=Saint-Saëns=.—The end of the 19th century in France has been marked
by a decided contrast between the old and the new, Saint-Saëns and
Massenet writing in the older style, while the pupils of Franck have
striven after novelty in effect. Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (Paris,
France, 1835) witnessed the rise and fall of Meyerbeer, and the
triumphs of Gounod, and was himself famous before the influence of
Wagner reached France. His style is marked by great diversity, and
displays equal skill in many different veins; but his music always
shows the utmost facility of expression, a mastery of the technic of
composing, and a remarkable ease and fluency. His has been a true
musical development, founded on rational lines. He was always a warm
admirer of Bach, Beethoven, and the Classical school, and while he
appreciated Liszt, Wagner and other modern masters, he did not abandon
the old ideas of form and melody. His works show the most exquisite
symmetry of detail, like that of a finely-carved monument enriched by
delicate tracery.
=His Works=.—Saint-Saëns studied at the _Conservatoire_, under Stamaty,
Halévy, and Benoist. Though he failed in trying for the _Prix de Rome_,
he produced a worthy symphony when only sixteen. In opera, his first
success was the Biblical “Samson and Dalila,” a work of expressive
power and vivid coloring. “Le Timbre d’Argent” and “La Princesse
Jaune” are of earlier date. “Le Deluge,” is an operatic cantata.
“Etienne-Marcel” won some success in Paris, while “Henry VIII” is a
skilful blending of old and new styles. “Proserpine” and “Ascanio”
followed, while “Phryne” is a dainty example of opéra comique.
“Parysatis,” “Déjanire,” and “Les Barbares” introduce grandiose effects
for open-air performances. “Helène” is a shorter work, again on a
Grecian subject. The composer’s versatility and smoothness of style
prevent him from obtaining the highest dramatic intensity, but his
music is always excellent. In the orchestral field, he has produced
four later symphonies, five piano concertos (that in G minor being
the favorite), and two suites. His symphonic poems include “Le Rouet
d’Omphale,” a delicious orchestral spinning-song; “Phaeton” and “La
Jeunesse d’Hercule,” also on mythical subjects; and the weird “Danse
Macabre.” His violin concerto in B minor is a great favorite.
=Massenet=.—Jules Emile Frederic Massenet (Montreaux, France, 1842) is
another _Conservatoire_ pupil. Rejected at first by Bazin, as lacking
talent, he worked steadily onward, and from a player in small cafés
became one of the foremost figures in French music. His first great
triumph came with “Marie Madeleine” and “Eve,” which are not strictly
oratorios, but are more properly called sacred dramas. “La Vierge” and
“La Terre Promise” are of later date. These works treat their subjects
with modern spirit and passion, instead of the more classic oratorio
style. Massenet is hardly the equal of Saint-Saëns in orchestral
work, but his “Phedre” overture and his suites of tone-pictures are
remarkably attractive. In opera, he won his spurs with “Le Roi de
Lahore,” a spectacular Oriental subject. “Herodiade” is a sacred work,
while “Manon” is a graceful setting of Prevost’s novel of that name.
“Le Cid” is not so strong a work, for Massenet’s style is sentimental
and passionate rather than heroic. “Esclairmonde,” with a romantic and
legendary plot, displays remarkable beauty and richness of effect.
“Werther,” based on Goethe’s novel, is another success. “Le Mage,” an
Oriental subject, and “Thais,” with an Egyptian plot, were comparative
failures. “La Navarraise,” with its love amid battles, is an echo of
Italian realism. Massenet’s tender feeling and vivid emotion show at
their best in his later works for the stage—“Le Portrait de Manon,” a
delightful love-idyl, “Cendrillon,” a fairy opera, “Griselidis,” an old
legend of wifely constancy, and “Le Jongleur de Notre-Dame.” The last
is a touching story of a despised minstrel who wins favor with the Holy
Virgin by his earnest desire to do something in her name, even if it be
only to amuse her with his juggling tricks.
