The Washington herald., 1912-08-18
Massenet, French Composer,
Played Beethoven Sonata
When OnlyF -Four Years old
Composer Ta Said Much His Genius Was Years He
Spent Rome Which He More Than
of Normandy-Roe to Fame Only After the
War-Hs ''Meditation' from "Thais' Linger-
ing, Haunting Melody.

I Souvenir for the inspired stan1as writ.
! ten by my friend. the great poet Armand
Silvestre. Arise, beloved. now en-
tombed" Yes. both as son and musi-
clan. / felt the image Of my poor cQun-
try imprint itself on my bruised heart In
the sweet and touching shape Of a
wounded muse, and when with the poet
1 sang. Tear OF thy winding sheet of
| flowers I well know that. though
buried, she would come forth from her
shroud. with blanched cheeks. indeed. but
lovelier and more adorable than ever!
II have already said how dear to me
Is, and how faithfully true remains. the
recollection Of my Roman years; and
would like to be able to convince others
how useful II Is for young musicians to
leave Paris. and to live. were II but for a
year. in the Villa Medici. among a set of
Intelligent comrades. Yes. I am thor
oughly In favor Of this exile-as II is
called by the discontented. I believe In
residing there. for such a residence may
give birth to poets and artists, and may
awaken sentimente that otherwise might
remain unknown to those In whom they
lie dormant.
But you answer. genius cannot be
given to any one. and II these young men
be merely good students. aiready masters
Of their trade. It is not possible to give
them the sacred fire they need.
Yes! believe that being forced to
live far away from their Partisan habits
is a positive advantage. The long hours
of solitude in the Roman Campagna, and
those spent in the admirable museums
of Florence and Venice. amply compen-
safe for the absence OF musical meetings.
Of orchestral concerts. OF theatrical rep
resentations-in short, of music. How few
10 h>E@ Ian Tty,fr
France, ever knew the useful and pene-
trating charm of living alone in close
communion with nature or art? And the
day in which art and nature speak to
you make you an artist, an adept; and
on that day. with what you have already
learned. and with what you should al
ready know, you can create in strong and
healthy fashion. How many garnered i'm
pressions and emotions will live again
in works as yet unwritten.
Advanced Rapidly.
My real career began after the war,
and thenceforward had no interruption
My life advanced with dizzy rapidity. In
1872 Marie Madeleine was produced. 1t
was followed In 1874 by Les Erinnycs.
for which Leconte de Lisle wrote the
words. and In 1875 by Eve a poetical
mystery in three parts. extremely philo-
SOphlCdl III l0ed. IN lNto One-dCt OD-
erett called Grantrante' was produced at
the Opera Comique.''
1t was not. however. till in 1877 that
Massenet scored his first success.
triumph which ranked him at once among
the greatest of living composers for the
stage.
"One day in 1876" he says. IT was
walking on the boulevards when met
Halanzier. who at that time was the
~ he ha, -
your Marie Madeleine" and your Eve"
he said to me. AS you can write like that.
why don't You write an operaT But I
have written an opera. said !. I have
a complete opera in my drawer at home
You must let me hear it, he said. / was
dumfounded. but at last managed TO
stammer out, What, I? I? My opera?
How can l waste your time like that?'
I tell you I want to hear your opera.
Bring 1t to my house Tomorrow Well.
next day, it was July 9, 1876. went TO
house on the Place Vendome.
with Louis Gaibert, who had
written the libretto. and found HalanZier
waiting for me. and the piano ready. So
] sat down and played and sang the first
act right through. Then stopped. wait
ing to hear what he would say. But
that isn't ALL he cried. So l played
and sang the second act, and then the
third. and so on till II was finished.
Halanzier had never said a word.
thought that his silence meant disap-
proval. and. exhausted with fatigue, ]
picked UP my music and was about to
go away, when Halanzier said: You
must leave me your opera could
hardly believe my ears. What I cried.
you mean TO say that? There's your
contract said the director. holding out
his hand.
Was Prolific Composer.
That opera was my lie Roi de La
hore.' 1t was produced at the opera in
the following year with considerable sue
cess. My next premiere was one of the
painful experiences of a very happy life.
That was in the first performance in
1850. at the opera, of my one-act La
Verge It was given at one Of the opera
at which / myself conducted
the orchestra. 1t was a great failure,
and was hooted. The second performance
was. however, a great triumph. That
evening was one Of the happiest evenings
Of my life. Vaucorbeil wanted me TO
give third performance. but l refused,
and said that I preferred to rest on my
aurels. sKrauss was very admirable in
her part. La Vierge' has since been fire.
luentlS produced. and always with sue
cess. The Last Sleep of the Virgin a
popular in America. and frequently fig
Tres on the programmes of the Thomas
At Christmas in s1ss1 Massenet went to
Brussels to produce "Herodiade' at the |
and It was not until more than |
.wo years later that "Manon'' was given |
With great eciat at the Paris Opera !
-omique. On November 80. 1855, all Paris |
assembled at the first performance of
lie Cid" in 1856 Massenet provided the !
music for Sardou's play of lie Croco-
iile," and in the spring of 1889 "Esclar- |
monde" was launched at the Opera |
-omique. Two years later he returned |
o the Grand Opera with lie Mage"
which excited as much admiration as Lee |
i'd or lie Roi de Lahore" This was |
n turn succeeded by "Werther' and lie /
-arillon,' both produced at the Imperial |
opera. Vienna. Then followed "Thais."
n 1894: La Navarraise," in the same /
-ear; .'Sapho." in 1897: "Cendrillon," in |
$50: "Griseldis.'' in 1901: lie Jongieur de
in 1902: 'Cherubim'' in !
sO5, and "Ariane," in IsoS.-New York
Evening Post.
Canadian Reforcst0ffou