Ossiane

“Mme Jaëll would have invented Wagner, had Wagner not invented her.” This somewhat sarcastic remark from Oscar Commettant, which appeared the day after the performance of excerpts from Ossiane at the Salle Érard in May 1879, was typical of the critical response to this unusual work. At a time when there was increasing concern in France about the Wagnerian influence on French music, the clearly Germanic inspiration of this symphonic poem troubled Parisian journalists; however, they heard only the prelude and the second part of the work on that occasion. Although it was presented in French, the original légende had been set to a German text, written by the composer herself in her native tongue. Götterlieder – or “Songs of the gods” – narrates the initiatory ascent of the poetess Ossiane to the usually unattainable summits inhabited by Beles, the god of Harmony. She has to know three sacred songs: that of Joy, that of Sorrow and that of Love. In the score, the part of the mortal, Ossiane, is taken by the solo soprano, while the god is represented by the orchestra. The sheer ardour of the piece disconcerted those present. Victorin Joncières (La Liberté, 19 May 1879) went so far as to consider it “the work of a lunatic. It is an accumulation of dissonances, baroque sounds, ceaseless tremolos, and an exasperating use of emphasis, enough to jar the nervous system and send one into fits.” But Ernest Reyer (Journal des Débats, 26 May 1879) defended the work, declaring “that the composer of Ossiane has an exceptional musical temperament, surprising gifts and first-class qualities”.