Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 3, No. 10 (1929-07)

328 The Phonograph Monthly Review July, 1929 — - lev Massenet and His Music By JAMES HADLEY I N the long list of brilliant names which have glorified the history of the fine arts in France, there is none attached to a personality more individual and interesting than that of Jules Mas- senet. He is the leading exponent of the school that aims, before all else, to charm. In all his works—whether it be an opeVa, orchestral suite or songs, many of which have become favorites the world over—the poetic element is strongly marked, and always is there a rich flow of that peculiarly sensuous type of melody which is so typical of this composer. Massenet was an eclec- tic, though he was, most of all, influenced by Gounod and Wagner—a well-nigh unbelievable combination. He has inherited Gounod’s mystic and voluptuous charm, but even this element has been assimilated and developed along his own particular lines. And, like Gounod, he devotes much of his time to the portrayal of “the eternal feminine.” An ardent admirer and champion of Wagner, more than any other French composer of his gen- eration he has proved himself susceptible to the influence of the wizard of Bayreuth. Occasion- ally experimenting with “guiding themes”, Mas- senet’s musical personality remains, nevertheless, powerful and highly individual, and French to the core. In all of his compositions one recog- nizes this entirely personal style . . . the Mas- senet hall-mark is patent in every line. Here is found the quaint Massenet melodic design; the phrase which seems in its initial steps to run away from all accepted notions of form, but which falls at last, unexpectedly and gracefully, into the square period. Indeed, the case of M. Massenet is exceptional. He has a very feminine sensibility, and, as a result, he possesses to the full the gift of fascina- tion. He delights in lyrical rhapsodies, whose success with the great public is immense. His very voluptuous music has not the spirit of calm contemplation, or the nobility of Gounod’s, from which, however, it is derived. No matter how much one may distrust the perfumed atmosphere of these avowals, of these embraces, of these transports and ecstatic swoons, one cannot deny to his music qualities of grace and arresting charm. An intense lover of the theatre, Massenet excelled in composing a dramatic scene, and his musical temperament enables him to express, with especial felicity, emotions of a concentrated kind, and he is able, as almost none other, to im- part a soft and mystic coloring to scenes of love and sentiment. In all the works of Massenet there is a glow of poetic fervor that invests them with a charming atmosphere, and his skill and ingenu- ity in treating the orchestra has wrung reluctant praise from his bitterest critics. Always has Massenet’s ardent admiration of women played a great part in his career; nearly all of his operas melodiously chant the glories of love and woman. And this love was returned, for, as Schneider, the composer’s biographer and fellow-countryman, has gracefully written:— “A woman is like a child; she goes instinctive- ly to the person who loves her.” Certain prima donnas whom Massenet especi- ally admired were signally honored by operas written especially for them. One recalls that beautiful woman and superb actress, Mile. Emma Calve, for whom Massenet, composed “La Navar- raise”, and “Sapho.” For Sibyl Sanderson, Cali- fornia’s gifted and fasciating daughter, he wrote “Thais” and “Esclarmonde.” It was in the latter work that Miss Sanderson revealed to Paris her famous “Eiffel Tower” note—the G bove high C, sustained for an incredibly long time, and of a crystalline purity of tone. The role of Perse- phone in Massenet’s opera, “Ariane,” as sung by Mile. Lucy Arbell, won the admiration of critical Paris, and the composer’s warm regard for the young singer was so intensified by her triumph in his opera that he wrote for her the Drame Musical, “Therese.” Later, the role of “La Belle Dulcinee,” in “Don Quichotte,” was composed es- pecially for this greatly favored lyric artist. Massenet enthusiastically commended Mile. Ar- bell for having, while impersonating Dulcinee, in- troduced the innovation of learning to play her own accompaniments (on the guitar) instead of relying, as other singers do in such a situation, on some musician behind the scenes. Massenet’s susceptibility to feminine beauty and charm, and his graceful expression of it, was well-known, and it may not be malapropos to re- late a very characteristic episode which set all Paris buzzing, several years before the produc- tion of the opera, “Ariane”, and, incidentally, be- fore the heroine of the tale had risen to her pres- ent admirable eminence. One evening, after the opera, there was a sup- per at which many guests, famous in the artistic life of Paris, were present. In the brilliant as- semblage was a young soprano with exceptional endowments, both of voice and personal beauty, Mile. Lucy Arbell. An associate of the Opera observed that the young woman wore no jewels. Drawing a superb La France rose from a vase standing near, he presented the beautiful flower to the singer. She accepted the offering gracious- ly, then said, with her famous smile:—“You are