Music -- History and criticism; Musicians -- Biography; Saint-Saëns, Camille, 1835-1921
Many works which had been unknown to Parisian audiences were given at
these concerts and nowhere else. Among them were Schubert's _Symphony in
C,_ fragments of Weber's opera _Preciosa,_ his _Jubel overture_, and
symphonies by Gade, Gouvy, Gounod, and Reber. These symphonies are not
dazzling but they are charming. They form an interesting link in the
golden chain, and the public has a right and even some sort of duty to
hear them. They would enjoy hearing them too, just as at the Louvre they
like to see certain pictures which are not extraordinary but which are,
nevertheless, worthy of the place they occupy. That is to say, if the
public is really guided by a love of art and seeks only intellectual
pleasure instead of sensations and shocks. Some one has said lately that
where there is no feeling there is no music. We could, however, cite
many passages of music which are absolutely lacking in emotion and which
are beautiful nevertheless from the standpoint of pure esthetic beauty.
But what am I saying? Painting goes its own way and emotion, feeling,
and passion are evoked by the least landscape. Maurice Barres brought in
this fashion and he could even see passion in rocks. Happy is he who can
follow him there.
Among the things we heard at that time and which we never hear now I
must note especially Berlioz's _Corsaire_ and _King Lear_. His name is
so much beloved by the present day public that this neglect is both
unjust and unjustifiable. The great man himself came to the Societe St.
Cecile one day to conduct his _L'Enfance du Christ_ which he had just
written--or rather _La Fuite en Egypt_ which was the only part of the
work that was in existence then. He composed the rest of it afterwards.
I remember perfectly the performances which the great man directed. They
were lively and spirited rather than careful, but somewhat slower than
what Edouard Colonne has accustomed us to. The time was faster and the
nuances sharper.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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