Part 33

Meyerbeer has been criticised for his Italian souvenirs in his opera _les Huguenots_, particularly that pretty air of Marguerite's in the second act, charming in itself and from a strict musical point of view, but which is evidently an aside, a concession made to virtuosity, and which breaks the _ensemble_ and the unity of an otherwise strong, noble and severe work. This fault aside, however, what a masterpiece is this score of the _Huguenots_, in which the interest steadily increases, and which, from the first scene to the last, never ceases to rise higher and higher! Admiration knows not how to choose nor where to pause, so constant and varied are the demands made upon it, whether by the marvellous tableaux, like that of the arrival of Raoul at Marguerite's house, the picturesque curfew scene in the third act, the duel scene which follows, the powerful episode of the benediction of the poignards in the fourth, followed by the splendid duet of Raoul and Valentine, finally the scene of the massacre of the Huguenots in the fifth,--or by the delineation of the characters, traced with a surprising vigor and sureness of hand, such as those of Marcel, of Saint-Bris and of Nevers, which make an ineffaceable impression on the memory. And what color, what style, what grandeur from the beginning to the end of this work! Whether it be the dramatic element which dominates, as in the duel scene or that of the conjuration, whether it be the pathetic and passionate element, as in the _duo_ of the lovers, whether it be the popular and picturesque element, as in the entire third act, the superiority of the artist is always the same, always equally complete, with no sign of weakness nor faltering. In this opera he recalls with vividness and truth a world which has disappeared, and his music is marvellously in accord with the period which he undertakes to depict, the personages which he presents to us, and even the costumes of those personages. As to the inspiration, always warm, noble and vigorous, it is of an inexpressible richness and power.

Fac-simile of Meyerbeer's musical manuscript, written in 1852.]

The austere subject of the opera of _le Prophète_, in which the element of passion played only a very secondary rôle, caused it to be received at first with a certain reserve on the part of the public. But Meyerbeer had never been better inspired, and the nobleness, the grandeur and the severity of the style of this composition raises it to a level which he did not exceed. The beautiful introduction to the first act, the scene of the three anabaptists, the marvellous ballet of skaters, the arioso of Fidès in prison, a truly sublime and pathetic page, finally the grand tableau of the cathedral, are so many superb and living proofs of Meyerbeer's powerful and versatile genius. The public grew to admire the beauties of this bold and dignified work; as to the artists, there are many who unhesitatingly place the _Prophète_ above all that he has written for the stage; for myself, I divide my highest admiration between _le Prophète_ and _les Huguenots_.

The success of _l'Etoile du Nord_, performed at the _Opéra-Comique_, Feb. 16, 1854, was much more spontaneous and considerable than that of the _Prophète_ at the _Opéra_. Yet, after the lapse of forty years, the latter is still played on all the stages of the world, whereas _l'Etoile du Nord_ is well-nigh forgotten. Assuredly there are some beautiful pages in this score, in which Meyerbeer embodied several pieces from his German opera, _A Camp in Silesia_, and especially should be mentioned the songs and the ballad of Catherine in the first act, the quintet in the second, the superb song of Pierre in the third, as well as the comic duet and trio; but the work is essentially lacking in unity, it is too heavy as a whole, and the orchestration is too noisy and brilliant for the demi-character of the opera. Meyerbeer was much better inspired in _le Pardon de Plöermel_ (Dinorah), given also at the _Opéra-Comique_, April 4, 1839. This work contains some exquisite pages, among which I will mention particularly the overture with invisible chorus, Hoël's air in the first act, the drinking chorus and the trio in the second, and the touching and melancholy song of Hoël in the third. Unfortunately the insignificance and emptiness of the libretto have always been a drawback to this beautiful score.

What are the salient traits of Meyerbeer's genius, and what influence has this genius exerted upon his contemporaries? Such is the double question which presents itself to us in the presence of the works of this great man. First of all should be remarked his power of inspiration and power of conception. He was the first to give to France the example of these five-act operas of colossal dimensions, the performance of which requires fully five hours, and the richness, the power of his inspiration is such that so far from weakening during the course of these five long acts, it is often higher, more sublime at the end than at the beginning. Witness the fifth acts of all his great works; _Robert_, _les Huguenots_, _le Prophète_, _l'Africaine_; every one of them is a masterpiece! As to the power of conception, that mysterious faculty of unifying the different parts of a work so large and complex as each of his operas, and forming of them a harmonic, homogeneous whole, it is trully marvellous, and indicates a peculiarly organized and quite exceptional musical brain. Everything, indeed, is to be found in his works; dramatic sentiment is carried to its highest power, the musical style is full of splendor, the general form is superb, the harmony is solid and substantial, and the union of the voices with the instruments admits of no criticism. If there were any fault to be found with him it would be in the excess of sonority, sometimes overwhelming, which he gives to the orchestra. But on the other hand, how much he has improved the orchestra, giving it increased interest and life, as well as variety of color, of timbre and of effect! What an important part it takes in certain situations, and how carefully, conscientiously and cleverly it is managed!

