Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 11.djvu/200

Rh means he composed in 1759 a mass which he dedicated to the canons of the Lie ge cathedral, who in return sent him to the College de Lie ge at Rome, founded by a citizen of Liege for the benefit of his townsmen studying in Rome. Here Gre try resided for five years, studiously employed in completing his musical education under Casali. His proficiency in harmony and counterpoint was, however, according to his own confession, at all times very moderate. Neither was any deep scholarship required for the style of composition to which he soon exclusively devoted himself. His first great success was achieved by an Italian intermezzo or operetta, Le vendemiatrici, composed for the Aliberti theatre in Rome, and received with universal applause. It is said that the study of the score of one of Monsigny s operas, lent to him by a secretary of the French embassy in Rome, decided Gretry to devote himself to French comic opera. On New- Year s Day 1 767 he accordingly left Rome, and after a short stay at Geneva (where he made the acquaintance of Voltaire, and produced another operetta) went to Paris. There for two years he had to contend with the difficulties incident to poverty and obscurity. He was, however, not without friends, and by the intercession of one of these, Count Creutz, the Swedish ambassador, Gre try obtained a libretto from the celebrated Marmontel, which he set to music in less than six weeks, and which, on its performance in August 1768, met with unparalleled suc cess. The name of the opera was Le Huron. Two others, Lucile and Le Tableau Parlant, soon followed, and thence forth Gre try s position as the leading composer of comic opera was safely established. Of the fifty operas which embody his musical activity only two or three have sur vived, and perhaps as many more are worth remembering. His masterpieces are Zemire et Azor and Richard Oceur de Lion, the first produced in 1771, the second in 1784. The latter in an indirect way became connected with a great historic event. In it occurs the celebrated romance, Richard, 6 mon roi, I umvsrs fabandonne, which was sung at the banquet &quot;fatal as that of Thyestes,&quot; remarks Carlyle given by the bodyguard to the officers of the Versailles garrison on October 3, 1789. The Marseillaise not long afterwards became the reply of the people to the expression of loyalty borrowed from Grdtry s opera. The composer himself was not uninfluenced by the great events he witnessed, and the titles of some of his operas, such as La Rosiere RepiMicaine and La Fete de la liaison suffici ently indicate the epoch to which they belong ; but they are mere pieces de circonstance, and the republican enthu siasm displayed is not genuine. Little more successful was Gre try in his dealings with classical subjects, and none of his operas belonging to that class are worth remembering. His genuine power lies in the delineation of character, and in the expression of tender and typically French sentiment. For the first-named purpose the careful and truly admirable fidelity with which his music is wedded to the words is invaluable. In this respect Grdtry s works are indeed representative of French operatic music at its best. The structure of his concerted pieces on the other hand is fre quently flimsy, and his instrumentation so feeble that the orchestral parts of some of his works had to be rewritten by other composers, in order to make them acceptable to modern audiences. Of his deficiencies of harmonization Gre try himself was well aware, and his confessions in this respect are strangely at variance with the self-sufficient tone which pervades his literary effusions on musical and even on political and social topics. During the Revolution Gre try lost much of his property, but the successive Govern ments of France vied in favouring the composer, regardless of political differences. From the old court he received distinctions and rewards of all kinds; the republic made him an inspector of the Conservatoire; Napoleon granted him the cross of the legion of honour and a pension. Gretry died September 24, 1813, at the Hermitage in Montmorency, formerly the house of Rousseau. Fifteen years later his heart was transferred to his birthplace, permission having been obtained after a tedious lawsuit, &quot;in 1842 GnHry s colossal statue in bronze was inaugurated at Liege.

 GREUZE, (1725-1805), in the full tide of the 18th century, when professional distinction ap peared to be reserved exclusively for those who devoted themselves to the production of historical or allegorical subjects, achieved an immense reputation as a painter of scenes of domestic life. He was born at Tournus in 1725, and is generally said to have formed his own talent ; this is, how ever, true only in the most limited sense, for at an early age his inclinations, though thwarted by his father, were en couraged by a Lyonnese artist named Grandon or Grondom who enjoyed during his lifetime considerable reputation as a portrait-painter. Grandon not only persuaded the father of Greuze to give way to his son s wishes, and permit the lad to accompany him as his pupil to Lyons, but when at a later date he himself left Lyons for Paris-where his son-in-law Gretry the celebrated composer enjoyed the height of favour Grandon carried young Greuze with him. Settled in Paris, Greuze worked from the living model in the school of the Royal Academy, but did not attract the attention of his teachers ; and when he produced his first picture, Le Pere de Famille expliquant la Bible a ses Enfants, considerable doubt was felt and shown as to his share in its production. By other and more remarkable works of the same class Greuze soon established his claims beyond contest, and won for himself the notice and support of the well-known connoisseur La Live de Jully, the brother-in-law of Madame d'Epinay. In 1755 Greuze exhibited his Aveugle Trompe, upon which, presented by Pigalle the sculptor, he was immediately agree by the Academy. Towards the close of the same year he loft France for Italy, in company with the Abbd Louis Gougenot, who had deserted from the magistrature, although he had obtained the post of &quot; conseillier au Chatelet,&quot; in order to take the &quot; petit collet.&quot; Gougenot had some acquaintance with the arts, and was highly valued by the Academicians, who, during his journey with Greuze elected him an honorary member of their body on account of his studies in mythology and allegory ; his acquirements in these respects are said to have been largely utilized by them, but to Greuze they were of doubtful advantage, and he lost rather than gained by this visit to Italy in Gougenot's company. He had undertaken it probably in order to silence those who taxed him with ignorance of &quot;great models of style,&quot; but the Italian subjects which formed the entirety of his contributions to the Salon of 1757 showed that he had been put on a false track, and he speedily returned to the source of his first inspiration. In 1759, 1761 (L'Accorde de Village, Louvre), and 1763 Greuze exhibited with ever increasing success ; in 1765 he reached the zenith of his powers and reputation. In that year he was represented with no less than thirteen works, amongst which may be cited La Jeune Fille qui pleure son Oiseau mort, La Bonne Mere, Le Mauvais Fils puni (Louvre), and La Malediction Paternelle (Louvre). The Academy took occasion to press Greuze for his diploma picture, the execution of which had been long delayed, and forbade him to exhibit on their walls until he had complied with their regulations. &quot; J ai vu la lettre,&quot; says Diderot, qui est un modele d honnetete et d estime ; j ai vu la reponse de Greuze qui est un modele de vanite&quot; et d impertinence: il fallait appuyer cela d un chef-d'oeuvre, et c'est ce que Greuze n a pas fait,&quot; Greuze wished to be received as an historical painter, and produced a work which he intended to vindicate his right to despise his qualifications as a peintre de genre. This unfortunate canvas, 