BEYOND PRIMA DONNA: PAULINE VIARDOT’S COLLABORATION ON MEYERBEER’S LE PROPHÈTE, GOUNOD’S SAPHO, AND BERLIOZ’S ARRANGEMENT OF ORPHÉE A THESIS IN Musicology Presented to the Faculty of the University of Missouri-Kansas City in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF MUSIC by LYDIA BECHTEL-EDMONSON BM Oklahoma State University (Vocal Performance), 2014 MM Colorado State University (Vocal Performance), 2016 Kansas City, Missouri, 2020 © 2020 LYDIA BECHTEL-EDMONSON ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BEYOND PRIMA DONNA: PAULINE VIARDOT’S COLLABORATION ON MEYERBEER’S LE PROPHÈTE, GOUNOD’S SAPHO, AND BERLIOZ’S ARRANGEMENT OF ORPHÉE Lydia Bechtel-Edmonson, Candidate for the Master of Music Degree University of Missouri-Kansas City ABSTRACT Prima donnas of the nineteenth century enjoyed celebrity status and were the wealthiest women of their time. Mezzo-soprano Pauline Viardot’s (1821–1910) diva status provided her with a platform from which to share the full extent of her musical abilities. Viardot’s capabilities as a performer are widely acknowledged and reviewed throughout history; however, her contributions to French music beyond simply singing are only beginning to be understood. Her Thursday night salon promoted the music of both established and unknown composers, and hosted important guests, including Alfred de Musset, George Sand, Charles Dickens, Charles Gounod, Frédéric Chopin, and Franz Liszt. Viardot’s musical talents were respected and utilized in the premieres of Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Le prophète (1849) , Charles Gounod’s Sapho (1851) , and Hector Berlioz’s revision of Gluck’s Orphée (1859) . Through her salon and collaboration with composers, Viardot shaped the careers of others, contributing in a broader sense to the trajectory of French music of the nineteenth century. This thesis uses manuscript scores, musical analyses of the operas, letters, and other primary source documents to argue that Viardot was an essential collaborator in her iii relationships with Meyerbeer, Gounod, and Berlioz, and that she was integral to their various successes as opera composers. Chapter One surveys the relevant literature used for researching this thesis. Chapter Two provides a biographical sketch of Viardot which contextualizes how she learned collaboration from her family, and then used her salon as a way to implement this skill through the promotion of young composers. Chapters Three, Four, and Five turn to an analyses of her roles in Le prophète (Fidès) , Sapho (Sapho) , and Orphée (Orphée) in order to establish her relationship to the composers, how plot adaptations were devised to highlight her acting abilities, and how musical adaptations featured her vocal talents. These chapters will show how Viardot played a role in the musical alterations of these works. Through this analysis, this thesis highlights Viardot’s contributions to the careers of these men and ultimately the musical life of nineteenth-century France. iv APPROVAL PAGE The faculty listed below, appointed by the Dean of the UMKC Conservatory, have examined a thesis titled “Beyond Prima Donna: Pauline Viardot’s Collaboration on Meyerbeer’s Le Prophète, Gounod’s Sapho, and Berlioz’s Arrangement of Orphée,” presented by Lydia Bechtel-Edmonson, candidate for the Master of Music degree, and certify that in their opinion it is worthy of acceptance. Supervisory Committee Alison DeSimone, Ph.D., Committee Chair UMKC Conservatory William Everett, Ph.D. UMKC Conservatory Aidan Soder, D.M.A. UMKC Conservatory v CONTENTS ABSTRACT …………………………………………………………………………………iii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS………………………………………………………………...vii LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………………… x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ………………………………………………………………….. xi Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW …………………………………1 2. THE SOCIAL AND ARTISTIC NETWORKS OF PAULINE VIARDOT ………..25 3. GIACOMO MEYERBEER AND LE PROPHÈTE : VIARDOT’S CONSTRUCTIVE COLLABORATION ………………………………………………………………...48 4. CHARLES GOUNOD AND SAPHO : COLLABORATION AND FRIENDSHIP ...86 5. HECTOR BERLIOZ AND ORPHÉE : COUNSEL, COLLABORATION, AND CONCEALMENT …………………………………………………………………136 6. REFLECTIONS ON COLLABORATION ………………………………………..168 BIBLIOGRAPHY ………………………………………………………………………….175 VITA ……………………………………………………………………………………….186 vi ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1.1 Affiche de la Première Représentation de Sapho……………………………. 1 2.1 “Chopin Gives a Lesson to Pauline Viardot” Maurice Sand, 1844………… 31 2.2 An 1853 image of the Viardot salon at their home on the Rue de Douai in Paris………………………………………………………………… 37 3.1 Le prophète , Act V, “Ô prêtres de Baal… Ô toi qui m’abandonnes,” Libretto………………………………………………………………56 3.2 Le prophète , Act V, “Ô prêtres de Baal… Ô toi qui m’abandonnes,” mm. 8–15…………………………………………………………… 57 3.3 Le prophète , Act V, “Ô prêtres de Baal… Ô toi qui m’abandonnes,” mm. 20–38………………………………………………………….. 58 3.4 Le prophète, Act V, “Ô prêtres de Baal… Ô toi qui m’abandonnes,” mm. 39–42………………………………………………………….. 