Massenet, Jules

Massenet, Jules (zhül mäsənā`), 1842–1912, French composer. He studied at the Paris Conservatory, where he taught from 1878 to 1896. In addition to many songs, several oratorios, and a number of orchestral suites, he composed more than 20 operas. His most famous work is Manon (1884), which exemplifies his sensuous style and contains accompanied spoken dialogue instead of traditional recitative. His other operas are Werther (1892), Thaïs (1894), and Le Jongleur de Notre Dame (1902).

Bibliography

See his memoirs (tr. 1919, repr. 1970); study by J. Harding (1970).

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Massenet, Jules (-Émile-Frédéric)

(born May 12, 1842, Montaud, near Saint-Étienne, France—died Aug. 13, 1912, Paris) French composer. He attended the Paris Conservatoire from 1851. When his family left Paris in 1854, he ran away to continue his studies, playing piano and drums and teaching to support himself. His hard work paid off when he won the Prix de Rome in 1863, and he began writing operas in 1867. His reputation was established with his oratorio Marie-Magdeleine (1873), and his Le Roi de Lahore was performed at the Paris Opéra in 1877. There followed the series of successes for which he is chiefly known, including Hérodiade (1881), Manon (1884), Le Cid (1885), Esclarmonde (1889), Werther (1892), Thaïs (1894), and Don Quichotte (1910).