Blurb:

After the Franco-Prussian War, calling for more national expression in music, Saint-Saëns founded the Société National de Musique in 1871. In 1889, Holmès was commissioned to write her Ode Triomphale for the 100th anniversary of the Revolution. Written in 1885, her La Montaigne Noir, was the first opera by a woman mounted at the Paris Opéra (1895). The song La Mer was written by Jaëll in 1893.

The interest in virtuosity continued, as seen in Chaminade’s 1886 Six Études de Concert, op 35. Pianist and teacher Blanche Selva (1784-1942) composed Paysage au soleil couchant (1904) and Cloches dans la brume (1905). Jaëll wrote two Piano Concertos (1877 and 1884).

The move away from romanticism towards impressionism was a response to the movement in art, using colour to create impressions. There were other cross-cultural links, most evident with literature. Attracted to exotic topics, Jaëll wrote Les Orientales, on poems by Victor Hugo in 1893. In 1894 she composed the 18 pièces pour piano d’après la lecture de Dante (Divine Comédie). Rita Strohl’s (1865-1941) dramatic cello sonata of 1892 Titus et Bérénice was inspired by Racine.

The Universal Expositions of this period introduced musical genres from around the world. Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944) wrote the opéra-comique La Sevillane in 1889, and Caprice Espagnol in 1890. Jaëll wrote two Piano Concertos (1877 and 1884), the symphonic poem Ossiane (1879), and the songs La Légende des Ours (1879). Based on the Cinderella fairy tale, Grandval’s operetta Cendrillon was premièred in Paris in 1899. Another fairy-tale-inspired work was La belle au bois dormant (1902) by Jane Vieu (1871-1955). The Spanish waltz Les Gitanos was composed by Mel Bonis in 1891. The exuberance of this time manifested in the Montmartre cabarets, such as the Moulin Rouge, which opened in 1889. Favourite subject of Toulouse-Lautrec, cabaret singer Yvette Guilbert (1865-1944) recorded Je suis pocharde (I am drunk) in 1907.

Connections with the professors at the Conservatoire de Paris led to several of these women composing for their colleagues, including Grandval’s Quatre Pièces pour Cor Anglais (1878). Hedwige Chretien’s (1859-1944) Andante et Allegro was written for the 1886 trombone Concours. Similarly, Chaminade’s Concertino pour flute, op 105, (1902) was also an exam piece, as was the Fantaisie in C minor for clarinet by Holmès (1900). Another such work was the 1906 Fantaisie for viola and piano, op 18, by Hélène Fleury (1876-1957).

The Boulanger sisters made notable contributions to French musical life; Lili became the first woman to win the Prix de Rome, in 1913, with her cantata Faust et Hélène. Her song cycle Clairières dans le Ciel was written soon after; it has a personal resonance and shows a special unity. Nadia collaborated with her mentor Raoul Pugno on her song cycle Les Heures Claires (1909), and on the opera La Ville Morte, written between 1909 and 1912. Henriettre Renié (1875-1966) made a unique contribution to the harp repertoire, such as her with her Concerto en ut (1902). Chaminade was the first woman de be awarded the Légion d’Honneur, in 1913.