Reviving Fin-de-siècle Pianism - Through Nine Composers from Le tombeau de Paul Dukas (1936)

Following Paul Dukas’s passing in 1935, Henry Prunièers, the editor of La Revue Musicale, orchestrated a memorial project. He invited a group of Dukas’s pupils, colleagues, and former students to contribute short piano works dedicated to Dukas. The result, Le Tombeau de Paul Dukas - Neuf pièces inédites composées pour piano, à la mémoire de Paul Dukas (1936), emerged as a captivating collaboration of seasoned contemporaries and younger composers, creating a mosaic of musical homage. The set includes compositions by F. Schmitt, M. Falla, G. Pierné, J. Ropartz, J. Rodrigo, J. Krein, O. Messiaen, T. Aubin, and E. Barraine. However, Le Tombeau de Paul Dukas is seldom performed today, and scholarly research on it is scarce. Why? One plausible reason is that Le Tombeau de Paul Dukas belongs to the Fin-de-siècle period, often perceived as obscure or underappreciated. The Fin-de-siècle era, signifying the ‘end of the century,’ encapsulates the late 19th century’s literary and artistic diversity, posing challenges in defining its essence compared to more well-defined Romantic or Impressionist eras. Furthermore, compositions from this period tend to fall outside widespread interest due to conservative tendencies conflicting with the demand for radical experimentation (Watson, 2010).

Delving into Le Tombeau de Paul Dukas not only showcases the nine composers' individualistic artistry but also serves as a testament to the national (France) and international musical phenomena of Fin-de-siècle. Inheriting the French Tombeau tradition, the collection demonstrates excellence in its various, intimate, and mournful commemorations of their mentor. At times, Dukas is recalled and reanimated through innovative compositional techniques such as cryptography (Ropartz, Pierné) and mode (Messiaen). In other instances, Dukas is attempted to be forever-remembered through his enduring legacy, being quoted from Dukas’s iconic works such as La Pèri, Arienne et Barbe-Bleue, and Piano Sonata (Schmitt, Aubin, Rodrigo). 

Dukas’s inclusive approach to composers from diverse backgrounds within his circle (Minors, 2019) and his continuous incorporation of foreign music into his composition earned him admiration. He helped non-French pupils such as Falla and Rodrigo construct their identity during Fin-de-siècle, as manifested in Le Tombeau de Paul Dukas. The late 1930s in Spain were tumultuous with the notorious Francoist regime, aiming to homogenize Spanish identity. Falla’s Pour Le Tombeau de Paul Dukas and Rodrigo’s Hommage a Paul Dukas both epitomize their identity as early modernist and international composers with enduring Spanish heritage. Barraine’s Hommage à Paul Dukas stands out as one of the most intimate and personal tributes in the set, considering the shared Jewish heritage between her and Dukas amidst rising antisemitic tensions during the dreadful Dreyfus Affair under the Vichy Regime in France. 

A theoretical aspect will be discussed next. Through Schmitt, Ropartz, and Krein, I will explore the Paris Conservatoire’s pedagogical influence during Fin-de-siècle, specifically that of Theodore Dubois, who notably influenced Dukas’s compositional style, as well as Jules Massenet. Examining their compositional teaching, which played a pivotal role in shaping the Fin-de-siècle style, will provide us with an understanding of appropriate approaches to the obscurity of harmonic language via tonal coherence.

Dukas’s legacy was immense; he was a dignified greatness who was compared to Iskender (Alexander the Great) by Aubin, and his death was Chaîne brisée (broken chain) to Schmitt. Messiaen for the first time used ‘ametrical’ in Pièce to symbolize Dukas’s eternal essence. This study of Le Tombeau de Paul Dukas establishes the Fin-de-siècle style as a crucial epoch shaping art and music. It unveils a mosaic of musical tributes by notable figures, transcending national borders and offering insights into identities shaped amid international political upheavals.

