JULES SMILE

FREDERIC

See also:

• JULES SMILE FREDERIC MASSENET (1842– )

MASSENET (1842– )  , French composer, was born at Montaud, on the 12th of May 1842 . He studied at the Paris Conservatoire, where he obtained the Grand Prix de Rome in 1863 with the cantata David Rizzio . Massenet became one of the most prolific composers of his time . His operas include the following: La Grande tante, one act, opera comique (1867); Don Cesar de Bazan, three acts, opera comique (1872); Le Roi de Lahore, five acts, opera (1877); Herodiade, five acts (Brussels, 1881); Manon, five acts, opera comique (1884); Le Cid, four acts, opera (1885); Esdarmonde, four acts, opera comique (1889); Le Mage, five acts, opera (1891); Werther, four acts (Vienna, 1892); Thais, three acts, opera (1894); Le Portrait de Manon, one act, opera comique (1894); La Navarraise, two acts (Covent Garden, 1894); Sapho, opera comique (1897); Cendrillon, opera comique (1900) ; Griselidis, opera comique (1901); Le Jongleur de Notre Dame (Mentone, 1902) . Of these the most popular is Manon . Massenet's other works include Marie Madeleine, sacred drama (1873); Eve, a mystery (1875); La Vierge, sacred legend (188o); six orchestral suites entitled Scenes hongroises, Scenes pittoresques, Scenes dramatiques, Scenes napolitaines, Scenes de feerie, Scenes alsaciennes; music to the tragedy Les Erynnies, to Theodora, Le Crocodile, L'Hetman; a requiem, Narcisse; an idyll, Biblis; a Scene antique; several sets of songs, entitled Paine d'avril, Poeme d'amour, Paine d'hiver, Poeme d'octobre, Paine pastoral, Poeme du souvenir; also a large number of detached songs . He was professor of composition at the Conservatoire from 1878 to 1896, among his pupils being Hillemacher, Marty, Bruneau, Vidal, Pierne, Leroux and Charpentier . Massenet undoubtedly possesses a style of his own . He is at his best in music descriptive of the tender passion, and many of the love scenes in his operas are very beautiful .