Emmanuel Chabrier 1

Emmanuel Chabrier

Emmanuel Chabrier

Emmanuel Chabrier in 1882

Born January 18, 1841Ambert (Puy-de-Dôme)

Died September 13, 1894

Alexis Emmanuel Chabrier (pronounced: [ɛmanɥɛl ʃabʁie]; January 18, 1841 – September 13, 1894) was a FrenchRomantic composer and pianist. Although known primarily for two of his orchestral works, España and Joyeusemarche, he left an important corpus of operas (including the increasingly popular L'étoile), songs, and piano music aswell. These works, though small in number, are of very high quality, and he was admired by composers as diverse asDebussy, Ravel, Richard Strauss, Satie, Schmitt, Stravinsky, and the group of composers known as Les six.Stravinsky alluded to España in his ballet Petrushka, Ravel wrote that the opening bars of Le roi malgré lui changedthe course of harmony in France, Poulenc wrote a biography of the composer, and Richard Strauss conducted thefirst staged performance of Chabrier's incomplete opera Briséïs.Chabrier was also associated with some of the leading writers and painters of his time. He was especially friendlywith the painters Claude Monet and Édouard Manet, and collected Impressionist paintings before Impressionismbecame fashionable. A number of such paintings from his personal collection are now housed in some of the world'sleading art museums.

Biography

Early life in AuvergneAlexis-Emmanuel Chabrier was born in Ambert (Puy-de-Dôme), a town in the Auvergne region of central France.His father was an attorney; his childhood nanny Anne Delayre (whom Chabrier called 'Nanine') remained close tohim throughout her life. He began his music lessons at the age of six; the earliest of his compositions to survive inmanuscript are piano works from 1849.His family moved to Clermont-Ferrand in 1852 where he prepared for a legal career, studied at the Lycée imperialand had practical and theoretical music lessons with Alexander Tarnowski, a Polish-born composer and violinist. Apiano piece from this period, Le Scalp!!!, was later modified into the Marche des Cipayes.

Emmanuel Chabrier 2

Paris: student then civil servantIn 1856 the family made Paris their home, and the young Chabrier continued serious studies in both of his chosenfields. Chabrier spent a year at the Lycée Saint-Louis, passed the Baccalauréat, and entered law school from whichhe graduated in 1861, and on 29 October that year began a career at the French Ministry of the Interior. Despite this,his passion was music; during the 1860s he composed a number of minor piano works. His interest in Wagner beganat this time, and he copied out the orchestral score of Tannhäuser.

Plaque recording Chabrier's period at theFrench Interior Ministry.

From 1862 he entered the circle of the Parnassians in Paris, some ofwhom collaborated with him in his work. His interest in poetry lead to along friendship with Paul Verlaine, who contributed librettos to two earlyoperettas that he did not complete.

There are several descriptions of Chabrier's piano-playing from aroundthis time; many years later d'Indy wrote "Though his arms were too short,his fingers too thick and his whole manner somewhat clumsy, hemanaged to achieve a degree of finesse and a command of expressionthat very few pianists - with the exception of Liszt and Rubinstein - havesurpassed".[1] The wife of Renoir, a friend of Chabrier, wrote "one day

Chabrier came; and he played his España for me. It sounded as if a hurricane had been let loose. He pounded andpounded the keyboard. The street was full of people, and they were listening, fascinated. When Chabrier reached thelast crashing chords, I swore to myself I would never touch the piano again... Besides, Chabrier had broken severalstrings and put the piano out of action."[2] Alfred Bruneau recalled that "he played the piano as no one has everplayed it before, or ever will..."[3]

His parents died within a few months of each other in 1869. During the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871) andCommune, Chabrier continued with his desk job as the ministry moved from Tours to Bordeaux to Versailles. In1873, he married Marie Alice Dejean, with whom he had three sons, one of whom died in early childhood.He began several stage works during the 1870s. His first one to be completed was L'étoile, which achieved 48successful performances at the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens in 1877, showcasing his light touch, musical aplomb,and comic wit.

Emmanuel Chabrier 3

Emmanuel Chabrier, 1880, painting byÉdouard Manet, Ordrupgaard Museum,

Charlottenlund, Denmark.

