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U UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Date: I, , hereby submit this original work as part of the requirements for the degree of: in It is entitled: Student Signature: This work and its defense approved by: Committee Chair: Approval of the electronic document: I have reviewed the Thesis/Dissertation in its final electronic format and certify that it is an accurate copy of the document reviewed and approved by the committee. Committee Chair signature: A Conductor’s Guide to the Masses of Charles Gounod A document submitted to the Division of Graduate Studies and Research of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in the Ensembles and Conducting Division of the College-Conservatory of Music August 19, 2009 by Dirk Johnson 100 Joseph Street Charleston, WV 25303 [email protected] B.M., Brigham Young University, 2002 M.M., Brigham Young University, 2006 Committee Chair: Earl Rivers, DMA ABSTRACT Sacred music holds a prominent place in the overall output of the French Romantic composer, Charles François Gounod. Despite this emphasis on sacred genres, Gounod is much better known as a master of French opera than as a composer of religious works. Likewise, Gounod’s choral music, the majority of which is sacred, remains largely unfamiliar. His sacred choral music includes sixty-five motets, six Anglican anthems, three oratorios, four sacred cantatas, nineteen French devotional partsongs, and twenty-one masses. This document examines Gounod’s twenty-one mass settings to clarify the importance of religious choral music in his creative activities while identifying qualities of his sacred compositional style. The first four chapters provide necessary background for a discussion of the masses. A brief introductory chapter details the prominence of sacred choral music in Gounod’s oeuvre. Chapter Two addresses mass composition in nineteenth-century France, providing an overview of political and cultural influences on sacred music during Gounod’s life and a review of the mass output of the centuries’ most important French composers of sacred music. Chapter Three describes the biographical events and conditions that pertain to Gounod’s mass compositions, highlighting the central role his personal religious convictions played in his ongoing commitment to sacred music. Chapter Four presents a brief overview of Gounod’s mass output, describing general characteristics of his religious style, providing a catalogue of his masses, and outlining a methodology for the discussion to follow. Chapters Five, Six, and Seven contain descriptions of Gounod’s masses. Chapter Five describes his masses with organ accompaniment, Chapter Six explores his masses with orchestral accompaniment, and Chapter Seven considers his requiem masses. His unpublished masses, by necessity, are only discussed in reference to their biographical context. Because of the large iii number of published masses, and the nature of this document as an overview of the genre, the musical discussion of the published masses focuses on the most salient musical features of each mass movement. Due to its place within the modern performance repertoire, the Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile receives an extended discussion in Chapter Six. Similarly, the Requiem (1893) in Chapter Seven is discussed at greater length due to its historical significance as Gounod’s final composition. iv Copyright © 2009 by Dirk Johnson All rights reserved v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS When thinking back over the past three years of study, I am amazed at the tremendous support I have received. Without the help of many different individuals, completion of this document, as well as the doctoral degree as a whole, would have been impossible. I first wish to thank Dr. Earl Rivers, who has been a masterful mentor. His leadership, instruction, and musicianship have provided a superb model that will continue to guide me in my future teaching, conducting, and administrating. Most impressively, Dr. Rivers has demonstrated a degree of professional integrity that has inspired my most sincere admiration. I could not have hoped for a better advisor. As my primary reader for this document, he has guided me through the process with his usual conscientiousness and care. I thank Dr. Richard Sparks, Dr. Dale Warland, and the late Mr. Richard Westenberg who I had the great fortune to study with during my first year at CCM. They each left family and the comforts of home to spend time with my colleagues and me, and I am grateful. I count my experience with them as one of the great highlight and benefits of my studies at CCM. Dr. Brett Scott came to CCM in my second year of study. He has been a tremendous asset to CCM, and I am so grateful he arrived during my residency. I thank him for his inspiring instruction and example as a conductor and musician. His comments and suggestions for the document were extremely beneficial and are much appreciated. I thank Dr. Jonathan Kregor for his equally insightful suggestions. I am especially grateful for his timely reading during a very busy and exciting time in his life. Without the support and camaraderie of my choral conducting colleagues at CCM, the rigors of study would have been much harder to bear. These conductors have each shown me how to be a better musician and a better person, and thank them each for their friendship and example. I’d like to especially thank Bert Pinsonneault, whose companionship was invaluable as we navigated the challenges of our final year of study. I would not have been prepared to succeed at CCM without the guidance of many exceptional musicians and music educators at BYU. While I cannot name them all, I would like to acknowledge the following: Dr. Ronald Staheli, Dr. Paul Broomhead, Dr. Mac Wilberg, Dr. Gordon Jessop, Professor Rosalind Hall, Mr. Murray Boren, Dr. David Sargent, Ms. Jean Applonie, Dr. Susan Kenney, and Dr. Jerry Jaccard. My preparations began before my time at BYU, and I would like to acknowledge the tremendous inspiration of the music educators I was fortunate enough to study with during my youth in the Great Falls, Montana. I cannot describe how important the following individuals were on my musicianship and professional aspirations: Mr. Paul Ritter, Ms. Linda Lydiard, Ms. Mary Moore, Dr. Gordon Johnson, Ms. Carol Helseth, and Ms. Lisa Shull. I would like to specifically thank Mr. Joseph Jewett who, to this day, serves as my model of a sincere musician. My mentors and colleagues in the Utah public schools have also influenced me greatly. They helped me endure and grow during my transition into the music profession. They include, but are not limited to, the following: Mr. Donald Blackburn, Ms. Cherilyn Worthen, Mr. Randy Mott, Mr. David Beck, Mr. Lance Levar, Mr. Jim Wilcock, Ms. Leah Tarrant, and Ms. Cathy Jolley. I thank my family, the grounding force in my life. My parents have ever been supportive of my passion for music and my intentions to make it my life’s work, and their encouragement has enabled my musical growth through the years. Their influence, of course, extends far beyond vi my musicianship. Without their exceptional moral and practical guidance in the broader scope of my life, I would not be the successful musician or the happy individual I am today. My four brothers have also provided support, guidance, and friendship through the years. This is especially true of Cort, my twin, who was the perfect brother for me. I also thank my aunt, Virginia Johnson, who has offered essential assistance in a variety of ways. Ever since the moment my wife first learned of my intention to leave my full-time, secure, and successful high school teaching job to pursue more education, she has been enthusiastic and ceaselessly supportive. She has made countless sacrifices to help me through the doctoral degree, and her efforts and investment have certainly matched my own. Without her, it could not have been done. I will forever be thankful that she counts it a blessing to be married to a musician. Lastly, I thank God, my ultimate support and my supreme mentor. vii CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................1 2. THE MASS IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY FRANCE ....................................................5 Effects of the Revolution on French Sacred Music ....................................5 Romanticism and the Mass .........................................................................6 Continued Influence of the Theater ..........................................................12 Church Music Reform ...............................................................................14 Nineteenth-century French mass settings .................................................23 3. GOUNOD AS A CHURCH MUSICIAN .........................................................................36 Student Days (1839–43) ...........................................................................38 Service at the Séminare des Missions Etrangéres (1843–48) ...................39 Opera and the Orphéon (1848–60) ..........................................................40 Operatic Apex (1859–71) .........................................................................42