Musical living room

The musical living rooms represent the residences where the middle-class men, mainly at XIXe and the beginning of the XXe century, received important characters and many artists, in particular musicians.

Origins

It is as of XVIe century that the first " appeared; literary living rooms ". Held by the society women, they will be a capital place in the history of the thought, governing the genesis of the preciosity and the creation of the Encyclopedia at the XVIIIe century. This intellectual fruitfulness is also social place, the women fortunately supporting the comparison with the French Academy where they will be allowed only with Marguerite Yourcenar in 1980, three centuries and half after her creation. Far from light aristocratic appearance, these intellectual upsets the social conventions of their time in their living rooms where political personalities, well-read men and scientists mix.

If the phenomenon of the living rooms starts under the reign of Louis XIII, the accession with the capacity of Louis XIV corresponds thereafter to the total extinction of this literary and poetic sociability, because of activity of the Court which does not back these activities without monitoring - which played a great part besides during the Fronde, and counted many huguenotes and Huguenot S in their rows. To died from Louis XIV, control either of, but on the aristocracy will go growing, making him yield until the marginality its importance of artistic elite to the profit of the middle-class.

In spite of a somewhat exaggerated pathos, the countess Greffulhe confirms the takeover, in particular artistic of the middle-class and asserts the historical primacy of the aristocracy in the esthetic glosses. But it is from now on with the aristocracy " non-existante" to be made adouber by the middle-class thanks to the " rights of intelligence" : gloss asset economically replacing the rights of kinship: “One does not exist any more in a time like ours but by his own personality. Our caste does not exist any more, which was an innate right to have the first places is against those which are born in the formerly leading class. We are not any more but directed, than say I, of oppressed, the not-values, people who do not count any more for nothing and of nothing. When, by chance, it leaves this class non-existent personality having a value, she takes her place quite naturally and one takes into account her either by his rights of birth but by his rights of intelligence. ” The Greffulhe countess and the count Etienne de Beaumont have a “common step of noble évincés of the capacity policies and in search of a new legitimacy. ”

Advent

In fact, to exert a cultural quasi-hegemony, the middle-class will benefit from this historico-economic pivot, defined by a fall of the aristocracy and a republic which did not acquire sufficient leading power yet, in particular for arts. “The weak investment of the republican capacity in the operation of the musical life undoubtedly explains partly the role on the matter dominating of the upper middle classes and of the aristocracy, fringes privileged of the public of the Opera and the Parisian concerts. Under the Third Republic, the successive governments very slowly take conscience of the need for contributing to the development of Article But the way is long to traverse starting from notions firmly anchored in the spirit of the " pères" republic. ”

For Adolphe Thiers, “as for all the men who followed one another the head of the government until Leon Blum in 1936, Art corresponds to a pleasure of the private life and not to a need for the national life. ” Since 1891 however, some wonder about the duties of the State. Such Henri Dujardin-Beaumetz, future under-secretary of State with Art schools, which thinks that “there is, since good a long time, in our country, a misunderstanding on the role that the State must play as regards art: the ones think that the State must direct the artistic movement of the country; the others estimate that there is only to follow it while encouraging it. The tradition under the terms of which the State believes duty to direct art goes back to Colbert. The defenders of the official art thought that, just as the State was with reason, for the state education, the teacher of the nation, it belonged to him to direct the artistic tendencies of the country in what it believed being the beautiful one and truth. The official art forever developed its elected officials only by crushing their adversaries, and so that it had the right to act thus it had been necessary that its representatives had the certainty which they were in possession of the final formula. ”

But far from these debates, economic reality speaks about itself, and the budget of the Art schools, resulting from the ministry for the State education and the Art schools, holds only 15% of its financings to the music (what represents 1.615.000 francs in 1880), of which 70% are reserved for the Opera and the Op3era Comique, the remainder going especially to musical teaching and finally to the popular concerts. From 1870 to 1878, the popular Concerts do not receive anything the State. Into 1878,5% of the musical budget divides itself between the popular Concerts of Jules Pasdeloup and - receiving twice less - the artistic Association of Edouard Colonne. In 1882 are added with the list of subsidized the Nouveaux Concerts of Charles Lamoureux; from 1892 to 1928, the S.N.M. will receive the ridiculous sum of 10.000 francs; finally the Company in the concerts of the Academy will have to await a financial support up to 1923. After 1920, the many ones but tiny assistances go to the Concerts Touches, the Concerts of the Old man-Dovecote, the Concerts Chicken, the Siohan Concerts or to the Symphony orchestra of Paris.

