''L'Enfance du Christ'' (''The Childhood of Christ''), Opus 25, is an

oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

by the French composer

Hector Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...

, based on the

Holy Family The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on,Ainsworth, 122 but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de La ...

flight into Egypt The flight into Egypt is a story recounted in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 2:13–Matthew 2:23, 23) and in New Testament apocrypha. Soon after the Biblical Magi, visit by the Magi, an angel appeared to Saint Joseph, Joseph in a dream telling ...

(see

Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells the story of who the author believes is Israel's messiah (Christ (title), Christ), Jesus, resurrection of Jesus, his res ...

2:13). Berlioz wrote his own words for the piece. Most of it was composed in 1853 and 1854, but it also incorporates an earlier work ''La fuite en Egypte'' (1850). It was first performed at the

Salle Herz The Salle des Concerts Herz, usually referred to simply as the Salle Herz, was a concert hall in Paris, located at 48, rue de la Victoire. It was built in 1838 by the French pianist-composer Henri Herz. The hall was used for public performances ...

in Paris on 10 December 1854, with Berlioz conducting and soloists from the

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...

: Jourdan (Récitant), Depassio (Hérode), the couple Meillet (Marie and Joseph) and Bataille (Le Père de famille). Berlioz described ''L'Enfance'' as a ''Trilogie sacrée'' (sacred

trilogy A trilogy is a set of three distinct works that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games. Three-part works that are considered components of ...

). The first of its three sections depicts King Herod ordering the massacre of all newborn children in

Judaea Judea or Judaea (; ; , ; ) is a mountainous region of the Levant. Traditionally dominated by the city of Jerusalem, it is now part of Palestine and Israel. The name's usage is historic, having been used in antiquity and still into the prese ...

; the second shows the Holy Family of

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

, and

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

setting out for Egypt to avoid the slaughter, having been warned by angels; and the final section portrays their arrival in the Egyptian town of

Sais Sais (, ) was an ancient Egyptian city in the Western Nile Delta on the Canopic branch of the Nile,Mish, Frederick C., Editor in Chief. "Saïs." '' Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary''. 9th ed. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster Inc., 19 ...

where they are given refuge by a family of

Ishmaelites The Ishmaelites (; ) were a collection of various Arab tribes, tribal confederations and small kingdoms described in Abrahamic tradition as being descended from and named after Ishmael, a prophet according to the Quran, the first son of Abraha ...

. Berlioz was not religious as an adult but remained all his life susceptible to the beauty of the

religious music Religious music (also sacred music) is a type of music that is performed or composed for Religion, religious use or through religious influence. It may overlap with ritual music, which is music, sacred or not, performed or composed for or as a ri ...

that had enraptured him as a child. ''L'Enfance'' also shows some influence from the Biblical oratorios of Berlioz's teacher

Jean-François Le Sueur Jean-François Le Sueur (more commonly Lesueur; ; 15 February 17606 October 1837) was a French composer, best known for his oratorios and operas. Life He was born at Plessiel, a hamlet of Drucat near Abbeville, to a long-established family of P ...

Background

The idea for ''L'enfance'' went back to 1850 when Berlioz composed an organ piece for his friend Joseph-Louis Duc, called ''L'adieu des bergers'' (''The Shepherds' Farewell''). He soon turned it into a choral movement for the shepherds saying goodbye to the baby Jesus as he leaves

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

for Egypt. Berlioz had the chorus performed as a hoax on 12 November 1850, passing it off as the work of an imaginary 17th-century composer "Ducré". He was gratified to discover many people who hated 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 tune as simple and charming as this little piece by old Ducré". He then added a piece for

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

, ''Le repos de la sainte famille'' (''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 first performed in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

in December, 1853. The premiere was so successful, Berlioz's friends urged him to expand the piece and he added a new section, ''L'arrivée à Sais'' (''The Arrival at Sais''), which included parts for Mary and Joseph. Berlioz, perhaps feeling the result was still unbalanced, then composed a third section to precede the other two, ''Le songe d'Hérode'' (''Herod's Dream'').

Reception

Berlioz's music was usually received with great hostility by Parisian audiences and critics, who generally accused it of being bizarre and discordant. Yet ''L'Enfance du Christ'' was an immediate success and was praised by all but two critics in the Paris newspapers. Some attributed its favourable reception to a new, gentler style, a claim Berlioz vigorously rejected:

In that work many people imagined they could detect a radical change in my style and manner. This opinion is entirely without foundation. The subject naturally lent itself to a gentle and simple style of music, and for that reason alone was more in accordance with their taste and intelligence. Time would probably have developed these qualities, but I should have written ''L'Enfance du Christ'' in the same manner twenty years ago.

