But these, after all, are but "spots on the sun." To sum up our conclusions: the following merits in Debussy's music, it seems to me, cannot be gainsaid. He has widened incalculably the vocabulary of music and has expressed in poetic and convincing fashion moods which never before had been attempted. In his work are new revelations of the power of the imagination. As Lawrence Gilman keenly remarks, "He has known how to find music (in Pelléas et Mélisande) for the sublime reflection of Arkel, 'If I were God, I should pity the hearts of men.'" Debussy was also gifted with rare critical ability and many of his observations are worthy of deep consideration. For example—"Music should be cleared of all scientific apparatus. Music should seek humbly to give pleasure; great beauty is possible between these limits. Extreme complexity is the opposite of art. Beauty should be perceptible; it should impose itself on us, or insinuate itself, without any effort on our part to grasp it. Look at Leonardo da Vinci, Mozart! These are great artists."
No account of modern French music would be satisfactory which omitted to mention several composers who, though of somewhat lesser importance than d'Indy and Debussy, have nevertheless achieved works of distinction and charm. These are Chabrier, Fauré, Duparc, Chausson and Ravel. Chabrier (1841-1894) is noted for a bold exuberance and vividness of expression, for a sense of humor and for a power of orchestral color and brilliance which have not been duplicated. His style is entirely his own and he is a veritable incarnation of "vis Gallica." Born in the South of France, the hot blood of that magic land seems to throb in his music. We have from him several pianoforte compositions of marked originality, in particular the Bourrée Fantasque, some inimitable songs, e.g., Les Cigales and La Villanelle des petits Canards and, most famous of all, his Rhapsody for orchestra entitled España, based on Spanish themes. This work has proved to be a landmark in descriptive power and shares with Rimsky-Korsakoff's Scheherazade the claim of being the most brilliant piece of orchestral writing in modern times. Some of Chabrier's best work is in his opera of Gwendoline, especially the Prelude to the second act which is often played by itself.
Although Fauré (1845-still living) is more versatile and prolific than Chabrier, his fame rests upon his achievements in two fields—the song and pianoforte composition. Some of his pianoforte pieces are, to be sure, of a light, salon type; yet in many we find a true, poetic sentiment and they are all written in a thoroughly pianistic idiom. In fact, prior to Debussy Fauré was the only Frenchman worthy to compare in mastery of pianoforte style with Chopin, Schumann and Liszt. As a song composer Fauré ranks with the highest in modern times. The exotic charm and finesse of workmanship in such songs as Clair de Lune, Les Roses d'Ispahan cannot be denied and the instrumental part is always worthy of the composer's genius for pianoforte style, e.g., the accompaniment to Nell being a model in its free polyphony and richness of effect. Fauré has been fastidious in his selection of texts and he is fortunate to have been able to avail himself of the genius of such lyric poets as Leconte de Lisle, Baudelaire, Verlaine, Sully-Prudhomme and others. Indeed as a song-composer Fauré may fairly be grouped with the great German masters. His songs are not German songs, but they are just as subtle in expressing all that is fine in French spirit as those of Schumann and Brahms in their Teutonic sentiment. For this reason alone Fauré is a commanding figure in modern French music. He is also the author of a violin sonata which has enjoyed a popularity second only to that of Franck and a Quintet for pianoforte and strings of distinct originality.
Duparc (1848-still living) one of the earliest of César Franck's pupils—though working in practically but a single field and though by reason of ill health he has written nothing since 1885—will always hold high rank for the beauty and breadth of his songs, especially L'invitation au Voyage, Extase and Phydilé. This last is considered by the writer the most exquisite song in modern literature; its melody, its modulations, its accompaniment alike are flawless.[300]
Chausson (1855-1899) the most gifted of Franck's pupils, though without d'Indy's strength of character, was killed by an unfortunate accident[301] just as he was ready for an adequate self-expression. He had a sensitive imagination, an individual harmonic style; and in those works which he has left—notably several songs, a Quartet for pianoforte and strings and the Symphony in B-flat major, op. 20—there is found a spirit of genuine romantic inspiration.
Although Ravel (1875-still living) cannot claim to be a pioneer like Debussy—since in his music there are frequent traces of the exuberance of Chabrier, the suavity of Fauré, the atmosphere and impressionistic tendencies of Debussy and the exoticism of the Neo-Russians—yet he is indeed no empty reflection of these men, for he has his own bold, fantastic style and has been a daring experimenter in freedom of harmony and structure. One finds a power of ironic brilliance and of unexpected harmonic transformations certainly new in modern literature. Ravel[302] is one of the most versatile and prolific of all the younger Frenchmen having composed significant works in at least four fields: songs, particularly the set entitled Histoires Naturelles, which reveal an unusual instinct for delicate description; and pianoforte pieces of which Miroirs, the dazzling tour de force Jeux d'eau, the Valses nobles et sentimentales, the Sonatine, the Pavane and, above all, the Poems, Gaspard de la Nuit (Ondine, Le Gibbet[303] and Scarbo) are conspicuous examples of his style. Furthermore in the field of chamber music are found a String Quartet, remarkable for inspiration and for certainty of workmanship, and a Trio (for pianoforte, violin and 'cello) which is one of the most brilliant modern works, of convincing originality in its freedom of rhythm, e.g., the opening measures of the first movement.
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Finally, for orchestra his Spanish Rhapsody ranks with Chabrier's España and Debussy's Ibéria as the acme of descriptive power and of orchestral color. His Mother Goose Suite (originally a set of four-hand pieces but since orchestrated with incomparable finesse) illustrates his humor and play of fancy. It has become a truly popular concert number. Ravel's chef d'oeuvre the "choreographic symphony" Daphnis et Chloé displays an extraordinary synthetic grasp, for all the factors—plot, action, the musical fabric, a large orchestra and a chorus of mixed voices behind the scenes—are held together with a master hand. This work ranks with Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande as the most significant dramatic work of recent years.