The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-05-11

Jean Philippe Rameau was born at
Dijon, in France, on Sept %, 1850, of
parents who We're fond Of. but not pro-
ficient in, music. At the age of Z, the boy
could at sight execute on the harpsi-
chord any musical score that was
placed before him. His parents seem,
however, to have had nineteenth CEN
tury horror of music as profession.
for they tried every means In their
power to have their son master the law.
They sent him to n Jesuit school, but
all he would do there was to pencil
scores and fra gments of music on his
books. He failed signally to make any
progress in .book-learning, and was
sent home. Here he resumed his musi-
cal studies, and mastered the harpsi-
chord. organ and violin. At IS, he fell
so deeply in love with a widow of Dijon
that. to break off the liaison, his par
ents had to resort to the old trick of
boxing the lads ears and sending him
forth to travel. He passed some time
In Milan, but, longing for home, hired
out as a violinist to the manager OF
travelling orchestra, and after several
years passed in travel and in study,
went. in 1717. to Paris.
Having never had opportunity to
study counterpoint, Rameau sought the
great Partisan organist, Marchand.
And here we come to an episode which
shows that human nature Is much the
same in all lands and ages Marchand
Immediately detected the latent genius
Of his pupil, and was filled with fear
and envy The post Of organist at the
Church of st. Paul, becoming vacant,
was submitted to public competition.
Rameau was poor, and hence entered
the lists, his leading rival being one
Daquin, an exceedingly inferior per-
former. Marchand was judge. He
seized the opportunity to humiliate
Rameau by deciding in favor of Daquin,
and Rameau, for time, was by poverty
forced to leave Paris
He first went to Lille, but later was
selected as organist at the Clermont
cathedral. He took this position under
a contract which bound him to keep
1t for a period of years. Clermont was
a quiet little town, up amidst the Au-
vergne mountains, and while Rameau
passed several years here in pleasant
study, he longed for a more active
career Several times he applied
for a cancelling of his contract. The
cathedral officials refused. At last an
idea seized him. His playing had been
inexpressibly sweet and tender. He alb
ruptly made it harsh and discordant.
The people of Clermont protested, but
the more they protested the worse he
r
ticipating the immortal Wagner-that
tho change was an inspiration which
had come to him in dream, and that
1t would yet be the means of reforming
the tastes of all true lovers of music.
They stood Rameau's music of the fu-
ture" as long as they could, and then
tore up his contract. Freed at last, he
celebrated his farewell by playing as
of yore, with a feeling and tenderness
that took the congregation by surprise
1t was during Rameau's sojourn at
Clermont that, unaided, he worked out
the basis of his writings on harmony,
which have ever since been the recog-
nized standards on this subject. From
Clermont, Rameau returned to Paris, |
In which city he resided until his death, |
Sept. IL, 1854. The first thing he did
was to publish his books on harmony,
which, not being understood, were brut- |
ally criticized and ridiculed Then he
wrote almost innumerable pieces for
the harpsichord, which, becoming pop
ular, brought him money and fame. |
Finally, ambitious to become a COM
poser OF grand opera, Rameau COLA
borated with the illustrious Voltaire, |
on an opera, "Samson;" but the direc- |
tor OF the Academic de Musique refused |
to sanction its production. Nothing |
daunted, Rameau wrote the music for |
another opera, "Hippolyte ct Aricie,"
which was more fortunate: and from
Hfty to seventy-seven, our composer
produced works with unfagging regu-
larity and success, reaching the climax
or his powers in Castor ct Pollux."
That he made many mistakes in musi- |
cal grammar will be admitted but to |
Rameau the world owes both the dis
covery of the natural formation of
chords from which we date the science |
OF harmony, and the development of
grand opera to point almost equal to
that which was in vogue at the time of
Richard Wagner.
or the Florentine composer, Cheru-
bini Mr.. Spitta presents distinct and
well-rounded sketch. Its interest for
us lies IN Its episodes, the first of which
occurred during the terrors of the
French Revolution in 1892 when Cheru-