Among contemporary French composers there is no name which suggests
itself in comparison with that of Gounod so worthily as that of Ambroise
Thomas, famous in every country where the opera is a favorite form of
public amusement, as the author of "Mignon" and "Hamlet." Lacking the
depth and passion of Gounod, he is distinguished by a peculiar sparkle,
grace, and Gallic lightness of touch; and if we do not find in him the
earnestness and spiritual significance of his rival's conceptions,
there is, on the other hand, in the works of Thomas, a glow of poetic
sentiment which invests them with a charming atmosphere, peculiarly
their own. Perhaps in his own country Thomas enjoys a repute still
higher than that of Gounod, for his genius is more peculiarly French,
while the composer of "Faust" shows the radical influence of the German
school, not only in the cast of his thoughts and temperament, but in his
technical musical methods. Still, as all artists are profoundly moved
by the tendencies of their age, it would not be difficult to find in the
later works of Thomas, on which his celebrity is based, some unconscious
modeling of form wrought by that musical school of which Richard Wagner
is the most advanced type.
Ambroise Thomas was born at Metz, France, on August 5, 1811, and is
therefore by seven years the senior of Charles Gounod. His aptitudes for
music were so strong that he learned the notes as quickly as he acquired
the letters of the alphabet. At the age of four he was instructed in his
_solfeggi_ by his father, who was a professor of music, and three years
later he began to take lessons on the violin and piano. When he was
seventeen he was thoroughly proficient in all the preparatory studies
demanded for admission to the Paris Conservatoire, and he easily
obtained admission into that great institution. He first studied under
Zimmermann and Kalkbrenner, and afterward under Dourlen, Barbereau, Le
Sueur, and Reicha. For successive years he carried off first prizes: for
the piano in 1829; for harmony, in 1830; and in 1832 the highest honor
in composition was awarded him, the Prix de Rome, which allowed him to
go to Italy as a government stipendiary.
Our young laureate passed three years in Italy, spending most of his
time at Rome and Naples. The special result of his Italian studies was
a requiem mass, which was performed with great approbation from its
musical judges at Paris and Rome. After traveling in Germany, Thomas
returned to Paris in 1836, thoroughly equipped for his career as
composer, for he had been an indefatigable student, and neglected no
opportunity of perfecting his knowledge. The first step in the brilliant
career of Thomas was the production of a comic opera in one act, "La
Double Échelle," produced in 1837. This met with a good reception,
and it was promptly followed by the production of several other light
scores, that further enhanced his reputation for talent. He was not
generally recognized by musicians as a man of marked promise till he
produced "Mina," a comic opera in three acts, which was represented in
1843. The beauty of the instrumentation and the melodious richness of
the work were unmistakable, and henceforth every production of the young
composer was watched with great interest.
Ambroise Thomas could not be said to have reached a great popular
success until he produced "Le Caïd," a work of the _opéra-boitffe_
type, which instantly became an immense public favorite. This was first
represented in 1849, and it has always held its place on the French
stage as one of the most delightful works of its class, in spite of
the competition of such later outgrowths of the opera-bouffe, school
as Offenbach, Lecocq, and others. The score of this work proved to be
immensely amusing and brightly melodious, and it was such a pecuniary
success that the more judicious friends of Thomas feared that he might
be seduced into cultivating a field far below the powers of his poetic
imagination and thorough musical science. Strong heads might easily be
turned by such lavish applause, and it would not have been wonderful had
Thomas, dazzled by the reception of "Le Caïd," remained for a long
time a wanderer from the path which lay open to his great talents. The
composer's ambition, however, proved to be too high to content itself
with ephemeral success, or cultivating the more frivolous forms of his
art, however profitable aid pleasant these might be.