A SHOWCASE OF FIN-DE-SIÈCLE STYLE

Florent Schmitt: Tombeau de Paul Dukas Op. 86 No. VI

Schmitt’s Tombeau de Paul Dukas stands as the first piece of this collection. Similar to his earlier creation of commemorative piano pieces dedicated to Debussy (1920) and Fauré (1922) in Revue musicale, Schmitt seamlessly integrated his tribute to Dukas into piano suites that he published shortly thereafter.

Originally published as Op. 86, No. VI under the title Tombeau de Paul Dukas, the piece was republished in 1937 as Stèle pour le tombeau de Paul Dukas (Stele for the Tomb of Paul Dukas), now part of the collective work Chaîne brisée, Op. 87. Nones provides an intriguing insight into the title’s significance; Chaîne brisée alludes to a proverb describing how the loss of a prominent group member as a broken chain, while Stèle refers to a wooden or stone slab, historically erected as a monument, often for funerary purposes, adorned with inscriptions or ornamentation. (Nones, N/A).

This ‘broken chain’ becomes palpable through the use of consistent ostinato ‘A’  in the music, mirroring Dukas’s homage to Debussy in his La Plainte, du faune, au loin… (1920), where Dukas employs a consistent ostinato ‘G.’ (Ex.1) Combined with sound spatialization and spatial effects, achieved through the persistent ostinato, these elements evoke a musical signal rooted in the French tradition of the tombeau, resonating with the death knell in Western funeral rites (Castro, 2020, 72). Minors further recognizes the importance of the ‘reanimation’ aspect in tombeau tradition, viewing it as an intellectual exercise that presents Dukas’s voice in the memorial volume, thereby acting as a musical testimonial.  Within the composition, Schmitt pays homage to Dukas by quoting his Fugue from Piano Sonata in E flat minor. (Ex. 2)

I propose that Schmitt’s ostinato ‘A’ serves a dual purpose, simultaneously looking back and foreshadowing the future - an embodiment of the quintessential Fin-de-siècle quality, which encapsulates both retrospective and forward-looking elements. While the spatial effect of the ‘bell’ aligns with the musical idiom of Debussy and Ravel in terms of compositional form (e.g., Debussy preludes ‘des par sur la neige , Ravel Le Gibet), the ‘bell’ serving as ‘pedal tone’ also reflects the influence of Theodore Dubois, Schmitt’s compositional teacher at the Paris Conservatoire. Dubois’s treatise reveals both liberal treatment in harmony and emphasis on awareness of the sense of tonality. He asserts, “During the pedal duration, whatever the remoteness of the tones that we approach, we must not lose sight of the tonal function of this Pedal, that is to say that we must return from time to time to chords of which it is an integral note. This approach consistently produces the best result from the point of view of the charm and the sweetness of the successions” (Dubois, 1980, 166-7). Thus, the A ostinato serves both symbolic function and a role in preserving tonality.

Example 1. A consistent ostinato - Florent Schmitt Tombeau de Paul Dukas, mm. 1- 6, Paul Dukas La Plainte, au loin, du faune…, mm. 1-2

 Example 2. Reference to Paul Dukas’s Fugue; Dukas Piano Sonata in E flat minor, Movement 3, mm. 225- 232, Schmitt Tombeau de Paul Dukas, mm. 8, 12- 13

Tony Aubin  Le Sommeil d’Iskender

Aubin’s Le Sommeil d’Iskender engages in a dialogue with Dukas’s own music, La Péri. The title of Aubin’s work, specific to the source of his ekphrastic response, serves as a metaphor for Dukas’s enduring musical influence after his death, employing the characters Iskender (Alexander the Great) and the magical genie Pèri.

