Benjamin Louis Godard was born in Paris on August 18, 1849. After
attending the Paris Conservatory, he received in 1878 a municipal prize
for an orchestral work, besides having his first opera produced. He
wrote several operas after that, winning fame with _Jocelyn_ in 1888. He
also wrote a considerable amount of chamber and orchestral music, in
which his fine, sensitive lyricism is evident. He died in Cannes,
France, on January 10, 1895.
Among his more familiar works is the _Adagio pathétique_. This started
out as a piece for violin and piano, the third of a set of compositions
in op. 128. It was orchestrated by Ross Jungnickel in 1910, and is most
popular in this version. This is music notable for its expressive
emotion; its lyricism at times has a religious stateliness.
The most famous single piece of music by Godard, however, is the
“Berceuse” from his opera, _Jocelyn_. With libretto by Paul Armand and
Silvestre and Victor Capoul—based on a poem by Lamartine—_Jocelyn_ was
introduced in Brussels on February 25, 1888. The setting is France
during the French Revolution, and concerns the love of Jocelyn, a young
priest, for the daughter of a nobleman. After many inner struggles,
Jocelyn decides to remain true to his calling and give up his beloved.
They meet for the last time at her deathbed to which Jocelyn has been
summoned to administer absolution. The “Berceuse” is a tender aria by
Jocelyn (“_Cachés dans cet asile_”) in which he calls upon angels to
protect his loved one.