59 3.5 Le prophète, Act V, “Ô prêtres de Baal… Ô toi qui m’abandonnes,” mm. 101–5………………………………………………………….. 60 3.6 Le prophète, Act V, “Ô prêtres de Baal… Ô toi qui m’abandonnes,” mm. 144–54………………………………………………………… 61 3.7 Le prophète, Act I, “Un jour dans les flots,” mm. 118–30…………………. 66 3.8 Manuscript score for Le prophète, Act IV Scene I, “Un pauvre pélerin,” mm. 172–6………………………………………………………….. 67 3.9 Le prophète, Act IV Scene I, “Un pauvre pélerin,” mm. 175–8……………. 67 3.10 Le prophète, Act V, “Ô prêtres de Baal… Ô toi qui m’abandonnes,” mm. 39–42………………………………………………………….. 69 3.11 Le prophète, Act V, “Ô prêtres de Baal… Ô toi qui m’abandonnes,” mm. 49–51…………………………………………………………...70 3.12 Le prophète, Act V, “Ô prêtres de Baal… Ô toi qui m’abandonnes,” mm. 101–17………………………………………………………… 71 vii 3.13 Le prophète, Act V, “Ô prêtres de Baal… Ô toi qui m’abandonnes,” mm. 161–6………………………………………………………….. 72 4.1 Letter from Charles Gounod to Pauline Viardot, May 22, 1850…………… 91 4.2 Sapho, Act I, Scene 5, “Fille d’Apollon viens sous la couronne…” Libretto…………………………………………………….……….. 98 4.3 Manuscript score for Sapho, Act I, Scene 5, “Fille d’Apollon viens sous la couronne…,” mm. 1–23.……………………………………….. 100–4 4.4 Manuscript score for Sapho, Act I, Scene 5, “Hero sur la tour solitaire…” mm. 1–10…………………………………………………………...107 4.5 Manuscript score for Sapho, Act I, Scene 5, “Hero sur la tour solitaire…” mm. 42–51………………………………………………………… 108 4.6 Manuscript score for Sapho, Act I, Scene 5, “Hero sur la tour solitaire…” mm. 70–81………………………………………………………… 109 4.7 Manuscript score for “La chanson du pêcheur ,” mm. 1–45…………... 118–20 4.8 “Ma belle amie est morte” by Théophile Gautier, text for “La chanson du pêcheur” by Charles Gounod……………………………………… 121 4.9 Sapho, Act III, Scene 5, “Où suis-je? … Ô ma lyre immortelle” Libretto……………………………………………………………. 119 4.10 Sapho, Act III, Scene 5, “Où suis-je? … Ô ma lyre immortelle,” mm. 22–5………………………………………………………….. 124 4.11 Sapho, Act III, Scene 5, “Où suis-je? … Ô ma lyre immortelle,” mm. 116–19………………………………………………………...125 5.1 Orphée, Act I, “Amour, viens rendre à mon âme,” Libretto……………… 152 5.2 Orphée, Act I, “Amour, viens rendre à mon âme,” mm. 143–6 and Viardot cadenza…………………………………...153 5.3 Orphée, Act II, “Laissez-vous toucher par mes pleurs,” mm. 219–33…… 154 5.4 Cadenza sketches for “La tendresse qui me presse”………………………. 155 viii 5.5 Cadenza for “J’ai perdu mon Eurydice”…………………………………... 157 5.6 Orphée, Act IV, “J’ai perdu mon Eurydice,” mm. 43–50………………… 157 5.7 Orfeo ed Euridice, Act III, “Che faro senza Euridice,” mm. 46–50………. 158 5.8 Orphée et Eurydice, Act III, “J’ai perdu mon Eurydice,” mm. 35–9……... 158 5.9 Orphée, Act IV, “J’ai perdu mon Euridice,” Libretto.……………………. 159 ix TABLES 5.1 Modifications to the role of Orphée in the Vienna, Paris, and Berlioz revisions…………………………………………………………148–9 x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This research would not have been possible without the work of numerous Viardot, Gounod, Berlioz, and Meyerbeer scholars who preceded me. I am deeply indebted to those whose work promoted the legacy of Pauline Viardot and brought her contributions to music to public recognition. As a P.E.O. Scholar Award recipient I am so grateful for the Philanthropic Education Organization and their dedication to empowering young women pursuing higher education. Their funds made my research travel possible, allowing me to look at Viardot archives at the Houghton Library, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, and Médiathèque Hector Berlioz. My hometown Chapter FR in Eureka, Kansas deserves special recognition for their support of me receiving this award, as well as my endeavors throughout my life. I would also like to thank the UMKC Women’s Council for selecting me as a Graduate Assistance Fund recipient, which also contributed to my research endeavors. The fact that my research focuses on an outstanding woman and was funded by phenomenal women is truly remarkable. Throughout my life I have been privileged to work with a number of musical mentors. Each of them has made me love something new about music and inspired me to continue pursuing the beauty it provides to the world. There are too many to name individually, but you know who you are, so I would like to focus on those that specifically contributed to this project. Dr. Sarah Tyrrell and Dr. Andrew Granade, you both have been incredible examples of what passion you can bring to musicological studies, and constantly motivate me to be a better educator and scholar. Dr. William Everett, without your support in my first semester at UMKC I likely would not have written this thesis. You helped me discover my passion for musicology, and encouraged me to pursue a discipline I never knew xi I loved. To Dr. Alison DeSimone, you have been the most gracious, wonderful, supportive, mentor throughout this whole process and I am so thankful for your guidance. I started this process never thinking this was possible, and you made every step seem worth it, and gave me confidence to keep going. To Dr. Aidan Soder, in every aspect of my musical journey at UMKC you have been my biggest cheerleader and dedicated mentor.