The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-04-07
GOnnOd at Home.

The author of the "Tribut de Zamora'
is child of Paris. He was born in 1878
In 1889 he won the "Grand Prize" OF
Rome. The sojourn at Rome did not
complete the education of the young mu-
stefan. Gonouds mind is subjective and
susceptible. He came back to Paris with
a second nature which even his subse-
quent sojourn in Germany could not de-
stroy. Indeed, after passing his last
training year in Vienna and Munich, his
first work was a mass, ''Alle Palestrina. ="
Upon his second return to Paris, Gounod
brought with him two household gods,
Mozart and Beethoven. Beethoven's
genius" he would say, twas grand
Mozart's was high Beethoven had
more power-Mozart more serenity.
Mozart is in paradise-Beethoven is on
his way thither And yet these men are
equalsl"
Gounod soon obtained the position of
choir master at the Chapel of Foreign
Missions, in the Rue du BAG. Here he
played the organ and conducted the ex-
ercises of four young choristers and
big fat chanter. One fine day his friends
learned that he had entered a seminary
and donned the cassock. Overcome by
the melodious tones of the great organ
and by the fumes of burning incense in
that little chapel of Foreign Missions,
Gounod had dreamt a Christian dream.
That dream lasted just year.
Ponsard, the poet, having asked him
for chorus for his piece Ulysses"
Gonnod produced the Nome Sang
lante" The next libretto submitted to
him was adapted from Goethe's Faust.
Close upon Faust followed philemon
and Bancis," an idyl; then came the
"Queen of Saba" Gounod's first failure.
M. Jouvin, French journalist who met
the composer at Baden-Baden at the
time, asked him in a surprised tone why
he had come there. "Oh, am travelling
to forget family loss," was the reply.
"Indeed, have you lost relative?"
eyes, a woman Of whom l thought
great deal, whom I dearly loved; the
Queen of Saba" To console himself
Gounod went to Italy, then returned to
France and composed "Mireille,"
score more descriptive than dramatic in
nature, which had less success than
Faust" And yet Rossini preferred it to
all the other works of the composer.
In 1870, Gounod set up his abode IN
the land of Shakespeare, and watched
from a distance the great French trag
edy. After three years of voluntary
exile, the illustrious composer finally
returned to Paris and brought "POly-
eucte." After that he produced the
''Tribut de Zamora" This is not his
last work, however. He has since COM
posed sacred triology which is to be
executed at the great festival in London
in 1882. 1t is entitled 1.-The Redemp-
tion," the last hymn being on Calvary.
Gounod lives on the Place Malesher-
bes. His mansion is distinguished
rather by the artistic luxury Of a cele-
brated painters palace in the middle
ages than by the austere appearance
characteristic of the musical composers
of former days. Passing through q val
liable picture gallery, the stranger comes
to kind of chapel Of spacious dimen-
sions. This is the study of the composer.
At the further end stands church
organ, to which is attached a large
medallion bearing dead Christs
head. The large library has
stern appearance. Above it the
two reproductions, on a rather large
scale, of the two Medicis by Michael
Angelo. A great and venerable Bible
lay VI u iohS ouaPcu Pi"ho' Nouhou
himself, small in stature, almost disap-
pears in these grandiose surroundings.
He is dressed in velvet sacque coat,
and wears Florentine cap. When he
rises, however, and speaks, his presence
seems to fill the great hall and to
animate it. Gounod has not aged much.
Indeed, with his cap on-which hides a
bald surface covered by sort of whitish
down-the composer appears to be but
forty years of age. As to his full beard
it is hardly tinged with gray. His gray.
ish eyes are sparkling and animated
the point where the light strikes is
strongly pronounced, but the fire of the
pupil seems to have burnt the eye.
lashes. When he takes off his cap he
grows suddenly old; and as he uncovers
himself frequently in the course of con
versation, one is finally led to imagine
ones self looking at DIR. Faust, with his
transformations in turn from youth :,
age and age to youth Figaro.
Nautical TarmS Evnln nj nod