He had long insisted upon the virtue of the waters of Passy, that they were proper in my case, and recommended me to come to his house to drink them.To withdraw myself from the tumult of the city, I at length consented, and went to pass eight or ten days at Passy, which, on account of my being in the country, were of more service to me than the waters I drank during my stay there.Mussard played the violoncello, and was passionately fond of Italian music.This was the subject of a long conversation we had one evening after supper, particularly the opere-buffe we had both seen in Italy, and with which we were highly delighted.My sleep having forsaken me in the night, I considered in what manner it would be possible to give in France an idea of this kind of drama.The Amours de Ragonde did not in the least resemble it.In the morning, whilst I took my walk and drank the waters, I hastily threw together a few couplets to which I adapted such airs as occurred to me at the moments.I scribbled over what Ihad composed, in a kind of vaulted saloon at the end of the garden, and at tea.I could not refrain from showing the airs to Mussard and to Mademoiselle du Vernois, his gouvernante, who was a very good and amiable girl.Three pieces of composition I had sketched out were the first monologue: J'ai perdu mon serviteur; the air of the Devin;L'amour croit s'il s'inquiete; and the last duo: A jamais, Colin, je t'engage, etc.I was so far from thinking it worth while to continue what I had begun, that, had it not been for the applause and encouragement I received from both Mussard and Mademoiselle, Ishould have thrown my papers into the fire and thought no more of their contents, as I had frequently done by things of much the same merit; but I was so animated by the encomiums I received, that in six days, my drama, excepting a few couplets, was written.The music also was so far sketched out, that all I had further to do to it, after my return from Paris, was to compose a little of the recitative, and to add the middle parts, the whole of which I finished with so much rapidity, that in three weeks my work was ready for representation.The only thing now wanting, was the divertissement, which was not composed until a long time afterwards.
My imagination was so warmed by the composition of this work that I had the strongest desire to hear it performed, and would have given anything to have seen and heard the whole in the manner I should have chosen, which would have been that of Lully, who is said to have had Armide performed for himself only.As it was not possible Ishould hear the performance unaccompanied by the public, I could not see the effect of my piece without getting it received at the opera.
Unfortunately it was quite a new species of composition, to which the ears of the public were not accustomed; and besides the ill success of the Muses Gallantes gave too much reason to fear for the Devin, if I presented it in my own name.Duclos relieved me from this difficulty, and engaged to get the piece rehearsed without mentioning the author.That I might not discover myself, I did not go to the rehearsal, and the Petits violons,* by whom it was directed, knew not who the author was until after a general plaudit had borne the testimony of the work.Everybody present was so delighted with it, that, on the next day, nothing else was spoken of in the different companies.M.de Cury, Intendant des Menus, who was present at the rehearsal, demanded the piece to have it performed at court.Duclos, who knew my intentions, and thought I should be less master of my work at the court than at Paris, refused to give it.Cury claimed it authoritatively.Duclos persisted in his refusal, and the dispute between them was carried to such a length, that one day they would have left the opera-house together to fight a duel, had they not been separated.M.de Cury applied to me, and I referred him to Duclos.This made it necessary to return to the latter.The Duke d'Aumont interfered; and at length Duclos thought proper to yield to authority, and the piece was given to be played at Fontainebleau.
* Rebel and Francoeur, who, when they were very young, went together from house to house playing on the violin, were so called.
The part to which I had been most attentive, and in which I had kept at the greatest distance from the common track, was the recitative.
Mine was accented in a manner entirely new, and accompanied the utterance of the word.The directors dared not suffer this horrid innovation to pass, lest it should shock the ears of persons who never judge for themselves.Another recitative was proposed by Francueil and Jelyotte, to which I consented; but refused at the same time to have anything to do with it myself.
When everything was ready and the day of performance fixed, a proposition was made me to go to Fontainebleau, that I might at least be at the last rehearsal.I went with Mademoiselle Fel, Grimm, and I think the Abbe Raynal, in one of the stages to the court.The rehearsal was tolerable: I was more satisfied with it than Iexpected to have been.The orchestra was numerous, composed of the orchestras of the opera and the king's band.Jelyotte played Colin, Mademoiselle Fel, Colette, Cuvillier the Devin: the choruses were those of the opera.I said but little; Jelyotte had prepared everything; I was unwilling either to approve of or censure what he had done; and notwithstanding I had assumed the air of an old Roman, Iwas, in the midst of so many people, as bashful as a schoolboy.