Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-02-28
a PRINCE.
Sketch Of the Life of GOunOd
The Composer.

one Of the most honored and famou
names in the musical world The Ger
man, French and Italian stage-th
latter, with all its offshoOts, from Londol
and st. Petersburg to Madrid, Ri
Janeiro and New YOrk--have produce,
his Faust with great and continue,
success. We may say, indeed, tina
since the production of the "Huguenots
by Meyerbeer, twenty five years ago, NJ
great opera has achieved so brilliant
renown as Faust, and that it is, as vet
not only dnrivalled but unequalled. L
may. therefore, safely be assumed that +;
brief sketch of Gounod's life, Of hi:
character, and of his works, some ol
which are unfortunately too little known
outside of France, may not be unaccep-
table to the musical public
I first made Gounod's acquaintance
during the past summer, in Paris, where
he lives in a pleasant hotel in the quiet
| Rue de Ia ROchefOucauld. His recep-
ton rooms are in the eRtresol, while the
apartments occupied by his family are on
the premier etage. In personal appear
ance Gounod is not unlike a German,
being of middle hight, strongly built,
/ with blonde hair and beard his black,
/ flashing eve, however, IS altogether
French. The expression of his counte-
nance is singularly open and intelligent,
and his whole air and bearing have the
ease and elegance of a man Of the
world, and make most agreeable I'M
preston upon all who are fortunate
enough to know him. His fifty years
are not at all apparent. GOunod does
not belong to the silent dreamy order Of
composers like Schumann, but the
vivaciOus and sympathetic, out Of whose
wide varied culture and ready flow Of
conversation, the desire to speak of
their tolls and struggles naturally
springs. In this he reminded me some
what Of our Richard Wagner. With
all this vivacity of temperament, how
ever, G0unod, is a thoroughly earnest
man. somewhat inclined to enthusiasm,
taking the very highest view Of art, and
serving 1t with religious fidelity and
jealousy.
He had Just returned from one Of the
last rehearsals of his " Romeo" and
began-having been rendered somewhat
more animated and talkatiye than usual
by the excitement-tO complain Of the
various hindrances which stage tradi-
tons and customs put in the way Of the
best intentions of composers. The di-
rector Of the Theater Lyrique, it seems,
was anxious to omit an entire chorus in
Romeo" as making the act in which it
occurred too long, and the prima donna
encouraged him in this by her own dis
ike to sing in it. While relating the
history Of this difficulty, Gounod sud
denly sat down to the piano, and played
and sang the air in question, with an
agreeable tenor voice and good deal of
dramatic expression. 1t was the mar
riaee song in the third act % FHljcttO,
sois heureuge.) a noble, smoothly flowing
choral. and a real ornament to the score.
Self-denial." said Gounod, " is the
highest virtue Of a singer, as it is the
highest duty Of a composer. l honor
no artist who does not identify himself
with hir art, and who, instead Of absorb
ing himself utterly in his work, has his
own personality ever IN view. If a
singer executes a piece Of music other
wise than as a composer has written it, Is
this anything but defamation and
SANDER? In private life We have some
means of redress for SANDER but in art
none A COMPOSER has no appeals
often blamed. indeed. if a singer sings
an aria with Indifference or a want Of
sympathy. To be true, and to deny
ones sell" " he continued, with increas-
ing warmth. " is the first and highest
law Of the dramatic composer. Woe to
him who does not find his best reward
in his own labor The music Of Romeo
and Juliette has for years past filed
nv whole soul, day and night, with
mingled Joy and pain owe to it the
happiest hours of my life, and in the
labor l have expended upon it have
already had my reward. What follows
upon the completion Of an opera-the
rehearsals, the representation, the sub
seoueut SUGGESTS nothing but vexa-
ton and disappointment. If God were
to give me the power to create a master
piece as perfect and as immortal as
/ Shakespeare 5, with the condition that
no human being should ever know or
suspect the composers name, 1 should
/ be a thousand times happier than l now
am in the possession Of the greatest
success that ever crowned the works
which know to be but faulty and i'm
perfect" Such and many similar re-
marks fell from GounOd in the fire Of
/ his enthusiasm, and enabled me to rec
ognize again in him the young enthusiast,
who. as a boy, devoted himself entirely
to the service Of the church, took the
first VOWS and only twelve or fifteen
years ago still went about in his able 5
habit. He was dispensed from his VOWS,
however, some years since, and is now a
happy husband and father. His wife is
the daughter Of the late Professor Zim-
mermann. pianist and professor at the
! Conservatory, who was also Of German
descent.
Charles Francois Gounod was born in
Paris on the 18th Of June, 1918. He
studied counterpoint in the Conservatory
there with Halevy, and took lessons in
execution of Lesueur and Ferdinand
Paes. In the year 1899, he won the
first premium for composition given al
the Conservatory, and Immediately re
paired to Rome, where, in accordance
with the regulations Of the " grand Pria
de ROM" he remained for several year;
as stipend4ary of the Government
During his residence in Rome he con-
fined his studies almost entirely to sacred
music. In the year 1913, he spent
some months in Vienna, and while there
produced vocal mass and a requiem
Upon his return TO Paris, Gounod as
sumed the direction Of the music in the
Church of the Missions Etrangeres, anC
showed a marked leaning toward {
religious life Until the year 1915, ;
profound silence as to Gounod and hi
works reigned in the musical world, the
only illusions to him being contained il
a few musical journals which published
an announcement that he had taken holv
orders. There appeared, however,
musical sketch in the London AtheneuB
] n Il