Music and Ultra-Modernism in France: A Fragile Consensus, 1913-1939.

Clifton, Keith E.

Music and Ultra-Modernism in France:

A Fragile Consensus, 1913-1939. By

Barbara L. Kelly. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell

Press, 2013. [xi, 257 p. ISBN 978-1-84383-810-4.

$95.00]

For nearly two decades, musicologist Barbara L. Kelly has produced a steady flow of scholarship on a variety of topics centered mostly on France in the early decades of the twentieth century. Her overarching goal of broadening the conversation beyond well-worn stereotypes has included essays on the press reception of Pelleas, Ravel's position vis-a vis Debussy, and the relevance of petites Maitres such as Milhaud. (1) This latest contribution--her second full monograph--posits nothing less than a reevaluation of the period just before World War I until the eve of Vichy France. Through meticulous primary source research and nuanced analysis, she uncovers an era fraught with misconceptions yet vital to a comprehensive understanding of modern music.

Taking as its premise the patent rejection of the interwar years as defined solely by frivolity, music hall/circus idioms, and humor, Kelly's compact book demonstrates that despite a variety of compositional styles, "ultra-modernism" was often used as an umbrella term for new music and, in several cases, as a pejorative for composers considered undesirable, especially those of Jewish heritage. From the outset, I wish she had explored the history of this complex moniker in more detail. In addition to providing context for later sections, the introductory chapter reveals how a post-impressionistic "stripped-down style" (style depouille)-influenced by Satie's Parade (1916-17) and Socrate (1918)--fundamentally altered the musical landscape after the war.

Drawing on previous work by referring to Debussy's death as a "national tragedy in musical circles" (p. 15), Kelly devotes the first full chapter to his immense and contested legacy. At issue was the question of which Debussy should be venerated, complicated by multiple authors claiming to represent the composer, chiefly Emile Vuillermoz and Leon Vallas. Author of several books on Debussy despite not knowing him personally, Vallas's contributions were frequently called into question by contemporaries. Tensions between Vallas and Henry Prunieres, editor of the venerable journal La Revue musicale, became especially rancorous. As Ravel and Satie came to prominence after 1910, the question of who should serve as Debussy's heir boiled up again. Although both initially made their marks as non-conformists, Ravel soon overshadowed his eccentric colleague, in part thanks to the support of Roland-Manuel, who initially championed both but later favored Ravel, himself a tendentious figure for the younger Les Six generation. An important intermediary was singer Jane Bathori, who brought together diverse composers, styles, and generations for concert programs at the Theatre du Vieux-Colombier, providing crucial opportunities for dialogue.

The role of criticism in the promotion of modern French music is an important and underexplored aspect of the interwar years. Although many artists worked in collaboration with critics, others created their own publicity, including Jean Cocteau's advocacy on behalf of Les Six. One of Kelly's main assertions concerns the role of Henri Collet in the formation of the group, which she accurately labels a "publicity stunt rather than the accident it was later claimed to be" (p. 76). A comparison of Collet's writings for Comoedia to those of Paul Landormy for rival journal La Victoire reveals that Landormy referenced the group and its music more than twice as often (twenty-four Landormy articles versus Collet's ten). The group, however, was not universally praised, engendering mixed reactions for trumpeting bold new theories before expressing them in musical terms.

"Musical Continuities: Sonority, Exoticism and Abstraction" is, at nearly sixty pages, the longest and richest chapter in the book. Here, Kelly moves into the realm of analysis, revealing a keen eye for detail and the ability to uncover potent connections between disparate works. Compositions both familiar and obscure are examined: Ravel's Mallarme songs (1913), Stravinsky's Three Japanese Lyrics (1913), Koechlin's Les Heures persanes, (1913-19), Milhaud's Christophe Colomb (1928), and Jolivet's Mana (1935), among others. The search for Vallas's sensation sonore (sonorous sensation) became a unifying thread, as composers explored various techniques while listening to and drawing inspiration from each other's work. Atonality, extended tertian chords, new instrumental techniques, world music-inspired sounds, "suspended tonalities" (p. 110), and use of the ondes Martenot are all evident. Noting that exoticism did not end with Debussy but continued well into the twentieth century--Maurice Delage's evocative Poemes hindous (1914) emerge as prime examples-Kelly further reveals how Stravinsky's own words point to a growing attraction to neoclassicism during, rather than after, the war. Ravel, Poulenc, and Stravinsky's music provides further evidence of their abiding interest in the style depouille.

