Gabriel Fauré
In the musical history of France, the name of Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924) looms high. He was born in Pamiers, and was taught by the Dean of French musical folk, Camille Saint-Saëns. Like all the musicians of France, no matter whether or not they planned to use it as a profession, they devoted as much time to the organ as to the piano, and most of them became famous organists even though they had not planned to be organists. For this reason France has more great organists and organ compositions to offer than any other country of the world.
Gabriel Fauré became the organist of Rennes and later went to Saint Sulpice and Saint Honoré, and finally he became organist of the Madeleine in 1896. These churches are among the greatest in France, and to be organist in any one of them means that he is a great musician.
Fauré had honors showered upon him for he gave his country some of the most brilliant works contributed by any of her sons. In France the compositions of Gabriel Fauré are highly valued, but with the exception of a few songs, are not known in America, the more the pity. Fauré is better known here as the head of the Conservatory in which his life was spent until his very recent death. He went there to share the classes in composition, counterpoint and fugue with André Gédalge, succeeding Jules Massenet, and in 1905 Fauré succeeded Theodore Dubois as Director of the Conservatory. Still more honors heaped upon him made him a member of the Académie, for which no one can be named until there is a vacancy. He was therefore the successor to Ernest Reyer.
In 1910 the world was much stirred when Gabriel Fauré was made Commander of the Legion of Honor, a distinction given only when a man has done something very great.
In addition to these tributes to his standing in the community and his achievements as an artist, he took numerous prizes for his compositions of which there were three operas, much incidental music, symphonies, a well known violin and piano sonata, some fine chamber music and much music for the organ and for choruses. But beyond the appreciation always shown Fauré for his larger works, he will always be loved in France because he was regarded as the French Schubert, so lovely were his melodies and so lavishly did he write.
He kept pure and true the ideals and characteristics of French music, more so, indeed, than did many who may be better known to the concert-goers of this country.
English Composers in Classical Forms
While the Germans, French and Austrians were writing, England had composers, who although not so famous, nevertheless kept music alive in England.
Sir William Sterndale Bennett (1816–1875) with his many orchestral and choral works of which his cantata, The Woman of Samaria, is best known; Sir George A. Macfarren (1813–1887) with operas and oratorios, especially his cantata, Rebekah; his brother, Walter Cecil Macfarren (1826–1905), conductor, and composer of orchestral music; Sir John Stainer (1840–1901), organist, composer of very lovely anthems, and much church music, and Professor of Music at Oxford; Sir Frederick Bridge (1844–1924), organist of Westminster Abbey, writer of text-books on music, and of anthems, part songs and oratorios; Sir Arthur C. Mackenzie (1847), composer of many works including two Scotch symphonies and a cantata, The Cottar’s Saturday Night; Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848–1918), Professor of Music at Oxford after Stainer, and writer of many important books on music and of compositions in many forms; Arthur Goring Thomas (1851–1892), who wrote operas, cantatas, and many songs; Sir Frederick Hymen Cowen (1852), with operas, cantatas, symphonies and chamber music; Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (1853–1924), born in Dublin, Ireland, Professor of Music at Cambridge since 1887, student of Irish folk music, and writer of chamber music and short pieces, also of valuable books on musical history and other musical subjects; Edward German (1862), famous for his Henry VIII Dances, much incidental theatre music, and an operetta, The Moon Fairies, in which he used the last libretto written by Sullivan’s inimitable partner, Sir W. S. Gilbert; and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875–1912), an Englishman of African descent, whose music for chorus and for orchestra is based on American Indian legend, and on Negro folk songs.