Opera Books
THE OPERA
EDITED BY
ALBERT HILLERY BERGH
VOLUME III.
1909
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Massenet.
Jules Emile Frédéric Massenet, born at
Montaud, near St. Etienne, May 12, 1842, was educated at the Paris
Conservatoire, where he won the “Prix de Rome” in 1863. On his return
from Italy, through the influence of Ambroise Thomas, his La
Grand’tante was produced at the Opéra Comique in 1867. Even in this
first attempt Massenet showed himself a skilled and graceful musician.
Some “Suites d’orchestre,” performed at the Concerts populaires,
attracted attention for their new and ingenious effects. It was only,
however, after the Franco-German war that he rose to the first rank
among young French composers by the production of Don César de Bazan.
(1872); incidental music to the tragedy, Les Erynines (1873),
and an oratorio, Marie Magdalene (1873). These were followed by
Eve (1875), a mystère; more “Suites d’Orchestre;” an
“Ouverture de Concert,” and the overture to Phèdre.
Le Roi de Lahore, produced at the Opéra in 1877, obtained a
great success, partly, perhaps, owing to the magnificence of the
mounting; but also, it must be said, on account of the intrinsic value
of the music. A spectacular opera in the fullest sense of the word,
Le Roi de Lahore was a work eminently suited to a theatre such as
the Grand Opéra, where the ballet mise-en-scène and
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other accessories rank on an equal footing with the music.
His oratorio, La Vierge, produced at the Opera in 1880, was
coldly received. Massenet was bitterly disappointed, but set to work
with renewed vigor upon an opera entitled Herodiade, which was
brought out with success at Brussels in 1881. The score of this opera
abounds in examples of the sensuous melody which is characteristic of
this composer.
In 1884 was produced the opera by which, perhaps, :Massenet is best
known to English-speaking people, the musical setting of the fascinating
romance, Manon Leseaut, written by the Abbé Prevost. Although
Massenet’s reputation as a composer had long been established upon a
solid basis, it had been twelve years since an opera from his pen had
been produced at the Paris Opéra Comique. Manon offered Massenet
a subject particularly fitted to his poetic and emotional muse, and in
this work the composer felicitously caught the spirit of the theme.
Manon contains an innovation which has a certain importance,
and deserves to be noted. It is well known that the old-fashioned
opéra comique comprised spoken dialogue. The tendency of late years
has been to abandon this illogical custom, and the ideas of most
composers now tend in this direction. Compromising the matter, Massenet
devised a method which he doubtless believed would give musical
continuity to his work without departing entirely from the traditions of
the theatre. This was to retain the spoken dialogue, but to accompany it
with an orchestral accompaniment in keeping with the words. A similar
method has been employed
{89} in dramas for which
incidental music has been written. It is not a course that can be
generally recommended for grand opera, although the effect in Manon
is not unpleasing.
A year after the production of Manon, Massenet reappeared as
the musical interpreter of another French classic. This time he sought
inspiration from Corneille, and set to music Le Cid, one of the
great dramatic poet’s finest works. Le Cid has apparently
delighted the habitués of the French Opéra, and has been
successfully performed on the Continent. It was twice performed in
New-York during the opera season of 1896-97, and was also presented
during the season of 1901-2.
A work which from many points of view proved a more general
favorite with the public is Esclarmonde, produced at Paris in
1889. In this opera Massenet took some steps in advance as regards
musical form. Eselarmonde is constructed more according to the
lines of the modern lyrical drama, and the composer made use of
representative themes to a great extent. Le Mage, produced at the
Grand Opéra in 1891, is absolutely inferior to Esclarmonde. It is
a spectacular opera upon a large scale, the action of which takes place
in the time of Zoroaster, but it was admittedly a disappointment from an
artistic point of view.
For this failure, however, the composer was destined to take his
revenge with Werther, performed for the first time at Vienna in
1892. It was a distinct success in that city, and this success was
repeated when the opera was prodnced in Paris at the Opéra Comique. In
Goethe’s pathetic story Massenet found a subject eminently suited to the
peculiar nature of his talent. The
{90} idyllic charm of the
sad tale inspired him to write passages full of poetry and refinement.
Le Carillon, a ballet by Massenet to a scenario, furnished by Van
Dyck, was produced at the Opéra Comique a few days after the production
of Werther.
Thaïs, a lyrical drama, the libretto by Louis Gallet, was first
given at Paris in 1894. The brilliancy of the opera, its masterly
handling of contrasts gratifying to the singers, the scenic artists and
the musicians demanded instant admiration, and obtained it. Thaïs
was successfully presented in New York during the opera season of
1906-7, and has since been incorporated in the regular repertoire of the
Manhattan Opera House.
La Navarraise, a popular opera which has been frequently
given in New York, was originally produced in Paris in 1894, shortly
after the production of Thaïs.
In 1902, Le Jongleur de Notre Dame, the musical setting
of a mediæval story of quaint charm, was well received at the theatre in
Monte Carlo. Like Manon, Thaïs and Le Navarraise, this
opera has been repeatedly sung in America, its first production here
occurring during the opera season of 1908-9.
Massenet is a member of the Institute, and has been professor of
composition at the Paris Conservatoire since 1878. In the musical world
he is looked upon as the successor to Gounod. He is essentially French,
and at sixty-seven possesses much of the quick, nervous energy that has
always characterized him. In addition to the foregoing operas and other
musical works, he has written the operas Sapho, Grisélidis, Le
Portrait de Manon, Cendrillon, Cherubin, Ariane, the oratorio La
Terre {91}
Promise, and many very popular orchestral suites. He is, at the
present writing, at work on his new opera, Don Quixote, which is
to be produced on February 14, 1910, at Monte Carlo.
Opera in five acts by Jules Massenet.
Libretto by Louis Gallet.
Characters: King Kim; Scindia; Indra; the High-priest; Nair;
priests and priestesses; courtiers and dancing-girls.