Contrary to the art-plastics, the national orders are extremely rare until 1938 (one raises in fact only two true: the ordered triumphal Ode with Augusta Holmès in 1889, and the cantata the celestial Fire of Saint-Saëns in 1900, both at the time of a World Fair to Paris). It will be necessary to await the Popular front to see an official development of the diffusion and orders, especially because of national implication in radiophonic new technology. The State thus decides to carry out " exceptional orders with the alive artists and type-setters of music in order to fight against the chômage" : on the 3.000.000 of francs granted to the music, 200.000 go from now on to the orders.

Institutionnellement finally, an autonomous management will be allotted to the music only in 1969 with the " subdirectorate of the spectacles and the musique" who belongs to the " head office of Arts and Lettres" ministry for the cultural Affairs creates by André Malraux. The middle-class precipitates in the place left vacant by the nobility, and not yet occupied by the Republic. Since if little subsidized, the popular Concerts of Jules Pasdeloup sees their debts sponged by the Pereire banker, and of the " committees of patronage" constitute themselves within the companies in concerts, committees which make function in particular the concerts Wiémer, the Symphony orchestra of Paris, the concerts of the Serenade and those of the group Jeune France.

“The defense of art - and not any art - fact part of the obligations of the society woman. Good works also concern the feminine attributes. The conjugation of these two functions, the benevolence and the mondanity, normally open the way with the protection of the artists. ” Just like the aristocratic medium, the middle-class living room which sees its advent is before all “places of sociability whose music is one of the components”.

Operation

Music lovers

One distinguishes several kinds of living rooms, with initially the residences of simple music lovers in whom the music often acts like the common denominator of the private meetings. Arsène Henry organizes at it concerts of chamber music, when Delavigne transform the last floor of their house into room of theater where will be played Isoline and Mrs Chrysanthème, the Venetian Carnival and Scaramouche de Messager, the Ball at Therese de Reynaldo Hahn, the Chatterers of Offenbach, the Life of Punchinello de Nabokov and very many other opera and choreographic works. These music lovers enjoy to organize impromptu concerts where various guests can come to play their last works. Thus the Clerk shelter on February 12th, 1880 a repetition of the Quartet in minor C of Gabriel Fauré, two days before his public creation with the S.N.M. Fauré can incite these supports: “With when the double quartets and the concertos on your premise? He delays me, he delays us although all starts again! Léonard how I saw quite bearing all is been willing to grant his violin, and Friedrich his smiles! ”

Mrs. Petit of Villeneuve which receives, for example, the large mathematician and future president of the Council Mr. Paul Painlevé, us shows the importance which these places in all the spheres of the public life hold. The Cochin brothers, who less than are not appointed, also receive. Henri Cochin is dedicatee of Attendez me under the elm of Vincent d' Indy and his wife of Spleen (1888) of Fauré. Denys Cochin will support as for him of Indy in the launching of Schola.

These music lovers, if they all are middle-class, are of all political scenes. Thus, Aline Ménard-Dorian, convinced Socialist receive Leon Blum, and Érik Satie, member of the communist section of Arcueil reproaches him for being only socialist. Sophie (1860-1948) and Paul (1856-1945) Clémenceau, them also of left, are the supports in France of Gustav Mahler then of Arnold Schönberg.

Jeanne Dubost, who has socialist opinions, almost libertarian, accommodates many politicians (Paul Boncour, Aristide Briand, Paul Painlevé), as “a charming friend who regularly brought together at it friends musicians, artists, politicians of left and extreme-left. ” the Range of Jeanne , of which it makes the order in 1927, watch extent of the bonds which it has with the type-setters: take part in the writing of this ballet, Maurice Ravel (Brass band), Pierre-Octave Ferroud (Walk), Jacques Ibert (Waltz), Roland-Handbook (Canarie), Marcel Delannoy (Faggot), Albert Roussel (Saraband), Darius Milhaud (Hammer), Francis Poulenc (Pastourelle), Georges Auric (Rondo) and Florent Schmitt (Village fair-Waltz). Very related to the Companies and Committees in public concerts, it was president of the committee of propaganda of the Symphony orchestra of Paris in 1938, since 1931 it is founding member of the committee in the concerts of the Serenade then in 1936, member of the committee of honor of the group Jeune France.