=French Opera=.—Among other French composers for the stage, Meyerbeer,
Gounod and Bizet belong to a previous generation. =Delibes= won some
notice with “Le Roi l’a Dit” and “Sylvia,” but his best work is
“Lakmé,” another example of rich Oriental warmth and color. =Ambroise
Thomas= is known chiefly as the composer of “Mignon,” a remarkably
graceful setting of a libretto from Goethe’s “Wilhelm Meister.” “Le
Songe d’un Nuit d’Été,” an earlier work, has also met with deserved
success, but “Hamlet” is a ridiculous perversion of Shakespeare, and
“Françoise de Rimini” failed to attain real tragic grandeur. =Guiraud=
is known by his comic opera “Piccolino”; =Poise= set many of Molière’s
plays; =Lalo’s= only notable work is “Le Roi d’Ys”; =Godard’s= dainty
“Vivandière” is frankly light in style; while =Salvayre’s= ambitious
“Dame de Monsoreau” is not a great success. =Reyer’s= “Erostrate” and
“La Statue” were praised in their day, but he is better known by two
later works—“Sigurd,” on the subject of “Die Götterdämmerung,” and
“Salammbô,” a setting of Flaubert’s story of Carthage.
=Franck and His Influence=.—The new French school is almost
wholly due to the work of one man, César Auguste Franck (Liége,
Belgium, 1822—Paris, 1890). He settled in Paris, and studied at the
_Conservatoire_. Modest and retiring by nature, “le bon père Franck,”
as he was called, divided his time between teaching, composing, and
playing the organ of the Ste. Clotilde Church. His simple faith and
earnest work recall the spirit of the old mediæval artists, who devoted
their lives and their music to the glory of the Lord. Franck’s works
show a mastery and power that his pupils are scarcely able to equal,
and his compositions have fairly won the esteem that was denied to
them during the composer’s lifetime. Among them are the great D minor
Symphony, the oratorios “Ruth,” “Rebecca,” and “The Redemption,” the
opera “Hulda,” and the symphonic poems “Psyche” (with voices), “Les
Djinns,” “Les Eolides,” and “Le Chasseur Maudit.” But Franck’s most
notable work is “Les Beatitudes,” an eight-part oratorio treating the
Sermon on the Mount. Franck’s style is radically different from that
of Saint-Saëns or Massenet. It is harmonic rather than melodic, and
extremely modulatory in effect. His progressions remind the hearer
of Wagner; but they do not always possess the broad simplicity that
underlies Wagner’s most intricate passages. Franck’s pupils have often
fallen into the error of imitating his weakest points, and have brought
about a style of harmonic vagueness that seems meaningless to many
modern critics.
=D’Indy=.—Vincent d’Indy (Paris, France, 1852) is the greatest of
Franck’s pupils, and the leader of the modern French school. As
conductor, he has been an ardent champion of new and little-known
works. His own compositions include many forms, and have all
attracted attention. His first great work to reach the public was
the “Piccolomini” overture, a part of his orchestral trilogy based
on Schiller’s “Wallenstein.” Two important vocal compositions are
“La Chevauchée du Cid,” for baritone, chorus, and orchestra, and “Le
Chant de la Cloche,” a dramatic legend that won the prize given by the
city of Paris. In the orchestral field, “Antony and Cleopatra” is an
early work, as is also the “Jean Hunyadi” symphony. Of d’Indy’s two
later symphonies, the first, based on a mountain air, contains many
passages of sweetness and purity, while the second is more involved and
modulatory in style. His earliest symphonic poem, “La Forêt Enchantée”
is a delicate tone-picture based on a ballad of Uhland; “Saugefleurie”
is founded on a story by de Bonnières; while “Istar” is inspired by
parts of the old Assyrian epic “Idzubar.” D’Indy’s music is hardly
popular in style, for its themes are not definitely melodic; but his
skill in weaving them into an orchestral tissue is admired by all
musicians. In opera, “Les Burgraves” and the lighter “Attendez-Moi
Sous l’Orme” are youthful works, while “Fervaal” is a music-drama
(_action musicale_) on a Druidic subject, and “L’Etranger” is symbolic
in style. He has written some important works in musical literature and
theory.
