"><span class="label">[239]</span></a> The first three + theses on Music accepted at the Sorbonne were those of M. Jules Combarieu on + <i>The Relationship of Poetry and Music</i>, of M. Romain Holland on <i>The + Beginnings of Opera before Lully and Scarlatti</i>, and of M. Maurice Emmanuel on + <i>Greek Orchestics</i>. There followed, several years afterwards, M. Louis + Laloy's <i>Aristoxenus of Tarento and Greek Music</i> and M. Jules + Écorcheville's <i>Musical Aesthetics, from Lully to Rameau</i> and + <i>French Instrumental Music of the Seventeenth Century</i>, M. André + Pirro's <i>Aesthetics of Johann Sebastian Bach</i>, and M. Charles Lalo's + <i>Sketch of Scientific Musical Aesthetics</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_240_240" id="Footnote_240_240"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_240_240"><span class="label">[240]</span></a> There are ninety + violins, fifteen violas, and fifteen violoncellos. Unfortunately it is much more + difficult to get recruits for the wood wind and brass.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_241_241" id="Footnote_241_241"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_241_241"><span class="label">[241]</span></a> They have performed + classical music of composers like Bach, Händel, Gluck, Rameau, and + Beethoven; and modern music of composers like Berlioz, Saint-Saëns, Dukas, + etc. This Society has just installed itself in the ancient chapel of the + Dominicans of the Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, who have given them the use of + it.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_242_242" id="Footnote_242_242"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_242_242"><span class="label">[242]</span></a> Of late years there + has been a veritable outburst of concerts at popular prices—some of them in + imitation of the German <i>Restaurationskonzerte</i>, such as the Concerts-Rouge, + the Concerts-Touche, etc., where classical and modern symphony music may be + heard. These concerts are increasing fast, and have great success among a public + that is almost exclusively <i>bourgeois</i>, but they are yet a long way behind + the popular performances of Händel in London, where places may be had for + sixpence and threepence.</p> + <p>I do not attach very much importance to the courageous, though not always very + intelligent movement of the Universités Populaires, where since 1886 a + collection of amateurs, of fashionable people and artists, meet to make + themselves heard, and pretend to initiate the people into what are sometimes the + most complicated and aristocratic works of a classic or decadent art. While + honouring this propaganda—whose ardour has now abated somewhat—one + must say that it has shown more good-will than common-sense. The people do not + need amusing, still less should they be bored; what they need is to learn + something about music. This is not always easy; for it is not noisy deeds we + want, but patience and self-sacrifice. Good intentions are not enough. One knows + the final failure of the <i>Conservatoire populaire de Mimi Pinson</i>, started + by Gustave Charpentier, for giving musical education to the work-girls of + Paris.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_243_243" id="Footnote_243_243"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_243_243"><span class="label">[243]</span></a> M. Maurice Buchor + relates an anecdote which typifies what I mean. "I begged the conductor of a good + men's choral society," he says, "to have one of Händel's choruses sung. But + he seemed to hesitate. I had made the suggestion tentatively, and then tried to + enlarge on the sincerity and breadth of its musical idea. 'Ah, very good,' he + said, 'if you really want to hear it, it is easily done; but I was afraid that + perhaps it was rather too popular.'" (<i>Poème de la Vie Humaine</i>: + Introduction to the Second Series, 1905.) One may add to this the words of a + professor of singing in a primary school for Higher Education in Paris: + "Folk-music—well, it is very good for the provinces." (Quoted by Buchor in + the Introduction to the Second Series of the <i>Poème</i>, 1902.)</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_244_244" id="Footnote_244_244"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_244_244"><span class="label">[244]</span></a> Taken from the + <i>Supplement à la Correspondance générale de l'Instruction + primaire</i>, 15 December, 1894.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_245_245" id="Footnote_245_245"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_245_245"><span class="label">[245]</span></a> Three series of + these <i>Chants populaires pour les Écoles</i> have already been + published.