Place, India. Time, Middle Ages. First produced at Paris in 1877.
The first act takes place in the Temple of Indra, at Lahore, when
Scindia, the King’s minister, informs the High-priest that Nair, a young
devotee, receives the visits of a lover. She is compelled by the priests
and priestesses to summon her lover, who proves to be the King. He,
having power to release her from her vows, asks her to become his queen,
and they depart upon an expedition against the Mussulmans. Scindia, a
rival for the affections of Nair, vows vengeance against the King, who
is defeated in battle and dies of his wounds.
In the third act Alim is in Paradise, but is still mourning for
Nair. He is permitted by Indra, the Indian deity, to return to earth as
a slave, and live with Nair until her death, which is destined to occur
simultaneously with his own. Scindia, who has seized the throne of
Lahore, appears in state, and, amazed at seeing Alim, denounces him as
an imposter, and orders his arrest. The priests, however, protect him,
considering {92}
his reappearance as a heavenly omen. Nair passes by, robed as a queen,
and Aiim is in despair, thinking that she has forgotten him. She,
however, escapes from the hated Scindia, stabs herself, and the lovers,
dying, ascend together to the heavenly abode of Indra.
Opera in four acts by Massenet.
Libretto by Milliet and Gremont.
Characters: John; Herod, King of Galilee; Phannel, a Chaldean;
Vitellius, Roman proconsul; the High-priest; a voice in the temple;
Salome; Herodias; a young Babylonian woman; merchants, Hebrew soldiers,
Roman soldiers; priests, Levites, temple servitors, seamen, scribes,
Pharisees, Galileans, Samaritans, Sadducees,, Ethiopians, Nubians,
Arabs, Romans.
Place, Jerusalem. Time, 30 B. C. First produced at Brussels in
1881.
The first scene of the opera is a court of the palace of Herod,
with an adjacent grove of cedars and oleanders. A glimpse of the Dead
Sea is shown in the distance. Merchants, followed by slaves bearing
heavy burdens, enter. The sage Phanuel appears and moralizes upon the
degeneracy of the times. He predicts the end of Roman supremacy.
Presently Salome, the young daughter of Herodias, enters. For many
years she has been searching for her mother, and Phanuel, who knows what
she does not, that she is the daughter of Herod’s wife, deeply pities
her. With great feeling Salome speaks of John the Prophet, and even as
she speaks the Prophet’s voice is heard in
{93} the distance
apostrophizing Jerusalem. Dancing-girls file out of the palace.. The
King enters, eagerly looking among the girls for the fair Salome, one
glimpse of whom has infatuated him. Herodias follows him, agitatedly
complaining that in the morning of that day a strange man, clad in
skins, had suddenly appeared in her path, cursing her and calling her
Jezebel. She is told that it was probably John, the infamous prophet,
who came preaching baptism and a new faith. When Herod brusquely asks
what she would have him do about the insult she has received, Herodias
demands the prophet’s head, striving to sway Herod with recollections of
the past. Herod refuses her request on the ground that John is too
popular with the Jews. At this moment John enters cursing Herodias anew.
The court then retires, and Salome casts herself at the feet of John,
declaring her love for him. John replies that his dark life and her
bright youth can have nothing in common, and bids her think of a higher
love.
The curtain rises in the second act on the scene of Herod’s
luxurious chamber. Slaves perform their voluptuous dances before the
King as he lies on his couch. He can speak of nothing but Salome’s
beauty. A Babylonian woman gives him a philtre, which has the effect of
more vividly calling up the girl’s image in Herod’s mind. Phanuel, the
sage, bitterly reproaches Herod for allowing his thoughts to dwell on a
woman when the land is full of unrest and misery and growing discontent.
The strength of the country is waning, and many of the allies have
deserted to Rome. Herod believes that his hold upon the people is still
secure, but Phanuel reminds him of the inconstant nature of the
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people Herod governs. Referring disdainfully to the new faith, the King
declares that he will stifle it.
The scene changes to the public square below the temple of Solomon
on Mount Moriah. An excited crowd is assembled, which praises Herod
because he has promised to lift the yoke of Rome from their necks.
Together the King and the people plan heroic deeds. At this moment the
Roman fanfare of trumpets is heard, and Herodias appears on a terrace to
announce to the crowd that the oppressor is at the gate of the city.
Vitellius, the Roman proconsul, enters the city with his military
escort, and when he appeals to the people, offering them personal
liberty and all their reasonable desires, to Herod’s chagrin they rally
about the Roman. Just then, above the cries of the people are heard the
voices of Salome and the women of Canaan, welcoming John. The eyes of
Herod rest upon Salome, and Herodias, following his glance, is aware
that she has a rival.
The first scene of the third act is laid in the house of Phanuel.
The philosopher, preoccupied by his forebodings in regard to the city,
consults the stars. Herodias comes in search of him, begging to know the
course of the star of the woman who has robbed her of the King’s love.
Phanuel discovers that their stars are strangely and closely associated,
and tells Herodias that her own is covered with blood. She laughs at
this, saying that it is doubtless the blood of revenge. Phanuel informs
her that he is aware that she is a mother, and drawing her to the
casement points below them to Salome, her daughter, walking through the
street. Horrified, Herodias recognizes her daughter in her rival.
The second scene is that of the temple, where Salome
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is discovered praying for the safety of John. Herod follows her to the
sacred place. His country is in the hands of the Romans, and he reasons
that if he were to save the Prophet the Jews would be grateful, and
would help him to throw off the yoke. He comes upon Salome. They are
alone together for the first time. The frightened girl learns that she
is the unfortunate object of his favor. He swears that by his power as
the King he will possess her. With defiance she answers that she already
loves one higher than the Cæsars. The King declares that he will find
this man, and that he will deliver both her and her lover to the
executioner. The priests and the people invade the temple, and perform
the sacred dances before the altar. John is present, and the people are
exhorted by the priests to destroy this prophet who has proclaimed ‘a
false King of the Jews. Herod is appointed his judge. John answers well
all the questions put to him. He prophesies peace and good-will. His
weapon is Faith, and his end is Liberty. Herod secretly tells him that
if he will serve his plans he will save his life, but John replies that
he has nothing to do with the schemes of kings. “Death to him !” shout
the people. “Let the false Messiah be crucified,” cries Herodias. Salome
begs to be allowed to share his fate, and thereby Herod discovers the
identity of her lover.