The title Le Sommeil d’Iskender translates to ‘Iskender’s sleep,’ directly signifying Iskender’s death in Dukas’s ballet. The narrative of Le Sommeil d’Iskender is lucid, beginning with Il sentit l’ombre l’entourer (He felt the shadow surround him), progressing to the full Pèri theme with a performance indicator of Large, and concluding with  Lent, referencing the end of the Poéme dansé with a chromatic descending motif, as if ascending to heaven. (Ex. 3)

In Aubin’s Le Sommeil d’Iskender,  Dukas’s projective dichotomy of ‘good (Pèri)’ and ‘evil (Iskender)’ is not the focal point.  Instead, Aubin appears to embrace human mortality, acknowledging the finite nature of greatness, be it Dukas or Alexander the Great. Aubin draws parallels between Dukas and Iskender in the music, portraying both as mortal figures who transcend this world, in contrast to the immortal Pèri. Interestingly, Aubin places emphasis on the full Pèritheme as the climax, not Iskender’s. Minors suggests that this blending of references may signify Aubin’s aspiration for Dukas’s lasting and persistent impact on musical discourse and education through his published works and students, associating Pèri’s immortality with Dukas (Minors, 2019, 103-4)

 Aubin’s use of keys and related characters is particularly metaphorical. From the beginning until the Large section, the key undergoes constant modulation, devoid of settling on E and characterized by chromaticism. Subsequently, the E major key is firmly established with the Pèri theme in the Large section, showcasing a pronounced sense of major tonality and diatonic melodic features. Then, the Lent section, in the last four bars, secures the E major key with four full E major chords, creating an assurance and leading to a tranquil state, akin to the ‘sleep’ of Iskender or Dukas.

Example 3.  Dukas, La Péri, mm. 274–279

BEGINNING OF MODERNISM

Dukas’s teaching philosophy and pedagogic approaches at the Paris Conservatoire extended beyond focusing solely on pure compositional and stylistic techniques to nurturing students’ individual musical voices. Dukas introduced a diverse range of musical works, spanning various historical periods, including compositions by Debussy, Berlioz, Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. Consequently, Dukas’s students thrived in discovering and cultivating their unique style. Notably, Messiaen, Aubin, and Barraine, moved away from the confines of Romanticism and embraced the realm of modernism. Barraine, reflecting on Dukas’s class, remarked that ‘it was [not just a lesson in composition but] also [encompassed elements of]  history, philosophy, and metaphysics class,’ (Massip, 2012, 48), This highlights the profound influence of Dukas on his students’ musical identity construction during this transformative era.

Olivier Messiaen:  Pièce pour le Tombeau de Paul Dukas

Messiaen’s striking homage to his teacher, titled Pièce pour le Tombeau de Paul Dukas, occupies the fifth position in the set Le Tombeau de Paul Dukas. Composed before Messiaen’s return to Paris for the new academic year in October 1935, the piece is distinguished by majestic chords, seemingly commemorating Dukas as a dignified colleague.  Upon reflecting on the piece years later, Messiaen characterized its musical language as “quite simple.” he described: 

it uses mode 3 in its first transposition, whose orange, white and gold light perpetually falls onto a long dominant seventh. It is static, solemn and stark, like a huge block of stone. (Simeone, 2004)[1]

Despite its simplicity and brevity -spanning only 13 measures-, Piece encapsulates Messiaen’s philosophy of time and eternity, which possibly symbolizes an endeavor to capture Dukas’s eternal essence, resonating with Messiaen’s broader metaphysical view of existence and creation. To begin with, Pièce is the first piano work to discard the use of time-signatures, rendering it ‘ametrical.’This mirrors Messiaen’s assertion that ‘duration,’ as opposed to music, embodies eternity. He contended that ‘[musical] duration does not belong to music but, on the contrary, music belongs to time.’ Considering his statement that “Time is God's creation, the opposite of Eternity,” (Williams, 1982, 214) his decision to omit time signature aligns with his philosophical perspective on time and eternity, emphasizing duration over rhythmic structure. By liberating the piece from traditional rhythmic constraints, Messiaen may express a desire to transcend the temporal and evolve a timeless remembrance for Dukas, highlighting his enduring impact and significance.  Furthermore, Messiaen employed a plainchant form to honor Dukas. According to Lundblad, a plainchant form exerts a pivotal influence on Messiaen’s spiritual and musical universe. (Lundblad, 2023, 1).  Rhythm, serving as a vital conduit through which duration - the seed of musical structure - sprouts, stands as a central element bridging the realms of chant and the freedom of expressivity in contemporary music.