The work has maintained its popularity – it is often performed around

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

– and many recordings have been made of it.

Roles

*''Le récitant'' (the narrator) (

) *''La vierge Marie'' (the Virgin Mary) (

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

) *''Joseph'' (

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

) *''Hérode'' (Herod) (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

) *''Le père de famille'' (father of the family) (

) *''Centurion'' (a Roman

centurion In the Roman army during classical antiquity, a centurion (; , . ; , or ), was a commander, nominally of a century (), a military unit originally consisting of 100 legionaries. The size of the century changed over time; from the 1st century BC ...

) (

) *''Polydorus'' (

)

Structure

*Part One: ''Le Songe d'Hérode'' (''Herod's Dream'') #Scene 1: Narrator: ''"Dans la crèche"'' ("In the cradle..."). The work starts abruptly without an overture or prelude with the tenor narrator describing the situation in the land at the time of Christ's birth. #''Marche nocturne'' (Nocturnal March). A fugal passage of interweaving melodies evoking Roman soldiers patrolling outside King Herod's palace by night. #Polydorus: ''"Qui vient"'' ("Who is coming..?") #''Marche nocturne'' (continued) #Scene 2: Herod's aria. One of the most famous pieces in ''L'Enfance'', this long

aria In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

expresses the king's inner despair as he is tormented by a recurring dream of a child who will overthrow him. Herod is accompanied by trombones just as Méphistophélès was in '' The Damnation of Faust''. #Scene 3: Polydorus: ''"Seigneur"'' ("My lord"). Polydorus announces the arrival of the Jewish soothsayers. #Scene 4: Herod and the soothsayers. Herod describes his dream to the soothsayers. #The soothsayers make Cabbalistic processions and proceed to the exorcism. A short, wild dance in 7/4 time. #Soothsayers: ''"La voix dit vrai"'' ("The voice speaks the truth"). The soothsayers confirm that Herod's dream is true and advise him to kill every newborn child in the land. #Herod: ''"Eh bien"'' ("Very well") Herod agrees and gives orders for the

Massacre of the Innocents The Massacre (or Slaughter) of the Innocents is a story recounted in the Nativity narrative of the Gospel of Matthew ( 2:16– 18) in which Herod the Great, king of Judea, orders the execution of all male children who are two years old and u ...

. #Scene 5: The stable in Bethlehem. Christ is in the manger as Mary and Joseph sing a lullaby to him. #Scene 6: Choir of angels: ''"Joseph! Marie!"''. The angels warn them to flee to Egypt to escape Herod's persecution. Berlioz uses an off-stage choir (accompanied by an organ) in an open room to represent the angels, an effect originally used in François-Joseph Gossec's ''La nativité'' (1774). During the final bars, he then suggests the doors to be closed. *Part Two: ''La fuite en Égypte'' (''The Flight to

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

'') #Overture. Another

fugue In classical music, a fugue (, from Latin ''fuga'', meaning "flight" or "escape""Fugue, ''n''." ''The Concise Oxford English Dictionary'', eleventh edition, revised, ed. Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson (Oxford and New York: Oxford Universit ...

in triple time. #''L'adieu des bergers'' (The shepherds' farewell). A famous choral movement, often performed separately. #''Le repos de la Sainte Famille'' (The repose of the Holy Family). Choral movement depicting Mary, Joseph and Jesus resting in the shade of a tree. *Part Three: ''L'arrivée à Saïs'' (''The Arrival at

'') #Narrator: ''"Depuis trois jours"'' ("For three days...") The narrator describes the troubled journey from Bethlehem to Sais in Egypt. #Scene 1: Inside the town of Sais. Joseph and Mary's pleas for refuge are rejected by the people of Sais because they are Hebrews. The musical accompaniment is suitably anguished. #Scene 2: Inside the Ishmaelites' house. Finally the father of a family of Ishmaelites (in other words, unbelievers) takes pity on them and invites them into his house. #Father of the family: ''"Grand Dieu!"'' ("Almighty God!"). The Ishmaelite orders his family to care for the travellers. #Father of the family: ''"Sur vos traits fatigués"'' ("On your tired features"). Learning that Joseph is a carpenter too, he invites him to join him at his work. Joseph and his family may stay in the house for as long as necessary. #Father of the family: ''Pour bien finir cette soirée'' ("To end this evening"). He has music played to soothe them. #Trio for two flutes and a harp. An instrumental interlude, one of the few pieces of

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

Berlioz ever wrote. The use of the flutes and harps is inspired by

Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

's opera '' Sapho'' and is meant to evoke the atmosphere of the ancient world. #Father of the family: ''"Vous pleurez, jeune mère'' ("You are weeping, young mother"). The Ishmaelite urges Mary to go to sleep and worry no longer. #Scene 3: Epilogue. The narrator describes how Jesus spent ten years growing up in Egypt. #Narrator and chorus: ''"O mon âme"'' ("O my soul"). The work concludes with this serene movement for tenor and choir.

