llowed out the course he had set for himself
without any concern for what they might say about him. He was able to
adopt within reason the novelties from abroad and he was clever in
assimilating them perfectly, yet he presented the spectacle of a
thoroughly French artist whom neither the Lorelei of the Rhine nor the
sirens of the Mediterranean could lead astray. He was a _virtuoso_ of
the orchestra, yet he never sacrificed the voices for the instruments,
nor did he sacrifice orchestral color for the voices. Finally, he had
the greatest gift of all, that of life, a gift which cannot be defined,
but which the public always recognizes and which assures the success of
works far inferior to his.

Much has been said about the friendship between us--a notion based
solely on the demonstrations he showered on me in public--and in public
alone. He might have had my friendship, if he had wanted it, and it
would have been a devoted friendship, but he did not want it. He
told--what I never told--how I got one of his works presented at Weimar,
where _Samson_ had just been given. What he did not tell was the icy
reception he gave me when I brought the news and when I expected an
entirely different sort of a reception. From that day on I never
intervened again, and I was content to rejoice in his success without
expecting any reciprocity on his part, which I knew to be impossible
after a confession he made to me one day. My friends and companions in
arms were Bizet, Guiraud and Delibes; Massenet was a rival. His high
opinion of me, therefore, was the more valuable when he did me the honor
of recommending his pupils to study my works. I have brought up this
question only to make clear that when I proclaim his great musical
importance, I am guided solely by my artistic conscience and that my
sincerity cannot be suspected. One word more. Massenet had many
imitators; he never imitated anyone.

CHAPTER XX

MEYERBEER

I

Who would have predicted that the day would come when it would be
necessary to come to the defense of the author of _Les Huguenots_ and
_Le Prophete,_ of the man who at one time dominated every stage in
Europe by a leadership which was so extraordinary that it looked as
though it would never end? I could cite many works in which all the
composers of the past are praised without qualification, and Meyerbeer,
alone, is accused of numerous faults. However, others have faults, too,
and, as I have said elsewhere, b