The last act opens in a vault beneath the temple, where John is
imprisoned. The prophet is reconciled to death, but longs for Salome. At
length he questions whether he is indeed the herald of God and the
apostles, or merely a man like other men.
Salome enters his cell, and they delight in their reunion,
indifferent to death. The priests appear and
{96} drag John off to.
execution, while Salome is taken by slaves and carried before Herod.
The last scene is that of the banqueting hall in the palace of the
Roman proconsul. Salome is brought hither. She prays for death with
John, first to Herod and then to Herodias, whom she invokes as a wife.
“Ah, if you were only a mother she moans. Herodias shudders at that
word, and Salome speaks of the unnatural mother!” who abandoned her to
make a wicked marriage. The executioner appears with a sword dripping
with blood, and with a terrible cry Salome throws herself upon Herodias,
crying that she has murdered the prophet. Herodias begs for pity. “I am
your mother,” she cries, and Salome, horrified by the announcement,
seizes a dagger and kills herself.
Opera in five acts by Massenet.
Libretto based by Meilbac and Gille on Prévost’s Manom Lescaut.
Characters: Chevalier des Grieux; Count des Grieux, his father;
Lescaut, Manon’s cousin, one of the Royal Guard; Guillot Marfontaine, a
roué; De Brétigny, a nobleman; Manon; Pousette; Yavotte; Rosette,
actresses, citizens, soldiers, servants.
Place, Amiens, Paris, Havre. Time, Eighteenth Century. First
produced at Paris in 1884.
The first act takes place in the courtyard of an inn at Amiens. The
stage-coach arrives with a number of travelers. Among them is young
Manon, a country girl of sixteen; this is her first journey, which is to
end in a convent. She is greeted by her cousin Lescaut, a Garde
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du Corps, and while he is absent the young beauty is accosted by
Guillot-Marfontaine,. an old roué, who annoys her with his equivocal
speeches. He is quickly driven away by Lescaut, on his return. The young
man is, however, enticed away by his comrades, and he leaves his cousin
a second time. Before long another cavalier approaches Manon. This time
it is the Chevalier des Grieux, a young nobleman, whose good looks and
charming manners strongly attract the young girl. They quickly fall in
love with each other, and when des Grieux offers to take her to Paris,
Manon consents. They drive gaily off, just before Lescaut returns to
look for his cousin.
The second act takes place in a poorly furnished apartment in
Paris. Des Grienx is about to write to his father, whom he hopes to
reconcile to his purpose of marrying Manon, by telling him of the girl’s
beauty, of her youth and innocence. They are interrupted by the entrance
of Lescaut, who, accompanied by de Brétigny, another victim of Manon’s
charms, comes to avenge the honor of the family. While des Grieux takes
Lescaut aside and pacifies him by showing him the letter he has just
written, De Brétigny tells Manon that her lover will be kidnapped this
very evening by his father’s orders. Manon protests warmly, but de
Brétigny warns her that her interference would only bring greater harm
to both of them, while riches and liberty will be hers if she lets
things take their course.
Manon, who on the one hand sincerely loves des Grieux, and on the
other has a longing for all the good things of this world, is very
unhappy, but allows herself to be tempted. When des Grieux leaves her to
post his
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letter, she takes a tender farewell of the place where she had been so
happy. On his return a loud knock is heard. Manon, knowing what will
happen, tries to detain him, but he tears himself from her, and opening
the door is at once seized and carried off.
The third act opens on a scene of merrymaking in Paris, where all
the buying, selling and amusements of a great fair are going on. Manon
has stifled the pangs of conscience which had troubled her when she left
des Grieux, but her passion for jewels and riches is as insatiable as
ever. Guillot rushes off to order the ballet of the grand opera to dance
in the open market-place for her amusement, hoping thereby to gain the
young lady’s favor.
Manon slowly wanders about in search of’ pretty things to buy,
while Brétigny suddenly finds himself face to face with the old Count
des Grieux. When he asks for news of his son, the count tells him that
the young man has renounced the world to become an Abbé and a famous
preacher at Saint Sulpice. He also tells him that this turn of things is
due to de Brétigny’s own conduct, meaning that the latter had done a bad
turn to his friend by crossing his path in relation to Manon. De
Brétigny points out Manon by a gesture, and the count, perceiving her
beauty, quite understands his son’s infatuation.
The next scene takes place in the parlor of the seminary in Saint
Sulpice. A crowd of ladies has assembled to praise the new Abbe’s fine
preaching. They at last disperse, when the young Abbé enters with
downcast eyes. He is warmly greeted by his father, who has followed him.
The father tries to persuade him to give up
{99}
his newly chosen vocation before he finally takes the vows, but seeing
him determined, the Count hands him over his mother’s heritage. The
young man retires to find forgetfulness in prayer. When he returns to
the parlor he finds Manon. A passionate scene ensues, in which Manon
implores his forgiveness. Des Grieux opens his arms to her and abandons
his vocation.
The fourth act opens in the luxurious drawing-rooms of a great
Paris hotel. Games of hazard are going on everywhere. Manon, arriving
with des Grieux, is joyously greeted by her old friends. Des Grieux
tries his luck at play, and is seconded by Lescaut, an inveterate
gambler. Guillot offers to play with des Gricux, and fortune favors him.
After a few turns, in which Guillot loses heavily, the latter rises,
accusing his partner of false play. The Chevalier, full of wrath,, is
about to strike him, but the others hold him back and Guillot escapes.