Professors of song

The many dedications illustrate, as for the patrons, the role of professeures of song in the rise of the French melody. Their classes are a standard model of the course society man, animated by an upper middle class teaching with musicians of qualities and able to provide to the type-setters the voices likely to diffuse their melodies. Thus, the Ave Maria (1895), COp 67 n° 2 of Fauré, “more intended, by its character, with the vault or the living room, that with a large church. I think that its career will be done especially in the courses society men of young women and young girls, and I count on the beautiful pupils of Mrs. Trélat for the throw”. Marié Trélat also occurs with the S.N.M. apart from the courses of songs which it gives - Fauré, which is a time the guide, dedicates besides Lydia to him, COp 4 n° 2 (1870) - or of the receptions which it organizes, and it is thus seen dedicating the Marriage of the pinks (1870) of César Franck, Sérénade of autumn (1871) of Jules Massenet, Rose of love (1866) of Bizet, as its Berceuse on an old air which is the sixth of the Chants of the Pyrenees (1868).

Mrs. Edmond Fuchs (1836-1927) is professeure as much as singer of living room, but it is also a particularly active interpreter with the S.N.M., where it gives the first hearings, in particular of works of Fauré: Sylvie , COp 6 n° 3 (1878) and After a dream , COp 7 n° 1 (1877) on January 11th, 1879; or Nell , COp 18 n° 1 (1878) and Fall , COp 18 n° 3 (1878) on January 28th, 1881. Besides Fauré will compose with its intention the Fairy with the songs , COp 27 n° 2 (1882) that it dedicates to him. Fitting in the public sphere of the patronage, Fuchs found the large Concordia company, as a rival of the Company Guillot de Sainbris.

Mrs. Russet-red Vital confirms it also the bonds woven between the courses of songs and the living rooms, but also with the concerts when it is requested in 1887 to make work the choruses of the King in spite of him of Chabrier.

The courses of songs act like a medium of influence quasi salonnier. Most famous of these courses is that of Mrs. Edouard Colonne, of which the pupils on the occasion to be made a fame and of côtoyer the guests of the living room of Mr. Colonne, guests who are in fact the type-setters that it programs with his Concerts. Mathilde Marchesi (1821-1913) holds it also living room, with 88 rue Jouffroy (XVII°), just as Angèle Duglé (1848-1929), niece of Charles Gounod and grand-daughter of the pianist Pierre Zimmermann, and who gives his courses of song and receives 7, rue Daubigny (XVII°) then 169 boulevard Malesherbes (XVII°).

Singers

The musical practice is inherent in this social class, which in fact one of its codes. Thus, in the line of the mistresses of living rooms professeures of song, one also finds many " professional singers mondaines" who do not see themselves granting less dedications: the princess of Cystria, Mrs. Maurice Roller, Mrs. Charles max (the terrible asset in the play of Widor for the Academy), Mrs. Charles Dettelbach, Marguerite Steinheil (1869-1954, the mysterious mistress of Felix Faure and dedicatee of To the cemetery , COp 51 n° 2 (1888) of Fauré, the " Ballade" from the Three Lieder for song and piano COp 27 (1896) of Ernest Slipper, of Let us sleep among the lilies (1908) of Massenet and After death (1892) of Pierre de Bréville ), Mrs. Jean Cruppi (1863-1925, dedicatee of the Spanish Hour and the Christmas of the toys of Ravel, of the Six Preludes for piano of Roger Ducasse ), Emma Bardac (1862-1934, dedicatee of the Good song , COp 61 of Fauré, Indifferent the melody of 1902 of Ravel), Jeanne Solomon (1879-1950), Miss Fanny Reed (dedicatee of the Happy suffering of Massenet), the baroness of Contenson.

