Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe (1846-1919)

The two brothers, Henry and Émile Deutsch, added “de la Meurthe” to their name after losing their native Alsace and Lorraine to Germany. This was their way of expressing their attachment to France and distinguishing themselves from other Deutsch families. They joined their father, Alexandre, in the oil business. Their enterprise became one of the three leading refining companies in France and soon extended to the Caspian Sea, Croatia, and Spain. ^[1]See Tristan Gaston-Breton and Sonia de Panafieu, La famille Deutsch de la Meurthe. D’hier et d’aujourd’hui 1815-2010, Pour mémoire, 2010..

Like his brother, who after the First World War financed the creation of the Cité Universitaire with the Émile and Louise (née Halphen) Deutsch de la Meurthe Foundation, Henry was a great philanthropist, putting his fortune at the service of his two passions: aeronautics and music.

One of the founders in 1895 of the Automobile club de France and in 1898 of the Aéro-club de France, Henry created several prizes between 1900 and 1909 to encourage the development of aeronautics, including the Deutsch de la Meurthe Cup^[2]For more details, see Sophie Mouton, « De l’aviation à la Cité universitaire. Philanthropie et patriotisme chez les Deutsch de la Meurthe », Archives juives, vol. 42, 2009/1, p. 105-117..

He was also one of the most generous patrons of the Société des grandes auditions musicales de France, chaired by Countess Greffulhe, as well as of the musical seasons organized by Gabriel Astruc. Astruc was the son of the progressive Rabbi Aristide Astruc, who was responsible for his religious instruction. De la M. subsidized performances of Richard Strauss’s Salome in 1907 (5,000 francs), the Russian season in 1909 (10,000 francs), and the Italian season in 1910 (12,500 francs). Above all, he was one of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées’s main shareholders (50,000 francs for 100 shares), which Astruc opened in 1913.

He was also a generous donor to the Association des Artistes et Amis de l’Opéra (Association of Artists and Friends of the Opera), an organization that provides pensions for artists. He became its president after Isaac de Camondo passed away in 1911.

He was a great lover of music and an elected member of the Consistoire central israélite de France. He also devoted himself to composition. He wrote arrangements of prayers for the new consistorial worship service used at the Grande Synagogue de la Victoire and, from 1900, published melodies, such as Douze mélodies, which was published by Grus around 1909. Most of these melodies were based on poems by Camille de Morlhon, an auto enthusiast who became his secretary. He also composed piano pieces, as well as Icare, Icare, épopée lyrique en 3 tableaux based on a poem by Henri Cain and orchestrated by Camille Erlanger. Icare is the first known stage work inspired by aviation and was also Henry D.’s name for a hydroaerobus. The work premiered at the Paris Opera on December 19, 1911, as part of a benefit organized by Astruc for the Aéroclub de France. He was inspired by Wagner’s use of motifs; he was a fervent admirer of Wagner’s operas, which he heard in Bayreuth in 1891 and 1892. ^[3]For an analysis of Icare, see Frederico Lazzaro and Marie-Pier Leduc, “Le rêve et la science: Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe, Icare et la musique aéronautique en France avant la Première Guerre … Lire la suite.

Many of his compositions were inspired by his passion for aviation. Examples include the 1909 melody Vers les cieux (à la conquête de l’air), the 1901 piano and violin piece Balade Aérienne, and several solo piano pieces. In Santos-Valse (1901), he pays tribute to Brazilian pilot Alberto Santos-Dumont, who had just won the prize established by D. de la M. by flying an airship from Saint-Cloud to the Eiffel Tower and back in under 30 minutes. In En Dirigeable, Souvenir du Ville-de-Paris (1907–1908), he reminisces about his own airship, the Ville-de-Paris, which he donated to the military in 1907 following the loss of their Patrie airship.

The piano pieces En automobile (1901), which describes the adventures of a journey (and of which there is a version orchestrated by Camille Erlanger), and En métro (1902), testify to his interest in the most modern means of transport, the first line of the Paris metro having been opened at the 1900 Universal Exhibition and the second under construction in 1902.

In these pieces, D. de la M. attempts to depict technical details in music. For example, he depicts “starting up,” “starting the engine,” “slowing down,” “changing direction,” and “breaking down,” according to the score’s indications. These indications evoke the intertitles of silent films from that era and foreshadow the humorous texts that punctuate some of Erik Satie’s piano pieces. The music evokes the style that accompanied the early days of silent cinema. The scenario of En automobile can be compared to the 1905 film Accident d’automobile by the Lumière brothers. Once again, Henry demonstrates his extreme interest in culture and technical innovation.

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