Conscience, indeed, was one of Meyerbeer's master qualities. Others, so richly gifted, might perhaps have been content to follow the course of their inspiration, without taking the trouble to enrich it, to fortify it with the aid of all the means which art puts at the disposal of the composer. He neglected nothing, no detail, no effect, no method that enabled him to augment his resources, to complete his thought, in a word, to attain perfection, or what he believed to be perfection. Nothing dismayed him, he spared no pains to realize his ideal, to obtain the result at which he aimed, and he never felt that he had done a thing so well that it could not be improved. Thus his works have the solidity of marble and the strength of iron. And if a blemish be sometimes discovered in them, it is like the spots on the sun, which do not interfere with its dazzling light.

In regard to the influence exerted by Meyerbeer upon his contemporaries, although genuine and unmistakable, it cannot be said to be so complete or so general as that exerted by Rossini. And this is due to the nature of his genius, which was very complex, and in which cerebral reflection and the combination of means held as important a place as inspiration properly speaking. It was easy to imitate, without obtaining the same results, the methods and the forms employed by Rossini (I refer to the _Italian_ Rossini, and not the Rossini of _William Tell_); very much less easy was it to imitate the forms and the methods of Meyerbeer, these being not only more complicated, more varied, but essentially dependent on the subject, on the situations, on the episodes. This is why Meyerbeer's influence has been mainly felt in the conception and general form of a work, and has been much less sensible in technical detail and musical method.

In closing, I would say that Meyerbeer is one of the noblest, most glorious artists who have ever shed lustre not only upon the French stage, but on musical art as applied to the theatre. A great musician, but especially a great dramatic musician, he has power, nobility, bold and heroic inspiration, and above all the gift of emotion, of that poignant and vigorous emotion which stirs the spectator, wrings his heart, lays hold upon his very vitals, and forces the tears from his eyes.

STRAUSS

The name of Strauss bids fair to become as numerously represented in the annals of Nineteenth Century music as was that of Bach in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; with this difference, however, that while the Bachs were all of one family, three of the Strausses who have become sufficiently famous to win a place in the musical dictionaries are not related to the other three or four. It is with those that _are_ related, the family of Johann Strauss, the Viennese "Waltz-King," that this article is concerned.

A few years ago (1887) the famous Leipsic publishing house of Breitkopf and Härtel commenced the issue of a complete collection of the waltzes, polkas, and other dance pieces of the elder Johann Strauss. The first volume has an interesting though brief biographic sketch by Johann Strauss, Jr., who relates some of his personal reminiscences of his father, besides other facts previously known to the public. "My father," he says in the opening paragraph, "was a musician by the grace of God. Had he not been guided by an inner, irresistible impulse, the difficulties which confronted him in his youth would have pushed him into another path."

It is interesting to note how this "impulse" would have its own way, as in the case of other famous musicians, notwithstanding parental opposition. Strauss was born at Vienna on March 14, 1804. When he was a mere child he used to amuse himself (as Haydn had done in his childhood) by taking two sticks and imitating the movements of a fiddler. Great was his joy when his father, having discovered this instinctive trait, made him a present of a small violin and allowed him to take lessons on it in the primary school. But this was as far as parental encouragement went. Little Johann's desire to become a professional musician was not countenanced, and at the age of fourteen he was sent to a book-binder to learn his trade; but he soon tired of this work and when his master added insult to injury by forbidding him to play the violin, he packed up his beloved instrument and his few other possessions and ran away. In a suburb of Vienna he came across a friend who induced him to return to his parents, whom he persuaded at the same time to give up opposing his musical inclinations. So he received regular lessons and was soon able to play in a small local orchestra.

As luck would have it, another musician, who was destined to be Strauss's colleague and rival, Joseph Lanner, was at that time beginning his brilliant career in Vienna. He was four years older than Strauss, and had associated himself with two other musicians for the purpose of playing in the cafés which abounded in that city. Strauss begged permission to join this club, and was accepted as viola player, one of his duties being the passing around of the plate for collections. There was so much animation and true musical feeling in the performances of this club that it became immensely popular and soon Lanner found it impossible to accept all the engagements that were offered. This led him to engage more musicians and ultimately to divide his orchestra into two smaller ones, over one of which he himself presided, while Strauss was placed at the head of the other.

