Augusta Holmès
Born: 16 December 1847, Paris, France
Died: 28 January 1903, Paris, France
BIOGRAPHY MUSIC RECORDINGS SOURCES
Singer, composer, and pianist, Augusta Holmès, was born in Paris to an Irish father, Captain Charles Holmès, and a Scottish mother, Tryphina Shearer. Holmès’ parents were part of upper class society and married 20 years before she was born. They became naturalized French citizens in 1872 and were avid readers who instilled a love of learning in their daughter.
By the age of 12, Holmès, who was known as a delightful and creative young girl, spoke French, Italian, German, and English. She was well-read in classical literature and had a keen interest in art and culture. Her father encouraged her music studies and her first lessons were with Versailles Cathedral organist, Henri Lambert. She also studied orchestration and instrumentation with Hyacinthe-Eleonore Klosé, a clarinet professor at the Conservatoire National in Versailles, where she lived. Holmès began composing at 12; her first songs were published when she was just 14, some under the name Hermann Zenta.
Holmès was strong willed and beautiful and considered herself a poet. She was never afraid to set her own words to music. Her godfather, who took part in her education, was renowned poet Alfred deVigny, a friend of Holmès’ parents. It has been speculated that Holmès was his illegitimate daughter.
In Bohemian Paris, Holmès was involved in salon life, enjoying the company of literary figures and musicians Barbier, Saint-Saëns, Rossini, and Gounod, who shared their talents with her. Even though she was a proficient singer and pianist, Holmès preferred composing. Her musical studies took place mostly outside of the conservatory setting and, at 28 years of age when she joined the César Franck circle, (Franck, 58 years old was probably infatuated with her) she was able to premiere some of her music. Also under Franck’s tutelage, she wrote 2 large instrumental works, Lutece, a dramatic symphony, about the early history of Paris, which won the 2nd prize in the City of Paris competition, and Les Argonautes, which was heard at the Concert Populaires series in 1881. Holmès’ personal library is at the Bibliotheque Nationale de Paris.
Holmès eventually met the poet and publisher of the Parnassian poets, Catulle Mendès, and had a long affair with him, during which she probably had at least one of her four illegitimate children (Huguette, Claudine, Helyonne and Raphael). The children lived with a caretaker, apart from their parents. During a trip to Switzerland with Mendès, Holmès met the composer, Richard Wagner, and became dedicated to his composition style, though he was unpopular in Parisian culture. She worked to have his music performed in Paris at the important Concert Populaires Series.
A lover of the French grand style, Holmès wrote a number of large dramatic symphonies and four operas on mythological themes. One of her operas, La montagne noir, opened at Paris Opera in 1895 for eleven performances but was met with harsh criticism. In 1889, Holmès submitted an epic work, a grand cantata, Ode Triomphale, for the Paris Exhibition, when no one else was interested in contributing a musical work. The Ode included 1,200 musicians including choirs and instrumentalists and was a reminder of the Wagnerian influence in her compositional choices.
Holmès’ popularity was built on her ability to compose good melodies. Yet, some of her music was considered “virile” which led some to think of her as a pioneer like Ethel Smyth of England. Because she wrote so many large works, she paved the way for future women composers to do the same.