DICTIONARY OF MUSIC - El Atril

98 FRANCK FEANCK
the quintet for piano and strings (1880), the
string quartet (1889), or the sonata for piano
and violin (1886). But in 'Ruth,' notwithstanding
the fact that it was written as early
as 1846, the genius and personality of the composer
begins to assert itself. The adorable
naivete and limpid clearness of this Eglogue
bibliijue ' procured it the approval of Spontini
and .Meyerbeer when, on Jan. 4, 1846, it was
performed for the first time at the Conservatoire.
Its instrumentation is sober and graceful, and
its melodies tender and sim[)le. The finest
passages are the picturesque prelude, the chorus
of Moabites, the march in G minor, Ruth's air
in the first part, the brilliant and original
chorus of reapers, and the charming duet
between Ruth and Boaz in the second, and the
whole of the final scene. Franck's other works
for solos, chorus, and orchestra, are ' Redemption,'
a ' ponnie syraplioniqu^' ;
' and Les Beatitudes,'
an oratorio ;
' Rebecca, ' a Biblical idyll ; and
'Psyclie, ' a ' poeme symphonique. ' Tlie first
of tliese was finished Nov. 7, 1872, and first
per(brraed at tlie Concert National (Theatre de
I'Odeon), on April 10, 1873, under the direction
of Coloime. The publisher, Georges Hartmann,
wdio had discerned the compjoser's genius and
had brought out ' Ruth,' was the chief promoter
of 'Redemption,' the words of which, by
M. Eilouard Blau, had originally been ofi'ered
to M. Massenet. If ' Redemption ' does not
reach the heiglit of ' Les Beatitudes ' (and certain
choruses are not free from banality), all the
mystic portion of thework is absolutely delicious.
For the choiirses of angels, the airs of the arch-
angel, and the admirable number in which is
painted the joy of the world at the advent of
Christ, Cesar Franck found an inspiration full
of f)urity and simple grace.
'Les Beatitudes,' written in 1870, and published
in 1880, is a splendid oratorio of solid
architectural design, and infinitely superior to
a good many works which at the time of their
appearance enjoyed a rapid but ephemeral
success. The scheme is a poetic paraphrase on
tire Gospel by Mme. Colomb, and the work opens
with a prologue in which the various elements
in tlie composition are musically combined with
masterly skill. Satan, a figure of Miltonic
grandeur, vanquished by Christ ; humanity,
assailed by every terrestrial misery, regenerated
by the Redeemer,—such is the main thread of
the poem which Franck has enhanced by the
happiest effects of contrast, by a style of
orchestration that is wonderfully skilful,
although rather concise, by an astonishing
truthfulness of dramatic expression, by melodic
richness, and by the clever union of voices and
instruments. What accents of tenderness and
of divine compassion in the voice of Christ
preaching the glad tidings ! What bitterness
in that of Satixn struggling until he is finally
and what dramatic force in his
overcome !
attack, notably in the eiglitli beatitude !
How
happy are the effects due to orchestral and vocal
polyphony ! Especially admirable is the careful
gradation between the sad and vehement
'
choruses. In the famous vocal quintet, Les
Pacifiques ' in the seventh beatitude, how the
expression of the voices is intensified in the
orchestra !
The
third beatitude is a master-
piece, in which a mother weeps over an empty
cradle, an orphan mourns its misery, wedded
pairs lament their separation, and slaves sigh
for liberty. Throughout, the voice of Christ
soars through the serene air ; finally, the crown
is placed upon the work in the grand hosanna
with which the eighth beatitude closes.
In ' Rcliecca,' a Biblical idyll for solo, chorus,
and orchestra (on a poem by Paul Collin),
dating from 1881, Cesar Franck returned to
the style of ' Ruth,' his first work of this kind.
It is a short scene in which the composer, wdiile
clioosing the tonality of oriental scales, has invented
delicate modulations, delicious ettects of
colour, and graceful themes. The introductory
chorus, ' A I'ombre fraiche des palmiers,' and the
chorus of camel-driveis, are highly pncturesque.
' Psyche,' set to words by MM. Sicard and
Foureaud in 1887-88, was first performed at the
Concerts du Cliatelet, under M. Colonne's direc-
tion, Feb. 23, 1890. From the first pages the
hearer is impressed by the mastery of the writing
and the nobility of the ideas. He will
admire the ' Sommeil de Psyche,' a prelude full
of a mysterious language, and a piece that will
remind him of Wagner, not in actual material,
but in the theories and style. He will recognise
the composer's talent in tianslating the strange
sounds that precede the scene in which Psyclie
is carried by tlie zephyrs into the gardens of
Eros ; he will find an exquisite tenderness in
tSie third theme of Psyche reposing amongst the
flowers, and saluted as sovereign by the powers
of nature ; he will detect a certain relationship
between the phrase sung to Psyche to the words,
' Souviens-toi que tu ne dois jamais de ton
mystique epoux counaitre le visage,' and the
phrase uttered by Lohengrin to Elsa in a situa-
tion exactly paiallel ;
and he will welcome and
retain nurny other pages of the score. But he
will regret the lack of variety and the length
wdiich robs the work of part of its charm.
Franck's symphonic and chamber music,
though of no great extent, yet contains things
that are very remarkable ; with the exception
of the four trios already mentioned, it was composed
between 1875 and 1890. Like the vocal
works, these compositions are full of mystic
character, and the employment of the canonic
and chromatic style is perha]is almost too con-
symphonic
a stant. There are 'Les Eolides, '
poem (1876), with its thrilling aerial sounds ;
' Le Chasseur raaudit ' (1883), with its striking
appeal to the feeling of terror ;
' Les Djinns,
symphonic poem for piano and orchestra (1884),