M A S S E N E T AN D HIS O PE RAS l /O BY HENRY FIN T. CK AU THO R O F ” ” Gr ie and His Al y sia W a ner and H W g , g is or ks , ” S uccess in Music and it W How is on , E ta , E tc. NEW YO RK : JO HN LANE CO MPANY MCMX LO NDO N : O HN L NE THE BO DLEY HE D J A , A K N .Y . O MP NY N E W Y O R , , P U B L I S HE R S P R I NTI N G C A , AR LEE IB R H O LD 8 . L RA Y BRIGHAM YO UNG UNlVERS lTW AH PRO VO . UT TO MY W I FE CO NTENTS I MASSENET IN AMER . ICA. H . B O GRAP KET H II I IC S C . P arents and Chi dhoo . At the Conservatoire l d . Ha D a n R m M rri ppy ys 1 o e . a age and Return to r H P a is . C oncert a Successes . In ar Time ll W . A n D - Se sational Sacred rama. M ore Semi religious m W or s . P ro e or and Me r of n i u k f ss be I st t te . P E R NAL R D III SO T AITS AN O P INIO NS . A P en P ic ure er en ne t by Servi es . S sitive ss to Griti m h cis . T i m n e a r ex. P atri is a d Fri n F S ot e dships . W a ner nd h e g a O t er M ast rs . IV . FIV E MANHATTAN O P E RAS . ' ' h 1 n m T a . L o d D Hér s e eu e No a e . d J gl r tre odia e . a h . ri i S p o G sél dis . V U R R R . FO MET O P O LITAN O P E AS . Manon. W erther. Le Cid . L a Navarraise . H E K N P ERA . V I . T E L SS NO W O S ’ n D on ésar de B az an. L e Roi L a Grand Ta te. C e M . L e P ortrai d L h r E sclarm nd . L e a e e a o e . o g t d ne Thérése . n n. h . a . e Manon . Ce drillo C érubin Ari D n ch o Q ui otte . ’ I L T M ENET S C MP O S T O NS . V I . IS O F ASS O I I : nci a Chora Com osi A: Stage W orks . B P ri p l l p m n P eces . n n D . D . nstru e ta i tions. C : So gs a d uos I l B IB LIO GRAP HIC NO TE . D IN EX. I LLU STRATIONS JU LE S MASSE NE T O SCAR HAMMERSTEIN MAU RICE RE NAU D L E TTE R -FACSIMILE CHARLE S B ALMORE S AS N ICIAS IN THAI S M ARY GARDE N AS THAIS ‘ MAU RICE RE NAU D AS ATHANAE L I N I HAIS “ CHARLE S GILIB E RT As B ONIFACE IN LE JONGLE U R D E ” NOTRE D AME L INA CAV ALIERI AS SALOME IN HERO D IAD E RE NAU D As HE ROD “ L INA CAV ALIE RI AS SALOME IN HERO D I AD E MARY GARD E N As THAIS G ERAL D INE FARRAR As M ANC N GERALDINE FARRAR As CHARLOTTE IN W E RTHE R “ ” GE RV ILLE -RE ACHE As HERODIAS IN HERCDIAD E CHARLES GILIB E RT LINA CAV ALIERI D O N Q U ICHOTTE FACSIMILE ELEGIE I MASSENET IN AM E RICA C b Mi kz n y y s h S u d i N . Y op right t o , M A S S E N E T A N D HIS O P E RAS MASSENET IN AMERICA THE of annals music in America , the name of Oscar Hammerstein will be inseparably associated with that of Jules P o of Massenet . revious t the opening the new on Manhattan Opera House in New York, De cember 1 06 of 3 , 9 , several the Massenet operas Manon W erther Le Cid La N avarmise ( , , , ) had or been sung at the Metropolitan Opera House , old of at the Academy Music ; but , although eminent singers appeared at some of these pro ductions out , they were not usually carried in the to true Gallic spirit , and hence failed make a last C ing impression . onsequently the operas named appeared seldom on the house bill and there was no inclination to experiment with the other works hi o so w ch this comp ser, popular abroad , was 1 3 I 4 MASSENET AND HIS OPERAS producing at the average rate Of one every two years . A complete change in the situation followed the s s n of M TO e tabli hme t the anhattan . begin with , its auditorium was not one of those vast spaces in which subtle shades O f vocalization and facial r on and o r d d s d exp essi rchest al elicacy are is ipate . s or o s Thi was an imp tant fact r . In the econd M r r n ur u d s . o place , Hamme stei p s e the wi e p licy Of bringing over from Paris practically the whole r on O ér - Co u n ud n pe s nel Of the p a miq e , i cl i g artists who had helped to create some of the r O f M und r own u r o Ope as assenet e his s pe visi n . He was also fortunate 1n having secured the ins u of Cleofonte C m n n o val able services a pa i i , wh se o for r n and nd u o passi n rehea si g, wo erf l insight int n n and s r of r n u r the refi eme t e p it F e ch m sic , we e the third important factor in the successful trans planting to American soil of not only the o peras O f M n but of o n o os asse et , ther Parisia c mp ers — Debussy and Charpentier who had been pre l n vious y eglected . n o Mr in Duri g his first seas n . Hammerstein cluded only one Massenet Opera in his repertory ’ — the familiar La N avarrazse although he had M Giliber and M . t among his singers Renaud , , B B u had no o n n of almores . t he w me si gers the o For d French school t match them . the secon I 6 MASSENET AND HIS O PERAS ’ Massenet s u I gladly consented , as I admire m sic, partly because of its refined orchestral colouring ' o artl because of and piquant harmonisati n, p y its — frank and ingratiating melodiousness a rare thin g in these days Of rampant cacophony and (I la contrapuntal algebra Strauss and Reger. In B - e my opinion, izet, Saint Sa ns, Gounod, and Massenet reflect the true spirit Of France much more accurately than do certain eccentric innova tors O f our day ; and for that reason I like not only o to hear their works but t trace their origin . The architecture of this volume may seem odd but s at first sight , I believe that mo t Of my readers ’ of S Massenet s will approve it . After the ketch Of e career and personality , I hav introduced a chap ter describing the five Operas heard at the Man our hattan, as these were chiefly responsible for r increased inte est in Massenet . Then follow the four operas given at various times at the Metro politan . Of these nine I could write from my own x e perience . The others, included in a third - section as the less known Operas, I have never a he rd , and was therefore obliged to depend on newspapers and books for my remarks on them. The only objection I can see to this arrange ment is that the Operas are not given in chrono o o l gical rder. As this order is, however, indicated of r -O i vo in the list wo ks at the end the lume , any Co r z h t b Mis kin S u d o N . Y . p y g y h t i , MAU R I CE R E NAU D MASSENET IN AMERICA 1 7 one who chooses is at liberty to follow it in reading ’ Massenet s had the book . If genius developed ’ W Rienzi o gradually, as agner s did from t P arsi al f , I should have hesitated to adopt this unchronological plan for any reason . But his ’ 5 mind rather resembles Mendelssohn , whose early works contain as valuable gems as his later of ones . Versatility takes the place development in Massenet ; like Saint - Saens he tried various s styles, and with equal uccess . I I ( B IOG RAP HI C SKE TCH 2 2 MASSENET AND HIS OPERAS of an o The date this birth , imp rtant one in the n Ma 1 2 1 8 2 annals Of Fre ch Opera, was y , 4 .