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_246_246" id="Footnote_246_246"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_246_246"><span class="label">[246]</span></a> I reserve my + opinion, from an artist's point of view, on this plagiarising of the words of + songs. On principle I condemn it absolutely. But, in this case, it is Hobson's + choice. <i>Primum vivere, deinde philosophari</i>. If our contemporary musicians + really wished the people to sing, they would have written songs for them; but + they seem to have no desire to achieve honour that way. So there is nothing else + to be done but to have recourse to the musicians of other days; and even there + the choice is very limited. For France formerly, like the France of to-day, had + very few musicians who had any understanding of a great popular art. Berlioz came + nearest to understanding the meaning of it; and he is not yet public property, so + his airs cannot be used. It is curious, and rather sad, that out of eighty pieces + chosen by M. Buchor only nine of them are French; and this is reckoning the + Italians, Lully and Cherubini, as Frenchmen. M. Buchor has had to go to German + classical musicians almost entirely, and, generally speaking, his choice has been + a happy one. With a sure instinct he has given the preference to popular geniuses + like Händel and Beethoven. We may ask why he did not keep their words; but + we must remember that at any rate they had to be translated; and though it may + seem rash to change the subject of a musical masterpiece, it is certain that M. + Buchor's clever adaptations have resulted in driving the fine thoughts of + Händel and Schubert and Mozart and Beethoven into the memories of the French + people, and making them part of their lives. Had they heard the same music at a + concert they would probably not have been very much moved. And that makes M. + Buchor in the right. Let the French people enrich themselves with the musical + treasures of Germany until the time comes when they are able to create a music of + their own! This is a kind of peaceful conquest to which our art is accustomed. + "Now then, Frenchmen," as Du Bellay used to say, "walk boldly up to that fine old + Roman city, and decorate (as you have done more than once) your temples and + altars with its spoils." Besides, let us remember that the German masters of the + eighteenth century, whose words M. Buchor has plagiarised, did not hesitate to + plagiarise themselves; and in turning the Berceuse of the <i>Oratorio de + Noël</i> into a <i>Sainte famille humaine</i>, M. Buchor has respected the + musical ideas of Bach much more than Bach himself did when he turned it into a + <i>Dialogue between Hercules and Pleasure</i>.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_247_247" id="Footnote_247_247"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_247_247"><span class="label">[247]</span></a> The + <i>Poème</i> has been published in four parts:—I. <i>De la naissance + au mariage</i> ("From Birth to Marriage"); II. <i>La Cité</i> ("The + City"); III. <i>De l'age viril jusqu'à la mort</i> ("From Manhood to + Death"); IV. <i>L'Idéal</i> ("Ideals"). 1900-1906.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_248_248" id="Footnote_248_248"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_248_248"><span class="label">[248]</span></a> The last chorus of + <i>Fidelio</i> has been recently sung by one hundred and seventy school-children + at Douai; a grand chorus from <i>The Messiah</i> by the Écoles Normales of + Angoulême and Valence; and the great choral scene and the last part of + Schumann's <i>Faust</i> by the two Écoles Normales of Limoges. At Valence, + performances are given every year in the theatre there before an audience of + between eight hundred and a thousand teachers.</p> + <p>Outside the schools, especially in the North, a certain number of teachers of + both sexes have formed choral societies among work-girls and co-operative + societies, such as <i>La Fraternelle</i> at Saint Quentin.</p> + <p>In a general way one may say that M. Maurice Buchor's campaign has especially + succeeded in departments like that of Aisne and Drôme, where the ground has + been prepared by the Academy Inspector. Unhappily in many districts the movement + receives a lively opposition from music-teachers, who do not approve of this + mnemotechnical way of learning poetry with music, without any instruction in + solfeggio or musical science. And it is quite evident that this method would have + its defects if it were a question of training musicians. But it is really a + matter of training people who have some music in them; and so the musicians must + not be too fastidious. I hope that great musicians will one day spring from this + good ground—musicians more human than those of our own time, musicians + whose music will be rooted in their hearts and in their country.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_249_249" id="Footnote_249_249"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_249_249"><span class="label">[249]</span></a> We must not forget + M. Bourgault-Ducoudray, who was his forerunner with his <i>Chants de + Fontenoy</i>, collections of songs for the Écoles Normales.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_250_250" id="Footnote_250_250"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_250_250"><span class="label">[250]</span></a> Mention must + especially be made of little groups of young students, pupils of the Universities + or the larger schools, who are devoting themselves at present to the moral and + musical instruction of the people. Such an effort, made more than a year ago at + Vaugirard, resulted in the <i>Manécanterie des petits chanteurs de la + Croix de bois</i>, a small choir of the children of the people, who in the poor + parishes go from one church to another singing Gregorian and Palestrinian + music.