Full-time composer

Chabrier's friends from the artistic avant-garde in Paris included GabrielFauré, Ernest Chausson, and Vincent d'Indy, as well as painters HenriFantin-Latour, Edgar Degas and Édouard Manet, whose 'Thursday'soirées Chabrier attended,[4] and writers such as Émile Zola, AlphonseDaudet, Jean Moréas, Jean Richepin, Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam andStéphane Mallarmé.[5] On a trip to Munich with Henri Duparc in 1879,he discovered Wagner's masterpiece Tristan und Isolde. This event ledhim to realize his true passion for composition, and he quit the Ministryof the Interior in 1880. That year he composed his piano cycle Piècespittoresques, of which the Idylle greatly influenced Francis Poulenc.[6]

Chabrier plunged himself into the scores of Wagner, and became animportant assistant to Charles Lamoureux in preparing concertperformances of the German master's works in Paris. He travelled toLondon (1882) and Brussels (1883) to hear Wagner's Ring cycle.However, the strength of Chabrier's musical personality and his essential'Frenchness' of temperament and sensibility made it impossible for him todo more than experiment with Wagner's more superficial technicalprocedures, without getting involved in the aesthetic and philosophicaltheories.[7]

In 1882 Chabrier visited Spain, which resulted in his most famous work, España (1883), a mixture of popular airs hehad heard and his own imagination. In the view of his friend Duparc, this composition for orchestra demonstrated anindividual style that seemed to come from nowhere; other contemporary musicians were more condescending.[8]

His opera Gwendoline, set in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, was refused by the Paris Opera but was asuccess at its premiere at La Monnaie in Brussels under Henry Verdhurdt in 1885. However, it closed after just twoperformances because the impresario went bankrupt. Despite this major disappointment, he soon found a new lyricproject to tackle - Le roi malgré lui (The King in Spite of Himself) - and completed the score in six months. But badluck intervened again when, having been well-received, its run at the Opéra-Comique in Paris ended when thetheatre burned after the third performance.[7] D'Indy felt Chabrier lavished some of his most beautiful music on Leroi malgré lui but condemned the libretto, complaining "people continually come in when they ought to go out andvice versa". Fortunately (through Chabrier's friendship with the Belgian tenor Ernest van Dyck and subsequently theconductor Felix Mottl), theater directors in Leipzig and Munich expressed interest in both works and Chabrier madeseveral happy trips to Germany as a result.On 13 July 1888 Chabrier was nominated to the order of Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur.[9]

Emmanuel Chabrier 4

Decline and final years

Tomb of Emmanuel Chabrier, Montparnasse cemetery (division9), Paris.

In his final years, Chabrier was strained by financialproblems caused by the collapse of his bankers, sufferedfrom failing health brought on by the terminal stage ofsyphilis, and depression about the neglect of his stageworks in France. The death of his beloved 'Nanine' inJanuary 1891 greatly affected him. He became obsessedwith the composition of his opera Briséïs, which wasinspired by a tragedy of Goethe and melodic echos ofWagner, but he completed only one act. At the Parispremiere of Gwendoline, which finally took place inDecember 1893, the ailing composer in a box did notunderstand that the applause was for him. In 1892 he hadwritten to his friend Lecocq: "Never has an artist moreloved, more tried to honour music than me, none hassuffered more from it; and I will go on suffering from itfor ever".[10]

He succumbed to general paralysis in the last year of hislife, dying in Paris at the age of 53. Although he hadasked to be buried near the tomb of Manet, he was laid torest in the cemetery of Montparnasse.

Chabrier is remembered for his dazzling harmonic colorsand his command of orchestral composition. The pianopieces he wrote show much originality and beauty. His many surviving letters give a vivid impression of hischaracter, his ideas and his life.[11]

The conservatoire of music, dance and drama in Clermont Ferrand is named after Chabrier.[12]

Chabrier's art collection and art featuring ChabrierOf particular interest in discussing Chabrier is his contacts with contemporary artists, particularly painters of theImpressionism school. He was also a subject for several leading artists.Chabrier left a rich collection of paintings by contemporary French painters. A sale of his collection at the HôtelDrouot on 26 March 1896 included:[13]

• Les Moissonneurs by Paul Cézanne• Un bar aux Folies Bergère by Édouard Manet• Le Skating by Manet• Polichinelle by Manet• Les bords de la Seine by Claude Monet• Le parc Monceau by Monet• La fête nationale, rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis by Monet• The Rue Saint-Denis, 30th of June 1878 by Monet• Femme nue by Pierre-Auguste Renoir• Canotier à Hampton Court by Alfred Sisley• La Seine au Point du Jour by SisleyChabrier himself features in L'orchestre de l'Opéra by Edgar Degas (C in the stage box), Autour du piano by HenriFantin-Latour (C at the piano), and two portraits by Manet:

Emmanuel Chabrier 5

• Portrait de Chabrier (pastel, 1880)• Portrait de Chabrier (oil on canvas, 1881),as well as a crayon portrait (1861) by James Tissot, a portrait by Marcellin Desboutin (c1881)[14] a drawing (1887)by Édouard Detaille[15] and a bust (1886) by Constantin Meunier.