In Piéce, the rhythmic effect relies on the use of added value, manifested through both added notes and dots. Notably, the composition features an instance of rhythmic diminution in the left hand of bar 12, where the notes progressively decrease in duration - 16, 8, 4, 2, 1. Conversely, the structural elements of the piece encompass distinct periods characterized by descending motifs, whole-tone scales, and chords. Each period concludes with a cadence on the note B, symbolic of  ‘P’ for Paul Dukas. In essence, Pièce exhibits a juxtaposition of two integral elements: mode and rhythm. Williams elucidates how Messiaen’s adeptness at interweaving disparate elements aligns him with the Surrealists, a philosophy influenced by Dukas’s intrigue with Hindu music at the Paris Conservatoire, significantly shaping Messiaen’s perspectives on eternity and time.

Example 4. Messiaen, Pièce pour le Tombeau de Paul Dukas, mm. 1-4

SHARING HERITAGES IN TIMES OF ANTI-SEMITICISM STRUGGLE

Elsa Barraine: Hommage à Paul Dukas

Within the context of the French tombeau tradition, considered as an ‘act of devotion’ (Minors, 2019, 105) and regarded as a representation of the significance of the artist to whom the volume is dedicated, Elsa Barraine’s Hommage à Paul Dukas stands out as one of the most intimate and personal tributes.

Barraine distinguished herself as an exceptional student, accumulating an impressive collection of prizes, including premier prix in harmony (1925), counterpoint and fugue (1927), and piano accompaniment (1927). Following these initial studies, Barraine studied composition with Dukas from 1927 to 1929 and won the Prix de Rome competition. After 1929, Dukas continued to mentor Barraine unofficially, maintaining correspondence during her time at the Villa Medici in Italy and through regular meetings upon her return to Paris. Throughout her life, Barraine acknowledged the profound influence Dukas had on her (Minors, 2019, 132). Odile Bourin marked ‘She [Barraine] benefitted from Dukas’s immense musical, philosophical, artistic, literary, metaphysical culture, and he introduced her to Asian music and spirituality. His demands marked her profoundly and lastingly; she perceived his teaching as a great lesson of art and of life. A great and affectionate friendship was born, and Elsa Barraine always remained loyal to her cherished master.’ (Massip, 2012)

Amidst their strong friendship and mentorship, their shared Jewish background contributed to a robust cultural bond (Hamer, 2019, 131). Particularly, anti-Semitic tensions, escalating since the Dreyfus Affair[2] and reaching a sinister peak under the Vichy Regime, were palpable in interwar France (Fulcher, 1995, 79). Fulcher described that ‘race was being treated not as a synonym for nationality but as a synthesis of both culture and blood,’ (Fulcher, 1995, 62) and Debussy even commented on Dukas’s Ariane et Barbe-bleue as ‘a masterpiece, but it is not French music,’ raising questions about the anti-Semitism among musicians and stances of composers with Jewish backgrounds in late 19th-century France.

Both Dukas and Barraine expressed these social and political issues through music, both similarly and differently. For Dukas, his reaction to this tension was subtly but symbolically manifested through music. His musical themes continually conveyed ‘freedom’ and ‘truth’ in music, advocating ‘justice’ in La Pèri, and Ariane et Barbe-Bleue. He adopted Beethovenian Heroism ‘Kampf und Sieg (Struggle and Victory)’ and inserted this narrative and rhetoric projection into non-programmatic repertoire as well.

In comparison, Barraine, more explicitly than Dukas, composed numerous Jewish-inspired works, including Deux préludes et fugues pour orgue (1928), Pogromes (1933), Trois chansons hébraïques enfantines (1935), Quatre chants juifs (1937), Deuxième Symphonie (1938), and Suite juive (1951). Specifically, Deux préludes et fugues pour orgue represents a musical reference to Barraine and Dukas’s shared Jewish heritage and partial sense of cultural identity, honoring Dukas (Hamer, 2019, 141).

