Symphonie gothique op. 23

The Société Nationale de Musique was founded in 1871 in Paris. Its motto, “Ars Gallica”, encouraged young composers to rejuvenate the French symphonic and chamber repertory. It was perhaps under the influence of this nationalist movement that Godard wrote the Symphonie gothique (1874), a nostalgic work which resolutely turned its back on the Germanic model. This symphony was also dedicated to one of the founders of the Société Nationale, Camille Saint-Saëns. The originality of its form, divided into five short sections lasting about twenty minutes in all, seems to be a pastiche of the classical Baroque suite, which is also referenced by the marked contrast in mood between movements. The work was published in 1883 (almost ten years after its composition) in Mayence, by Schott & Fils, and distributed by them throughout Europe. The premiere, conducted by Godard himself, was given on 20 November 1881 at the Cirque des Champs-Élysées. This symphony forms a triptych of sorts in Godard’s works with the ensuing Symphonie orientale and Symphonie légendaire, published respectively in 1884 and 1886. Godard’s liking for programme music and exoticism—for example, the Fantaisie persane op. 152 for piano and orchestra—is a good indication of the composer’s Romantic, dramatic and picturesque approach to instrumental music. One detail worth noting about the orchestral makeup, the presence of a contrabassoon (still rare in this type of repertory) may have been a way of conjuring up both the sound of the medieval serpent and of imitating the sixteen-foot tone of the organ, particularly in the opening maestoso.