Philip Musard

Musard plays an important role in the development of light classical music, the faculty of publicity in music, and in the role of the conductor as a musical celebrity. He has been largely forgotten subsequent to his retirement in the early 1850s.

Philippe Musard was born in Tours on 8 November 1792 to parents of limited financial means. Musard joined a unit of the Imperial Guards as a cornet player. His musical career began in the outskirts of Paris, where he played the horn for low-class dances public halls, for which he composed some music. When Napoleon was defeated, he moved to London, started as a violinist, and eventually his career progressed to the point of leading the orchestra of King George IV and organized balls, becoming wealthy in the process. Between 1821 and 1825 many of his compositions were published in London, and some of these were performed in Paris. Musard moved back to Paris following the July Revolution on 1830 and established a series of concerts at Cours-la-Reine. He attended the Conservatoire de Paris and obtained first prize in harmony in 1831. He studied privately under Anton Reicha. In 1832 Paris was gripped by fear of an impending cholera outbreak, which was then devastating England. With the help of a financier, Musard produced concerts at the Théâtre des Variétés which catered to the resulting hedonism of the time. After a time Musard had a falling out with his financial partner, but soon was able to independently produce his concerts. Central to these concerts was a can-can of "lascivious spectacle" involving girls dressed in only feather boas and gloves. Such was the frenetic delirium of these concerts that writers of the time compared them to a civil war, or even a massacre. Initially these concerts caused considerable scandal, but the government decided to tolerate them as a "safety valve" to prevent further civil disturbance. His 1833 concerts were at a hall, later called the Salle Valentino on Rue Saint-Honoré. By this time Musard had attained huge personal popularity, and his concerts evolved into relatively sedate promenade concerts. In these concerts the audience was free to move around the concert area, and activities included dancing to quadrilles, waltzes, and other forms of dance, drinking, and eating. The music prominently featured was composed by Musard, as well as other composers in vogue at the time such as Daniel Auber and Gioachino Rossini. Musard acquired further substantial wealth as a result of these concerts, where he not only conducted, but created and managed the orchestras. He composed music specifically for these concerts in prolific fashion, and his ability as a conductor was noted. He experienced some health issues within his chest in 1836 and became a patient of Samuel and Mélanie Hahnemann. As a result, he became an ardent supporter of homeopathy. The summer of 1837 saw Musard performing at a large facility on Champs-Élysées, and in the winter moving back to the Salle Valentino. Here Musard, after experiencing stiff competition from Johann Strauss Sr., endeavored to collaborate with his Viennese counterpart. Strauss would conduct the first half of the concert, whereupon Musard would take over for the second part. This proved a great success, and for a time Musard was given the title "Strauss of the Quadrille" and Strauss called "the Musard of the Waltz." 1837 also saw a rumor take root that Musard had died, and a general outpouring of grief ensued. His popularity was eclipsed for a time in the late 1830s by his friend Louis-Antoine Jullien, who tried to out-Musard Musard by using such devices as artillery where Musard merely used a pistol. However, Musard was restored to Parisian prominence upon Jullien's sudden departure from Paris on account of Jullien's great debts. In 1838 the first concerts "à la Musard" were held in London, held in numerous locations and led by conductors ranging in prestige from Strauss to Pilati. Musard's name was carried to the United States in December that same year by Francis Johnson in a series of "Concerts à la Musard". In the late 1830s the outdoor promenade concerts waned in popularity in Paris, but Musard was then appointed to the Paris Opera in 1840 as "Director of the Balls". When Musard's son Alfred (1828–1881), who succeeded him in music and in business, led a series of concerts in the United States his first name was hidden in a deliberate attempt to mislead potential audiences that the Quadrille King was present. His reputation preceding him in England, Musard was expected to bring his concerts to Exeter Hall in October 1839, but these events never occurred as the shareholders disallowed them, feeling the comportment would violate the intended religious purpose of the building. Musard did arrive October, 1840 in London for a series of concerts at Drury Lane Theatre. He left December 19 that year, owing to previous engagements back in Paris, but returned to London at the Lyceum Theatre the following autumn, competing with Jullien. In the middle of the 1840s Musard's popularity began to decline. His last appearance in London occurred the summer of 1845, where he appeared at the Vauxhall Gardens, the Surrey Gardens, and at Queen Victoria's royal Costume Ball at Buckingham Palace. He owned an estate in Auteuil, at that point a wealthy suburban village, and became mayor of that location. In September 1851 Musard suffered a stroke which left him befuddled and paralyzed on the right side. He was treated by the homeopath Charles Lethière, but suffered another stroke late in October, which greatly inhibited his reasoning ability. Musard was scheduled to conduct a series of winter concerts as usual, and Lethière and his son Alfred proceeded to assemble the accustomed large orchestra, with Alfred conducting. Lethière relates that upon arrival, Musard appeared completely oblivious to either his friends, or to the enthusiastic acclamations of the crowd. However, when the music started, Philippe "began to tremble violently" and "his eyes grew bright" and he snatched the baton from his son and began conducting with great vigor. He went on to conduct every one of his Paris concerts that season. He retired in 1852, still considered the "doyen of dance composers" in France, and proceeded to live quietly off of his savings. His life ended as one of great material wealth, but of great physical and mental difficulty. He died in Auteuil on 31 March 1859, almost completely forgotten in a short time; even the musical press barely noticed.

In spite of the size of his orchestra, Musard was known to hire the best musicians, and to pay them wages far above the going rate. This was not to his own financial detriment, as Carse states that he had "an almost diabolical mind for business." He had considerable personal charm, and was known for his conversational ability. He relied on his personality, not his physical attractiveness, to hold his audience. In fact, Punch described his appearance more apt for a humble grocer, but as a showman he was highly adept at entertaining.