But Strauss was an ambitious man, and after this companionship had lasted six years (1819-1825) he made his "declaration of independence" of Lanner and conducted an orchestra of his own, which soon became "all the rage" in Vienna. His son has sketched this important episode so eloquently that I cannot do better than translate his words: "The public now learned to know him as an independent conductor, and as such he soon became so popular that the dance-loving Viennese were divided into two parties--the _Lannerianer_ and the _Straussianer_--each of which championed its idol with ardor. It redounds to the credit of the good old times that this partisanship could not cloud the personal relations between Lanner and Strauss, who continued to remain good friends. Their professional separation at this time was brought about by another circumstance: my father accidentally discovered his talent for composition. Composing was obviously at that time an easier matter than it is to-day. To produce a polka, contemporary musicians study the whole literature of music and perhaps a few philosophical systems too. Formerly, only one thing was needed to compose: One had to have a happy thought, as the popular saying is (_es musste Einem was einfallen_). And strange to say, these happy thoughts always came. Self-confidence in this respect was so great that we of the old school (_wir Alten_) frequently announced for a certain evening a new waltz of which on the morning of the same day not a single note was written. In such a case the orchestra usually went to the composer's house, and as soon as the latter had finished a part it was immediately copied for the orchestra. Meantime, the miracle of the 'happy thought' repeated itself for the other parts of the waltz; in a few hours the piece was completed, whereupon it was rehearsed, and in the evening it was played before a usually enthusiastic public.

"Lanner--light-hearted and careless--hardly ever composed any other way. One morning it happened that he felt ill and unable to work, while a new set of waltzes had been promised for the evening, and of course not a bar was on paper. He sent my father the simple message: 'Strauss, see if you can think of something' (in the quaint Viennese dialect: _Strauss, schauen's dass Ihnen was einfällt_.)--In the evening the new waltz was played--as Lanner's, of course--and was received with extraordinary favor. This circumstance, combined with his marriage in the same year, induced my father to secure his independence. He organized at first a quintet, but after barely a year his orchestra already numbered fourteen men. At what rate his fame and his popularity both as composer and conductor grew, is a thing of which we, in these prosaic days, can hardly have a conception. The years 1830 to 1836, during which my father presided over the music at the Sperl, will always remain memorable in the history of music at Vienna. The audiences were enormous, the enthusiasm unbounded, and as my father was persuaded to accept engagements for other amusement places too, he had at his disposal, during the carnival, about two hundred musicians. From this he selected a corps of _élites_--his _Stammorchester_--which he succeeded by unceasing rehearsals in bringing to a point of perfection such as no other private orchestra had ever reached. Visitors to Vienna carried the fame of these musicians to other parts of the world, and invitations soon came to him to play in other cities."

The rest of Johann Strauss's life is simply a record of his triumphs in the cities of Germany, Holland, France, Belgium and England, as well as in Vienna, where he was appointed director of the Court balls in 1835. From 1833 to 1849, the year of his death, he made a tour almost every year, and he was the first musician, so far as the records show, who undertook to travel with a whole orchestra. In 1837-38 his tour extended as far as Paris and London. In evidence of his great success in Paris it is related that when he gave a series of thirty concerts in conjunction with the popular Musard, whose orchestra played after Strauss's, one half of the audience usually left the hall after Strauss had finished his part of the program. In London he arrived most opportunely about the time of Queen Victoria's coronation, when merry music was in great demand, and here he gave no fewer than seventy-two concerts, besides playing at many balls. London, however, did not agree with his health. At his first visit he fell ill there, and his second visit, in 1849, proved fatal, for he brought with him the germs of disease (scarlet fever) to which he succumbed shortly after his return to Vienna. He died on Sept. 25, aged 45. All the Viennese joined in doing him homage, and a vast concourse--his son says one hundred thousand--accompanied his coffin to the grave.

Regarding his personal appearance, Herr C. F. Pohl, the Viennese librarian says, that "though small he was well made and distinguished looking, with a singularly formed head. His dress was always neat and well chosen. Though lively in company, he was naturally rather silent. From the moment he took his violin in his hand he became another man, whose whole being seemed to expand with the sounds he drew from it." In his own home the "Waltz-King," who contributed so much to ball-room merriment, appears to have been unhappy. His father had been the keeper of a beer house, and he himself married the daughter of an innkeeper, Anna Streim, from whom he was divorced on the ground of incompatibility of temper, after eighteen years. They had five children--two daughters and three sons, Johann, Joseph and Eduard, all three of whom have became famous in the annals of dance music.

