Delsarte remained upon the lyric stage until 1834, when the failure of
his voice, which had been strained at the Conservatoire, compelled him
to retire. He continued, however, the study of music, and his
productions, particularly a "Dies Irae," placed him in the front rank of
composers. At this period of his life, meditation and study resulted in
a firm religious faith, which never wavered afterward.
He now applied himself to the task of establishing a scientific basis
for lyric and dramatic art, and after years of patient labor perfected a
system on which probably his fame will ultimately rest. His _cours_ for
instruction in the principles of art was first opened in 1839. From the
outset he was appreciated by the highly cultivated few, nor was it long
before the circle extended and the new master won a European
reputation. Some of his pupils were destined for a professional career;
but many, men and women of rank and fortune, sought to learn from him
the means of rendering their brilliant _salons_ yet more attractive.
Members of most of the reigning families of Europe were numbered among
his pupils, and his apartments in Paris were filled, when I saw them,
with pictures, photographs, and other souvenirs of esteem and
friendship, from the highest dignitaries of Europe. When he consented,
on one occasion, to appear at a _soiree_ at the Tuileries, Louis
Philippe received him at the foot of the grand staircase, as if he had
been his peer, and bestowed on him during the evening the same
attentions he would have accorded to a fellow-sovereign.
Pages:
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495