Page:Pratt - The history of music (1907).djvu/563

 great dramatic truth, by striking versatility in handling characters and situations and by a thorough mastery of orchestration. Had his gift of real musical invention been greater, he would have ranked among the best opera-writers. Besides his operas, he also wrote fine male choruses, some religious works, including 2 masses, 2 cantatas and considerable chamber music.

Among the many lesser writers who appeared before about 1850 may be named Antoine Louis Clapisson (d. 1866), a violinist and collector of instruments (his collection becoming in 1861 the nucleus of the Conservatoire museum), with over 20 clever operas (1838-61) and about 200 songs; Prince de la Moskowa [Joseph Napoléon Ney] (d. 1857), the distinguished son of Marshal Ney, who in 1843 organized and conducted a society for the study of vocal works from the 16-17th centuries, published a remarkable collection for it (11 vols.), was known as a critic, and wrote 2 successful operettas (1840, '55); Paul Mériel (d. 1897), a leading musician at Toulouse, finally in charge of the conservatory, with 6 stage-works (c. 1840-86), including the grand opera L'armorique, a symphony, an oratorio and chamber music; the violinist and critic Georges Bousquet (d. 1854), with 3 operas (1844-52) and considerable other music; Jean François Eugène Gautier (d. 1878), from 1848 assistant conductor at the Théâtre Lyrique, and from 1864 chef de chant at the Théâtre Italien and professor at the Conservatoire, with 14 operas (1845-64), an oratorio, etc.; François Bazin (d. 1878), winner of the Prix de Rome in 1840 and from 1844 professor at the Conservatoire, first of singing, then of harmony and from 1871 of composition, with 9 operas (1846-70), including La nuit de la St.-Sylvestre (1849) and Madelon (1852), besides a manual on theory; Louis [or Aimé] Maillart (d. 1871), who won the Prix de Rome in 1841 and wrote 6 operas, including Gastibelza (1847), La croix de Marie (1852) and Les dragons de Villars (1856); Napoléon Henri Reber (d. 1880), from 1851 professor of harmony at the Conservatoire, from 1862 of composition and from 1871 inspector of branch institutions, distinguished as a general composer and theorist, with a few stage-works (1848-57) and an unperformed grand opera (see sec. 212); Félix Marie [or Victor] Massé (d. 1884), the Prix-winner in 1843, from 1860 chorusmaster at the Opéra, from 1866 professor of counterpoint at the Conservatoire and from 1872 an Academician, gaining popular applause by his early songs and about 20 operas, from La chambre gothique (1849), Galathée (1852) and Les noces de Jeannette (1853) to Paul et Virginie (1876) and Une nuit de Cléopàtre (1877); Aristide Hignard (d. 1898), an ambitious worker, with about 10 operas (from 1851), including the grand opera Hamlet (1888), besides vocal and piano-pieces; and Jean Alexandre Ferdinand Poise (d. 1892), pupil and imitator of Adam, with 14 operas, from the successful Bonsoir, voisin (1853) to Le médecin malgré lui (1887).

Friedrich von Flotow (d. 1883), though German by birth, was a Parisian by training and in style. In 1835-48 and 1863-8 he worked at Paris and often visited it later. In 1856-63 he was court-intendant at Schwerin, and after 1868 lived chiefly near Vienna. Of his over 25 stage-works, mostly light, the most successful were Le naufrage de la Méduse (1853, Paris), Stradella (1844, Hamburg), the popular Martha (1847, Vienna), Indra (1853, Berlin) and L'ombre (1870, Paris). His easy melodiousness was not supported by much structural skill.