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Reviews — The New York Times
From the New York Times - August 14, 1912
JULES MASSENET
DIES SUDDENLY
Famous Composer Had Long
Suffered from Cancer, but Was
Not Thought to be dying
WAS A PROLIFIC WORKER
Born 70 Years Ago, Massenet Became
Celebrated Early in Life - His
Operas Favorites in New York
He had been suffering from a long time from cancer, but his death was sudden and unexpected.
Jules Massenet was the most popular of modern French composer and the most prolific, if one excepts Camille Saint-Saëns. New York knew Massenet chiefly through his operas, although some of his songs have been popular here and some of his orchestral excerpts, particularly the music he wrote for “Les Erinnyes,” have been played.
Several of his operas have been performed here many times, and eleven of them altogether have been produced in New York, a record probably which no other composer besides Wagner could boast of in recent years. “Manon,” his masterpiece, when it was sung here by Sibyl Sanderson and Jean de Reszk‚, did not achieve great success. “Le Cid” was a failure. “Werther,” perhaps his most popular work in Paris, has never been a success here.
It was really “Thaïs,” which was first performed by Mary Garden and Maurice Renaud at the Manhattan Opera House, which made Massenet’s vogue certain here. The “Meditation” from this opera has become very popular. Later Mr. Hammerstein produced several other of the Frenchman’s operas, including “Griselidis,” “Sapho,” “Le Jongleur de Notre Dame,” “Herodiade,” and “La Navarraise,” which already had been heard at the Metropolitan Opera House. “Le Portrait de Manon” has been sung in New York, and so has “Cendrillon” on a single occasion, and the revival of “Manon” at the Metropolitan Opera House, last spring, with Geraldine Farrar and Caruso in the chief parts, made one of the signal successes of the season.
It has been said of Massenet that he could write opera in any style demanded of him. He always managed more or less to keep abreast of the times. It has been suggested that “Cendrillon” was written because of the success of “Hänsel und Gretel,” and, although this has been denied, there is a certain amount of truth in what the story implies. When the Italian veristic school produced its two short operas, “Pagliacci” and “Cavalleria Rusticana,” Massenet brought out “La Navarraise,” also short, with, an intermezzo, and so violent in style that the composer could scarcely be recognized except through the airs which occur in the piece.
Celebrated singers have also been the inspiration for this composer’s pen. “Esclarmonde” and “Thaïs” were written for Sibyl Sanderson, then the idol of Paris. “Sapho” was written for Emma Calvé. “Don Quichotte,” “Thérèse,” and “Roma” were written with the contralto voice and the personality of Lucy Arbell in mind. And once, when someone in Paris said that Massenet could not compose an opera without a woman as its central theme, he wrote “Le Jongleur de Notre Dame,” which contained no woman’s part at all until Mary Garden sang the tenor part in New York.
He had a very great effect upon modern French school, although most of the composers of the day are now entirely out of his influence. His “melodic line,” as it is called, is easily recognizable, and to a certain extent other composers have found it useful. In the music of Reynaldo Hahn, for instance, one may trace much of Massenet’s influence.
He was the most prolific of composers. Even now “Roma” has just been performed at the Paris Opéra, and several more of his works have been announced for production. It is said that his “Cléopâtre” is entirely completed, and possible one or two more of his works are ready for production.
Jules Emile Frédéric Massenet was born near St. Etienne on May 12, 1842, and he gave proof almost before he had learned his letters of the possession of musical talent of a high order. He could play a sonata of Beethoven on the piano at four, and became, barely five years later, a pupil at the Paris Conservatoire, with Luarent, Reber, and Ambroise Thomas as his teachers. In 1862, he won the much-coveted Prix de Rome. At the age of twenty-three he returned from Italy to Paris to marry one of Liszt’s most accomplished pupils, to publish the “Requiem Mass” and to prepare for the production of “David Rizzo.” After this his career was a march of triumph.