He soon returns with the police, headed by the old Count des Grieux, to
whom he denounces young des Gricux as a cheat, and points out Manon as
his accomplice. Old Count des Grieux allows his son to be arrested,
telling him he will soon be released. Poor Manon is seized by the guards,
though all the spectators, touched by her youth and beauty, beg for her
release.
The last scene takes place on the highroad leading to Havre.
Lescaut meets des Grieux, having promised that he would try to save
Manon from penal servitude by effecting her escape. Unfortunately the
soldiers he employed had deserted him, on hearing which des Grieux
upbraids him. Lescaut pacifies the desperate young man by saying that he
has thought of other means of rescuing Manon. Soon the wagons conveying
the
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convicts to their destination are heard approaching. Lescaut, accosting
one of the soldiers in charge, hears that Manon is dying in one of the
wagons. He begs that he may be allowed to take a last farewell of his
little cousin, and, bribing the man with money, he succeeds in getting
iMianon out of the wagon, promising to bring her to the nearest village
in due time.
Manon, sadly changed, totters forward and finds herself clasped in
her lover’s arms. Manon deeply repents of her sins and follies and
humbly craves his pardon, while he covers her wan face with kisses. Then
he tries to raise her, imploring her to fly with him, but release has
come too late. She sinks back and expires in her lover’s arms.
Opera by Massenet.
Libretto by Dennery, Gallet and Blau.
Characters: Don Fernand, King of Castile; Don Urraque, the king’s
son; Don Diègue, father of Don Rodrigue; Don Gormas, father of Chimène;
Don Rodrigue, the lover of Chimène; Don Arias; Don Alonse; Chimène; the
Infanta; Leonor, governess to the Infanta; Elvire, governess to
Chimène.; page to the Infanta; courtiers, soldiers and townspeople.
Place, Seville. Time; the Tenth Century. First produced at Paris in
1885.
This opera is based upon the play of the same name by Corneille.
King Fernand is about to confer the title of knight upon Don Rodrigue at
the house of Gormas, the father of Chimène. Count Gormas himself expects
to be appointed governor to the son of the
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King. At the same time Chimène announces to her father that she loves
Don Rodrigue. The daughter of the King also loves Rodrigue, but as her
station in life prevents her from marrying him she relinquishes him to
Chimène. After Rodrigue has been made a knight of St. James, the King
decides to appoint iRodrigue’s father, Don Diègue, as governor.
Disappointed because he has not received the appointment himself, Count
Gormas flies into a rage and attacks Don Diègue. In the duel Gormas
disarms Diègue, and the latter urges Rodrique, his son, to avenge the
insult. At first the young man agrees to his father’s request, but on
discovering that the man he is to fight is the father of Chimène, he
begs his father’s permission to withdraw. His father, however, appeals
to him on the ground of filial duty, and Rodrigue acknowledges this
claim.
The duel is fought. Rodrigue slays his opponent, and is standing
over his victim when Chimène, accompanied by her attendants, appears,
and, recognizing her lover as her father’s murderer, falls unconscious.
Boabdil, the King of Grenada, declares war against Castille and
sends a cavalier to Fernand announcing the fact. This emissary appears
at the court when a fête is in progress. Chimène interrupts it by
requesting the King to punish Rodrigue for killing her father, but the
King tells her to wait until the war is over before seeking revenge, and
he appoints Rodrigue commander-in-chief of the Castilian army.
Rodrigue seeks Chimène and finds her in tears in her chamber. In
spite of what has happened, Chimène has not lost her love for Rodrigue.
Now known as the Cid, Rodrigue goes off to the war, and leads his
soldiers
{102}
close upon the enemy. The soldiers, encamped, begin their revels. The
Cid, fearing that they will be attacked while off guard, beseeches them
to cease. They refuse, and Rodrigue is in despair. Later he is cheered
by a vision of St. James, who proclaims him a victor. The battle is
fought, and, true to the prediction, Rodrigue wins.
At the Court of Castile news is received of the death of the Cid.
Grief-stricken, Chimène declares her love for the hero. It soon develops,
however, that he is not dead, but that he is on his way home, whereupon
Chimène, who is apparently a most changeable young woman, recalls King
Fernand’s promise, and demands the head of Rodrigue. To appease her, the
King declares that he will accede to her wishes. In reality he has no
intention of having the order carried out. Again Chimène displays her
changeable character, and instead of pronouncing sentence of death upon
Rodrigue she is deeply touched when he draws his dagger to kill himself
because of her refusal to accept him, and she declares that he must live
and love her.
Opera in three acts by
Massenet. Libretto adapted by Blau, Milliet and llartmann from Goethe’s
Werther.
Characters: Werther; Albert; the bailiff; Schmidt and Johann, his
friends; Lotte, his daughter; Sophia, her sister; Buhlmann; Katchen; six
younger children of the bailiff; guests and townspeople.
Place, Wetzlar. Time, Eighteenth Century. First produced at Vienna
in 1892.
{103}
The first act takes place in the house of Lotte’s father, who is
bailiff in his native city. He has assembled his younger children to
teach them a new Christmas song. While they are practicing, two friends
of the bailiff enter and invite him to take supper with them at the
neighboring inn. He declines, however, and sits down in his armchair,
while the smaller children, climbing onto his knees, begin their
interrupted song once more. During this pretty scene Werther approaches.
He sees Lotte coming out of the house, becomingly attired for a country
ball. She is duly admired by her father and the children. Then she
acquits herself most charmingly of her household duties by distributing
bread to the children. Werther meanwhile is cordially welcomed by her
father. Other visitors come in, and Lotte goes to attend the ball,
escorted by Werther.
Sophia, the second daughter, persuades her father to. join his
friends at the inn and promises to look after the children. He is hardly
gone when Albert, Lotte’s affianced husband, who has been on a journey,
returns. On hearing that Lotte is not at home, he leaves the house again.