Recordings

*''L'Enfance du Christ'' Christiane Gayraud, Michel Sénéchal, Michel Roux, André Vessières, Xavier Depraz Choeurs de la Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française, Orchestre des concerts Colonne, conducted by Pierre Dervaux (Disques Vega) 1960 *''L'Enfance du Christ''

Hélène Bouvier Hélène Bouvier (June 20, 1905 in Paris – March 11, 1978 in Paris) was a French operatic mezzo-soprano, particularly associated with the French repertoire. She studied at the Paris Conservatory and made her debut in Nantes in the title rol ...

, Jean Giraudeau,

Michel Roux Michel Roux, OBE (; 19 April 1941 – 11 March 2020), also known as Michel Roux Snr., was a French chef and restaurateur working in Britain. Along with his brother Albert Roux, Albert, he opened Le Gavroche, which subsequently became the first ...

, Louis Noguéra, Choeurs Raymond Saint-Paul,

Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire The Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire () was a symphony orchestra established in Paris in 1828. It gave its first concert on 9 March 1828 with music by Beethoven, Rossini, Meifreid, Rode and Cherubini. Administered by the phi ...

, conducted by

André Cluytens Augustin Zulma Alphonse "André" Cluytens (, ; 26 March 19053 June 1967)Baeck E. ''André Cluytens: Itinéraire d’un chef d’orchestre.'' Editions Mardaga, Wavre, 2009. was a Belgian-born French conducting, conductor who was active in the conce ...

(EMI classics) 1966 *''L'Enfance du Christ'' Florence Kopleff, Cesare Valletti, Giorgio Tozzi, Gérard Souzay, New England Conservatory Chorus,

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...

, conducted by Charles Münch (RCA Victor) 1966 *''L'Enfance du Christ''

Victoria de los Ángeles Victoria de los Ángeles López García (1 November 192315 January 2005) was a Spanish operatic lyric soprano and recitalist whose career began after the Second World War and reached its height in the years from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. ...

Nicolai Gedda Harry Gustaf Nikolai Gädda, better known as Nicolai Gedda (11 July 1925 – 8 January 2017), was a Swedish operatic tenor. Debuting in 1951, Gedda had a long and successful career in opera until the age of 77 in June 2003, when he made his final ...

, Roger Soyer, Ernest Blanc, René Duclos Choir,

, conducted by

(EMI) 1966 *''L'Enfance du Christ''

Janet Baker Dame Janet Abbott Baker (born 21 August 1933) is an English mezzo-soprano best known as an opera, concert, and lieder singer.Blyth, Alan, "Baker, Dame Janet (Abbott)" in Sadie, Stanley, ed.; John Tyrell; exec. ed. (2001). ''New Grove Dictionar ...

, Eric Tappy,

Philip Langridge Philip Gordon Langridge (16 December 1939 – 5 March 2010)Millington (7 March 2010) was an English tenor, considered to be among the foremost exponents of English opera and oratorio. Early life Langridge was born in Hawkhurst, Kent, educ ...

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, John Alldis Choir, London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Colin Davis (Philips) 1976 *''L'Enfance du Christ'' Anne Sofie von Otter, Anthony Rolfe Johnson,

José van Dam Joseph, Baron Van Damme (born 25 August 1940 in Brussels), known as José van Dam, is a Belgian bass-baritone, described as having "a magnificent resonant and expressive voice" and being "an excellent actor". Life and career At the age of 17, h ...

Monteverdi Choir The Monteverdi Choir was founded in 1964 by Sir John Eliot Gardiner for a performance of the ''Vespro della Beata Vergine'' in King's College Chapel, Cambridge. A specialist Baroque ensemble, the Choir has become famous for its stylistic conv ...

, Lyons Opera Orchestra, conducted by

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(Erato) 1990 *''L'Enfance du Christ'' Ann Murray, Robert Tear, David Wilson-Johnson,

Choir of King's College, Cambridge The Choir of King's College, Cambridge is an English Anglican choir. It was created by Henry VI of England, King Henry VI, who founded King's College, Cambridge, in 1441, to provide daily singing in his King's College Chapel, Cambridge, Chapel, ...