=Charpentier=.—Gustave Charpentier (Dieuze, France, 1860) was a
_Conservatoire_ pupil. The _Prix de Rome_ took him to Italy, and his
life there resulted in the pleasing orchestral suite “Impressions
d’Italie.” This consists of five tone-pictures, entitled, “Serenade,”
“At the Fountain,” “On Muleback,” “On the Summits,” and “Naples.”
On his return he lived among the working-people of Montmartre, and
their life is reflected in his later works. “La Vie du Poète” is a
symphony-drama, giving episodes in the life of an unsuccessful genius.
In the beginning, all is aspiration and enthusiasm. Then doubt follows.
At first the poet is consoled by the serene beauty of the summer night,
but his fears gain the upper hand. Then comes a picture of impotent
raging and vain anger against fate, after which the poet tries to blot
out his sorrows in the cheap gayety of the city. “La Couronnement de la
Muse” is a pantomime, written with the idea that a working girl in each
town or city should annually be chosen and crowned amid festivities.
The composer’s greatest work, however, is the opera “Louise.” This
tells the story of a poor working girl, whose parents forbid her to
marry the somewhat wayward Julien. At the latter’s persuasion, she
finally flies with him. Her parents try to reclaim her, but again she
is drawn away, and her father is left shaking his fist at the terrible
city that entices young girls from their homes. The music of “Louise”
is full of power and realism, and even the street cries of Paris are
echoed in its measures.
=Bruneau=.—Operatic realism has found a more prolific, if less
successful, champion in Alfred Bruneau (Paris, France, 1857), another
_Conservatoire_ pupil. He has confined himself to librettos drawn from
the novels of Zola. “Le Rêve,” an early work, is a psychological study
of love, in the person of the dreamy Angelique, who dies from excess
of happiness when her wedding is completed. “L’Attaque du Moulin” is
a spirited story of the Franco-Prussian war, set in a more melodic
and popular style. “Messidor” is again symbolic in style, the theme
being a contrast between greed for gold and the simple pleasure of
honest toil. “L’Ouragan” deals with the tempests of human passion and
jealousy, as well as the hurricanes of nature. “L’Enfant Roi,” and the
music to “La Faute de l’Abbé Mouret,” are more recent works. Bruneau is
sincere and earnest in his efforts at realism, but his music is often
heavy and uninspired. He has produced works in other fields, among
them being a great “Requiem,” a “Heroic Overture,” and the symphonic
poem “Penthesilée,” for voice and orchestra. His three books on French
composers, and his many criticisms, have made him known in the domain
of musical literature.
=Debussy=.—The new school of French music finds its most radical
expression in the compositions of Achille Claude Debussy (Paris,
France, 1862). A musician of great gifts, he chooses to imbue his
music with a studied vagueness of effect, and wanders through a maze
of changing keys and harmonies. Many persons find the result wholly
incomprehensible at first, but on repeated hearing his works show
a weird, elusive beauty that is worshipped by his adherents as the
acme of musical expression. He, too, was a _Conservatoire_ student,
and won the _Prix de Rome_ with the cantata “L’Enfant Prodigue.”
Two lyric scenes, “La Demoiselle Élue,” and “Chimène,” first drew
attention to the young artist. Then came the orchestral prelude to
Mallarmé’s “L’Après-Midi d’un Faune,” a delicately-woven rhapsody,
with much beauty and much weirdness in its harmonies. The Nocturnes,
entitled, “Nuages” and “Fêtes,” are described by De Bréville as
possessing the ethereal charm of a perfume that pervades the air,
but defies analysis. A string quartet is in stricter form, but the
“Proses Lyriques,” on subjects of Beaudelaire, also the “Chansons de
Bilitis” and “Les Estampes” for piano, again show the free style.
