NAPOLEON I, (1769-1821). Emperor of the French.
"CREATE WORKS WHICH INSPIRE HEROIC SENTIMENTS"
Letter Signed ("Np") to his Minister of the Interior, Champagny, expressing his pleasure at the news of a work which has just been performed at the Opera, and ordering a reward for its composer.
Half page 4to in French, Warsaw, 16 January 1807.
Trans: "I read with pleasure of what has been performed at the Opera. Convey my satisfaction to the author. I had ordered that he should be given a present for his work of Joseph. Tell me what has been done about that. In any case, give him a reward. In general, the best way to praise me is to create works which inspire heroic sentiments, to the nation, to the youth, and to the army. . ."
Napoleon was known to appreciate fine singing, and he encouraged musical artists, as can be seen here. The opera in question is Etienne Mehul's Joseph, based on the biblical story - one which no doubt would have appealed to Napoleon all the more with its Egyptian setting. This was reputedly the best of Mehul's operas, and admired by the later Romantic composers such as Berlioz, but today he is well known in France for his patriotic songs of the period, many of them predating Napoleon's order to create heroic works. They include marching songs such as the Chant du Depart and later the Chant de Retour pour la Grande Armee.
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