Life of Rossini

by Stendhal

Rossini’s popularity in Italy in the early 1820s was certainly not echoed in France, where he was regarded as “an ill-bred parvenu, whose cheap popularity was an insult to a great musical tradition. Stendhal, always an obstinate individualist, was the first of his contemporaries to recognize the genius of this important Italian composer. Details of Rossini’s early life are followed by penetrating discussions of the operas, libretti, personalities of the period, and Rossini’s own character. Besides being a fascinating account of the Italian composer’s most creative years, and of contemporary musical events and opinions— this work is one of the finest items in the Stendhalian literary canon. Richard Coe’s elegant revised translation and careful annotations do full justice to the incandescent strength of Stendhal’s prose style.

Genres: Biography, 19th Century, France, Music

566 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1824

About the author

Marie-Henri Beyle, better known by his pen name Stendhal, was a 19th-century French writer. Known for his acute analysis of his characters' psychology, he is considered one of the earliest and foremost practitioners of realism in his two novels Le Rouge et le Noir (The Red and the Black, 1830) and La Chartreuse de Parme (The Charterhouse of Parma, 1839).

Reviews

[Howard Olsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've wanted to read this book for years, but it is very hard to find. It's been out of print in the US for decades (I finally found a copy in a dusty corner of Green Apple's remainder store). Worse, both Stendhal and Rossini's admirers seem to deprecate and ignore it. In doing so, both groups are missing a significant work.

For Stendhal fans, this should be crucial reading. It's his first major long-form work. It features the distinctive Stendhalian narrative voice - at turns poetic, cynical, satiric, enthusiastic, and melanchily - that is the hallmark of all of his work.It also features early examples of the subjects that he returned to again and again in his writing. He spends a good deal of time discussing Italy and Italian culture (always making sure to contrast it favorably with France). Stendhal is famous for his psychlogical acuity, and he demonstrates it here, as well, especally when he launches into a fascinating discussion about the effect of the sound of the human voice on the psyche. Finally, Stendhal shows himself to be a sensitive and knowledgeable writer about music; he writes intelligently about the art of singing and the evolution of opera (especially the revolution effected by Mozart). He also sets Rossini within the context of the greater artistic movements of the time. Interestingly, he compares the quality and impact of Rossini's operas to that of Walter Scott's novels.

Rossini fans can also find a lot to enjoy here. Stendhal was writing for a French audience in an effort to introduce it to the then-exotic concept of Italian opera. There's actually very little information about Rossini here. Most of the book consists of Stendhal's critical analyses of Rossini's operas-both their music and their productions. Stendhal literally conjures the world of Italian opera in vivid detail with plenty of discussions about the composers, the singers, the audience, the social milieu, and Rossini's place in all of this. At one point, Stendhal describes a carriage ride to Como to see a new Rossini opera. It's all about Stendhal, but it also captures a sense of youth and the overwhelming love of music, which gives you a sense of the esteem Rossini's fans held for him.

Typically for Stendhal, he is also highly critical of his hero. He states that Rossini's compositional style left little room for the sort of imprvisation that was then at the heart of Italian singing, and thus "ruined" it. And, although he says Rossini is a genius, he makes sure to say that Rossini's music was marked by a particular kind of genius: "not really merry; supremely vain and excitable; never passionate but always witty and, if never boring, it is very very rarely sublime."

Rossini scholars apparently look down on this book because Stendhal's enthusiasms and his tendency to insert himself into the narrative. In doing so, they are also turning their backs on an invaluable resource. This is a deep look at Rossini, written by one of Europe's great writers, who understood the music and its surrounding culture, watched many different productions of the same works, and endeavored to explain Rossini's genius to his contemporaries. There is literally no other opera composer (except maybe Wagner) who has benefitted from this level of attention.

The only problem with this book is that it succombs to the "Dancing About Architecture" syndrome that afflicts all writings about music. You can only read about Rossini so much before you want to just listen to the damn operas.

[Annm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing and even somewhat informative, but better titled as “Stendahl’s rants about Opera

[Irena Milanova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Интересно ми беше да видя Стендал като запален музикален почитател и ценител на оперното изкуство, но все пак го предпочитам като романист. ;)

[Sergi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tot i que el títol és "Vida de Rossini", aquí l'amic Stendhal ens cola un bon clickbait del segle XIX ja que el 90% del contingut del llibre no tracta de la vida del compositor italià, sinó que consta de les enrevessades elucubracions de l'autor sobre la vida, la música, l'òpera, els costums, i demés temes variopintos de l'època que no venen al cas. (5/10)