Barriaine also aimed to reintroduce humanism to composition, to the point where Sadie described her as “Profoundly sensitive to the enormous upheavals of her time, Barraine was unable to dissociate her creative processes from her personal, humanist, political and social pre-occupations.” (Sadie, 1994, 38) While some of her pieces address specific social and political issues, others explore a particular emotion or psychological state. (Briscoe, 2004, 365). Understanding Ouvrage de Dame (1931 - 1939) might help understand Hommage since Ouvrage de Dame is a programmatic woodwind quintet, describing fictional women with different personality types with distinct timbres of instruments. It is striking how Angélique is similarly described as Hommage; while the oboe plays the melodic line, bassoon, horn, and clarinet play rhythmic ostinatos just as the right hand in Hommage plays the heaven-like melody while the left hand plays the tertian chords bassline - the vanishing ending, perhaps, imparts a sense of envisioning Dukas’s ascension to heaven. 

SPANISH COMPOSERS IN PARIS

Messiaen noted that Dukas’s circle included composers from diverse backgrounds (Minors, 2019, 93). This chapter explores how non-French composers constructed their identity during the Fin-de-siècle in Paris through Manuel de Falla and Joaquin Rodrigo’s tributes.

Manuel de Falla: Pour le Tombeau de Paul Dukas

As Falla’s family traversed from Madrid to Paris, he encountered Dukas, forging lasting friendship. It seems that Falla admired Dukas immensely. Not only did Falla admire Dukas’s orchestration, describing it as a “sound of magic”(Murray, 1992, 12), but he was also captivated by Dukas’s and Debussy’s incorporation of foreign music. Falla wrote “During the last World Fair at the Champ de Mars two young French musicians [Dukas and Debussy] were to be seen going about together listening to exotic music from more or less distant countries. Unobtrusively mixing with the crowd, they absorbed the magic of sound and rhythm the strange music contained. [...] These young musicians later on became two of the most famous names in contemporary music - Paul Dukas and Claude Debussy” (Falla, 1979, 41).

Later on, Falla composed Homenaje, pour Le Tombeau de Claude Debussy and Pour Le Tombeau de Paul Dukas, both of which later became a part of his orchestral suite Homanajes (1939), dedicated to Enrique Fernández Arbós, Claude Debussy, Paul Dukas, and Felipe Pedrell in Argentina. According to Muñoz, Homanajes signifies Falla’s return to mentors who profoundly shaped his musical ideologies regarding Spanishness during the tumultuous late 1930s when regional and national identities became increasingly important issues in Spain. In 1939, Falla left Spain following the end of the Spanish Civil War and Franco’s regime consolidation. The Francoist regime notoriously aimed to homogenize Spanish identity within the country, erasing regional distinctions and imposing Castilian identification. Ultimately, Homanajes reflects Falla’s multivalent approach to his national identity, embracing regionalism while also accounting for international influence (Muñoz, 2018, 1).

From this context, Muñoz suggests that Pour Le Tombeau de Paul Dukas epitomizes Falla’s identity as an early modernist and international composer. Falla’s Spanish musical heritage, such as Iberian or Habanera rhythms or colors that characterized his previous works, is conspicuously absent, replaced with elements of French Impressionism and, Castilian guitar effect, orientalism, Dukas’s rich sonority, sound continuity and dense texture in the orchestrated version, and, to some degree, Neoclassicism.

