The grief caused me by the coldness of Madam d'Houdetot, and the
certainty of not having merited it, made me take the singular
resolution to complain of it to Saint Lambert himself. While waiting
the effect of the letter I wrote to him, I sought dissipations to
which I ought sooner to have had recourse. Fetes were given at the
Chevrette for which I composed music. The pleasure of honoring
myself in the eyes of Madam d'Houdetot by a talent she loved, warmed
my imagination, and another object still contributed to give it
animation, this was the desire the author of the Devin du Village
had of showing he understood music; for I had perceived some persons
had, for a considerable time past, endeavored to render this doubtful,
at least with respect to composition. My beginning at Paris, the
ordeal through which I had several times passed there, both at the
house of M. Dupin and that of M. de la Popliniere; the quantity of
music I had composed during fourteen years in the midst of the most
celebrated masters and before their eyes:- finally, the opera of the
Muses Gallantes, and that even of the Devin; a motet I had composed
for Mademoiselle Fel, and which she had sung at the spiritual concert;
the frequent conferences I had had upon this fine art with the first
composers, all seemed to prevent or dissipate a doubt of such a
nature. This however existed even at the Chevrette, and in the mind of
M. d'Epinay himself. Without appearing to observe it, I undertook to
compose him a motet for the dedication of the chapel of the Chevrette,
and I begged him to make choice of the words.
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