The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-10-21
r1pEER or COMPOSER.


2oslo
graphical notice Of NJ Ohenbaoh, the composer
Of La Grando Duchess de G6r0lste"'
M, Carat the editor, had previously OBJ
,o;nea M. Oaenbach's permission, and the
,s4tor which contained it "a translation OF
,vS;cb we subioin) gives an interesting account
"ii,V.. .o,,oosar,s career up to the time at
which il was written
ap,Rr. May 6, 1S63.--My Dear Carlat;-
AHis, - ~. ,,9orrnission to publish a oarica-
Aou "9 91,ortrsit of myself Cportrdlt-chdge-pou
tureo a, PVi Pyosasme p and moreover, you call on
IT, memory to aid your account OF my life
Lllg,l, snob Souvenirs as l have preserved.
HAs Won knew, the permission was granted
1ofore Won asked for it; as for the second
nsoanest'' am ready to satisfy it. But simply,
tbaIl content myself with a chronological
table. which you may embellish with whatever
ornaments of style you please.
iTt is forty years since l came into the
world, in the town of Cologne (why the deuce
do Won make me remember that y At seven
years old | played on the violin; at ten had
mastered pretty difficult pieces.
UWhen did take my first lesson of music?
That's what l should be very much puzzled
fo tell you; l believe my first scream was a
shake. and my parents have often assured me
that l used to cry in time.
81 should be equally troubled to assign a
date
jottipg down black notes on white paper is in
truth a defect of my nature-a sort of organic
disease which, from my infancy, caused much
serious inquietude in the breasts of those who
loved me. Against all expectation they man
aged, however, to bring me up, but l shall
probably carry to the tomb that vice of my
constitution which has so powerfully inhu-
enced my whole life.
81 was thirteen years old when l came to
Paris. 1t was Cherubini who welcomed me,
and it was he who discovered the malady of
which have Just spoken, and sent me to be
cared for at the Conservatoire. In those days
foreigners were not admitted; but Cherubini
succeeded in having an exception made in my
case.
cat that time there was a vacancy for
violOncellist at the Opera COmique, | applied
for it with several others, and got it. For
some years remained almost entirely silent,
with the exception of a few waltzes and pOlkas,
composed for Jullien's concerts, of which l
have very carefully forgotten the names. 1t
was in 1889 that made my first real attempt
at dramatic composition. l wrote little
music for piece from Anjcet Bourgeois ct de
BriSebarre pascal and Chambord), and the
doors of the Palais Royal opened wide before
me. 1t was the first lyric theatre which re-
ceived my works. This success emboldened
me, and during several years knocked dis
Creetly but vainly at the doors of all the musi-
cal theatres in Paris, giving meanwhile an
annual concert at Herz's or Pleyeps, at which
were executed my mposihOns-operettas
concerted pieces, etc.
In 1851 NJ. Arsene Houssaye invited me to
undertake the somewhat curious functions of
Chet d'OrcheStre at the Theatre Francais-that
orchestra at the Theatre Francois, which it
would have been easy to do without.
"You will easily understand that the duties
of my new situation by no means took up the
whole of my time. / wrote some music for
the entr'acteS l accepted or rejected candidates
for positions in the orchestra, and now and
then by chance l conducted, baton in hand.
"There remains to me delightful remem-
branoe of that time-'La Chanson de For
- tHnio.' One day Alfred de Musset whom
had never seen, came into Houssaye's room
and said to him-'If you see Offenbaeh, beg
him to be good enough to write some music
for the song of ''Fortunio."' (The Chan
delier' had Just been put in rehearsal.) l
happened to be present, an introduction took
place, and the libretto was sent for. l set
about my task, and the next day Houssaye
sent me to Delaunay, who had been cast for
the part.
''You know Delaunay, the charming lover,
with that sweetest and smoothest Of voices
whose accents are rather those of a woman
than a mansl He was delicious FOrtuniO,
whom one would certainly have supposed
must have possessed an extraordinary high
soprano. L SaI QOWu 10 Iu6 piano ana sang
my music, and he tried it after me. My fin
gers remained fastened to the keys, and l was
plunged into an unspeazable astonishment.
From that delicate throat, from that almost
Childlike mouth, came notes powerful, vigor-
Gus, deep. Delaunay's voice was a magni-
fcent counter-tenor (une baSSe-taiLe Superbe)
81 took my manuscript and folded it up
again, sadly enough. Henceforth it was of no
use, at the Theatre Francais, at least; for
Fortunio could not decently murmur words
of love to Jacqueline with the voice of La
blache or Levasseur. By my advice Delaunay
contented himself with reciting instead OF
singing the stanzas, and | kept my melody
for another occasion; and it was for this song
that ] had the operatta which you know
(''La Chanson de Fortunio'') written by NM.
Cremieux and Hal6Vy.
Gin 1855, several years had gone by in
which had offered without success, although
each time with more and more discretion, my
works to the directors of the Paris theatres.
One only had listened to me-the director OF
the Variet6s-and had consented to play for
me a little comic opera called Peptio, which
afterwards took up and represented at the
BoufIes PaTisiens and which still remains in
the repertoire Of that house. l commenced to
get tired of these fruitless proceedings, and it
came into my head that if l were to employ in
obtaining license the twentieth part of the
time and patience had devoted to the reaiza,
tiOn of my more modest hopes, l should pro
baby be successful.
''For twelve years I had asked to have g
piece pat on the stage for me, and had beer
refused almost everywhere. Twelve DAYS