The Washington herald., 1912-08-18

julien Emile Frederic Massenet. who
died at Paris last Tuesday. at the age
of seventy, was one OF the most popular
and indefatigable of French operatic
composers. whose "Thais," Juggler OF
Notre Dame "Manon." and "Ariane"
made him as well known to New Yorkers
as to Parisians. Previous to the advent
Of Oscar Hammerstein at his Manhattan
Opera House. Massenet was known only
to New Workers through lie Cid" and
la Navarraise," but when Mary Garden
and Maurice Renaud appeared in
''Thais,'' the town was fairly taken by
storm, not only by reason Of the charm
ing music - the Meditation" from
"Thais" carrying music lovers to their
feet-but because Of the exquisite art OF
the two singers. That was the beginning
of the vogue Of the Frenchman, which
has steadily grown in the later days of
his life, which ended Tuesday in his
beautiful home. one Of the few great
musicians who had grown rich from his
art.
Could Play Piano at Four.
Born at st. Etienne in 1872. Jules Mas
senet gave proof. almost before he had
mastered his letters. of the possession of
musical talents of a high order. He
could play sonata of Beethoven on the
piano decently at four, and became.
pdreiy nNe years a puph dt lnc
Paris Conseryatoire, with Laurent,
Reber, and Ambrose Thomas as his
teachers. The triumph of 1853 was COM
pleted In 1862 by his winning the much
coveted Prix de Rome, which gave him a
sojourn of two ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
years in the land which he firmly be-
Heved, to be the most beautiful in the
world. more picturesque even than the
verdant fields and fruitful orchards of
Normandy around his ideal summer resi-
denee at Pont de rA-che- At the age
Of twenty-three he came back to Paris
TO marry one of Liszt's most accom-
plished pupils. publish the Requiem Mass
and Mary Magdalen oratorio he had
composed while travelling in Italy. and
prepare for the production of David
Rizzio," with Madame Vandenheuval-
Dutre and NM. Roger and Bonnetree
as interpreters. Since then the life of
Massenet has been a march from victory
to victory.
shows Early skill.
On his return from Italy in 1867. through
the influence of Ambrose Thomas, his
la Grand tante' was produced at the
Opera Comique, and even in this first
attempt Massenet showed himself a
skilled and graceful musician. Later
some Suites d'Orchestra," performed at
popular concerts, attracted attention for
their new and ingenious effects. 1t was
not. however, until after the Franco
Prussian war that he rose to the first
rank among the young French composers
by the production of the opera comique,
Don Cesar de Bazan," 1872, incidental
musical TO the tragedy, Les Erinnyes,"
1873. and an oratorio. Marie Madge-
leine." Then followed Eve 1875. an
oratorio something in the style of Gou-
mods ''Gallia;" more Suites d'Orches-
ire" and Overture de Concert" and
the overture to "Phedre,'' as well as
piano music and choruses
story of Composers Life.
In telling the story of his own life. a
decade ago, Massenet said that his father
was an ironmaster. and was the inventor
OF those huge hammers which, crushing
steel with extraordinary power by a sin
gle blow, change bars of metal into
sickles and scythes, SO 1t was that to
the sound of heavy hammers of brass"
he was born. My first steps in my fu-
ture career were no more musical he
said. six years later. my family then
living in Paris, one day l found myself
in front of an old piano, and either to
amuse me or to try my talent. my
mother gave me my first music lesson. |
1t was the 24th of February, 1873. a |
strangely chosen moment, for our lesson |
was interrupted by the noise of street |
firing that lasted for several hours. The |
revolution had burst forth. and people |
were killing one another in the streets.
Three years later l had become-or |
my parents affectionately thought 1 had |
become-a clever enough little pianist. l |
was presented for admission to the piano |
classes at the Imperial Conservatory of |
Music and was admitted. To my mother |
I now was an artist and even though |
my education took up six hours of my |
day, she found time to make me work
-1fo sa Cfrrh shat
within a year / became laureat' Of the |
Conservatory. At this period by fathers
Ill health forced us to leave Paris, and
so put a stop to my music for several |
years. I took advantage of this period /
10 finish my literary studies. But the
pain of separation from the Conserva-
tory gave me courage enough to beg
my parents (whom my wish distr ssed)
to give me permission to return, and /
did not again leave Paris until the day
when. having obtained the first grand |
prize of musical composition uss9, I
left for Rome with a scholarship from
the Academic de France.
An Artist Il a Poet.
Did the progress made in these years
of work really prove my vocation? Ger
tainly I had won the 'prix de Rome
and had also taken prizes for piano,
counterpoint, fugue, and SO on No
doubt ] was what is called a good pu-
pii, but was not an artist in the true
sense.
.'Te be an artist is to be a poet; to be
touched by all the revelations Of art and
nature: TO love, to suffer-in one word.
to live! To produce a work of art does
not make an artist First of all, an art |
ist must be touched by all the manifes-
tations of beauty, must be interpenetrat-
ed by them, and know how to enjoy |
them How many. great painters. how
many illustrious musicians, never were
artists in the deepest meaning of the
word
"oh, those two lovely years in Rome
at the dear Villa Medici, the Official
abiding place of holders of instituted
holarships-unmatched years. the rec
objection of which still vibrates in myl
memory, and even now helps me toi
stem the flood of discouraging infu-
ences,
Rome Exerted influence.
1T was at Rome that I began tol
live; there It was that, during my happy
walks with my comrades, painters orl
sculptors. and in our talks under the
oaks of the Villa Borghese. or under
the pines of the Villa Pamphiu, / feltI
my first strings of admiration for ma
ture and for art What charming hours
We spent in wandering through the mu-
seums of Naples and Florencel What
tender, thoughtful emotions we felt in