When night comes on, Lotte returns with Werther. The latter is deeply in
love with her, and she listens to his sweet words like one in a dream;
but when her father informs her that Albert has returned she comes to
her senses. In answer to Werther’s questions, she tells him that she
promised her dying mother to wed Albert, which confession leaves Werther
a prey to gloom and despair.
The second act takes place in the autumn of the same year. Lotte is
married to Albert. She has conquered
{104}
her sentimental fancy for Werther, and is sitting quietly with her
husband, enjoying a peaceful Sabbath day, and the celebration of the
village clergyman’s golden {wedding.} Werther is a jealous witness of
her happiness; but when Albert welcomes him as a friend he cannot but
accept his overtures. Sophia enters with a large bouquet for the
clergyman. She is in love with Werther, but the unhappy young man has
eyes for her sister only, who receives him coldly and bids him leave the
village.
On seeing Werther so downcast, Lotte repents of her harshness and
invites him to celebrate Christmas with her and her husband. But Werther
refuses to be consoled, and, notwithstanding Sophia’s entreaties,
hurries away, vowing never to return.
The third act takes place in Lotte’s drawingroom. She is sitting
alone in deep thought. Werther’s frequent and passionate letters have
reawakened her dormant love for him, and her sister, coming in laden
with Christmas parcels, finds her in tears. Unable to console Lotte,
Sophia takes her leave, after inviting her to spend Christmas Eve at her
old home. Hardly has she gone when Werther appears. Unable to keep away
from Lotte any longer, he reminds her of her invitation for Christmas,
and seeing his letters spread out on the table he guesses that Lotte
returns his love. An impassioned love scene follows. Half unconscious,
Lotte sinks into his arms, but the first kiss of her lover brings her to
herself. Tearing herself from his embrace, she flees into her room and
bolts the door. After vain remonstrances Werther rushes out, half crazed.
Albert returning home finds no one in and calls Lotte.
{105}
She appears, pale and distressed, and her husband perceives that
something is wrong. Before she can reply to his questions, a servant
brings in a note from Werther asking Albert for a pistol. The husband
forces his unhappy wife to hand the weapon to the servant herself. As
soon as Albert has gone, Lotte seizes her hat and cloak and hastens out
to prevent the impending calamity, but she arrives too late. The last
scene shows Werther’s room, which is dimly lighted by the moon. The
Christmas-bells are tolling when Lotte enters, calling her lover by name.
She discovers him lying on the floor mortally wounded. Now that he is
lost to her forever, she pours out all her love, and for a brief space
calls him back to life and sweetens his last moments by a passionate
kiss. He dies in her arms, while from the opposite house the children’s
voices are heard singing their Christmas song.
Opera romanesque in
four acts and eight tableaux, with a prologue and an epilogue, by
Massenet. Libretto by Blan and de Gramont.
Characters: Esclarmonde; Parseis; Roland; Phorcas; Bishop of Blois.
Place, Byzantium. Time, MIiddle Ages. Tirst produced at Paris in
1889.
Emperor Phorcas, of Byzantium, weary of ruling, decides to abdicate
in favor of his daughter Esclarmonde, to whom he has taught magic, on
condition that she conceal her beauty from men until the completion of
her twentieth year. At the arrival of that period her hand
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shall be bestowed upon the winner of a tournament, and the penalty for
the non-fulfilment of his conditions shall be the forfeiture of both her
legal and magical powers.
Esclarmonde falls in love with Roland, a cavalier of France, who
has never seen her unveiled, and by her magic she learns that he is
betrothed to a daughter of the French King. By her arts she also sees
him hunting in the forest of Ardennes. She gives orders to transport him
to an enchanted island, where she joins him, entering into a sort of
mystical alliance with him, her identity and face still concealed.
France meanwhile is invaded by the Saracens, so Esclarmonde presents him
with a magic sword with a shining blade, invincible in the hand of a
true knight, but worthless in that of a perjurer.
Roland, with this magic weapon, saves the city of Blois. To reward
him the King offers him the hand of his daughter, which Roland rejects,
later telling the Bishop in the confessional the hidden reason for his
act. The Bishop follows and surprises the two lovers, tears off
Esclarmonde’s veil, and drives her off by exorcism. Tier power is now
lost, but her father, the Emperor, agrees to restore it if she will give
up Roland, who must otherwise die. Esclarmonde consents to make the
sacrifice, and Roland enters the tournament seeking death. Instead of
this he covers himself with glory and wins the hand of Esclarmonde.
Opera by Massenet.
Libretto by Louis Gallet.
Characters: Athanael; Nicias; Palemon; Thaïs; Albine; Crobyle;
Myrtale; a servant, monks and slaves.
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Place, Thebes and Alexandria. Time, the Fourth Century. First
produced at Paris in 1894.
The first scene of the opera opens on the banks of the Nile, where
there is a little settlement of Cenobites, a gathering of religious men.
Athanael, a member of the sect, has just returned from Alexandria, where
the sight of the worldly pleasures of the city has caused him much
uneasiness; yet he himself, in his youth, has known the path that leads
from virtue. As Athanael sleeps he sees a vision of Thaïs, the stage
favorite and beauty of Alexandria. He determines to go and save her soul
from the destroying atmosphere in which she lives. At a banquet given at
the house of Nicias, one of the notorious voluptuaries of the city,
Athanael meets Thaïs. Although Athanael is clothed in rich garments, as
are the others, his conduct is not that of the guests in general, and
his severe mien attracts the attention of Thaïs. Athanael tells her that
he has come to save her soul, and although Thaïs laughs at his
seriousness it makes a deep impression upon her.
Thaïs, who is tired of the mutability of love, prays to the goddess
Venus for eternal beauty. Athanael appears, and, although she pays him
but little attention, he tells the beautiful courtesan of the glories of
the future life, in comparison with which mortal life is worthless. In
spite of herself Thaïs becomes interested. Although frightened by his
words, she is defiant. The Cenobite leaves her, but declares that he
will pass the night on her doorstep. While Athanael sleeps at the porch
of her house, Thaïs reappears to tell him that she will follow wherever
he may lead. All she asks to keep of her earthly possessions is a small
statue of Eros. But this
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Athanael throws upon the ground, telling her that she must destroy
it and all her other possessions.