Almost in counterpoint of these " professional singers mondaines" who sing because middle-class, one attends the advent of certain singers, becoming middle-class by their seals. They share certainly the same desire to encourage the music as the professional singers that we saw, but the living room of an artist having succeeded, finds often more regard near those who are his/her former colleagues musicians. Jean de Reske, celebrates tenor having begun in Venice in 1874 and makes a brilliant career in London, Paris and New York, is thus “perhaps the only authentic gentleman who ever conquered glory by the song”. These are indeed the seals which enable him to be offered a hotel to 53 rue de la Faisanderie (XVI°) and an contiguous theater. But Jean de Reske is not the only example of these singers become patrons and holding living room. Thus Victor Marcel, the baritone to whom Verdi entrusted the creation of Iago in Otello then that of the role titrates in Falstaff with the Scala of Milan in 1887 and in 1883, it receives which occurred Bugeaud (XVI°). Félicia Litvine, celebrates it Russian soprano, raises Pauline Viardot and of Victor Maurel, will illustrate itself in the great Wagnerian and lyric roles Russian before frequently occurring in the living rooms and receiving with 65 boulevard de Clichy (XVIII°). Jeanne Raunay makes as for it its beginnings with the Opera before being a Iphigénie noticed with Theater-lyric in 1899 then in the Op3era Comique in 1906, and finally a frequent interpreter with the Concerts Column and Lamoureux. Dedicatee and creative of the Song of Eve , COp 95 (1906-1910) of Fauré, it will in particular make him play at it its First Quintet for piano and quartet , COp 89 (1891-94, revised of 1903 to 1905). Lastly, summarizing these courses, Mrs. Mauduit who began with the Opera in 1865 will reach the tops of interpretation by creating the Faust of Gounod in 1875, devoting themselves then to its living room, teaching and to make hear its pupils.

Instrumentalists

Just as easily that with the singers, the musical ornament of the XIXe century sied to the pianists, of which some reach levels close to professionalism.

Among the followers of the keyboard receiving at them, appear the Princesse Mathilde (1820-1904), the Princesse Bibesco (dedicatee of the languorous Valse , work of 1898 of Saint-Saëns), the princess Bessaraba de Brancovan (dedicatee of the Premier Impromptu , COp 25 of Fauré), the marchioness of Saint-Paul (1848-1944, called " the snake with sonate"), Mrs. Conrad Jameson, Mrs. Emile Hermann, Marie Hardon, Juliette Mante-Rostand (1872-1956, dedicatee of the Intermezzo in Major A flat of Poulenc), Genevieve Sienkiewicz (1878-1971, raise of Gounod), Isabelle Lang (1904-1988).

Certain men do not hesitate to use their musical qualities and bonds which they weave with their hosts to play or to be made play in public. Thus, Fernand Halphen which had taken courses of piano with Fauré, sees the Op3era Comique creating the Horn flowered , its lyric fairyhood in an act, on May 10th, 1904. Louis Diémer, instrumentalist virtuoso of the piano and the harpsichord plays at Pasdeloup, Lamoureux and especially Colonne, creates and is dedicatee of the symphonic Variations of César Franck, of the Concerto for piano of Edouard Lalo and that of Massenet, dedicatee also of the Third Concerto of Tchaïkovsky. He is moreover a type-setter patron - instituting in 1902 a " Diémer" price; of 4.000 francs -, Master of living room - where it makes play the type-setters of the Academy in particular - and a professor giving the opportunity to his pupils to play in front of the selected public of its living room and even in the big rooms in concert, inserting them of full foot in the institutional circle which it knew to create.

The relations are a requirement to enter and be maintained in the restricted circle of the advanced artistic medium. Since of modest origin, it is with its friendly relations which are being fashionable, that Leon Delafosse (1874-1951) must receive in the family apartment 36 avenue Bugeaud and become, thanks to Robert de Montesquiou, one of the first professional interpreters of Gabriel Fauré, of which it create the Fifth Barcarolle , COp 66 (1894) with the S.N.M. on September 18th, 1894 and the Topics and variations, COp 73 (1896) in London on December 10th, 1896.

If the piano is the instrument more spread and practiced in the living rooms, the organ is him also present: Mrs. Paul Poirson (to whom is dedicated the Path lost of Massenet in 1877) works the instrument with Widor, Mrs. Rene Dujarric of the River (1899-1982) with Louis Vierne, André Marchal and Marcel Dupre, in particular. One also finds instrumentalists with cords of a remarkable level: the violonists Emile d' Erlanger (1823-1913) and Adrien Mithouard which is formed with Franchomme, or the violoncellist Jules Griset for whom are made up the Ode with the music (1890) of Chabrier, the Romance for violoncello and piano COp 69 (1894) of Fauré and the second Sonata for violoncello and piano of Saint-Saëns in 1905.

