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Alfred de Musset

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Alfred de Musset
Musset painted by Charles Landelle
Musset painted byCharles Landelle
BornAlfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay
(1810-12-11)11 December 1810
Paris, France
Died2 May 1857(1857-05-02)(aged 46)
Paris, France
OccupationPoet, dramatist
Literary movementRomanticism
Signature

Alfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay(French:[al.fʁɛddəmy.sɛ];11 December 1810 – 2 May 1857) was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist.[1][2]Along with his poetry, he is known for writing theautobiographical novelLa Confession d'un enfant du siècle(The Confession of a Child of the Century).[2]

Biography

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Commemorative plaque, 6 rue du Mont-Thabor, Paris

Musset was born in Paris. His family was upper-class but poor; his father worked in various key government positions, but never gave his son any money. Musset's mother came from similar circumstances, and her role as a society hostess – for example her drawing-room parties, luncheons and dinners held in the Musset residence – left a lasting impression on young Alfred.[2]

An early indication of his boyhood talents was his fondness for acting impromptu mini-plays based upon episodes from old romance stories he had read.[2]Years later, elder brother Paul de Musset would preserve these and many other details, for posterity, in a biography of his famous younger brother.[2]

Alfred de Musset entered thelycée Henri-IVat the age of nine, where in 1827 he won the Latin essay prize in theConcours généralat age 17. With the help ofPaul Foucher,Victor Hugo's brother-in-law, he began to attend, at the age of 17, theCénacle,the literary salon ofCharles Nodierat theBibliothèque de l'Arsenal.After attempts at careers in medicine (which he gave up owing to a distaste for dissections), law,[1]drawing, English and piano, he became one of the firstRomanticwriters, with his first collection of poems,Contes d'Espagne et d'Italie(1829, Tales of Spain and Italy).[1]By the time he reached the age of 20, his rising literary fame was already accompanied by a sulphurous reputation fed by his dandy side.

He was the librarian of the French Ministry of the Interior under theJuly Monarchy.His politics were of aliberalstamp, and he was on good terms with the family of KingLouis Philippe.[3]During this time he also involved himself in polemics during theRhine crisisof 1840, caused by the French prime ministerAdolphe Thiers,who as Minister of the Interior had been Musset's superior. Thiers had demanded that France should own the left bank of theRhine(described as France's "natural boundary" ), as it had under Napoleon, despite the territory's German population. These demands were rejected by German songs and poems, includingNikolaus Becker'sRheinlied,which contained the verse:"Sie sollen ihn nicht haben, den freien, deutschen Rhein..."(They shall not have it, the free, German Rhine). Musset answered to this with a poem of his own:"Nous l'avons eu, votre Rhin allemand"(We've had it, your German Rhine).

The tale of his celebrated love affair withGeorge Sandin 1833–1835[1]is told from his point of view in his autobiographical novelLa Confession d'un Enfant du Siècle(The Confession of a Child of the Century) (1836),[1]which was made into a 1999 film,Children of the Century,and a 2012 film,Confession of a Child of the Century,and is told from her point of view in herElle et lui(1859). Musset'sNuits(Nights) (1835–1837) traces the emotional upheaval of his love for Sand from early despair to final resignation.[1]He is also believed to be the anonymous author ofGamiani, or Two Nights of Excess(1833), a lesbianerotic novelalso believed to be modeled on Sand.[4]

Outside of his relationship with Sand he was a well-known figure in brothels, and is widely accepted to be the anonymous author-client who beat and humiliated the author and courtesanCéleste de Chabrillan,also known asLa Mogador.

Tomb of Alfred de Musset inPère Lachaise Cemetery

Musset was dismissed from his post as librarian by the new ministerLedru-Rollinafter the revolution of 1848. He was, however, appointed librarian of the Ministry of Public Instruction in 1853.

On 24 April 1845, Musset received theLégion d'honneurat the same time asBalzac,and was elected to theAcadémie Françaisein 1852 after two failed attempts in 1848 and 1850.

Alfred de Musset died in his sleep in Paris in 1857. The cause was heart failure, the combination of alcoholism and a longstandingaortic insufficiency.One symptom that had been noticed by his brother was a bobbing of the head as a result of the amplification of the pulse; this was later calledde Musset's sign.[5]He was buried inPère Lachaise Cemeteryin Paris.

Reception

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RollabyHenri Gervex,1878

The French poetArthur Rimbaudwas highly critical of Musset's work. Rimbaud wrote in hisLetters of a Seer(Lettres du Voyant) that Musset did not accomplish anything because he "closed his eyes" before the visions (letter to Paul Demeny, May 1871).

DirectorJean Renoir'sLa règle du jeu(The Rules of the Game) was inspired by Musset's playLes Caprices de Marianne.