Nicias, who has won a fortune in a nearby gambling house that
night, suddenly enters, and orders singing and drinking. While all are
enjoying themselves Thaïs emerges from the temple, clad in the mean garb
of a penitent. She is followed by her lamenting attendants. As she joins
the Cenobite her house flares up in flames. As the fire rages the
populace becomes excited and menaces Athanael. The mob discusses the
advisability of hanging him, but Thaïs saves him. At the height of their
fury Nicias throws gold among the people, and Thaïs and Athanael escape.
The journey to the desert which Athanael undertakes with Thaïs is
so long and arduous that the young woman almost dies of fatigue. At last
they reach the oasis in the desert where Albine and the White Ladies
receive Thaïs. Upon this terrible journey Athanael has been very
constant in his care of Thaïs, bathing her bleeding feet and providing
her with food. After he leaves her in the hands of the White Sisters her
image still remains with him, he sees her in a vision, first as a
courtesan, and then dying in the convent. He admits to Palemon that in
spite of his efforts at resistance he cannot control his love for Thaïs.
In the last scene Thaïs is dying. She is regarded by the White
Sisters as a veritable saint. The dominating passion that now seizes
Athanael is carnal love, and he seeks Thaïs, to tell her of his passion.
She rejects his love, for she sees the glories of heaven opening before
her, and she dies while the Cenobite is imploring her to linger on earth
and accept his love.
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Opera by Massenet.
Libretto by Jules Claretie and H. Cain.
Characters: {Garrido,} General of the Royalist troops; Remigio, a
farmer; Araquil, his son, a sergeant in the Biscayan regiment; Anita, a
girl of Navarre, betrothed to Araquil; officers, soldiers, villagers,
military surgeons and chaplains.
Place, France. Time, the Nineteenth Century. First produced at
Monte Carlo in 1894.
{Garrido,} general of the Royalist troops, has tried to take a
Basque village from the Carlist enemy, Zuccarago. Ramon, the lieutenant,
is asked by the girl from Navarre if he knows if a certain Araquil has
returned to camp. None of the soldiers know of his whereabouts. As she
looks about her in distress and fear Araquil suddenly appears, and the
ardor of their embrace leaves no doubt of the intensity of their love
for each other. As the two are plighting their troth, Remigio, the
thrifty father of the young sergeant, appears, and is much annoyed when
he learns that his son has become enamored of a poor and unknown girl.
The father declares that his son can marry her only when she has a dowry
equal to his, and that he will give his son two thousand duros. The son
begs his father to relent, but he remains firm.
Through the death of other officers Araquil is promoted to the rank
of lieutenant. Anita is desperate. She knows that there is no chance of
her ever having the sum desired for a dowry, and as she forlornly
loiters about she hears the general offer a fortune to anyone who will
take Zuccarago. She goes to the general, and
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asks him if his word in this respect is good. She then offers to kill
Zuccarago for two thousand duros. When he asks her her name she flees,
saying that she is La Navarraise, the girl from Navarre.
Anita succeeds in safely passing the lines, and reaches the camp of
the enemy. As she enters the general’s tent the soldiers smile, for
their leader is well known as the admirer of a pretty face. A
fellow-soldier tells the royalist sergeant that he has heard his
sweetheart inquiring the way to Zuccarago’s tent, implying that she has
gone there at Zuccarago’s invitation, but Araquil will not, listen to
him. It is soon rumored that Zuccarago is dead. Anita comes to General {Garrido}
to demand her reward, and when she receives it rejoices that she is no
longer a poor girl without a dower. The old general tells her to keep
the killing of Zuccarago a secret., and tells her that none shall learn
of it from him.
When Araquil arrives, Anita shows him her hands filled with gold,
the two thousand duros that was to be her dowry. But Araquil, with a cry
of horror, pushes her from him, believing that she has sold herself. He
thinks that the old Carlist must have given her the money. Araquil, who
has been wounded in the last engagement, is dying, and the true history
of the way in which the dowry was obtained hastens his end. When Anita
realizes that her crime has brought nothing but misery to her lover, and
sees that he is dying, she tries to kill herself, and denounces the
Virgin for not allowing her to die. She hears the bells tolling for the
funeral of Zuccarago. To her they seem to be her wedding bells, for
La Navarraise has gone mad.
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Opera in five acts by
Massenet. Libretto adapted from the novel by Alphonse Daudet by Henri
Cain and Arthur Bernède.
Characters: Jean Gaussin; Caoudal; Laborderis; Oabbasu; Fanny
Legrand; Divonne; Irene.
Place, Paris, Ville d’Avray and Avignon. Time, Nineteenth Century.
First produced at Paris in 1897.
Jean Gaussin, a young provincial, has left home and appeared in
Paris. He is about to take the examinations for entrance into the
diplomatic service, a calling traditional in his family. Chance takes
him to a masked ball at the house of Caoudal, a successful and amiable
sculptor. There Jean makes the acquaintance of a pretty woman, dressed
as a bayadere, whose real name is Fanny Legrand, but who has borne the
nickname of Sapho ever since she posed for Caoudal’s statue of that name.
Sapho becomes violently infatuated with Jean, although the young
man does not attach much importance to her apparent fancy for him, which
he looks upon as a mere coquettish caprice. At the end of a few days he
sees Sapho again. Her infatuation has increased. Little by little Jean
gives in to her. Moreover, he is alone, without family ties, in the vast
city of Paris. It seems home-like to have someone by his side, and habit
snares him in the fatal net.