While Dukas’s resonance is apparent in the 1939 orchestrated version, with Murray’s explanation that the extensive ensemble in the piece serves as an additional layer of homage to Dukas (Murray, 1992, 12),  Sacre asserted that “it is on the piano that it must be heard, devoid of testamentary emphasis, in the rarefied atmosphere of the Lento of the Concerto for Harpsichord” (Sacre I, 1998, 1078). Muñoz also added that Falla's piano score featuring blocked choral movement, rolled chords, and ascending arpeggiated chords, suggest the style of the Castilian guitar, enduring Falla’s Spanish heritage.  To Falla, these Castilian guitar sounds, like the “new music” of Paris, represented the “marvelous revelation of unsuspected possibilities of sound.” (Fallas, 100-111)

The ending of Pour le Tombeau de Paul Dukas features a quotation of Dukas’s Fugue ending from his Piano Sonata in E flat minor - third movement, establishing a thematic consistency that ties the individual pieces together. (Ex. 5)

Example 5. Paul Dukas Fugue reference; Paul Dukas’s Fugue; Dukas Piano Sonata in E flat minor- movement 3, mm. 225- 232, Falla Pour le Tombeau de Paul Dukas, mm. 46- 53

Joaquin Rodrigo: Hommage a Paul Dukas

While Falla incorporated a broader range of global influences into his Pour le Tombeau, Rodrigo’s Hommage a Paul Dukas represents a forward-looking, contemporary style -  a vision of Paris that departs from Rodrigo’s previous neoclassical tendencies. Despite Rodrigo's preference for classical forms and subsequent taste for neoclassicism, he chose impressionistic colors infused into his own Spanish heritage to commemorate Dukas in his Hommage..  

Rodrigo’s Hommage stands out as the most sad, mournful and lamenting among the nine pieces in the collection, featuring a heart-aching melody. Sacre aptly remarked, “Of the nine pieces constituting this Tombeau, undoubtedly the most moving, the most Pathétique.” (Sacre II, 1998, 2293) It is true that Rodrigo’s Hommage evokes a contemplative and grieving atmosphere, with subsequent lamentation through the semitone ostinato F and E flat, bell-like pedaled pitches, creating an aural sense of a funeral. However, as Iglesias pointed out, the true germ of the composition lies in a motif interwoven in the third re-exposition, reproducing a theme from Dukas's opera Ariane et Barbe-Bleue, symbolizing the imprisoned wives. (Ex. 6) In fact, Dukas’s Ariane et Barbe-Bleue held special significance for Rodrigo; it deeply inspired him. After attending the performance of Ariane in 1917 in Paris, Rodrigo was so enthralled that he sought to study with Dukas. With a letter of introduction from musicologist Henry Collet, Rodrigo was received by Dukas, leading to the composer’s enrollment in the École Normale de Musique de Paris.

The piece, composed during Rodrigo's summer stay in Salzburg, premiered in Paris at the Société Nationale de Musique in 1936. The piece was later published by Eschig Editions in 1966 under the title Sonada de adiós. Sonada de adiós is the perfect example where the memory of certain Spanish airs coexists with the impressionistic color of the time and the city where the composer was forming. A connoisseur of contemporary European aesthetic currents, Rodrigo did not abandon his own style, consistently affirming his personality. (Gonzalez, 2020, 3)

Example 6. Fragment of Dukas’s Ariane et Barbe Bleue.

FROM CLASSROOM TO COMPOSITION: PARIS CONSERVATOIRE

Many French Fin-de-siècle composers, including Paul Dukas, received their education at the Paris Conservatoire under the guidance of influential mentors such as Théodore Dubois (1837- 1924), and Jules Massenet (1842- 1912). This chapter aims to explore the compositional style of Fin-de-siècle music, by examining Jules Massenet’s compositions and Dubois’s treatise and theoretical approach, which played a pivotal role in shaping the Fin-de-siècle style. Particularly, it will highlight how this style embodies a unique synthesis of innovation and tradition, especially in its treatment of tonality.