Type-setters

Lastly, it is necessary to quote certain type-setters who receive also on their premises. They are very few but their living rooms ensure them to be played into private, sometimes while their social positions and their fortunes authorize them with being played on public cenes. Thus the count Henri of Bridge-of-Gault-of-Saussine (1859-1940, at which the Good song , COp 61 will be given on April 25th, 1894, one year before its public creation at the time of a concert of the S.N.M.) sees it his comic opera the Love kitchen boy assembled in Bodinière (theater of Application) on March 12th, 1894 and his Fantaisie given on May 5th, 1894 to the Érard room.

Doctor Raoul Blondel (1867-1944), raises André Gedalge, will compose under the pseudonym of Raoul Brunel: Vision of Dante , which will receive the Price of the Town of Paris and will be played Concerts Column on October 1st, 1908, You and me , created on February 9th, 1924 with the S.N.M., just as the Three poems with song create in the same room on January 11th, 1930 before its mystery the Temptation of Saint-Anthony does not remain, the same year, with the poster of the Op3era Comique for seven representations.

The count Isaac de Camondo (1851-1911), founder of the Company of the artists and friends of the Opera and to which one lends the sentence “what we want, they are the artistic dividends”, organizes in March 1904 a concert of his works in the Érard room, before its musical news the Clown is not created taken again in April 1906 with the New Theater then in May 1908 for seven representations in the Op3era Comique.

Also let us quote of other patrons type-setters making play their works in their own living rooms, such as Alfred Régnier Massa, count de Gronau, duke of Massed (1837-1910), Jean-Charles Noguès, Sebastien B. Schlesinger, the viscountess de Grandval, singer and compositrice, raises of Saint-Saëns, member of the S.N.M., and which traverses the living rooms and receives at it, like Gabrielle Ferrari, compositrice and pianist, wife of the person in charge of the heading " Mondanité" the Gallic one then of the Barber, and who receives 63 avenue Kléber.

The living rooms are a place of splendor for the middle-class men as much as they are a slope of promotion for the artists, thus the families of those go until receiving themselves to launch a career: “Certain young people type-setters, resulting from the middle-class or the upper middle class have sometimes parents who accommodate musicians on their premises, with the aim of allow their children to occur or to make hear their work, to even contribute to their promotion. ” Illustrating the old practices peerage-books, the middle-class networks thus train clans which can go until constituting themselves around the family unit, as for Henry February, Hermann Bemberg who was the pupil of Bizet and Massenet and listener in the class of Franck in 1880-1881; Juliette Toutain, pianist having received a first price of the Academy and compositrice raises of Fauré; or Roland-Handbook. Another example is among widows of the type-setters, some being particularly active to maintain the memory their husband while making play his works into various place. It will be thus the case for Genevieve Bizet, Mrs. Fernand Halphen, Mrs. Charles Gounod or Mrs. Ambroise Thomas.

Important characters

The capitalist middle-class also gives importance to personalities of the musical life, corporation of editors, factors of instruments and directors of concert halls which acquires their share of being able where they were maintained in the shade of the patrons before. This seems all the more true as the latter make living room, like Albert Blondel, director of the house Érard, at which, in January 1907, Edouard Risler was the interpreter of the Third Night COp 33 (1883), of the Quatrième Impromptu COp 91 (1905), of the Seventh Barcarolle COp 90 (1905), and of the Third Waltz-Whim COp 59 (1887-1893), Fauré playing itself its First Quintet COp 89 (1891-94, revised of 1903 to 1905) with the quartet Capet and accompanying Pauline Segond for the first hearing by the quiet Don pop 92 (1906) whose public creation will take place only the next on March 12th; Gustave Lyon, acoustics expert at Pleyel which invented the chromatic toothing-stone, the double piano and Pleyela, like acoustic originator of the Pleyel room; Leon Pillaut, former student of composition and friend of Charles Gounod thanks to whom it obtained the preserving station of the instrumental Museum of the Academy of 1866 with its death in 1903, then the musical chronicle of the Official journal; or Jacques Rouché, polytechnician who will be named chief of the World Fair of 1889, then directing of the Opera.

Context

The living rooms are a capital element of the cultural and musical medium. This medium is dominated by the upper middle classes having accumulated, with the wire of several generations, many alliances noble and the important cultural heritages and financial: they are these famous " 200 familles" denounced by Daladier at the time of the radical congress of 1934.

The entry in these patrons and the advantages that withdraw the type-setters from them register in musicologic research: “The history of the music is not reduced to that of works and their authors. Indissociable of the historical and political context, the social history of the music started to continue as a branch of musicology. personalities of the aristocracy and the middle-classes closely associated with the musical life of their time. ”

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