Debussy’s most ambitious work is “Pelleas et Mélisande,” an opera based
on Maeterlinck’s play of that name. The poet’s words offer the same
shadowy suggestions that the composer gives in music, and the harmonic
effects of vague mystery are entirely in place here.
=Chausson=.—Ernest Chausson (Paris, France, 1855—Limay, 1899) proved
himself a composer of real greatness, and was still in the prime of
life when he met with a fatal bicycle accident, in 1899. Trained for
law, he turned to music from choice, as Schumann did before him. A
pupil of Massenet and Franck, he combined the direct expression of the
former with the harmonic style of the latter, and produced works of
a most attractive orchestral coloring. Among his compositions are a
worthy symphony, the beautiful symphonic poem “Viviane,” the orchestral
pictures “Solitude dans les Bois” and “Soir de Fête,” a “Poëme” for
violin and orchestra, some chamber-music, and many pleasing songs and
choruses. His one great opera was “Le Roi Arthus.” His works are full
of tenderness and charm, yet not lacking in vigor and breadth; they
have the modern harmonic richness and orchestral color, and are growing
steadily in favor.
=Other Composers=.—=Alexis Emanuel Chabrier=, wholly self-taught
in music, produced the brilliant orchestral rhapsody “España,” an
attractive “Suite Pastorale,” a lively “Marche Joyeuse,” and some
effective cantatas. In opera, his “Le Roi Malgré Lui” is an excellent
example in lighter vein, but his greatest work is “Gwendoline,” on
a Viking subject. Of all the Frenchmen, he was the one best fitted
to attempt the bold, virile style required by the libretto. The most
prominent orchestral writer of the younger generation is =Paul Dukas=,
whose “Apprenti Sorcier” treats a humorous subject with rare skill.
=Théodore Dubois=, for many years head of the _Conservatoire_, is best
known by his oratorios, such as “Paradise Lost,” and his “Frithjof”
overture. =Gabriel Fauré=, the organist, who succeeded Dubois as
director of the _Conservatoire_ in 1905, has produced a symphony,
two string quartets, and a number of songs whose intricacy cannot
obscure their exquisite grace. Other organist-composers are =Charles
Marie Widor=, who wrote the opera “Maître Ambros” and the ballet
“La Korrigane,” and =Alexandre Guilmant=, known by his great organ
symphony and sonatas. =Bourgault-Ducoudray= has written many cantatas,
and made a valuable collection of Breton Folk-songs. =Pierné=,
=Coquard=, =Erlanger= and =Hue= won their fame in opera, while
=Duparc= gained notice with his symphonic poem “Lenore.” =Ropartz=
and =de Bréville= rank with the best of Franck’s pupils, while among
women-composers, =Augusta Holmés= won renown by her mastery of broad
orchestral effects, and =Cécile Chaminade= is known by her dainty songs
and piano pieces.
=The New French School=.—When Wagner showed the harmonic resources
of the modern orchestra, he led the way for a host of imitators, who
have often done more harm than good. Such operas as “Fervaal” and
“Gwendoline,” in large measure the result of “Tristan,” are proper
applications of this style. But the idea of finding new harmonic
effects has exerted its influence on orchestral writers also, and some
modern composers, especially in France, have devoted all their energy
to this, and have apparently sacrificed all thoughts of musical beauty.
The French have even invented the term “cérébral,” which describes a
composer who puts no emotion or feeling into his music, but works it
out wholly from the brain. Thus many of the modern compositions must be
regarded as great orchestral experiments, and the composer who combines
this instrumental technic with real feeling and directness of utterance
is the one who will meet with the greatest success.