philechat

A luncheon at the Paris Conservatory at year 188-. Debussy shocked the entire class in the morning with his improvisation on the keyboard, disregarding any formal rules of harmony.

D'Indy, then a well-respected composer and a professor in the Paris Conservatory, noticed Debussy sitting alone at a table, playing with his food in ennui. He put his large palm gently on his student's back.

"I worried that you are running toward the dead pit of Wagnerism," said d'Indy. "We French must have our own tradition and I wish you would think twice before bowing down at the alter of Bayreuth."

"What I composed is entirely French," Debussy protested.

"But I could sense your sense of wonder toward Wagner's sorcery. You should know that we have our French masters, like Cooperin, like Rameau. The French musicians of our time lost their true quest when they abandoned our tradition and followed Wagner."

"I am not imitating Wagner, you see. He has his music. I have mine."

"But you should concentrate on French music. Our tradition is so rich and I wish to revive it. I hope God is at our sides, against all the orgies and madness of the Germans."

"What do you mean about our French tradition, professor? My teachers are the sky, the trees, and the sea. The Book of Nature is more important than any dead masters combined. There's nothing more French than my own music."

"Not true. You have not learned the Creator of the sky, the trees and the sea. And to know the Creator you must understand the rules of harmony ordained from above, and those who preserve it."

"I have no use of the Creator!"

"You see, without the Creator you fall into the gross materialism in the case of Chapentier. Don't you hate him? Or you become Wagnerian. As far as I see the old masters are better than both of these whores of foreigners."

"Ah, professor, I aim for something truer than tradition. Frenchness does not depend on adherence to French rules. I would add the spirit of the Japanese, the Indonesians, and the Russians. And I still call it French. Don't you understand, professor?"

"What exactly are you aiming for? You are not interested in the Renaissance of French music? Don't you think us French should have done better than those in the present? Shouldn't we find what we have lost in our past?"

"Rules aren't everything, professor. The Renaissance does not depend on following the harmony book. I consider them all bunk. What I see is, if we continue to adhere to our tradition, we only hasten the death of French music."

"But, if you disregarded our masters, wouldn't it no longer be French?" D'Indy scratched his head.

"It is as French as it could be," insisted Debussy, "for Frenchness does not depend on any definitions."

And d'Indy, still confused about Debussy's vision, went back to his classroom and popped up a piece of Rameau sitting at his piano. Then he composed, using the intricate rules of harmony and melody.

He was blessed with success in his own life and admiration of his students. However, he was not the one who brought French music to center stage, his idealistic traditionalism regardless. Debussy was. And he wouldn't care less about French tradition.

(the conversation is fictional, though both d'Indy and Debussy were historical figures. D'Indy was a composer and educator, and he envisioned a fundamental project for French musical identity through faith in God and adherence to French classical tradition. Debussy called himself "musician francais", but his style was a radical break from all traditions. He was regarded as the father of musical modernism and influenced 20th century music worldwide)

[ June 09, 2002: Message edited by: philechat ]</p>

Laurentius

Oui, la France.
mais

...what shall we comment upon? Patriotism and tradition? Nationalism in art?

AVE

philechat

I was just commenting on people's different attitudes when confronted with their so-called "cultural identity". In my opinion, d'Indy and Debussy were both looking for the French identity, albeit in radically different ways.

But the problem is, d'Indy envisions French identity only through adherence to French musical tradition. He thought all the other ways lead to either cheap materialism or to mindless imitation of Wagner (which was quite true in France at that time).

The spirit of our time often falls into the trap of d'Indy. A minority culture (in this case, French) perceives an either/or fallacy in terms of the survival of their culture: Either one follows strictly the norms of their own tradition (d'Indy), or submits to the majority culture (Wagnerians), or falls into hedonism (Chapentier). D'Indy does not acknowledge that it was through innovation that a cultural identity was perserved and brought out. Instead of creating culture, he stagnates culture precisely because he "wants to" preserve his cultural identity.

I hate to explain my myth away. Please come to a conclusion yourself and ignore my explanation as best possible.

[ June 09, 2002: Message edited by: philechat ]</p>