Henri Gervex's 1878 paintingRollawas based on a poem by De Musset. It was rejected by the jury of theSalon de Parisfor immorality, since it features suggestive metaphors in a scene from the poem, with a naked prostitute shown after having sex with her client, but the controversy helped Gervex's career.

Jean Anouilh'sEurydice(1941) employs an intertextually salient quote of Musset's playOn ne badine pas avec l'amourII.5 (1834), "The Tirade of Perdican" — Vincent and Eurydice's Mother rekindle the glorious days of their earlier acting careers and their own amours, when once his on-stage performance of Perdican's tirade instigated their first dressing-room love scene.

Music

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Numerous (often French) composers wrote works using Musset's poetry during the 19th and early 20th century.

Opera

Georges Bizet's operaDjamileh(1871, with a libretto byLouis Gallet) is based on Musset's storyNamouna.[6]In 1872Offenbachcomposed anopéra comiqueFantasiowith alibrettobyPaul de Mussetclosely based on the 1834 play of the same name by his brother Alfred.[7]DameEthel Smythcomposed an opera based on the same work, that premiered in Weimar in 1898. The playLa Coupe et les lèvreswas the basis ofGiacomo Puccini's operaEdgar(1889).Fortunio,a four-actoperabyAndré Messageris based on Musset's 1835 comedyLe Chandelier.The libretto ofMary Rosselli Nissim’s operaAndrea del Sarto(1931) was by Antonio Lega based on writings by Musset.[8]Les caprices de Marianne,a two-actopéra comiquebyHenri Sauguet(1954) is based on the play by Musset.[9]The operaAndrea del Sarto(1968) by French composerDaniel-Lesurwas based on Musset's playAndré del Sarto.Lorenzaccio,which takes place in Medici's Florence, was set to music by the musicianSylvano Bussottiin 1972.

Song

Bizet set Musset's poems "À une fleur" and "Adieux à Suzon" for voice and piano in 1866; the latter had previously been set byChabrierin 1862.Pauline Viardotset Musset's poem "Madrid" for voice and piano as part of her 6 Mélodies (1884). The Welsh composerMorfydd Llwyn Owenwrote song settings for Musset's "La Tristesse" and "Chanson de Fortunio".Lili Boulanger'sPour les funérailles d'un soldatfor baritone, mixed chorus and orchestra is a setting of several lines from Act IV of Musset's playLa Coupe et les lèvres.

Instrumental music

Ruggero Leoncavallo's symphonic poemLa Nuit de Mai(1886) was based on Musset's poetry.Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco'sCielo di settembre,op. 1 for solo piano (1910) takes its name from a line of Musset's poem "A quoi rêvent les jeunes filles". The score, in the original publication, is preceded by that line, "Mais vois donc quel beau ciel de septembre…"Rebecca Clarke'sViola Sonata(1919) is prefaced by two lines from Musset'sLa Nuit de Mai.[10]

Other

Shane Briantplayed Alfred de Musset in one episode of a 1974 TV drama series,Notorious Woman.

In 2007,Céline Dionrecorded a song called "Lettre de George Sand à Alfred de Musset" for her albumD'elles.

Quotations

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  • "How glorious it is – and also how painful – to be an exception."[11]
  • "Man is a pupil, pain is his teacher."[12]
  • "Verity is nudity."[13]

Works

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Poetry

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  • À Mademoiselle Zoé le Douairin(1826)
  • Un rêve(1828)
  • Contes d'Espagne et d'Italie(1830)
  • La Quittance du diable(1830)
  • La Coupe et les lèvres(1831)
  • Namouna(1831)
  • Rolla(1833)
  • Perdican(1834)
  • Camille et Rosette(1834)
  • L'Espoir en Dieu(1838)
  • La Nuit de mai(1835)
  • La Nuit de décembre(1835)
  • La Nuit d'août(1836)
  • La Nuit d'octobre(1837)
  • La Nuit d'avril(1838)
  • Chanson de Barberine(1836)
  • À la Malibran(1837)
  • Tristesse(1840)
  • Une Soirée perdue(1840)
  • Souvenir(1841)
  • Le Voyage où il vous plaira(1842)
  • Sur la paresse(1842)
  • Après une lecture(1842)
  • Les Filles de Loth(1849)
  • Carmosine(1850)
  • Bettine(1851)
  • Faustine(1851)
  • Œuvres posthumes(1860)

Plays

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Novels

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  • La Confession d'un enfant du siècle(The Confession of a Child of the Century,1836)[2]
  • Histoire d'un merle blanc(The White Blackbird,1842)