In 1850 Ambroise Thomas produced two operas: "Le Songe d'une Nuit
d'Été," resembling in style somewhat that masterpiece produced in
after-years, "Mignon," and a somber work based on the legend of "The Man
with the Iron Mask," "Le Secret de la Reine." The melodramatic character
of this latter work seems to have been imitated from the highly accented
and artificial style of Verdi, instead of possessing the bright and airy
charm natural to Thomas. The vacancy left by Spontini's death in the
French Institute was filled by the election of M. Thomas, who was deemed
most worthy, among all the musical names offered, of taking the place of
the author of "La Vestale." He justified the taste of his co-members by
his production in 1853 of the comic opera of "La Tonelli," a work
which, though not greatly successful with "hoi polloi," was an admirable
specimen of light and graceful opera at its best. The new academician
was recompensed for the public indifference by the cordial appreciation
which connoisseurs gave this tasteful and scientific production.
Another comic opera, "Psyche," which soon appeared, though full of witty
burlesque and humor in the libretto, and marked by delicious melody in
every part, failed to please, perhaps on account of the predominance
of feminine rôles, and the absence of a good tenor part. Still a third
comic opera, the "Carnaval de Venise" saw the light the same season,
which was written in large measure to show the marvelous flexibility of
Mme. Cabal's voice. Very few singers have been able to sing the rôle of
_Sylvia_, who warbles a violin concerto from beginning to end, under the
title of an "Ariette without Words."
Ambroise Thomas remained silent now for half a dozen years, aside from
the composition of a few charming songs. It is natural to suppose that
he was brooding over the conception of his greatest work, which was next
to see the light of day, and add one more to the great operas of the
world. Such compositions are not hastily manufactured, but grow
for years out of the travail of heart and brain, deep thought, high
imaginings, passionate sensibilities, elaborately wrought by time and
patience, till at last they are crystallized into form.
"Mignon," a comic opera in three acts, was first represented at the
Théâtre Lyrique, on November 17, 1866, before one of the most brilliant
and enthusiastic audiences ever gathered in Paris. Its success was
magnificent. This was seven years after Gounod had made such a great
stride among the composers of the age, by the production of "Faust";
and it is within bounds to say that, since "Faust," no opera had been
produced in Paris so vital with the breath of genius and great purpose,
so full of sentiment and poetry, so symmetrical and balanced in its
differentiation of music measured by its dramatic value, so instantly
and splendidly recognized by the public, cultured and ignorant, gentle
and simple.
Like "Faust," too, the opera of Thomas was based on a creation of
Goethe. Without the pathetic episode of "Mignon," the novel of "Wilhelm
Meister" would lose much of its dramatic strength and quality. Of
course, every libretto must part with some of the charm of the story
on which it is built; but in this instance the author succeeds in
preserving nearly all the intrinsic worth of the Mignon episode. The
music is admirably suited to a noble theme. There is hardly a weak
bar in it from beginning to end; and some of the work here done by the
composer will compare favorably with any operatic music ever hoard. In
this opera melodic phrase goes hand in hand with character and motive,
and _Mignon, Philina, Wilhelm Meister, and Lothario_, are distinguished
in the music with the finest dramatic discrimination.
Among the operas of recent years, "Mignon" ranks among the first for
its taste, grace, and poetry. The first act is vigorous, bright, and
picturesque; the second, touched with the finest points of passion and
humor; the third is inspired with a pathos and poetic ardor which lift
the composer to do his most magnificent work. But to describe "Mignon"
to the public of today, which has heard it almost an innumerable number
of times, is, as much as in the case of Gounod's "Faust," "carrying
coals to Newcastle."
In 1868 Thomas produced "Hamlet," and it was represented at the Grand
Opera, with Mile. Christine Nilsson in the rôle of _Ophelia_, the
same singer having, if we mistake not, created the rôle of _Mignon_.
"Hamlet," though a marked artistic success, has failed to make the
same popular impression as "Mignon," possibly because the theme is less
suited to operatic treatment; for the music _per se_ is of a fine type,
and full of the genuine accents of passion.
In addition to the works named above, Ambroise Thomas has written "La
Gypsy," "Le Panier Fleuri," "Carline," "Le Roman d'Elvire," several
fine masses, many beautiful songs, a requiem, and miscellaneous
church-pieces. Thomas is famous in France for the generous encouragement
and help which he extends to all young musicians, assistance which his
position in the Paris Conservatoire helps to make most valuable. He
is now seventy-one years old, and, should he add nothing more to the
musical treasures of the present generation, much of what he has already
done will give him a permanent place in the temple of lyric music.