Berlioz was one of those seemingly paradoxical figures, agnostic or atheist, who composed great works of sacred music. Berlioz wrote in his memoirs that the Roman Catholic faith had been the "joy of his life" for the first seven years of his life and that "although we have long since fallen out, I have kept the most tender memories of it. Yet the "sacred trilogy" L'Enfance du Christ is the odd one out among Berlioz's music, although it must be said that he presents the story of the young Christ as a legendary narrative rather than as an uplifting religious experience. How did he come to compose this Christmas music?
The idea for L'Enfance goes back to 1850, when Berlioz composed an organ piece for his friend Joseph-Louis Duc called "The Shepherds' Farewell," which he then turned into a choral movement about the shepherds saying goodbye to the baby Jesus as he leaves Bethlehem for Egypt. Berlioz had the Chorus performed as a joke on November 12, 1850, passing it off as the work of an imaginary 17th-century composer, "Ducré". He was pleased to find that many people who disliked his music were taken in and praised it, one lady even going so far as to say, "Berlioz would never be able to write a melody as simple and charming as this little piece by old Ducré. He then added a piece for tenor, "The Repose of the Holy Family," and preceded both movements with an overture to form a work he called "La fuite en Egypte." It was published in 1852 and premiered in Leipzig in December 1853. The premiere was so successful that Berlioz's friends urged him to expand the piece and he added a new section, "The Arrival at Sais," which included parts for Mary and Joseph. Berlioz, perhaps feeling that the result was still unbalanced, then composed a third section to precede the other two, "Herod's Dream. And so a joke became a great, serious oratorio...
L'Enfance du Christ was first performed in its entirety at the Salle Herz on December 10, 1854, conducted by Berlioz himself, and was an immediate success. Even people who did not like Berlioz's music were won over by L'Enfance. Some critics attributed its positive reception to a new, gentler style, but Berlioz vehemently denied this - he said that there was no change in style, but that a gentler manner was only due to the subject matter, which naturally lent itself to a gentle and simple style of music. However, the work has retained its popularity to this day - it is often performed around Christmas - and many recordings have been made of it.
L'Enfance has the following parts:
Part I: The dream of Herod.
King Herod laments the loneliness of great rulers. Subject to a recurring night vision, he summons Jewish soothsayers, who tell him that "a child has just been born who will destroy his throne and his power". To prevent the evil predicted to him, he orders the massacre of all newborn children in Judea.
After a silence of about 8 or 9 bars, Berlioz proceeds without further interruption to the "Manger Scene". In a stable, the Virgin Mary tends to the Child Jesus. The angels inform the Holy Family that they are in danger and must leave Judea as soon as possible.
Part II: The flight to Egypt.
Gathered in front of the stable, the shepherds bid farewell to the Holy Family of Mary, Joseph and Jesus as they leave for Egypt to escape slaughter. This scene contains the composer's most serene music.
Part III: The Arrival at Sais.
The final section describes their arrival in the Egyptian city of Sais. Brutally rejected by the Romans and then by the Egyptians, the exhausted refugees are taken in by an Ishmaelite family man who offers them hospitality under his roof. To entertain their hosts, his children perform a trio for two flutes and harp. The narrator, accompanied by an a cappella choir, serenely concludes the work after announcing the coming sacrifice of Jesus as an adult.
Among Berlioz's choral works, L'Enfance du Christ stands apart from the Te Deum and the Grande Messe des Morts. These latter works are monumental, public in their expression, and require very large forces to perform them. With L'Enfance du Christ we are in a very different, much more intimate world. Yet it is as original as any of Berlioz's works - it contains some of the most beautiful and charming music that ever came from his pen.
Listen to The Orchestre National de France conducted by James Conlon.