Peter Lamothe, Ph.D. 2008

Advisor: Annegret Fauser

Dissertation Title: Theater Music in France, 1864–1914: “À accompagner, à soutenir, à souligner”

Find it in the library here.

Dissertation Abstract:

Incidental music (music which accompanies spoken drama) formed one of the most important and widely influential genres to which a composer could contribute at the turn of the twentieth century in France. It was a regular part of the dramatic experience at the Comédie-Française and the Théâtre de l’Odéon, written by such leading figures as Georges Bizet, Claude Debussy, Gabriel Fauré, Jules Massenet, Camille Saint-Saëns, and countless others. Moreover, incidental music played a crucial role in establishing the reputations of these highly influential composers. In later years, incidental music fed directly into the nascent art of film music. Yet in spite of the many overtures, entr’actes, melodramas and divertissements residing in various archives and libraries in Paris, no study has offered more than a fleeting glimpse into this fascinating and significant body of music. Theater historians have neglected it in part because of their lack of training in musical studies, while musicologists have neglected the study of incidental music in favor of opera. A study of the role of music in Parisian theatrical life would shed light on the history of drama and contribute to the cultural history of France, in which the theater plays so large a role. 

In my dissertation I will establish the critical framework for assessing incidental music in Parisian theaters from 1864 to 1914, and begin to survey this repertoire. Because it would be impossible and even counterproductive to address each of the numerous works in detail, the dissertation will include several case studies as a means to present examples of trends seen in the larger context of staged Parisian music. These case studies will include at least one example of an institutional history (“Music at the Comédie-Française under the Directorship of Paul Porel, 1884-1892”) and one analysis of an important production (“The Revival of Alphonse Daudet and Georges Bizet’s L’arlésienne at the Théâtre de l’Odéon, 5 May 1885″). Other case studies will include a survey of incidental music in Paris during the year 1911 (the year of Debussy’s Le martyre de Saint-Sébastien), and the impact of incidental compositions on the career of Jules Massenet. 

Dr. Lamothe is currently Associate Professor of Music at Belmont University. His research focuses on incidental music in France between 1864 and 1914, including music by Massenet, Fauré, and Debusy. He is working on a new edition of Massenet’s incidental music for Leconte de Lisle’s play Les Erinnyes.