ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Gustave Charpentier was born in Dieuze, near Nancy,
France, June 25,1860. He began his musical studies at the Lille Conservatory. His
employer, in payment and in appreciation for violin lessons given him by Charpentier,
sponsored the young man’s education. He became well-known in the area around his home
town of Tourcoing, near Lille. His popularity and success caused the many of the local
citizens to rally and help finance Charpentier’s musical future. With their backing,
he went to Paris and entered the Conservatoire.
The big city and independence worked against the young man. He adopted
a bohemian lifestyle and challenged authority at every turn. His attitude and rebellion
caused a riff between he and his violin teacher. Consequently, Charpentier was forced to
leave the Conservatoire. In 1885, he returned, apparently rededicated, and began
composition lessons with Jules Massenet.
After two years with a master like Massenet, Charpentier applied and won the Prix de Rome
in 1887. Says Irvine, "Saturday, 25 June [1887] was the date for deciding
the Prix de Rome competition. First prize went to Gustave Charpentier, a pupil
of Massenet, The cantata was Didon with text by Lucien Augé." (Demar
Irvine, Massenet: A Chronicle of His Life and Times (Portland:1994) p.
154)
During his obligatory tenure in Rome, many ideas germinated that he
would later harvest for use in his operas, most notably Louise, his most famous.
After many revisions Louise was performed in 1900. Its success has been attributed
to the fact that the plot dealt with women's liberation, a subject that was burgeoning.
Charpentier was not prolific. He wrote but four operas: Louise
(1900)1, his most successful; Julien ou La vie du poète (1913), L'amour au
faubourg (1913), and Orphée (1931).
In May 1902, Charpentier conducted--in rotation with Alfred
Bruneau, Giannini, Alexandre Luigini, Georges Marty, Auber, André Messager, and
Saint-Saëns--the orchestra at a retirement benefit concert for the personnel of
the Opéra-Comique. (Irvine, p. 244) He was one of five former pupils of
Massenet to attend their teacher's funeral on August 17, 1912 in Égreville. The
others were Reynaldo Hahn, Ernest Moret,
Xavier Leroux and Charles Silver. (Irvine, 297) Soon after Massenet's death,
Charpentier headed a committee than planned a monument that was unveiled on
October 26, 1926 at the Jardin du Luxembourg. (Irvine, p. 306)
Charpentier was elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts--one
of the six music chairs--on October 26, 1912 to replace Massenet had had died
August 13, 1912. Says Irvine, "In memory of the close friendship between the two
composers, Mme. Massenet presented to Charpentier the uniform of the Institut
her husband had worn. (Irvine, p. 299) Charpentier served concurrently
with Saint-Saëns, Paladilhe,
Dubois, Fauré and Widor. Charoentier conducted
a performance of Massenet's Hérodiade in 1921. (Irvine, p. 305
Charpentier died in Paris on February 18,
1956.
NOTES:
1. Louise was first given at the Paris
Opéra-Comique on February 2, 1900. Its success was so notable that the year 1900
was called "the year of Louise." (Irvine, p. 227) Louise was gievn at the
Opéra-Comique 956 times between 1900 and 1950 (compare the same time period with
Carmen's 1,808 performances and La Traviata's 302) (Irvine, p.
244) Speaking of this work brings up some unflattering
comments by Claude Debussy. Perhaps an explanatory prelude will lay a basis for
Debussy's cruder remarks. According to Robert Orledge, During rehearsals for a
revival of his ballet Pelléas, Debussy said, "Et cette vie de théatre me dégoûte
autant qu'elle m'abruit . . ." [This theatrical life repels me as much as it
bewitches (or dazzles) me."] [Source: Review of Debussy and the Theatre
(Cambridge University Press, 1982) reviewed in Journal of the American
Musicological Society, Vol. 40, No. 1 (Spring 1987) pp. 112-122] This
being said, Debussy's remarks regarding Charpentier follow:
"A rising star on the musical horizon is one Gustave Charpentier who seems
destined to be renowned for both his fertility and his unbeautiful music. He is a
follower of Berlioz, a tremendous humbug, I believe, who managed to believe in
his own hoaxes Charpentier lacks Berlioz's rather aristocratic
nature. He is downright vulgar to the point of writing an opera to be called
Marie [eventually Louise] to take place in Montmartre. His admiration
for the masses has been inspired by a book called La Vie de Poète. [N.B.
Charpentier wrote a symphony-drama titled La Vie de Poète, and the first
act of Louise, during his sojourn in Rome as a Prix de Rome.] This
antiquated romantic title tells us quite a lot, but what you can't imagine is
its utter lack of taste, the triumph of beer-hall music in the opera house. It's
full of tricks and is altogether out of place ['ça sent la pipe et il a comme
les cheveux sur la musique']. A small example is the closing scene at the Moulin
Rouge where of course the poet finally ends up. Here there is even a prostitute
screaming out in ecstasy."
Debussy continues his vitriolic spewings about Charpentier's music.
"Our poor music! How it has been dragged into the mud! Needless to say, all the
little snobs, afraid to be taken as a nincompoops, proclaim it a
masterpiece--it's unbearable! Good Lord! Music is a dream from which the veils
have been drawn! It's not even the expression of a feeling--it is the feeling
itself. And they want it to tell cheap stories when in fact, we have newspapers
to do this job perfectly well." (Edward Lockspeiser, Debussy: His Life and
Mind -Vol.1.(New York:1962) p. 171)
To balance Debussy's viewpoint, esteemed French composer Paul Dukas
(1865-1935) said about Louise: "The first and last acts are those of a
master; the other two are those of an artist; the whole is the work of a man."
(Groves 6, IV:160)
Additionally, Charpentier was hailed by "the vociferous young left wing as the
savior of French music." (Groves 6, IV:160)
REV: 2/05/2006
BACK
TO FRENCH PAGE