In 1867, though the influence of Ambroise Thomas, his “La Grand’ Tante” was produced at the Opéra Comique. Later several orchestral suites performed at the concerts populaires attracted some attention. It 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 opéra comique. “Don César de Bazan,” a work which has just been revived in Paris. That was in 1872. His music for “Les Erinnyes” appeared in 1873. the oratorio “Eve” followed in 1875. Then followed more orchestral music, including the overture to “Phèdre.”
It was with “Le Roi de Lahore” in 1877 that the composer achieved a real success. Then followed “La Vierge,” sung at the opera concerts, and regarded as a failure. it has become a success since. At Christmas in 1881 Massenet went to Brussels to produce “Herodiade.” Afterward this work was heard in Paris and since has been performed in London and New York.
“Manon” was produced in January 1884, and on Nov. 30, 1885, all Paris assembled at the first performance of “Le Cid.” In 1886 Massenet provided the incidental music for Sardou’s play, “Le Crocodile,” and in the Spring of 1889 “Esclarmonde” was launched at the Opéra Comique. Two years later he returned to the Op‚ra with “Le Mage.” This was succeeded by “Werther,” which received its initial production in Vienna, and “Le Carillon,” a ballet. Then followed “Thaïs,” 1894; “ ”Le Portrait de Manon, and “La Navarraise,” in the same year; “Sapho,” 1897; “Cendrillon,” 1899; “Griselidis,” 1901; “Le Jongleur de Notre Dame,” 1902; “Cherubin,” 1905, and “Ariane,” 1906. Since then the composer had produced “Bacchus,” “Thérèse,” and “Don Quichotte,” (one of the most popular of his operas,) and “Roma.” Many of these works were heard in Monte Carlo before they were heard in Paris. “Don Quichotte” found its way to London through Oscar Hammerstein, who always remained faithful to Massenet.
Massenet himself told the story of his first successful opera. “One day in 1876,” he says, “I was walking on the boulevards, when I met Halanzier, at that time director of the Opéra. ‘I have heard your “Marie Magdeleine” and your “Eve,” ’ he said ‘As you can write like that, why don’t you write an opera? ‘But I have written an opera.’ I answered. ‘I have a complete in my drawer at home.’ ‘You must let me hear it.’ he said. I was dumbfounded. On the next day, July 9, 1876, I went to his house in the Place Vendôme, together with Louis Galbert, who had written the libretto, and found Halanzier waiting for me and the piano ready. So I sat down and played and sang the first act right through. Then I stopped, waiting to hear what he would way. ‘But that isn’t all,’ he cried. So I played and sang the second act, and then the third, and so on, till it was finished. Halanzier had never said a word. I thought that his silence meant disapproval, and exhausted with fatigue, was about to go away, when Halanzier said, ‘You must leave your opera.’ I could hardly believe my ears. ‘What,’ I cried. ‘you meant to say that?’ ‘There’s your contract,’ said the director, holding out his hand. The opera was ‘Le Roi de Lahore.’ ”
To the list of Massenet’s music already given are to be added many songs and three orchestral suites, “Scenes Napolitaines,” “Scenes Alsaciennes,” and “Scenes Féerie.”
In October, 1878, Massenet replaced Bazin as Professor of Advanced composition in the Conservatoire, holding the position until 1896. In 1876 he was decorated with the Legion of Honor, becoming an officer in 1888, and in 1878 he was elected a member of the Académie des Beaux Arts in place of Bazin, and to the exclusion of Saint-Saëns, who was generally expected to be the new member. This was one of the rare occasions on which the entire Academy has not observed the order of presentation established by the section to which the new member belonged. Massenet was only 36 at the time, and was the youngest member ever elected to the Académie des Beaux Arts, for Halévy, who was the most remarkable previous example of what may be called “academic precocity,” was 37 when he entered the institute in 1836.
Last updated December 30, 2006