Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 2.djvu/131

LE JEUNE. followed by longer settings of 'vers rimez.' Amongst the latter is Jannequin's 'Chant de l'Alouette' (à 4) with a 5th part added by Le Jeune, 'Le chant du Rossignol in 6 nos.,' 'Ma mignonne in 8 nos.,' and a Sestine (á 5) 'Du trist Hyver.'

The prefaces give no full explanation of 'vers mesurez.' On p. 6 we read that 'the wonderful effects produced by ancient music, as described in the fables of Orpheus and Amphion, had been lost by the modern Masters of Harmony, that Le Jeune was the first to see that the absence of Rhythm accounted for this loss; that he had unearthed this poor Rhythm, and by uniting it to Harmony, had given the soul to the body; that 'Le Printemps' was to be an example of this new kind of music, but on account of its novelty, might fail to please at first.

The editor next tells us (p. 7) that M. Baif and M. Le Jeune had meant to print the words with suitable spelling and without superfluous letters, and to make the scanning as clear in the French poetry as it would be in Latin. But that he (the editor) had been advised to abandon this as too great a novelty. We are therefore left uncertain as to the method which the authors meant to employ, and have little to guide us as to the interpretation of such a passage as this (the bars drawn and quavers joined as in original):—

We have, however, above the ode 'Sur la musique mesurée de Cl. le J.' on p. 3 of this same book a scheme of the quantities of the 4 lines in each stanza. The first line of this scheme being  the corresponding line of the ode would then be accented

and any music set to this would take the same accents. And so we might suppose that by some suitable directions as to the scanning of the words he might intend the above passage to be sung thus—

using the bars in the original as a mere division of the lines in the poem, where there should always be a pause and the measure completed. In any case this is only an adaptation to French music of what had been already done by Lassus and others in using the metres of Latin verses, though their efforts at Rhythm may have been accidental, while Le Jeune had a set purpose. It is interesting, at least, to see the importance of Rhythm being recognised, and some attempt at a notation to express it. It also seems clear from what is said in the preface, of making the French lines like the Latin, that the authors saw the impetus which the Latin odes had given to music in this direction.

The music (à 3) to the Psalms (Paris 1607) was apparently not reprinted, being doubtless cast in the shade by the more important setting (à 4 and 5) of Marot and Beza's Psalms, printed at La Rochelle by Haultin, and dedicated by Cecile Le Jeune, in pursuance of the composer's expressed wishes, to the Duke of Bouillon, a great Protestant champion. This work, on which Le Jeune's great reputation entirely rests, went through many editions in France, found its way into Germany with the translation of Lobwasser, and except in Switzerland, was soon used universally in all Calvinistic churches. 'It went through more editions, perhaps, than any musical work since the invention of printing.' The melodies in the Tenor are the same as those used by Goudimel, and earlier still by Guillaume Franc. The other parts are written in simple counterpoint, note against note. The simplicity of the style, and its consequent fitness for congregational use, was not the only cause of its supplanting earlier works of the kind. There is real beauty in the music, which modern critics do not cease to recognise. 'Claude Le Jeune,' says Burney, speaking specially of this work, 'was doubtless a great master of harmony.' Ambros finds 'the discant so melodious that it might be mistaken for the principal part.' 'These psalms,' thinks Fétis, 'are better written than Goudimel's.'

Other posthumous publications are the 'Airs à 3, 4, 5, 6 (Paris, Ballard, 1608), and a collection of 36 chansons, 3 on each of the 12 modes, under the title 'Octonaires de la vanité et inconstance du monde' (id. 1610).

Lastly, in 1612, Louis Mardo, Le Jeune's nephew, published a 2nd book of Meslanges, in which, judging from the miscellaneous contents, he must have collected all that he could still find of his uncle's works, French chansons à 4, 5, 8, canons, psalms, a magnificat, a fantaisie, Latin motets, and Italian madrigals.

In the higher branches of composition Le Jeune never met with great success. The Belgian and Italian masters would not look at his writings. Burney regarded him as a man of study and labour, rather than of genius and facility, but this judgment was only passed on some of his very earliest works. Fétis, on the other hand, considered him naturally gifted, but without the education of a great master; and this opinion seems to be borne out by the success of his simpler, and the failure of his more elaborate works.