A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Lamoureux, Charles

LAMOUREUX, Charles, born at Bordeaux, Sept. 21, 1834, began his violin studies under Beaudoin, and was then sent to the Paris Conservatoire, where he was in Girard's class. He obtained in 1852 a second accessit for the violin, the second prize in the following year, and the first in 1854. He also studied harmony under Tolbecque, and attended the counterpoint course of Leborne at the Conservatoire, where he finished his theoretical studies under the famous organist Alexis Chauvet. He was solo violinist in the Gymnase orchestra (1850), and afterwards joined that of the Opéra, where he played for many years. He was admitted a member of the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, and, like all the members of these orchestras, gave private lessons. But these insignificant posts were not sufficient for the activity of Lamoureux, who dreamt of great undertakings in the musical art of France. Together with Colonne, Adam, and A. Pilet, he founded in 1860 a society for chamber music of a severe character, in which he showed a taste for new works by producing compositions hitherto unnoticed. He had also the honour of first performing in France Brahms's sextets. He was not content with this, for having travelled in Germany and England, he was anxious to organize performances on a large scale, such as he had heard under Hiller and Costa, of the masterpieces of Handel, Bach, and Mendelssohn. After several preliminary trials at the Salle Pleyel, where he performed among other things the 'Streit zwischen Phöbus und Pan' of Bach, he succeeded by his own energy and resources in founding the 'Société de l'Harmonie sacrée' on the model of the Sacred Harmonic Society of London. The first festival was given at the Cirque des Champs Elysées, Dec. 19, 1873. The success of an admirable performance of 'The Messiah' was such that amateurs came in crowds to the following performances. Lamoureux then produced Bach's Matthew Passion, March 31, 1874, and 'Judas Maccabaeus,' Nov. 19, 1874. Not content with confining himself to well-known masterpieces, he produced Massenet's 'Eve,' then unpublished, March 18, 1875. These great performances showed that Lamoureux was a conductor of great merit, who succeeded in obtaining from his orchestra a matchless precision of attack and regard to expression. When Carvalho became director of the Opéra Comique in 1876, he offered Lamoureux the post of conductor, but in less than a year the latter resigned, owing to some difficulties arising out of the rehearsal of Chaumet's 'Bathyle' in May, 1877. In December of the same year Lamoureux was appointed conductor of the Opéra by Vaucorbeil, and gave up the subconductorship of the Concerts du Conservatoire, which he had held since 1872. In 1878 he was decorated with the Légion d'Honneur, and in the following year he resigned his post at the Opéra on account of a dispute with Vaucorbeil as to the tempo of one of the movements in 'Don Juan.' From that time he determined to be self-dependent, and after having carefully prepared the undertaking, he founded on Oct. 23, 1881, the Nouveaux Concerts, called the Concerts Lamoureux, which were held for some years in the theatre of the Château d'Eau, and afterwards at the Eden Théâtre (1885) and the Cirque des Champs Elysées (1887), where their success is constantly on the increase. Not only has Lamoureux developed as a conductor a precision and firmness, a care for the perfection of the smallest details, without excluding passion and warmth of expression; he has also given a welcome to the works of French composers of the new school, such as Reyer, Lalo, d'Indy, and Chabrier, and has succeeded in placing himself at the head of the Wagnerian movement in France. He gave excellent renderings of selections from Wagner's operas to a public that had been too long deprived of these fine compositions. The first Act of 'Lohengrin,' Acts 1 and 2 of 'Tristan,' and Act 1 of 'Die Walküre' have been given in their entirety, and excerpts from the other works have been heard. Encouraged by the warmth of the applause and the moral support of his audience, Lamoureux decided to give a performance in a Paris theatre of 'Lohengrin,' a work unknown in France, less by reason of patriotic susceptibilities than of commercial intrigues. After a whole year of preparation a perfect performance was given at the Eden Théâtre (May 3, 1887), which was not repeated. It is true that it took place at a time of unfortunate political relations; but if Lamoureux had to give in, it was because he received no support from the ministry with which he believed himself to be in perfect agreement. Those who protested against Wagner used the word patriotism as a pretext. The violent manifestations were, however, directed by unseen agents, and governed by far meaner motives, among which the love of money was supreme.

[ A. J. ]