The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-11-16
INTERESTING STORIES
or THE cELEBRaTED FRENCH
COMPOSITE, GOUAOD.
Ambition for Him-His Impractical
Passion" for Melody.


used TO tell in Paris a very pretty story
Of how he became a composer; and. az IT
went tie rounds where it could not have
failed to come to his ears and he never
contradicted it. the Inference is natural
that 1t is true.
Councils mother. who is said to have
been very pretty woman, had intended
to make a notary Of him. as her ambition
was TO see him ricn. All she could DO,
however. 10 wean him from his impract-
zeal passion for melody and bright lights
and harmonious colors was in vain. one
day she hit upon an idea.
go you are resolved not to earn your
living like Reasonable being, are your"
she exclaimed. "You want TO be "a COM
poser. and write operas hhe mozart ana
Rossini and the rest!
! "Ah. yes mamma, cFtd httie thafies,
that is exactly what want
| Very well. then. you shall have your
wish. Come with me-.
She led the way 10 the studio OF Reicha,
/ tie great harmonist OF his day. MON
! sieur." said she. mere is my son, VINO
| wants TO learn music so that he can
compose operas. a word with you in
| private. If you please.
| Reicha. with bow. threw open a door
! leading TO an inner chamber which they
| entered, leaving the happy' oiushlng LAD
outside
II wished to warn YOU" said Madame
| Gounod. as soon as they were alone
that / shall expect you TO push my sons
| education very hard
80 as TO bring out his latent talent?
suggested Reicha
no. SO as to dlgust MN Win MS
foolish fancy for music and turn his mind
10 the common-sense notion of becoming
a notary
Il understand"
Thus the bargain was scared which may
be said TO have settled Gounods tate.
Had he been dealt with gently. it is pos
sible that b0yish laziness might have got
the upper hand. As it was, his squirting
only forced him to work hard through the
elementary and tiresome stages OF his
musical education. The more fierceiy the
master pushed things, the more eagerly
the pupil bent himself 10 his task. Fin
ally Reicha sent for Madame Gouuod.
She came, her face radiant with smiles.
you have cured him. she exclaimed.
"He has vanquished me- grOaned
Reicha, outwardly sympathetic but in
q
my ingenuity. There is really nothing
more ] can teach him, yet he refuses to
be weary"
His mother surrendering with an i'll /
grace young GounOd was given a chance
10 study i'm the usual way at a conserva-
tory. How keenly alive he was TO artistic
influence as a lad. he once told in an
address before the French Institute. When
ne was thirteen, he WAS promised that
ne should hear MoZart's Don Juan one
evening The sin pie prospect robbed him
OF an annette MY mother remarked"
said he " and told me. You can't 90 to
the opera II you don't eat After such q
threat / would have swallowed anything
that might have been placed before me.
But on hearing the sublime and terrible /
ovcrture-hOw' can / describe IT,, when |
even to-day. after fifty years OF an ever |
increasing admiration, my heart thrills !
10 think OF il. and my hand' trembles i'm |
writing about no. All that 1 can remembet |
is that il seemed 10 me as If God was |
speaking 10 me. j fell into a sort Of |
painfully delicious prostration. and was
half sunocated with emotion. An, |
mamma l cried. that is real music. |
/ was literally overcome"
Gounod himself ! believe, never told MS |
how Faust came TO be written. This
is odd. i'm view OF the fact that several |
other persons have done So some OF |
them celebrating the story with great |
detail. Here is one version:
Gounod had published a collection OF |
charming melodies. one of which was |
dedicated to Madame NiQlan-C arvalho. |
one evening the composer called on the |
then celebrated cantatrice and asked her |
to. sing the melody for him; and when
she had finished doing so, her husband
exclaimed:
"Ah, an idea occurs to me. Compose me
a Faust"
Gladly" was the reply. for my heart
and soul is filled with the subject"
Gounod wrote his masterpiece and took
Il TO Carvalho: but he had 10 wait. At
hat time Mare Fourier was also cOmpos-
ne a Faust to the words Of Dennery.
You see, we shall be crushed by the
mise en- scene at the Porte ST. Martin"
said the manager Of the Theatre Lyrique;
we must put off your opera until next
year"
At last Faust was brought ont. but
he French public did not understand IT,
The garden scene. which the whole
musical world now knows by heart, passed
lnperceived before an Indifferent house
This was the 18th Of March, 1853.
The critics did nothing but condemn IT, |
nd the most influential OF their number, |
while admitting that the composer was
he hope and pride Of the young French
school, wrote OF IL that in the Roi de
Thule "the melody seemed somewhat
'ague and indistinct;' that in the air des
'iioux the want of melody was very |
ensiby felt" that the third act seemed |
somewhat monotonous and too long"
nd that the music OF the fifth act only
EFT confused souvenirs on the mind"
From another source. just as good.
ONES this
Thirty-odd years ago a poor little must
al composer. very modest, and almost
Unknown, tried 10 sell the partition or
n opera which had just lately been pro-
uced in Paris 10 some publisher but no
ody wanted IL. Perhaps one OF the music
Ouses would have accepted the partition
ad IL not been for the illustrious Berlioz.
mo advised them not 10 touch il at the
rice demanded-that is 10 say a sum
qual 20 six hundred dollars. When these
publishers had declined the. music the
Dung composer carried his manuscript
, another house. who refused also, simply
ecause the first had done so. Strolling
long the boulevard, the disappointed
rust met a young gentleman named
houdens, a clerk in the Department or
tate. To him he related his troubles,
hereupon Cioundens said, "Ma fol, but
is lucky we met / am going 10 marry
few days the daughter Of a man who
lsraves music, and when we are married
e shall start a music warehouse. /
innot afford 10 pay you three thousand
ancs for your work, but I will give you
tteen hundred for II If YOU will trust me
" the year" The composer accepted
lese terms and the work was printed
he name Of the opera Is Faust" and |