Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet was a French composer
lived from May 12, 1842 ? August 13, 1912 and is best
known for his operas. His compositions were very
popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and
he ranks as one of the greatest melodists of his era.
Soon after his death, Massenet's style went out of
fashion, and many of his operas fell into almost total
oblivion. Apart from Manon and Werther, his works were
rarely performed. However, since the mid-1970s, many of
his operas such ...(+)
Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet was a French composer
lived from May 12, 1842 ? August 13, 1912 and is best
known for his operas. His compositions were very
popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and
he ranks as one of the greatest melodists of his era.
Soon after his death, Massenet's style went out of
fashion, and many of his operas fell into almost total
oblivion. Apart from Manon and Werther, his works were
rarely performed. However, since the mid-1970s, many of
his operas such as Thaïs (pronounced tah-eess /
ta:'i:s) and Esclarmonde have undergone periodic
revivals.
Thaïs was created as an opera in three acts by Jules
Massenet to a French libretto by Louis Gallet based on
the novel Thaïs by Anatole France. It was first
performed at the Opéra Garnier in Paris on 16 March
1894, starring the American soprano Sybil Sanderson,
for whom Massenet had written the title role.
This famous "Méditation", the entr'acte for violin and
orchestra played between the scenes of Act II, is an
oft-performed concert music piece; it has been arranged
for many different instruments as with the flute and
piano here.
SHEET MUSIC