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...

, conducted by Stephen Cleobury (

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

) 1990 *''L'Enfance du Christ'' Jean Rigby, John Aler,

Alastair Miles Alastair Miles (born 11 July 1961, Harrow, England) is a British operatic and concert bass who has had an international career since the late 1980s. Biography Education Alastair Miles was educated at The John Lyon School, Harrow, and subs ...

, Gerald Finley, Corydon Singers, Corydon Orchestra, conducted by Matthew Best ( Hyperion) 1994 *''L'Enfance du Christ''

Susan Graham Susan Graham (born July 23, 1960) is an American mezzo-soprano. Life and career Susan Graham was born in Roswell, New Mexico on July 23, 1960. Raised in Midland, Texas, Graham is a graduate of Texas Tech University and the Manhattan School of ...

John Mark Ainsley John Mark Ainsley (born 9 July 1963) is an English lyric tenor. Known for his supple voice, Ainsley is particularly admired for his interpretations of baroque music and the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In the course of his career, he has ...

, François Le Roux, Andrew Wentzel,

Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal The Montreal Symphony Orchestra () is a Canadian symphony orchestra based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The orchestra’s home is the Montreal Symphony House at Place des Arts. History Several orchestras were precursor ensembles to the curren ...

, conducted by

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(

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

) 1995 *''L'Enfance du Christ''

Véronique Gens Véronique Gens (born 19 April 1966) is a French operatic soprano. She has spent much of her career recording and performing Baroque music, Baroque music. Gens was born in Orléans, France, and studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, winning fir ...

Paul Agnew Paul Agnew (born 11 April 1964 in Glasgow) is a Scottish operatic tenor and conductor. Biography Agnew read music as a Choral Scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford. He became associated with various groups specializing in early music (Ex Cathe ...

, Olivier Lallouette, Laurent Naouri, La Chapelle Royale, Collegium Vocale Gent, Orchestre des Champs-Élysées, conducted by

Philippe Herreweghe Philippe Maria François Herreweghe, Knight Herreweghe (born 2 May 1947) is a Belgian conductor and choirmaster. Herreweghe founded La Chapelle Royale and Collegium Vocale Gent and is renowned as a conductor, with a repertoire ranging from ...

(Harmonia Mundi) 1997 *''L'Enfance du Christ'' Christiane Oelze, Mark Padmore, Ralf Lukas, Christopher Maltman, SWR Vokalensemble, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, conducted by Sir Roger Norrington (Hänssler) 2003 *''L'Enfance du Christ'' Jane Henschel, Yann Beuron, Phillipe Rouillon, Gabor Breta, Eric Martin-Bonnet,

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, conducted by

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(Glor Classics) 2009 *''L'Enfance du Christ'' Veronique Gens, Stephan Loges,

, Yann Beuron, Swedish Radio Symphony Choir,

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, conducted by

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(

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) 2013 *''L'Enfance du Christ''

Sasha Cooke Sasha Cooke (born ) is an American mezzo-soprano. Cooke was born in Riverside, California, and grew up in College Station, Texas, where her parents are professors of Russian at Texas A&M University. She earned a bachelor's degree from Rice Univers ...

, Andrew Staples, Matthew Brook, Roderick Williams,

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, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis ( Chandos) 2019

TV adaptations

*''L'Enfance du Christ'' Helen Vanni, Charles Anthony, Giorgio Tozzi, Sherrill Milnes, Ara Berberian, Camerata Singers, CBS Orchestra, conducted by

Alfredo Antonini Alfredo Antonini (May 31, 1901 – November 3, 1983) was a leading Italian-American symphony conductor and composer who was active on the international concert stage as well as on the CBS radio and television networks from the 1930s through the e ...

for

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(1964).

References

Sources

*David Cairns: ''Berlioz: The Making of an Artist'' (the first volume of his biography of the composer) (André Deutsch, 1989) *David Cairns: ''Berlioz: Servitude and Greatness'' (the second volume of his biography of the composer) (Viking, 1999) *Hugh Macdonald: ''Berlioz'' ("The Master Musicians", J.M.Dent, 1982) *Berlioz: ''Memoirs'' (Dover, 1960)

External links

L'Enfance du Christ
on IMSLP {{DEFAULTSORT:Enfance du Christ Religious music by Hector Berlioz 1854 oratorios Oratorios Oratorios based on the Bible Flight into Egypt Cultural depictions of Herod the Great Works based on the Gospel of Matthew