Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

;
was
EEYER EEZNICEK 81
1854. (Revived at the Opera- Comique, 1873.)
His next work was 'Saoountala' (July20, 1858),
one of the charming ballets of Thtophile Gautier
and 'Victoire,' a cantata, was given at the
Opera, June 27, 1859 ; but his full strength
was first put forth in 'La Statue,' a three-act
opera produced at the Theatre Lyrique, April
11, 1861, and containing music which is both
melodious and full of colour. (It was revived
in 1878 at the Opfra-Comique, and in 1903 at
the Grand Op^ra.) 'Erostrate ' (two acts) was
performed at Baden in 1862, and reproduced
at the Academic, Oct. 16, 1871, for two nights
only. Among his earlier works may be
mentioned a ' Recueil de 10 Melodies ' for voice
and PF. ; songs for a single voice ; and some
the subjects of 'Sigurd' and the 'Ring des
Nibelungen' are identical, but this is a, mere
coincidence. The plot of the libretto, which
was written by Du Loole and A. Blau, is taken
from the Nibelungen K8t, the source that
VOL. IV
inspired Wagner, who, however, went further
back and took his subject direct from the
Eddas, moulding it after his own conception.
In 1868 the libretto of Wagner's trilogy had
been published for fifteen years, but it was
completely unknown in France, and when the
trilogy was produced in 1876, Reyer's score
was nearly finished and ready for production.
Reyer was decorated with the Legion d'Honneur
in August 1862, and was raised to the rank of
an ofiicer in Jan. 1886. In 1890 his grand
opera on Flaubert's SalammbS, ' ' produced
in Brussels, and was given at the Grand Opera
in Paris, on May 16, 1892, with great success.
It has been frequently revived.
Besides being reckoned among the most
poetical of French musicians, M. Reyer is an
accomplished feuilletoniste. After writing
successively for the Presse, the Bevue de
Paris, and the Oourrier de Paris, he became
editor of the musical portion of the Jmimal
des Dibats, having succeeded d'Ortigue, who
followed Berlioz. He has collected his most
pieces of sacred music. G. o.
After numerous attempts on Beyer's part to
secure an unmutilated performance of ' Sigurd '
at the Paris Opera, he produced it at the
Theatre de la Monnaie, Brussels, Jan. 7, 1884,
with great and lasting success. On July 15 of
the same year it was produced at Covent
Garden. The first performance of the work in important articles and published them under the
France was at Lyons, on Jan. 15, 1885, when title of Notes de Mimque (Paris : Charpentier,
it was received with marked success. On June 1875). In both literature and composition he
12, 1885, 'Sigurd' was performed at the is the disciple and admirer of Berlioz, in whose
Grand Op^ra in Paris, but at the general collected essays, published as Les Musidens,
rehearsal the directors thought fit to make there is an interesting article on La Statue ' ' on
curtailments in the score, and the composer p. 333. It is curious that M. Reyer, having
retired, protesting against the proceeding, and succeeded F. David at the Institut (1876),
yet unwilling to withdraw a work on which so who himself succeeded Berlioz in 1869, should
much trouble and expense had been bestowed, thus occupy the positions, both in music and
on the eve of its production. He threatened literature, of the master whose legitimate
never to set foot in the opera-house until hia successor he may well claim to be. A. j.
score should have been restored to its original REZNICEK, Emil Nioholaus von, born on
integrity, and he kept his word. The public, May 4, 1861, at Vienna, was at first, like so
less exacting than the composer, received the many other musicians, destined for a legal
opera, which in many passages must have career, and for that purpose was entered as a
considerably surprised them, with increasing law student ; but, rebelling against the irksomeness
of that kind of employment, he be-
sympathy, and its success was all the more
remarkable as it was entirely unassisted either came a student at the Leipzig Conservatorium.
by the composer, who appeared to take no Being drawn towards the dramatic side of
interest in its fate, or by the directors, who music, he presently undertook the duties of
would not have Ijeen sorry had it failed. theatre conductor at Graz, Zurich, Stettin,
It has definitely taken a high place in the Berlin, and at other places ; and then, branching
out in a difierent direction, obtained an
repertory. The qualities which are most
prominent in Sigurd ' ' are the individual charm appointment as military conductor in Prague.
of its musical ideas, the exact agreement between
the words and the music, vain repetitions at Weimar, and in 1896-99 held a similar post
[For a short time he was Court Capellmeister
and conventional formulas being generally at Mannheim. In 1902 he moved to Berlin,
absent ; and lastly, the richness and colouring where he founded the 'Orchester-Kammerof
the instrumentation, the style of which was Konzerte ' for works requiring a small orchestra.
greatly influenced by Reyer's favourite masters, He also directs the monthly concert of the
Weber and Berlioz, and in places by Wagner. Warsaw Philharmonic Society, and makes frequent
journeys to Russia, where he is as highly
No charge of plagiarism from the last-named
composer is intended to be suggested, nor could appreciated as he is in Berlin. He became
such a charge be substantiated. It is true that teacher of composition at the Klindworth-Scharwenka
Conservatorium in 1906. He conducted
two concerts in London in Nov. 1907.] AU
his operas are of distinctly Czechish character ;
although the libretti, as will be seen below,
are founded on stories derived from various