Joseph Guy-Ropartz: A la Mémoire de Paul DUKAS

Paul Dukas’s presence in Ropartz’s A la Mémoire de Paul DUKAS is unmistakable yet enigmatic. The first part of the piece (mm. 1-16) commemorates Dukas through musical cryptography: B (P) - A (A) - G (U) - E (L) - D (D) - G (U) - D (K) - A (A) - E (S). (Ex 7) This embodies the reactivation, recall, and reanimation concepts referred to by Proust. Each memory experience may contain similar content, but the resulting experience varies, relying on change and development, avoiding a single representation. Although not unique, this system was previously used in 1922 to pay tribute to Fauré in works by Ravel, Schmitt, Aubin, and others. Ravel had previously employed the system earlier to encode Haydn in Menuet sur le nom de Haydn, (1909), a method also employed by Hahn, d’Indy, and Dukas in Prélude élégiaque sur le nom de Haydn, (1910).

The second part (mm. 15 -31) intertwines motifs of Dukas himself, such as the theme from L’Apprenti sorcier (1897) (Ex. 8).

Example 7. Cryptography using Paul Dukas name

Example 8. Reference to Dukas’s L’Apprenti Sorcier; Ropartz A la Mémoire de Paul DUKAS, mm. 17-21

The third part ‘Poco più lento’  (mm. 32 - 45), in contrast to ‘Grave,’ serves as a heavenly coda, modulated from E minor to G major. The frequent, and temporal modulation to distant keys in this section reflects Ropartz’s studies with Duboir rather than being arbitrary. As the example shows, with my application of common-tones and nonharmonic tones, the tonal structure in the third-intervallic relationship is established, providing harmonic structural key coherency. Example 9 is a chordal reduction of the passage, revealing a series of tertian chords explained by traditional voice-leading practice via common-tones and nonharmonic tones.

In fact, Dubois emphasized on the natural overtone harmonies as a starting point of modern music while maintaining the tonal unity (Dubois, 1921, 1) Specifically, in the preface of his treatise, Dubois said “modern harmony is based almost entirely on the natural resonance of a sounding body”, and “a vibrating lower note germinates all the natural harmony.” He refers to Monteverdi several times as a model and an initiating point of determining all a new musical direction, starting point of modern music and tonal unity. (Dubois, 1921, 136-172)

Example 9. Chordal reduction of A la Mémoire de Paul DUKAS, mm. 34- 45

Understanding Dubois’s treatise and approach significantly aids not only in comprehending Fin-de-siècle music but also in interpreting the late 19th music, in which microscopic Roman-numeral analysis falls short of providing meaningful interpretation. Example 10 illustrates the same principle applicable to a similar passage: Paul Dukas’s Rameau Variation No. 8. In the music, although the three chords are non-functioning in succession, this series of reduction is explained by using the traditional common-tones and nonharmonic tones.

Example 10. Chordal reduction of Dukas’s Rameau Variation No. 8, mm. 1- 6

Julien Krein Pièce á la Mémoire de Paul Dukas

Julien (or Yulian) Krein’s music encompasses diverse backgrounds from Russian, French, and Jewish backgrounds. Between 1927 and 1932, he studied under Dukas at the Ecole Normale in Paris before returning to Moscow in 1934. Krein’s Pièce á la Mémoire de Paul Dukas notably reflects Dukas’s orchestration style and a seemingly complex harmonic language from Dukas’s postwar compositions. This harmonic complexity indirectly echoes the influence of Théodore Dubois, given that Dukas himself had studied under Dubois. Strictly adhering to a ternary form, the ABA’, A and A’ sections consist of a succession of planing tenth chords in the left hand. (Ex.11) While the music presents a rich and colorful sonority akin to Ropartz’ A la Mémoire de Paul DUKAS, traditional Roman numeral analysis may fall short in providing a meaningful interpretation for this section, as it involves non-functioning and non-developing chords.

The graph illustrates a series of non-tertian chords in reduction, explicable through traditional voice-leading practices via common-tones and nonharmonic tones on a macroscopic scale. The use of 9th, 10th, 11th, and even 13th chords in succession in tonal settings also echoes Dubois’s ideas on modern music and the germination of harmony from overtone resonance. (Ex. 12) The graph showcases the planing of tenth chords and tonal prolongation i-iv7-i, evoking overtone resonances while still sounding tonal.  Above this mournful harmonic progression, the liberamente ed espressivo melodic line recalls the theme from  La Pèri. (Ex. 13)

Example 11. The planing of tenth chords and tonal prolongation i-iv7-i

Example 12. Dubois’s ideas on modern music and the germination of harmony from overtone resonance.

