New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-21
HOW COUYOD BEC4HE 4 COMPOSER
Lron Oh Bias.

from Gil Bias.
It must have been curious and amusing scene
when ths mother a charmlngly pretty woman,
whose portrait I have often seen taking her tttIe
son By the hand, SAID rather Grossly and With
frowu which concealed q plan 81 MachiayelIlc
dupicltv: An! you don't want 70 he "A notary,
like reasonable beng. Yen want 10 he a con-
p0-er AMI write 'Othelos like ROesinl and Don
tiiovannis ike Mozart, do your "Oh yes,
mamma Very We'll: COME win NE vii
take you TO the most learned haFmonIst OF os..
time, the great Le'cha Are you satisfied tnI "a,
shall see how hard | work. -Of courS- that Is
what I want" And Oh they went to hel'ha.
sNonsIeur7 said Nine GOnnOd, addressing the
author OF the famous treatise on harmony. mere
il NV SOM The child became scarlet win
mingled happiness and timIdIty, HE ineiens
looked at hIm with IHd!iierence. lie WISHES ~
lear music went hIs mother " so az 10 be able
to compose OPERAS" Very good, madame. an
swered the composer OF tne Gulh,teitrs 'I ",nt
instruments -; very COOL very BAD on the con-
traryr returned Nine G0Unod. and nave come
to beg Won halp me 70 get hIn rld oil ths aisiru
idea But how. madame y 10y giving nun res,
cams don't understand yOu, my dear LiailiIe,
said the author OF the classification OF VIC tJ.c h
barmonlcs will cx Lain what ! mcan.' Then
turning 10 her sOn, who becoming more AMI
more scarlet have something ~ say 10 MONSIEUR
that Won needn't listen to- The boy walked OF 10
the other end Of tine room. and his mother went
on: This Is what wish. In the lessons that you
1--WE my son YOU must nc 81 severe ana eNif th2,
and n ve aim such long ana tiineut taaAs tlia ho
IA become Disguised. ana 2lFe Up Huhif' NuiSn -
a most useless occupation, and tecOme notary;
which ON the contrary. pays extremely WE'LL
,trT,,,ntai torture :" Precisely monsieur and
in helping me" In making myself tie UfanI
InduIstor OF Harmony. 20 70 speak lou VIII
confer "A GtyOr un 10 which shall be- eternaHy
grateful. and my soil. too, later Oh, when nc Has
Re. ha. wIo was Of an observing turn Of mind.
AMI rather fond Of experiments. va, not sorry ID
have a chance OK determining how heavy Goses OK
his works musical theory u was pos'i,ie 80 W,
minister without killing the patient bur one can
only hinder genius; Us bent cannot ~ changed.
(ouuod became for ErIcAa a subject 70 eApeEl-
meut on. lie made him study IN oidci 10 ,tHuy nun
i'm turu For two years RCIcha stuffed nm Win
counttI point they stun geese ~ the ncsnD"tli"D'
of Strasburg. but Che subject who Ia" ,tIOhg az
gesticn did not die but turOve suTprsin9!y on ms
sorc,yh hat dry musical diet But who shall tell tne
tears that he shed over the subjects the counter,
subjects. and the InVeFsIohs Ga Ms IuF'a4 @ ISIS
However il made no mattar, for the BOY "as irarh-
ing and Vas happy ID ms growing AnoWledse
One ine morning. ReIcht SEM Tor Mtlahr Oo1hon,
who came, radiant, ana without waiting, 'uI 'no
master to say ANYTHING exclaimed " At last. 10
took long enOugh in al conscience Dut we are VIC
t,rious IN the end are we not Ny son consents %
give M music 1" No madame, Il rs who give mp
Teaching him. for hereafter my lessons would DC
useless lie knows all shat Ia" meets TO-. ms was,
perhaps, eXtravaeant. for Gounod c0huHHed nis
studies at the COns'rN s'tote ullcI lt,N"''I aA
Ilalevy. but it meant shat he had acqlrr' hoP'
less passion for music ana thal II ne ever ~Ioe "a
acts they wOnd not be uOtarial, Dut operate, Az
| the Conservative GOunOd was very successful Nc
cpring IN 1897 the second Dirk de Rome, whieh
he shared with the pianist Choict, qua prinB
ow.rdeI the Grand PrlX in $50 for hls cant3ta
Fernand" In Rome, at the Villa Aediei. me nome
OF the French Students while he was YET UNDER
twenty two wears of age, he composed The hrst or
| those =" Melodies" with pianOfOrte accompaniment
which afterward gained such Immense poPnniaitY,
| among them lie Puntemps" lie solr,' lie
| VaIlo9 y and Jesus de Nazareth" strangely
| enough. he found t impossible TO get publisher
/ for them on his return 70 Paris. lie put them
quietly in his portfolio 30 wait lOr better times,
! and accepted the position of orgaDIst ana ehoir
master at the little church OF me missions
| Ftrangeres When he was offered tie place,
! ~ on NAL
Monsieur lie cure," said he. you arr ansoIru'9
master in your church are You not hnna,.