The final chapters extend the "dialogues that emerge from musical scores" (p. 163) back to the press. Alongside well-known titles such as La Revue musicale resides the London-based Chesterian, directed by Jean-Aubry, demonstrating how the French musical scene increasingly drew international attention. Returning to a central concern of the book--who should represent French music after Debussy--Kelly reveals that multiple candidates were offered, including Ravel, Milhaud and Georges Migot, all challenged by the arrival of Messiaen and Jeune France in the mid-1930s, a topic that merits its own separate study.

Despite an outwardly fractured environment, a rich consensus temporarily emerged. The prevailing view of the "fun-loving twenties" (p. 191) thus becomes inadequate: as evidence, Kelly reveals how Catholic composer/organist Marcel Dupre broke new ground in his Symphonie-Passion (1924) based on episodes from the life of Christ; Honegger and Milhaud explored poignant religious and political subjects in their collaborations with Paul Claudel; and Messiaen found himself drawn to Claudel's work and mystic spirituality. At the same time philosopher Jacques Maritain argued for a closer relationship between old and new approaches in his influential book Art et Scholastique (1920), providing a template for neoclassicism. After the failure of Mavra (1922), Stravinsky found redemption in Les Noces (1923), a work exerting a profound influence, especially on Poulenc.

Perhaps as expected, consensus "did not and could not last" (p. 224). In the wake of Ravel's 1927-1928 visit to America--celebrated as much for its publicity as for his artistry--a composer often on the margins was thrust back into the spotlight. Kelly further reveals how "Ravel sensed his value as a prized diplomatic pawn and joined the brinkmanship" (p. 229), taking the trip, I might add, despite serious health problems that became more acute in the aftermath.

Taken as a whole, Music and Ultra-Modernism is a significant and long-overdue contribution to a critical period in French musical history. Arguing persuasively for the vitality and breadth of the era, Kelly supports her assertions with a large source base encompassing more than 200 separate items. Her ability to evaluate and contextualize this diverse material is evident on nearly every page, marred only by occasional typos--for example, Stravinsky's Renard incorrectly identified as Le Renard (p. 171). A troubling trend in recent scholarly publishing, evident here as well, is spotty indexing, where composer's names may be listed without page references to specific works, making it difficult to locate commentary on those items. Two examples from the present monograph include Jolivet and Messiaen, who have no musical works at all listed, while Ma Mere l'Oye appears inexplicably under Satie's name.

But these quibbles in no way detract from Kelly's important work. By expanding and clarifying our understanding of an underappreciated period in French modernism, she has produced a contribution that will enlighten French specialists while appealing to broad-minded general readers. Building on her previous research, she creates a sturdy foundation for future explorations. As much as we might wish to cling to the stereotypical bond between high art and popular culture as defining the interwar period, Kelly convincingly demonstrates why the story is both more nuanced and more engaging.

Keith E. Clifton

Central Michigan University

(1.) A few key examples of her work include "Representing Ravel: Artificiality and the Aesthetic of Imposture" in Unmasking Ravel, ed. Peter Kaminsky (Rochester: University of Rochester Press, 2011): 4162; "Remembering Debussy in Interwar France: Authority, Musicology, and Legacy," Music and Letters 93/3 (2012): 374-93; "Debussy and the Making of a musicien francais: Pelleas, the Press, and World War I," in French Music, Culture, and National Identity, 1870-1939, ed. Barbara L. Kelly (Rochester: University of Rochester Press, 2008): 58-75; and Tradition and Style in the Works of Darius Milhaud, 1912-1939. (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2003).