After awhile they both become tired of the plain little apartment
where Jean’s good aunt, Divonne, has taken so much pains to install her
nephew. They find a cosier nest at Ville d’Avray. Jean, however, is
keenly
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aware of the dangerous position he is in, and is desirous of leaving
Paris in order to disengage himself from a liaison which will end in
trouble. But he lacks energy, lets things drift, and is conquered by the
situation. Sapho has had a disgraceful past, but her shame, which should
fill Jean with disgust, only inspires in him a consuming jealousy. They
have frequent quarrels, and after a scene more terrible than others, in
which Jean flies into a jealous rage, he breaks with Sapho upon learning
that the child that she has adopted is the son of the engraver, Flamand,
an old lover of his mistress, who has committed a crime for her sake,
and is serving a sentence of two years in prison.
Feeling that everything is lost, Sapho joins her lover in the
little chamber, where he is feverishly packing up his souvenirs and his
underclothing in the same box. She wishes to keep him, she protests
against his accusations, lying accusations in which he should not
believe! Unhappily for her, Jean now discovers under piles of flannels
the strong-box in which his mistress keeps a correspondence which she
should have been wise enough to have burned. He forces the lock, reads
the love-letters it contains, in which she is instructed to send certain
counterfeit bank notes to a central depot for distribution—bills made by
the over-adroit engraver. Then comes the inevitable exchange of words
that would better have been left unsaid. Jean taunts Sapho with her past.
Furious, she retorts, “Bourgeois!” After this final insult
he leaves her, as he believes, forever.
Jean returns to his province and plans to marry and settle down. In
vain Sapho comes in search of him.
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He resists her supplications and allows her to return alone. Apparently
he is cured, but, as a matter of fact, he is for the first time actually
in love with her. In the final scene at Ville d’Avray he seeks to resume
the liaison, but Sapho takes advantage of his having fallen asleep, and
writes him a touching letter of farewell. She tells him that she has had
enough of him, that love is dead and that she has gone to rejoin
Flamand, the engraver, who, having been pardoned, has left prison, and
has taken back his child.
The story of Sapho is a favorite one with the Parisians, who, in
the light of the lesson it teaches, regard it as a highly moral tale.
The opera was no less well received than was Alphonse Daudet’s book upon
its publication many years ago. One musical critic, moved to enthusiasm
at the time of its first production, expressed himself as follows: “It
is the work of a master, of a master inspired, and unmistakably of the
French race, who continues the noble traditions of his illustrious
predecessors, and who is the glory of his times and of his country.”
Opera in three acts
and prologue by Massenet. Libretto by Armand Sylvestre and Eugene
Morand. Adapted from Boccaccio.
Characters: Marquis de Saluces; Alain; Loys; the Devil; the
Chaplain, Grisélides; Fiamina.
Place, Provence. Time, Middle Ages. First produced in Paris in
1901.
Grisélides, a beautiful rustic maiden, after being courted in vain
by Alain, a shepherd, accepts the hand
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of the Marquis do Saluces, the lord of the country. After twelve months
of happy wedded life a son, Loys, is born. About to depart for the
crusades, the Marquis vaunts the fidelity of his wife, and says to the
chaplain that he would defy the Devil himself to overcome her loyalty.
Whereupon the Devil appears and makes a bet with the Marquis that the
young spouse will not remain true to her vows, taking from the Marquis
the wedding ring in token of the wager.
After the departure of the Marquis, the Devil and his wife, Fiamina,
plan all sorts of stratagems to bring about the perdition of Grisélides.
By the aid of complacent sylphs the Devil brings into the presence of
Grisélides her former lover, Alain. Grisélides seems perilously near
succumbing, when her child, Loys, unexpectedly runs in, and the mother
saves the wife. Nothing daunted by this failure, the Devil, who
perceives the most vulnerable point in the woman’s nature, succeeds in
stealing the infant, Loys. What has become of the child? The faithful
servants of the castle seek for the child in vain.
One morning an old man appears and hands to Grisélides a message as
she is kneeling in prayer before the statue of Saint Agnes. The message
announces that Loys is in the possession of a pirate, who consents to
restore the child in exchange for a kiss. The faithful wife, burning
with indignation, takes from the wall a dagger, which she dips into holy
water, and hastens to the seaside. Meanwhile the Crusader returns to the
castle. The Devil, with mocking words, is there to greet him. Grisélides,
of whom the Marquis at first, but only for a moment, entertained
suspicions, appears.
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The Crusader embraces his wife, draws his sword, and vows vengeance upon
the abductor of his son.
We are now in a fairyland, but a celestial fairyland, contrasting
with the diabolical fairyland of the second act. The statue of Saint
Agnes is spirited away, as is also the panoply of arms belonging to the
Marquis. The Crusader falls in prayer before the altar. Suddenly the
golden crucifix is transformed into a radiant sword. The tapers and
candles of the chapel are miraculously lighted. A magnificat is chanted
by invisible voices. The centre of the sacred triptych opens and
discloses the image of Saint Agnes holding the infant Loys in her arms.
The Devil is forever banished from the castle.
Opera by Massenet.
Libretto by Maurice Lena.
Characters: Jean the Juggler; Boniface, cook of the Abbey; the
Prior; the Musician-monk; the Sculptor-monk; the Poet-monk; the
Painter-monk; other inmates of the Monastery; peasants and merchants.
Place, Cluny, near Paris. Time, the Sixteenth Century. First
produced at Paris in 1902.
The Juggler of Notre Dame is based upon an old miracle play
of the Middle Ages. At Cluny, a suburb of Paris, the populace are
celebrating the first of May (the month of Mary) in the square in front
of the monastery. Jean, a poor juggler, tries to earn a few sous by his
old, worn-out tricks. The people laugh at him, and tell him that if he
wishes to earn his money he should sing them a drinking song. Jean has
an empty stomach, and, after asking the Virgin’s pardon,
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complies. While he is in the middle of his song the Prior of the
monastery enters, and paints a picture of hell for the wild revellers. A
cart with provisions for the monks arrives. It is full of luscious
vegetables and delicacies, and when the Prior invites Jean to forsake
his evil ways and become a holy monk, the hungry lad immediately
consents and enters the monastery.
