DOI Heft:
No. 68 (November 1898)
DOI Artikel:Mourey, Gabriel: The illustration of music
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19230#0112
The Illustration of Music
changed since then, for the bulk of the work of €ls dAymon so greatly excels. His drawings thus
this kind being produced now is perhaps inferior harmonised wonderfully well with the flowery Byzan-
even to that of years ago, being more pretentious tism of M. Massenet. The example once set, the
and more vulgar. Publishers of music and pub- large musical publishers were bound to follow suit,
lishers of books are all of the same family—with and not allow themselves to be outdone ; and thus
some few exceptions—happily growing more the movement grew. I shall endeavour to show
numerous every day; and to these exceptions we presently how the course of this movement was
may devote our attention. • directed by the abilities of two artists of the first
To the firm of Hartmann belongs the credit ot rank, and to make it clear how desirable it is, now
having made the first attempt to improve matters, that its success is complete, that efforts should be
by engaging the services of an artist whose ability made in other directions.
is incontestable—however harmful may have been Among the most interesting and most character-
the influence he has had upon the decorative art istic works of this kind are the illustrations by M.
movement in France—I mean M. Grasset. The Rochegrosse for the scores of Wagner and Saint-
score of Massenet's Manon had already been issued Saens, published by the firm of Durand, for Paul
by the firm in most artistic and attractive form, with Vidal's song Les Baisers, and those of M. Ray for
drawings by Paul Avril, the cardboard cover being the same composer's Eros, Noel, and La Chan-
in imitation of the beautiful eighteenth-century son de T Arquebusier ; also the frontispieces by M.
bindings. The effect was charming and the success Alphonse de Neuville and M. Clairin for Etienne
enormous. Then came M. Grasset, who ornamented Marcel and Samson et Dalila ; M. Grasset's La
Esclarmonde with truly exquisite art, revealing the Valkyrie ; M. Lucien Metivet's Lsoline and Le Reve ;
antique style in which the author of the Qvatre M. Jules Cheret's numerous series of covers (in
ILLUSTRATION FROM " CLAIR DE LUNE" (ENOCH AND CO.)
92
BY HENRI RIVIERE
changed since then, for the bulk of the work of €ls dAymon so greatly excels. His drawings thus
this kind being produced now is perhaps inferior harmonised wonderfully well with the flowery Byzan-
even to that of years ago, being more pretentious tism of M. Massenet. The example once set, the
and more vulgar. Publishers of music and pub- large musical publishers were bound to follow suit,
lishers of books are all of the same family—with and not allow themselves to be outdone ; and thus
some few exceptions—happily growing more the movement grew. I shall endeavour to show
numerous every day; and to these exceptions we presently how the course of this movement was
may devote our attention. • directed by the abilities of two artists of the first
To the firm of Hartmann belongs the credit ot rank, and to make it clear how desirable it is, now
having made the first attempt to improve matters, that its success is complete, that efforts should be
by engaging the services of an artist whose ability made in other directions.
is incontestable—however harmful may have been Among the most interesting and most character-
the influence he has had upon the decorative art istic works of this kind are the illustrations by M.
movement in France—I mean M. Grasset. The Rochegrosse for the scores of Wagner and Saint-
score of Massenet's Manon had already been issued Saens, published by the firm of Durand, for Paul
by the firm in most artistic and attractive form, with Vidal's song Les Baisers, and those of M. Ray for
drawings by Paul Avril, the cardboard cover being the same composer's Eros, Noel, and La Chan-
in imitation of the beautiful eighteenth-century son de T Arquebusier ; also the frontispieces by M.
bindings. The effect was charming and the success Alphonse de Neuville and M. Clairin for Etienne
enormous. Then came M. Grasset, who ornamented Marcel and Samson et Dalila ; M. Grasset's La
Esclarmonde with truly exquisite art, revealing the Valkyrie ; M. Lucien Metivet's Lsoline and Le Reve ;
antique style in which the author of the Qvatre M. Jules Cheret's numerous series of covers (in
ILLUSTRATION FROM " CLAIR DE LUNE" (ENOCH AND CO.)
92
BY HENRI RIVIERE