Page:The Spirit of French Music.djvu/32

 old maidish havens into which sink, when their original fire has somewhat died down, so many operatic and romantic airs that have in their day served for the expression of quite terrestrial sentiments.

I am not concerned to follow Grétry through the whole series of operas composed by him from his first appearances in Paris (1768) to his death which took place in 1813. The enumeration would be far too long, as it would comprise more than fifty pieces, rather more than one for each year; it would include many masterpieces such as Richard Coeur de Lion, Zemire and Azor, The Speaking Picture, False Magic, The Jealous Lover, and amongst works of less uniform and sustained merit, Silvain, Le Magnifique, The Maid of Salency, The Two Misers, The Judgment of Midas, Céphale and Procris, The Cairo Caravan, Colinette at Court, etc., a thousand pieces of admirable and happy growth. A detailed analysis of all these productions, illuminated with subtle and wise criticism, has been given by, to whose book I would refer the reader. What concerns us more is to characterise in general outline the nature of Grétry’s art and genius.

Grétry himself will help us in this investigation, for his was an enquiring mind, and his study of the philosophers inclines him to reason things out, sometimes to absurd conclusions. He has given us a theory of musical expression which would have a lively interest for us even if it merely explained his own method of invention and composition. But it offers at the same time a more extended interest. We find it throws real light on the meaning, foundations, and what one might call the genesis of music in general.