Short stories and novellas

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  • Emmeline(1837)
  • Le Fils du Titien(1838)
  • Frédéric et Bernerette(1838)
  • Margot(1838)
  • Croisilles(1839)
  • Les Deux Maîtresses(1840)
  • Histoire d'un merle blanc(1842)
  • Pierre et Camille(1844)
  • Le Secret de Javotte(1844)
  • Les Frères Van Buck(1844)
  • Mimi Pinson(1845)
  • La Mouche(1853)

In English translation

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  • A Good Little Wife(1847)
  • Selections from the Prose and Poetry of Alfred de Musset(1870)
  • Tales from Alfred de Musset(1888)
  • The Beauty Spot(1888)
  • Old and New(1890)
  • The Confession of a Child of the Century(1892)
  • Barberine(1892)
  • The Complete Writings of Alfred de Musset(1907)
  • The Green Coat(1914)
  • Fantasio(1929)
  • Camille and Perdican(1961)
  • Historical Dramas(1997)
  • Lorenzaccio(1998)
  • Twelve Plays(2001)

Selected filmography

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Iconography

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Musset is one of the five characters in the paintingGeorge Sand dans l'atelier de Delacroix avec Musset, Balzac et Chopin[14][George Sand in Delacroix's studio with Musset, Balzac and Chopin] made by Peruvian painterHerman Braun-Vegaat the request of the Museums of Châteauroux, France, in 2004, for the bicentenary ofGeorge Sand's birth. In his commentary on the painting, Braun-Vega evokes the relationship between Musset and George Sand.[15]The painting was exhibited for the first time in 2004-2005 at the Couvent des Cordeliers in Châteauroux, France.

References

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  1. ^abcdefHis names are often reversed "Louis Charles Alfred de Musset": see "(Louis Charles) Alfred de Musset" (bio), Biography.com, 2007, webpage:Bio9413Archived8 August 2007 at theWayback Machine.
  2. ^abcdef"Chessville – Alfred de Musset: Romantic Player", Robert T. Tuohey, Chessville.com, 2006, webpage:Chessville-deMussetArchived23 October 2007 at theWayback Machine.
  3. ^The Spectator, Volume 50.F.C. Westley. 1877. p. 983.
  4. ^Kendall-Davies, Barbara (2003).The Life and Work of Pauline Viardot Garcia.Cambridge Scholars Press. pp. 45–46.ISBN1-904303-27-7.
  5. ^"Twelve eponymous signs of aortic regurgitation, one of which was named after a patient instead of a physician", in:The American Journal of Cardiology,vol. 93, issue 10, 15 May 2004, pp. 1332–3; by Tsung O. Cheng MD.
  6. ^Macdonald, Hugh."Djamileh".The New Grove Dictionary of Opera– Grove Music Online.Oxford Music Online.Retrieved4 September2014.(subscription required)
  7. ^Lamb A.,"Jacques Offenbach" (work list). In:The New Grove Dictionary of Opera,Macmillan, London and New York, 1997.
  8. ^Cohen, Aaron I. (1987).International Encyclopedia of Women Composers.Books & Music (USA). p. 601.ISBN978-0-313-24272-4.
  9. ^Hoérée A & Langham Smith R. Henri Sauguet. In:The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.Macmillan, London and New York, 1997.
  10. ^Curtis, Liane."Clarke, Rebecca".Oxford Music Online.Oxford University Press.Retrieved7 May2015.
  11. ^Auden, W.H.; Kronenberger, Louis (1966).The Viking Book of Aphorisms.New York: Viking Press.
  12. ^"A quote by Alfred de Musset".goodreads.com.
  13. ^Ballou, Maturin Murray (1881).Pearls of Thought.Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Company, p. 266.
  14. ^Braun-Vega, Herman (2004)."George Sand dans l'atelier de Delacroix avec Musset, Balzac et Chopin"[George Sand in Delacroix's studio with Musset, Balzac and Chopin] (Acrylic on canvas, 146 x 146 cm).
  15. ^George Sand: Interprétations 2004(in French). éditions joca seria. 2004. p. 75.ISBN978-2-848-09036-8.Let's imagine: A visit to Delacroix studio... We are in 1847. The master is making a portrait. George Sand is posing, surrounded by Chopin, Balzac and Musset. [...] Musset, in the shade of sunflowers, makes a strange gesture with the right hand. Does he remember Venice?

Bibliography

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  • Affron, Charles (2015).A Stage For Poets: Studies in the Theatre of Hugo and Musset.Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
  • Bishop, Lloyd (1987).The Poetry of Alfred de Musset. Styles and Genres.New York City: Peter Lang.
  • Croce, Benedetto(1924)."De Musset."In:European Literature in the Nineteenth Century.London: Chapman & Hall, pp. 252–266.
  • Gochberg, Herbert S. (1967).Stage of Dreams: The Dramatic Art of Alfred de Musset (1828–1834).Geneva: Librairie Droz.
  • Majewski, Henry F. (1989).Paradigm & Parody: Images of Creativity in French Romanticism.Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia.
  • Rees, Margaret A. (1971).Alfred de Musset.New York City: Twayne Publishers.
  • Sedgewick, Henry D.(1931).Alfred de Musset, 1810–1857.Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs–Merrill Company.
  • Sices, David (1974).The Theatre of Solitude. The Drama of Alfred de Musset.Hanover, NH: University Press of New England.