Eduard, the youngest, born on Feb. 14, 1835, has proved the least talented of the three. His compositions, numbering over two hundred, though often piquant in harmony and cleverly orchestrated, are deficient in melodic spontaneity and originality and often a mere echo of his brother Johann's genius. (There are melodious exceptions, the Doctrinen Walzer, opus 79, e. g.) He is a good conductor of dance music, and since the death of his brother Josef, in 1870, and the retirement of Johann from executive music in the same year, he has been sole conductor of the Strauss orchestra at court balls and in the Volksgarten.

Josef, the second of the brothers, had more talent for composition than Eduard. He was of delicate constitution and lived only forty-three years (Aug. 22, 1827, to July 22, 1870), yet the number of his original pieces is two hundred and eighty-three, to which must be added about three hundred arrangements. Some of his waltzes and polkas--like the "Village Swallows" and "Woman's Heart"--have become great favorites, and deservedly so, but I cannot agree with the opinion, which has been held, that he was the superior--or even the equal--of his brother Johann. He was a good pianist, and for a number of years divided with his brothers the task of conducting the Strauss orchestra in Vienna.

We now come to Johann Strauss, the oldest of the brothers, born Oct. 25, 1825, and still living. It is not often that a man of genius has a son who attains even greater eminence than himself, but in this case the palm must be awarded to Johann Strauss, Jr., whose creative power was not only greater than that of his brothers, but soared into regions of which even his father never dreamed.

His talent for music was manifested at a very early age, but his father did not encourage it--forgetting how much he himself had suffered in his childhood from parental opposition to his natural inclinations. It was Horace who remarked, almost two thousand years ago, that no man is quite satisfied with his occupation, and everyone fancies he would have been happier had he chosen some other career. This may have been the reason why the elder Strauss, in the midst of his honors and remarkable popularity, decided that none of his sons should become musicians. Johann was to be a merchant, Josef an engineer, and for Eduard, too, some non-musical employment would have been selected had not his father died before he was fourteen.

Fortunately for Johann, his mother secretly encouraged his fondness for music, allowing him to take lessons on the violin and in composition. His first waltz was written when he was only six years old, and called his 'First Thought.' That was sixty years ago, and every one of these years has added several waltzes to his list. As a conductor he made his first venture at the age of nineteen, with a band of his own; and when his father died, five years later, he took his place and remained at the head of his orchestra for ten years. As an "orchestral traveller" he was even more enterprising than his father had been, for he extended his journeys as far as America and St. Petersburg, being heard at Gilmore's Jubilee at Boston in 1869, while in St. Petersburg he gave a series of concerts every summer, from 1856 to 1866, always returning to Vienna in winter to furnish the music for the court festivities and the numerous other balls given in that gay city during the carnival.

The eminent Viennese critic, Dr. Hanslick, a personal friend of Strauss, says of this early period of his career: "The incessant dispenser of joys to all Vienna, Father Strauss, was a tyrant at home. The sons grew up amid the embittering and demoralizing impressions of an unhappy family life. Finally Johann emancipated himself, trusting in his talent, of which he felt certain, and on that Dommayer-evening suddenly came forth as a musical rival of his father. The first three works, with which he made his début, were the waltzes, 'Gunstwerber,' 'Sinngedichte' and the 'Herzenslust' Polka.... The young man's animal spirits, so long repressed, now began to foam over; favored by his talent, intoxicated by his early successes, petted by the women, Johann Strauss passed his youth in wild enjoyment, always productive, always fresh and enterprising, at the same time frivolous to the point of adventurousness. As in appearance he resembles his father, handsomer, however, more refined and modern, so also his waltzes had the unmistakable Strauss family physiognomy, not without a tendency to originality. Our Viennese, the most expert judges in such matters, at once recognized the budding talent of the young Strauss, who promised soon to overtake his famous parent."

For more than a quarter of a century Strauss continued to devote himself to the creation and the conducting of dance music; and the number of his pieces in this _genre_ rose to over three hundred. His opus 314 was the "Blue Danube Waltz," which has since become famous not only as a sort of second Austrian national hymn, by the side of Haydn's "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser," but as the transition to a new sphere of activity. For it was _a vocal waltz_, being written for male chorus and orchestra; and just as Beethoven's choral symphony, according to Wagner, pointed to the necessity of the music-drama, so it seems that Strauss used this vocal waltz as a transition to the Viennese operetta, a new style of stage-music which owes its present form and vogue chiefly to his genius.