The monks each have their specialty. The Musician-monk rehearses
his new cantata, which he is to play at the feast of the Virgin; the
Sculptor-monk praises the Virgin in his work, and the Painter-monk
presents the Holy Family in his picture. All but Jean can praise the
Virgin, each in his own way. But Jean does not even know Latin, and he
does not believe that the Blessed Virgin will deign to listen to poor
French. He tells his troubles to the monk, Boniface, who comforts him
with the story of the flower that saved the life of Judas, and Jean
immediately thinks of his own small skill in juggling. While the monks
are quarreling, and even come to blows over the question of which of
them offers the most praise—for each considers his gift the greatest—the
Prior enters and drives them off to prayers.
In the third act the Painter-monk is gazing rapturously at his
recently finished picture of the Virgin which hangs over the high altar,
when he sees Jean enter with his juggler’s outfit. Very much mystified
he goes out to report the fact to the Prior. Jean reverently addresses
the Virgin, telling her that as he knows no other art he will venture to
go through his juggling performance in order to give her pleasure and to
honor her feast month. Now and then he stops to apologize for
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the character of his songs. The Prior sees Jean’s strange performance,
and is scandalized, but Boniface prevents him from interrupting the poor
fellow. The other monks arrive on the scene, which they consider one of
sacrilege. Just as they are about to rush down upon Jean, the face of
the Virgin in the picture above the altar is seen to glow with life and
animation. Her arms are held out towards Jean, who kneels in prayer. The
monks cry aloud at the sight. A light envelops the Virgin, a choir of
celestial voices is heard, and Jean, joyously declaring that at last he
understands Latin, dies in the arms of the wondering Prior.
Fairy opera in three
acts by :Massenet. Libretto by Henri Cain.
Characters: Cendrillon; Mine. de la Haltiere; the Prince; the Fairy;
Noemie; Dorothée; Pandolfe; the King; Dean of the Faculty; Festival
Superintendent; the Prime Minister; Voix du Heraut; Première Danseuse
Etoile.
Place, Fairyland. First produced at Paris in 1899. First American
production at New Orleans in 1908 ; first produced at Philadelphia in
1911; and at New York in 1912.
The operatic story of Cendrillon keeps closely to the old
nursery tale. It shows how Mine. de la Haltiere, the heroine’s
stepmother, with her two older daughters and her henpecked spouse, goes
to the ball at which Prince Charming is to choose a bride, leaving poor,
hard-worked Cinderella by her hearth. And then, in the first scene, the
Fairy Godmother appears in a bright
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vision, with her attendant fays, and thanks to her magic Cinderella’s
rags are changed into a radiant, silver robe, while her bare feet are
fitted with a pair of crystal slippers.
The next scene takes place at the court of the old King, where
Prince Charming, after turning coldly from the bad sisters, falls in
love with the transfigured Cinderella. On the stroke of twelve,
Cinderella rushes wildly from the ball, leaving one shoe behind.
After roaming vainly through the land, the love-sick Prince
encounters Cinderella at night beneath the branches of a moonlit,
ancient oak—the home of the good Fairy Godmother. Then there is a final
scene in which Cinderella is proclaimed Prince Charming’s bride.
In the score of Cendrillon Massenet has shown the greatest
suppleness and skill without putting much musical pith into it, but
lavishing ingenious effects of rythm, odd contrasts of colors, and
entertaining volumes of sound whenever the attention of the auditors is
in danger of flagging. The orchestration, as in all of Massenet’s operas,
is highly finished, and the fairy music throughout is exceptionally
sweet and captivating.
Opera in five acts by
Massenet. Libretto by Henri Cain, adapted from a play by Jacques
Lorraine derived from the romance of the same name by Cervantes.
Characters: La Belle Dulcinne; Don Quichotte; Sancho; Pedro;
Garcias; Rodriguez; Juan; Le Chef de Bandits; two servants.
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Place, Spain. Time, Sixteenth Century. First produced at Paris in
1911. First American production at Philadelphia in 1913. First New York
production in 1914.
In the operatic plot Dulcinea is a very worldly coquette,
surrounded by a throng of admirers who greet the shabby Knight with
derision when he makes his appearance on Rosinante, with his fat
retainer, Sancho Panza, at the fete which is represented in the first
act. To rid herself of the ardent attentions of Don Quixote, she sends
him on the supposedly impossible task of recovering her necklace from
the bandits who stole it.
In the second act Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are starting on
their quest, and the Knight improvises a song to his lady-love. Sancho
Pauza philosophies on the fickleness of women. They come upon the
windmills and Don Quixote enters upon his famous fight with these giants,
who worst him.
In the next act the twain encounter the bandits, who take them
captive, and are about to put them to death, but are so touched by the
Knight’s fearless courage and noble simplicity that they give him the
necklace, of which he is in search, and let him go with his esquire.
They return to Dulcinca’s house and the festival that is in
progress. Don Quixote proudly restores the necklace, and claims the hand
of Dulcinca. She is delighted and touched; but gently tells her suitor
that she is unworthy of him. He goes away, and in the next act is seen
with Sancho Panza, weary, resting in the forest at night. As be waits
for death, Don Quixote smiles sadly at his esquire, deploring that he
can leave him as a legacy nothing more substantial than his Island of
{118b} Dreams. Finally he dies with the
name of Dulcinea on his lips.
In this opera there is a pervading charm throughout the entire
performance as Massenet’s music is in complete accord with the needs of
the text. The composer’s typical coloring and piquancy pervade all the
serenade and dance numbers, and the melodies are treated with an
accompaniment that exhibits Massenet’s skill in the finest form of
harmonic expression. Though written at the close of his career, there is
every evidence that {Massenet} felt the thrill of inspiration while
writing Don Quichotte, which abounds in the same melodic
fertility, vocal knowledge, and mastery of instrumentation that are
characteristic of nearly all the operas of this remarkable composer.
Massenet died at Paris, at the age of seventy, on August 13, 1912.
Last updated March 08, 2007