New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-14
JULES MAssENET.
THE FAMOUS COMPOSER TALKS ABOUT
HIMSELF.
HE WRITES MUSIC BECAUSE HE CANNOT SPEND
HIS LIFE IN SMOKING.

HE WRITES MUSIC BECAUSE HE CANNOT SPEND
HIS LIFE IN SMOKING.
Paris, May 8.
As "Thais" has now left the printers hands aad
Massenet has leisure for other things besides his
beloved offspring, as he terms his musical works.
I called on him tho other day In his den IN the
Rue Vivicnhe NJ tho offices ~ the musical journal
10 Menestrel" All musicians ar. queer: sons
Of them. however are quecf and chsrmine. Others
queer aud dctcstable. Massenrt happily belongs
70 the former category, bnt he Is one Of the queer
est Of the queer.
OF medium sir with dark hair AMI byjlItanS
brown eyes. he looks like the usual run Of French.
men. except for his nervous manner. Ono csnnoe
imagine Massenet in rdB8se. Hc talks ncessantly.
pouring forth a string Of phrases with machine
like rapiditv. and while speaking he goes nom
place 70 place. moving books. manuscripts. Ieeeees.
ANYTHING. in fact. that he can law his hands On.
Tho room We were in was long and dark. III up -
tire further end by semi-circnlar window hIIeo
with stained glass before which stood writing
desly covered with cards letters and teleeYams The
manuscript score NJ "Thas" stood on the piano
forte which was placed ~ thr right and when !
asked Niassenet when and how he composed, ~
said quickly:
"AIwava am working now. although yea
may not suppose il. There are melodies ana COM
ldnations of melodies MI going in my brain o.
this moment Yon this" he continued. AK
ing M the score Of That's" and letting tho az
run through the leaves. that took me two yees
10 compose, or more. but II only took me -
weeks 10 write. and 500 how neat and clean II IL
Yet il IL the first copy
"What an amount OF work how little the puo.
istop 70 its
YES IL il a terrible thing 70 write an opera
Never try 10, and IL yon have any friends whs
want TO- dissundc them.'
"Stll. yom are proud Of your work and happy.
Massenet shrugged his shoulders Unfoesur
natcly, he said smiling. 81 am Mnsenes. oos
happy no. I haze been searching for happiness
all my life. and have come TO the conclusion mat
il does not exist There is nothing In life.'9T
But there must he something that you love-
Nothing, nothing" he said. with dramatic
wave Of his hand. Then his eyes frightened, enc
laying is finger TO his nose after most amusing
fashion, he said lnpressivcly, Yes, there ID one
sole thing, my cigar"
"Ah, and this is happiness is it not?' t'
"Yes; sublime
In the translation, OF course we spoke Frenoev
It is impossible TO give the delicious hnmof u
the composers conversation. for Massenet u
master nlnd AT repartee. Dut uurihS tho sns~s~
view found that his cigar not the sole
thing" and il he would not acknowledge being
happy amid beautiful scenery, he confessed 70
contentment. l asked him If he preferred COAST
or inland scenery, AMI he replied:
"Not two years alike. / like to have the SANE
faces around me, with the scenes changed
"And why the same people?'
Because then do not have TO an1use thems
they know me, l know them. and so no clashine
OF ideas and no surprises can arrive. To avoid
all this seldom or ever 60 into society," only now
and again TO oblige old friends. How much one
suffers for friendship. When possible REFUSE all
invitations one reason being that eat very quick
ly and smoke all the time, and the other because
can never 90 anywhere without sooner or later
finding myself forcibly led TO the pianoforte. On,
how hate that instrument, or, perhaps he adj
ded quickly, II should be just. and say those whs
maltreat it. In my own apartment have no
piano."
"Now that That's is finished when will we have
another operap"
Massenet made q big face. when ina
singers" he whispered mysterousy, and that u
hard Everything IL hard for an opera composer.
He is one Of the most miserable creatures on earth.
lie has to find fresh, new melodies, new harmoniess
new subjects, good voices, good actors and
actresses, puDllSieT duu thcdur' Aho&A Aso ~
to 90 through purgatOry Of rehearsals. Every.
one combines to make him miserable, and in tho
end, after soothing the caprices of the whole
theatre, he is what? The composer; no more, no
less"
But it must be satisfaction to sit out ora
of your own works and know that so much beaut~
and loneliness is your creation, that you have
enriched and made the world happier by just -
Massenet bowed "Thank you," he said
simply: "you are very kind to say So; bus
/ never hear my operas. / attend tho 70
hearsals / make things go as well ae they
ever can 20. and then the opera beleh9 70
the public / am only the father whose dAusfSe1
has married. My child is mine, but belongs -
Still. have you no paternal longing to see
WAY No. never. / do not enter a theatre T.
hear my own music. except on compulsion."
"Then why do you writer
All that is different question beoauee
7 cannot do otherwise. and because one connoS
spend ones life in smoking commenc1 ~
boyhood. when / entered the ConservatosSe ~
eleven years, and my first serious work We
comnoscd AZ fourteen. Since then have zone on
Drsnite ali his assertions to the contrary, when
T left Massanet l had not the feeling OF having
spent pleasant hour with q pesimist Ne
seeemed 70 me man who got enough ous o.
Ito n satisfy half a dozen, and durine eur
interview he certainly laughed uproarioudy eve
Jokes that passed between us; 80 thai. On ~
Whole. Ills professed pessimism left Harmless