Further reading

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  • "Alfred de Musset, Poet",The Edinburgh Review,Vol. CCIV, 1906, pp. 103–132.
  • Barine, Arvède(1906).The Life of Alfred de Musset.New York: Edwin C. Hill Company.
  • Besant, Walter(1893)."Alfred de Musset."In:Essays and Historiettes.London: Chatto & Windus, pp. 144–169.
  • Beus, Yifen (2003). "Alfred de Musset's Romantic Irony,"Nineteenth-Century French Studies,Vol. XXXI, No. 3/4, pp. 197–209.
  • Bishop, Lloyd (1979). "Romantic Irony in Musset's 'Namouna',"Nineteenth-Century French Studies,Vol. VII, No. 3/4, pp. 181–191.
  • Bourcier, Richard J. (1984). "Alfred de Musset: Poetry and Music,"The American Benedictine Review,Vol. XXXV, pp. 17–24.
  • Brandes, Georg(1904).Main Currents in Nineteenth Century Literature,Vol. V. New York: The Macmillan Company, pp. 90–131.
  • Denommé, Robert Thomas (1969).Nineteenth-century French Romantic Poets.Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press.
  • Gamble, D.R. (1989–1990). "Alfred de Musset and the Uses of Experience,"Nineteenth-Century French Studies,Vol. XVIII, No. 1/2, pp. 78–84.
  • Gooder, Jean (1986). "Alive or Dead? Alfred de Musset's Supper with Rachel,"The Cambridge Quarterly,Vol. XV, No. 2, pp. 173–187.
  • Grayson Jane (1995). "The French Connection: Nabokov and Alfred de Musset. Ideas and Practices of Translation,"The Slavonic and East European Review,Vol. LXXIII, No. 4, pp. 613–658.
  • Greet, Anne Hyde (1967). "Humor in the Poetry of Alfred de Musset,"Studies in Romanticism,Vol. VI, No. 3, pp. 175–192.
  • James, Henry(1878)."Alfred de Musset."In:French Poets and Novelists.London: Macmillan & Co., pp. 1–38.
  • Lefebvre, Henri(1970).Musset: Essai.Paris: L'Arche.
  • Levin, Susan (1998).The Romantic Art of Confession.Columbia, SC: Camden House.
  • Mauris, Maurice (1880)."Alfred de Musset."In:French Men of Letters.New York: D. Appleton and Company, pp. 35–65.
  • Mossman, Carol (2009).Writing with a Vengeance: The Countess de Chabrillan's Rise from Prostitution.Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
  • Musset, Paul de (1877).The Biography of Alfred de Musset.Boston: Roberts Brothers.
  • Oliphant, Cyril Francis(1890).Alfred de Musset.Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons.
  • Padgett, Graham (1981). "Bad Faith in Alfred de Musset: A Problem of Interpretation,"Dalhousie French Studies,Vol. III, pp. 65–82.
  • Palgrave, Francis T.(1855)."The Works of Alfred de Musset."In:Oxford Essays.London: John W. Parker, pp. 80–104.
  • Pitwood, Michael (1985). "Musset." In:Dante and the French Romantics.Genève: Librairie Droz, pp. 209–217.
  • Pollock, Walter Herries (1879)."Alfred de Musset."In:Lectures on French Poets.London: C. Kegan Paul & Co., pp. 43–96.
  • Rees, Margaret A. (1963). "Imagery in the Plays of Alfred de Musset,"The French Review,Vol. XXXVI, No. 3, pp. 245–254.
  • Sainte-Beuve, C.A.(1891)."Alfred de Musset."In:Portraits of Men.London: David Scott, pp. 23–35.
  • Stothert, James (1878)."Alfred de Musset,"The Gentleman's Magazine,Vol. CCXLIII, pp. 215–234.
  • Thomas, Merlin (1985). "Alfred de Musset: Don Juan on the Boulevard de Gand." In:Myths and its Making in the French Theatre.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 158–165.
  • Trent, William P. (1899)."Tennyson and Musset Once More."In:The Authority of Criticism.New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, pp. 269–291.
  • Wright, Rachel L. (1992). "Male Reflectors in the Drama of Alfred de Musset,"The French Review,Vol. LXV, No. 3, pp. 393–401.
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