| orranist of the Missions EtIangeres INSIST on De-
ing as absolute in my organ loft as you M yoar pui-
| nit Do YOU accept p 1 accept said the cure
| and Gounod entered nc once on ms duties. here he
was az the same time director, organist compose,
and first tenor OF the little church Twelve or i1or.
teen masses thar he composed curing the years 'ab
! he held this position have been lost. and have
/ never yet been found. In 1891 Gounod made
tIp 10 London To he present at the performance ot
| four numbers from his Mass IN G.. which were given
| &C a concert IN St. Martins Hall by Nj: HnlIah
! HIS first opera Sapho.' was then IN rc:i'ars 40
| the Academic where IL pertcriLcd MlfhouJ
| much success on April rs. 1887. WITH Nine iardot
| in the principal part. lie prodnret " ~ Nnhhe
| sanglnnfa y in 1854 and " lie Medicin ualgTchn,"
/ i'm Is5s hut neither opera achieved HstIne p"pu-
| I,ritv Faust." produced at nc heatre ~ iHe.
! March 10 $50, with hme. AIolan-C atraibo ~
Marguerite. his hrStr"aliy suceess u opera no
himself has told tue story OF Its production, and n
| the doubts which troubled him aud ms trends.
- When | gave Faust in 1893" hr says, q" "a
|
the success OF the work thOught that hev ousht 10
| put NE on my guard against certain points which
! seemed 10 them likely to interfere with IT'S favor,
| able reception 'FauSt may he a great s'cosss, >
said they but be careful. There are some things
I'm it that may kill the piece. Just think Dloment
! an act thai lasts more than an hour and when
| is nothing out love-making in the moonlight. the
whole house will be asleep before 10 is over. you
| ought 10 cut t. And then. that air OF feasfs 4!
! Ard the auatnor which il terribly long. Ana there
Won have the in the cathedral In the fourth
| act. IL IL long, and NOT elective
| 81 confess goes on Gounod, that did not
| know what 10 answer 10 these discoura2lng pre-
ACTIONS except that they did not discourage ME at
all and that had q cRilps confidence IN the feel
| InS which dictated to me these different pages.
! Finally the performance took place The work, 81
\ Though II met with favor, did not have
1 what they term a brilliant success It's success
| was contested, and many people questioned whether
| n woald be lasting. they spoke OF the chorus OF
old men In tho kermesse in the second act. and of
the Soldiers Chorus in the fourth Act. One Of my
eosfrsr,s said to You write melody. There
| IA plenty ia these two pieces Why didn't you put
| any in the othersr Seven performances of the
opera were given without single editor Offering to
| publish the Finally, thanks To the inter
vention Of Prosper Pascal artist full of deicacy
| and of taient N. Choudens. the publisher entered
into arrangements with us"