Charles Lenepveu

Charles Lenepveu (1840-1910)

TRANSCRIPTION

Paris 27/2/90

Cher Monsieur Lemoine

Je suis sincèrement désolé de ne
pouvoir me rendre après-demain soir à La
Trompette pour accompagner Auguste.
J'ai par malheur l'obligation d'un
banquet à St Mandé qui ne me laisse
aucun espoir de pouvoir faire acte de
présence chez vous, le banquet commençant
fort tard, et la distance constituant

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un véritable voyage. Veuillez
accepter et faire agréer à Auguste
tous mes regrets et mes excuses, et
recevez, cher monsieur, l'expression
de mes sentiments cordialement
dévoués

C Lenepveu

TRANSLATION

Paris, February 27, 1890¹

Dear Mr. Lemoine²

I am sincerely sorry not to be able to return the day after tomorrow evening to La Trompette³ to accompany Auguste⁴. I am unfortunately obliged to be at a banquet at St Mandé⁵ that does not allow me any hope of making it to your place, the banquet starting extremely late and the distance being

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quite a journey. Please accept, and ask Auguste to do so, too, all my apologies, and accept, dear Sir, my sincere regards,

C Lenepveu

NOTES:

1. Thursday

2. Emile Michel Hyacinthe Lemoine (1840-1912) was a civil engineer and an amateur musician.

3. La Trompette was a chamber ensemble organized in 1861. While he attended the École Polytechnique, Lemoine (see note #2 above) joined (or founded) the group. Camille Saint-Saens composed for the group, Septuor in E-flat Major, Op. 65 (A Septet for trumpet, piano and string quintet), which was dedicated to Lemoine. [N.B. Conjecture: This odd combination of instruments plus the dedication to Lemoine leads me to think that Lemoine was a trumpet player and hence the group's name "La Trompette."] Nigel Simeone says "Le carnaval des animaux (Saint-Saens) was ". . . played as a special treat at the mardi gras concerts of La Trompette." Lemoine appears to have at least managed-- Simeone states that Lemoine was its founder-- the group as early as 1882 and obviously was still closely connected with it at the time (1890). (Source: Nigel Simeone's review "Scholarly Saint-Saens," regarding Camille Saint-Saens: A Thematic Catalogue of His Complete Works, Vol. 1 by Sabrina Teller Ratner (Oxford:2002)] An extant poster advertises a concert by Trompette on March 10, 1882 at 34, rue de Grenelle Saint-Germain that included works by Smetana, Schumann, Beethoven, Massenet and Spontini. The performers in La Trompette at the 1882 concert were Martin-Pierre-Joseph Marsick (1848-1924), French violinist; Guillaume Rémy (1856-1932) Belgian violinist; Louis Van Waefelghem (1840-1908), Belgian violist; Jules Delsart, French cellist, Malbernac, violinist; and Raoul Pugno (1852-1914) French pianist. A singer named Mademoiselle A. Lemaitre sang. A note about this concert says:
"Le vendredi 10 mars 1882, au 84 rue de Grenelle-Saint-Germain à Paris, à 8 heures et demie précise, MM. Rémy, Malbernac, van Waefelghem et Delsart firent entendre pour la première fois au public français le quatuor "De ma vie". C'est Marsick qui devait assurer le premier violon, mais il avait un mot d'excuse, et Rémy l'a remplacé, mettant à sa place de second violon Malbernac qui passait par là." [Friday March 10, 1882, at 84 rue de Grenelle-Saint-Germain in Paris, at 8:30 specifies, Msrs.Rémy, Malbernac, van Waefelghem and Delsart played for the first time for the French public [Smetana's Quartet, No. 1 in e-minor] "De ma vie." Marsick was to play first violin, but with a word of excuse, Rémy replaced him, and Malbernac played second violin.] (Source: Alain CF, Newsgroups: fr.rec.arts.musique.classique; Smetana)
A leather-bound, numbered-edition book about La Trompette by Lucien Augé de Lassus (1864-1914) was published in 1911 on the 50th anniversary of the group. Augé de Lassus was the librettist for Saint-Saens' two-act opéra-comique Phryné.

4. Auguste (?) is unknown at this time.

5. An opulent suburb east of Paris between Paris and Bois de Vincennes. A look at a map will confirm Lenepveu's statement that "the distance being quite a journey," especially at that time since there was no metro.

ABOUT THE COMPOSER

Charles Ferdinand Lenepveu was born in Rouen, France on October 4, 1840. Like so many other young composers, Lenepveu went to Paris firs to study Law, but succumbed to Music. His first success was a cantata for the centenary of the Société d'Agriculture et de Commerce of Caen that was performed July 29, 1862. He entered the Paris Conservatoire where he became a student of Ambroise Thomas. Lenepveu won the Prix de Rome in 1865. His opera Le Florentin written while he was in Rome in 1867 was not performed until 1874 in Paris. Irvine says: On August 3, 1867, the Ministry of Beaux-Arts opened three opera competitions: works were to be submitted suitable for the (1) Opéta, (2) the Théâtre-Lyrique and (3) the Opéra-Comique. The Opéra-Comique competition actually opened on August 30, 1867 and was to close on April 30, 1868. Fifty-three scores were submitted with first place going to Charles Lenepveu [for Le Florentin]. Massenet placed third." (Demar Irvine, Massenet: A Chronicle of His Life and Times, (Portland:1994), p. 53)

In 1878, he served on the jury for the Cressent Award. Another opera, Valléda was produced in London in 1882. He turned to teaching at the Conservatoire in 1880 where he taught harmony and composition. He succeeded Ernest Guiraud as professor of composition at the Conservatoire on January 1, 1894. He did not compose a large body of works, but they included five dramatic works, two requiems, some choral works and a few pieces for orchestra and piano. (Source: Grove VI, Vol. 10, p. 658) He was made a member of the Legion of Honor in 1887 and joined the Institut in 1896. Lenepveu died in Paris on August 16, 1910.

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