Scan 26
Stokes Encyclopedia Of Music And Musicians Volume Ii, 1908
22 lines. Read by computer on 18 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1from 1901. A pupil first at the École Niedermeyer, then of Saint-Saëns, Messager won the gold medal of the Société des Compositeurs, 1876, with a symphony, and the second prize of the City of Paris contest with his cantata for chorus and orchestra "Prométhée enchaîné." For a time he was organist at the Church of St. Sulpice, then conductor in Brussels, and again organist of Paris churches, but in 1883 he began his career as a dramatic composer by completing Firmin Bernicat's comic opera "François les Bas-Bleus." His first original three-act opera, "La Fauvette du Temple" was well received in 1885 at the Folies Dramatiques. "La Bernaise," at the Bouffes Parisiennes in December of the same year proved an immediate success, and enjoyed a long run in London in an English version. Other successful works were: "Les deux pigeons," three-act ballet; the operetta "Le Bourgeois de Calais," the fairy spectacle "Isoline," the three-act operettas "Le Mari de la Reine," "La Bassoche," "Mme. Chrysanthème," based on Pierre Loti's novel, for the opening of the Théâtre Lyrique; the four-act ballet "Scaramouche," the operettas "Miss Dollar," "Le Chevalier d'Harmental," "Les Petites Michus," and the ballets "Le Chevalier aux Fleurs," "Une Aventure de la Guimart." B. Dec. 30, 1853, Montluçon; add. Paris.
3Messe. Fr. and Gr. MASS.
5Messiah. George Frederick Handel's oratorio, to book by Charles Jennens, selected from the Bible, was begun Aug. 22, 1741, and completed in 24 days. The first performance took place April 13, 1742, in Dublin, for the benefit of the Society for relieving Prisoners, The Charitable Infirmary, and Mercer's Hospital. Much of the work was rewritten before its first publication, 1767. Mozart prepared additional accompaniments for the score, and in 1885 still further additions to the score by Robert Franz were heard in the performance at the Birmingham Festival. The celebrated "Hallelujah Chorus" has caused two others of the same title by Handel to be forgotten, the "Glory to God," the "Amen," and other numbers have been made familiar in English-speaking countries by more frequent performances of this oratorio than of any other work of its class, and to the tremendous and lasting success of the Messiah the poverty of English dramatic music may be partly attributed.
7Messidor. Alfred Bruneau's four-act lyric drama, to book by Emile Zola, was first performed Feb. 19, 1897, at the Paris Opéra.
9Mesto. It. Melancholy.
11Mestoso. It. Sad.
13Mestrino (Niccolò) composed 12 concertos for violin and orchestra, began life as a wandering fiddler, served for a time in the Esterhazy orchestra, was imprisoned, and so perfected himself in jail as a violinist that he became soloist at the Paris Concerts Spirituels and led at the Italian Opera. B. 1748, Milan; d. 1790, Paris.
15Mesure. Fr. Measure, time.
17Metallo. It. "Metal," as "bel metallo di voce"; ringing quality of voice.
19Metamorphosis. Variation of a theme or subject, leit motif or idée fixé.
21Metastasio (Pietro Antonio Domenico Bonaventura) wrote libretti used by Porpora, Jommelli, Hasse, Piccinni, Gluck, Mozart, and Meyerbeer and many other composers, his "Didone abbandonata" alone having served nearly 40 composers, beginning with Sarri, 1724, and ending with Reissiger, 1823. Mozart's "Clemenza di Tito," to the libretto which six other composers had already set, is the only book of this famous poet still heard on the operatic stage, but "Siface," "Siroe," "Catone in Utica," "Ezio," "Semiramide," "Alessandro nell' Indie," "Artaserse," "Demetrio," "Adriano in Siria," "Issipile," "Olimpiade," "Demofoonte," "Achille in Sciro," "Ciro riconosciuto," "Temistocle," "Zenobia," "Antigono," "Ipermestra," "Attilio Regolo," "Il Re Pastore," "L'Eroe
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.