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_251_251" id="Footnote_251_251"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_251_251"><span class="label">[251]</span></a> It is hardly + necessary to recall the unfortunate statute of 15 March, 1850, which says: + "Primary instruction <i>may</i> comprise singing."</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_252_252" id="Footnote_252_252"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_252_252"><span class="label">[252]</span></a> By the decree of 4 + August, 1905. At the same time, a programme and pedagogic instructions were + issued. The importance of musical dictation and the usefulness of the Galin + methods for beginners were urged. Let us hope that the State will decide + officially to support M. Buchor's endeavours, and that it will gradually + introduce into schools M. Jacques-Delacroze's methods of rhythmic gymnastics, + which have produced such astonishing results in Switzerland.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_253_253" id="Footnote_253_253"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_253_253"><span class="label">[253]</span></a> M. Chaumié's + suggestion. See the <i>Revue Musicale</i>, 15 July, 1903.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_254_254" id="Footnote_254_254"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_254_254"><span class="label">[254]</span></a> <i>Revue + Musicale</i>, December 15, 1903, and 1 and 15 January, 1904.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_255_255" id="Footnote_255_255"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_255_255"><span class="label">[255]</span></a> "In this," says M. + Buchor, "as in many other things, the children of the people set an example to + the children of the middle classes." That is true; but one must not blame the + middle-class children so much as those in authority, who, "in this, as in many + other things," have not fulfilled their duties.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_256_256" id="Footnote_256_256"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_256_256"><span class="label">[256]</span></a> <i>The Passion + according to St. Matthew</i> was given first of all by two little choirs, + consisting of from twelve to sixteen students, including the soloists.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_257_257" id="Footnote_257_257"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_257_257"><span class="label">[257]</span></a> It is hardly + necessary to mention the curious attraction that some of our musicians are + beginning to feel for the art of civilisations that are quite opposed to those of + the West. Slowly and quietly the spirit of the Far East is insinuating itself + into European music.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_258_258" id="Footnote_258_258"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_258_258"><span class="label">[258]</span></a> There is no need to + say that Rameau's genius justified all this enthusiasm; but one cannot help + believing that it was aroused, not so much on account of his musical genius as on + account of his supposed championship of the French music of the past against + foreign art; though that art was well adapted to the laws of French opera, as we + may see for ourselves in Gluck's case.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_259_259" id="Footnote_259_259"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_259_259"><span class="label">[259]</span></a> <i>La Tribune de + Saint-Gervais</i>, September, 1903.</p> + </div> + <div class="footnote"> + <p><a name="Footnote_260_260" id="Footnote_260_260"></a><a + href="#FNanchor_260_260"><span class="label">[260]</span></a> At any rate, + certain forms of music—the highest. See the discussions at the Chambre des + Députés on the budget of the Beaux-Arts in February, 1906; and the + speeches of MM. Théodore Denis, Beauquier, and Dujardin-Beaumetz, on + Religious Music, the Niedermeyer School, and the civic value of the organ.</p> + </div> + <p>WILLIAM BRENDON AND SON, LTD PRINTERS, PLYMOUTH</p> + <p>THE MUSICIAN'S BOOKSHELF.</p> + <p>A NEW SERIES.</p> + <p><i>Crown 8vo. Occasionally Illustrated.</i></p> + <p>EDITED BY CLAUDE LANDI, L.R.A.M., A.R.C.M.</p> + <p>MUSICIANS OF TO-DAY. By ROMAIN ROLLAND, Author of "Jean-Christophe." Translated + by MARY BLAIKLOCK. PRACTICAL SINGING. By CLIFTON COOKE and CLAUDE LANDI.</p> + <p>THE UNREST IN THE MUSIC WORLD. By SYDNEY BLAKISTON.</p> + <p>THE SONATA IN MUSIC. By A. EAGLEFIELD HULL, Mus. Doc.</p> + <p>THE SYMPHONY IN MUSIC. By the same.</p> + <p>ON LISTENING TO MUSIC. By E. MARKHAM LEE, M.A., Mus. Doc.</p> + <p>COUNTERPOINT. By G.G. BERNARDI. Translated by C. LANDI.</p> + <p>OPERA. By HARRY BURGESS.</p> + <p><i>Other Volumes in preparation</i>.</p> + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Musicians of To-Day, by Romain Rolland + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MUSICIANS OF TO-DAY *** + +***** This file should be named 16467-h.htm or 16467-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/6/4/6/16467/ + +Produced by David Newman, Chuck Greif and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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