DOI Artikel:
Willeby, Charles: The composer of "Carmen"
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.21215#0081
By Charles Willeby 77
appreciated by a small number of musicians—being cognoscenti—
he will be more proud of that fact than he would be of a populär
success. ' Djamileh,' whatever be its fortunes, heralds a new
epoch in the career of this young master."
Then came "L'Arlesienne," as all the world knows, a dismal
failure enough. It was to Bizet a true labour of love. From the
day that Carvalho came to him proposing that he should add
des melodrames to this tale of fair Provence, to the day of its
production some four months later, he was absorbed in it. The
score as it now Stands represents about half the music that he
wrote. The prelude to the third act of " Carmen," and the
chorus, " Quant aux douaniers," both belonged originally to
" L'Arlesienne." The rest was blue pencilled at rehearsal. And
of all the care he lavished on it, perhaps the finest, certainly the
fondest, was given to his orchestra. Every instrument is minis-
tered to with loving care. Luckily for him, fortunately too for
us, he knew not then what sort of lot awaited this scrupulous score
of his. He knew he wrote for Carvalho—for the Vaudeville ; but
that was all. And they gave him twenty-five musicians—a
couple of flutes and an oboe (this latter to do duty too for the
cor-anglais) ; one clarinet, a couple of bassoons, a Saxophone, two
horns, a kettle-drum, seven violins, one solitary alto, five celli,
two bass, and his choice of one other. The poor fellow chose a
piano ; but they never saw the irony of it. All credit to his little
band, they did their best. But the most that they could do was to
cull the tunes from out his score. The consolation that we have
is, that, so far as the piece as a piece is concerned, no orchestra
in the world could have saved it. Itwas doomed to failure for all
sorts of reasons. Daudet himself goes very near the mark when
he says that " it was unreasonable to suppose that in the middle of
the boulevard, in that coquettish corner of the Chausee d'Antin,
right
appreciated by a small number of musicians—being cognoscenti—
he will be more proud of that fact than he would be of a populär
success. ' Djamileh,' whatever be its fortunes, heralds a new
epoch in the career of this young master."
Then came "L'Arlesienne," as all the world knows, a dismal
failure enough. It was to Bizet a true labour of love. From the
day that Carvalho came to him proposing that he should add
des melodrames to this tale of fair Provence, to the day of its
production some four months later, he was absorbed in it. The
score as it now Stands represents about half the music that he
wrote. The prelude to the third act of " Carmen," and the
chorus, " Quant aux douaniers," both belonged originally to
" L'Arlesienne." The rest was blue pencilled at rehearsal. And
of all the care he lavished on it, perhaps the finest, certainly the
fondest, was given to his orchestra. Every instrument is minis-
tered to with loving care. Luckily for him, fortunately too for
us, he knew not then what sort of lot awaited this scrupulous score
of his. He knew he wrote for Carvalho—for the Vaudeville ; but
that was all. And they gave him twenty-five musicians—a
couple of flutes and an oboe (this latter to do duty too for the
cor-anglais) ; one clarinet, a couple of bassoons, a Saxophone, two
horns, a kettle-drum, seven violins, one solitary alto, five celli,
two bass, and his choice of one other. The poor fellow chose a
piano ; but they never saw the irony of it. All credit to his little
band, they did their best. But the most that they could do was to
cull the tunes from out his score. The consolation that we have
is, that, so far as the piece as a piece is concerned, no orchestra
in the world could have saved it. Itwas doomed to failure for all
sorts of reasons. Daudet himself goes very near the mark when
he says that " it was unreasonable to suppose that in the middle of
the boulevard, in that coquettish corner of the Chausee d'Antin,
right