The Press as Mirror

As the great Exposition of 1900 was nearing its close and the end of the nineteenth century was fast approaching, the journalists Eugène Allard and Louis Vauxcelles presented the readership of Le Figaro with the rationale for their forthcoming series, “Les Conquêtes du siècle.” They asked: “Are we ahead or behind? Should we be proud of ourselves or ashamed when we compare our work with the endeavors of foreigners?” Their efforts at digesting the accomplishments of the nineteenth century and ranking French contributions to various disciplines were designed to provide entertainment for the general reader. And so, between 25 September and 25 October 1900, they presented eight articles based on interviews with and letters from prominent composers and musicians, most of them French. In response to a preset list of questions, these figures commented on the evolution of the symphony, opera, and chamber music; identified some of the principal figures responsible for such change; and considered whether there had been any real progress in the general public’s appreciation of music.

Like others, Adolphe Jullien, the historian, critic, and biographer of Berlioz, scoffed at the notion of a “top ten” and noticed with amusement how these composers managed with “touching ingenuity” to turn their interviews into proud assessments of their own achievements; but he also observed with approval that those interviewed agreed on two points: first, that the most significant advances in nineteenth-century music had taken place in symphonic style and orchestral sound (including the “conquest” of the opera by the symphony); and second, that these advances stemmed from the influence of three seminal figures—Beethoven, Berlioz, and Wagner. In fact, while Beethoven ranked high on everyone’s list and Wagner was mentioned frequently, only a few spoke for Berlioz. Augusta Holmès, for one, put Berlioz and Wagner in the same sentence and gave credit to both for their contributions to the evolution of harmony, orchestration, and theatrical forms. Gustave Charpentier, acknowledging Berlioz’s contribution to the symphony and praising his own maître, Massenet, spoke largely of the social utility of art, and of his own art in particular.