WorksSee List of compositions by Emmanuel Chabrier and List of operas and operettas by Chabrier

ReferencesNotes

[1][1] Lecture on Chabrier and Dukas by d'Indy at a Pasdeloup concert on 8 April 1920.[2] from Renoir J. Renoir, my father, quoted in Myers R. Emmanuel Chabrier and his Circle. London, J M Dent & Sons, 1969.[3] Quoted in Myers R. Emmanuel Chabrier and his Circle.[4] Delage, R. Emmanuel Chabrier. Fayard, Paris, 1999. Chapter XI explores the close friendship between Manet and Chabrier.[5] Myers R. Emmanuel Chabrier and his Circle, p7.[6] Poulenc wrote in his book Emmanuel Chabrier: "Even today I tremble with emotion in thinking of the miracle that was produced: a harmonic

universe suddenly opened in front of me, and my music has never forgotten this first loving kiss". (Ivry, 1996)[7] Myers R. Emmanuel Chabrier and his Circle. J M Dent & Sons, London, 1969.[8] Delage, R. Emmanuel Chabrier. Fayard, Paris, 1999.[9] Chabrier E. Correspondance. Ed Delage R, Durif F. Klincksieck, 1994. 88-70n.[10] "Jamais un artiste n'aura plus adoré, plus cherché que moi à honorer la musique, nul n'en aura plus souffert; et j'en souffirai éternellement".

Desaymard J. Emmanuel Chabrier d'après ses lettres. Paris, Fernand Roches, 1934. Letter addressed to "Mes chers coqs", page 323.[11] Desaymard J. Emmanuel Chabrier d'après ses lettres. L'homme et l'oeuvre. Paris, Fernand Roches, 1934.[12] Conservatoire Emmanuel-Chabrier http:/ / www. clermont-ferrand. fr/ -Conservatoire-Emmanuel-Chabrier,127-. html[13] Poulenc F. Emmanuel Chabrier. Geneva and Paris, La Palatine, 1961 (appendix)[14] Delage R. Chabrier, Iconographie musicale. Minkoff Lattès, 1982.[15] Originally the front cover of Revue Illustrée, 14 June 1887.

Sources

• Ivry, Benjamin (1996). Francis Poulenc. London: Phaidon. ISBN 0-7148-3503-X.•• Delage, Roger. 1999. Emmanuel Chabrier. Paris: Fayard. ISBN 2-213-60508-4 - 35-56-0707-01/4• Poulenc, Francis (1981) [1961]. Emmanuel Chabrier. trans. Cynthia Jolly. London: Dobson.

ISBN 0-234-77252-2.• Sadie, Stanley (Ed.) (1994) [1992]. The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. vol. 1, A-D, chpt: "Chabrier,

(Alexis-)Emmanuel" by Myriam Soumagnac. New York: MacMillan. ISBN 0-935859-92-6.• Huebner, Steven (2006). French Opera at the Fin de Siecle: Emmanuel Chabrier (http:/ / books. google. com/

books?id=KSQGZOTQKmwC& pg=PA255& dq="Emmanuel+ Chabrier:+ Wagnerian"). Oxford Univ. Press,US. pp. 255–300. ISBN 978-0-19-518954-4.

External links• Free scores by Emmanuel Chabrier at the International Music Score Library Project• Free scores (http:/ / www. mutopiaproject. org/ cgibin/ make-table. cgi?Composer=ChabrierEA) at the Mutopia

Project• A good example of Emmanuel Chaprier's work as performed by Brad Hill at: http:/ / soundcloud. com/ bradhill/

chabrier-album-leaf

Article Sources and Contributors 6

Article Sources and ContributorsEmmanuel Chabrier  Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=555428894  Contributors: Alai, Andres, Antandrus, Aymatth2, Cg2p0B0u8m, Charvex, Claudius972, D6,DabMachine, Danny-w, Deb, Dimitris, Diz syd 63, Emijrp, Folantin, Fomels, GabrielOPadoan, GuillaumeTell, Hangsuwan, Hyacinth, Hégésippe Cormier, JackofOz, Jaraalbe, Kingfish,Kleinzach, Lectonar, Leonard Vertighel, Lockley, M-le-mot-dit, Magioladitis, Mandarax, Marcus2, Mark K. Jensen, Mindspillage, Mishae, Neddyseagoon, Nrswanson, Nunh-huh, Olivier,Palosirkka, Peter gk, Pit-trout, RedWolf, Richard101696, Robertwalton, Roger Davies, Rothorpe, Rparucci, Ryan Vesey, Serein (renamed because of SUL), Sibref, Skittledigger, Smerus,Stepshep, Subitosera, Svartalf, TheKumarAtNo.42, Tompilk, Tony1, Vega2, Viva-Verdi, Whjayg, Woyzzeck, YellowMonkey, 金 翅 大 鹏 鸟, 39 anonymous edits

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