Great Musical Composers: German, French, and Italian — Reading Companion

Structure and Scope

The table of contents lists twenty-three chapters covering composers from Bach to Berlioz, with an appendix and an introduction. The editor explains that the original two volumes were The Great German Composers and The Great Italian and French Composers. Ferris's preface to the Italian and French volume, quoted in the introduction, acknowledges the challenge of compressing such a wide field into a small book, and states that he devoted more space to composers of higher rank while giving briefer mention to lesser-known figures.

The excerpts show this uneven treatment: the Cimarosa section runs several paragraphs, while others may be shorter. The book does not claim to be exhaustive; rather, it offers a selection of biographical sketches intended for a broad audience. The chronological table at the end provides a quick reference for dates.

Biographical Emphasis and Critical Judgment

The excerpts emphasize dramatic biographical details. Cimarosa's life is recounted with a focus on his imprisonment by Queen Caroline and his death shortly after release, described as resulting from barbarous treatment. The narrative also includes his funeral honors and a marble bust by Canova. Such details suggest a preference for vivid storytelling over dry factual summary.

Critical judgments are woven into the biographies. Schlüter is quoted comparing Cimarosa to Mozart, calling Il Matrimonio Segreto a model of graceful comedy, and ranking it as the third finest comic opera after Mozart and Rossini. The excerpts also cite another authority praising the opera Gli Orazi for noble simplicity and strong expression, while noting it is still performed in Germany but forgotten elsewhere. These evaluations reflect the book's reliance on contemporary critical opinion.

Rossini as a Case Study

The Rossini chapter opens with the epithet "Swan of Pesaro" and describes his forty-year silence as fruitless. The author asserts that Rossini's works, though poured forth with great facility, still retain their grasp despite changes in public opinion. The narrative contrasts Rossini's fresh melodies with the old set forms of Italian opera, claiming he placed Italy again in the van of musical Europe.

A telling anecdote is quoted from Oublicheff, who confesses that upon first hearing Rossini, he was "musically drunk, as if with champagne." This hyperbolic reaction illustrates the book's tendency to dramatize the impact of composers. The author also notes that Rossini had no pretension to the grand or severe, focusing instead on exhilaration and sparkle. Such characterizations align with the book's aim to interest the general public rather than scholars.

Readers should approach this book as a series of biographical sketches shaped by late-nineteenth-century tastes and the editor's desire to fill a perceived gap in popular music literature. The excerpts show a reliance on secondary sources and a tendency toward dramatic narrative. For those interested in the lives of composers as recounted by a contemporary popularizer, this volume offers a window into how musical biography was written for a general audience in the 1880s.

That collection of composers felt like sitting with old friends, their struggles and triumphs echoing long after I closed it. It made me think of how Beethoven’s letters carry that same raw, human ache. I found myself lingering over Life of Beethoven Including his correspondence with his friends, numerous characteristic traits, and remarks on his musical works — A Closer Reading, hearing his voice in a way I hadn’t before.