Her sister, Marie Felicitas, at first wife of M. Malibran, and afterward
married to the violinist De Beriot, was one of the world's greatest
singers, and her career is too well known to need description. Her fame
as a composer rests on a number of attractive romances and chansonettes,
of which an extensive collection was published in Paris. Louise Pauline
Marie Viardot, afterward Mme. Heritte, was a daughter of Pauline
Viardot, and possessed all her mother's talent for composition if not
for singing. After a sojourn at the Cape of Good Hope, where her husband
was consul, and a four-years' term as professor in the St. Petersburg
Conservatory, she settled down to teaching and writing in Paris. Among
her many works are the operas, "Lindoro" and "Bacchus Fest," and the
cantatas, "Wonne des Himmels" and "Die Bayadere." Her chamber music
includes four string quartettes and two trios. In the lesser forms she
produced a number of songs, vocal duets, and piano pieces. Another
member of this famous family, Manuel Garcia, is still living. He is a
brother of Malibran and Pauline Viardot.
Gabriella Ferrari is another gifted French composer of orchestral works.
She is a pupil of such men as Dubois and Gounod, and has done much in
the larger forms. Among her works are a number of orchestral suites,
many piano pieces and songs, and the comic opera, "Le Dernier Amour."
Mme. Renaud Maury is another composer who is able to handle large
masses of instruments. She drew attention to herself by carrying off the
prize for fugal work at the Conservatoire, at a time when women were
expected to take a more modest place in composition. Her "Fantasie
Symphonique" and "Jeanne D'Arc" are often given before French audiences.
The Marquise Haenel de Cronenthal, one of the older generation, has
produced several symphonies, a number of sonatas, a string quartette,
numerous piano works, and the opera, "La Nuit d'Epreuve," which won a
gold medal at the Exposition of 1867. Celanie Carissan has produced the
operetta, "La Jeunesse d'Haydn," and the oratorio, "Rebecca," besides
other choral works and many songs and piano pieces.
The roll of operatic composers in France is long and honourable. Just as
England seems the home of cantatas, and Germany of orchestral work, so
France is especially devoted to opera, and her women have held their own
well in this field. As far back as the seventeenth century, Elizabeth
Claude de la Guerre upheld the glory of her sex by playing and
improvising in a masterly fashion. One of her greatest admirers was the
king, Louis XIV., himself. Besides a number of sonatas, she wrote a "Te
Deum" to honour the king's recovery from illness, and a number of
cantatas. Her opera, "Cephale et Procris," was successfully given at
the Academic Royale in 1694. Another composer of the same century was
Mme. Louis, whose operetta, "Fleur d'Epine," met with a good reception.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account