Example 13. Reference to Paul Dukas’s La Pèri theme; Krein Pièce á la Mémoire de Paul Dukas, mm. 1-2

Gabriel Pierné: Prélude sur le Nom de Paul Dukas

Pierné, despite the obscurity of his name today, was hailed as the most comprehensive French musician of the Fin-de-siècle era, standing out as one of the prolific composers of the time. His remarkable output includes 8 operas, 10 ballets and pantomimes, 11 orchestral works, 6 chamber compositions, 11 piano pieces, 3 oratorios, and 5 song cycles. He earned the first medal for solfège, piano, counterpoint, and fugue, and also secured the Grand Prix de Rome with his cantata Edith.

In contrast to his grander undertakings, such as operas and extensive chamber portfolios, Pierné's Prélude is notably concise and unassuming in both texture and length. Originally part of a set titled Six pièces pour piano (Op. Posthume), composed in 1936 and published by Lemoine editions in 1938, the set comprises commemorating and programmatic miniature pieces, including Prélude sur le nom de Paul Dukas, La poupée mécanique de Debussy, Mendelssohnia, Le tombeau de César Franck, Voyage au pays du Tendre, and Gulliver au pays de Lilliput.

Despite their brevity, these miniatures showcase an organ effect through a long pedal, solid and consistent contrapuntal technique within a sparse but linear texture, an assured tonality, and somewhat impressionistic sonority. Specifically, the great lyricism combined with a lighter texture that emphasizes the expressive melodic line, similar to emotional storytelling often found in Massenet’s Romantic style.

Prélude adds an additional layer of homage by employing musical cryptography, just like Ropartz, to unfold his musical narratives and melodic thread. The pitch cypher is simultaneously rhythmic and textural, with the motif 'PAULDUKAS' expressed as 'B-A-G-E-D-G-D-A-E,' ascending twice in the voice before transitioning to the inner voice. (Ex. 14) The theme evolves into half notes with le thème en dehors in the soprano voice, then shifts to the middle voice, and finally to the lowest voice with an octave, creating a cyclical effect reminiscent of the ‘circle of life.’ (Ex. 15)

Example 14. Ascending PAULDUKAS: Pierné Prélude, mm. 1- 3

Example 15. PAULDUKAS theme transformation: Pierné Prélude, mm. 7-12, 13- 19, 21- 30

CONCLUSION

This comprehensive exploration of the Fin-de-siècle era in music has illuminated a period often overshadowed and undervalued. The late 19th Century's diverse artistic climate, marked by intricate and conservative tendencies, poses challenges for scholars, but it proves to be a crucial epoch shaping art, literature, and music. By centering on Le Tombeau de Paul Dukas,, this study has unveiled a mosaic of musical tributes by notable figures, transcending national borders and offering insights into the identities shaped amid international political upheavals.

Schmitt's intricate symbolism and tonal significance in his composition serve as a compelling representation of this era, seamlessly blending retrospective and forward-looking elements. Aubin's profound dialogue with Dukas's music explores mortality and the enduring legacy of the revered composer. Barraine's deeply personal tribute not only reflects her connection with Dukas but also addresses social, political, and emotional themes, showcasing the multifaceted nature of her creative process.

The influence of Theodore Dubois at the Paris Conservatoire has been a focal point, showcasing how his treatise and theoretical approach significantly shaped the Fin-de-siècle style. The analysis of Ropartz’s A la Mémoire de Paul DUKAS  and Krein's Pièce á la Mémoire de Paul Dukas underscores the importance of Dubois's ideas in interpreting the tonal coherence and harmonic language of these compositions.

In essence, this study positions Le Tombeau de Paul Dukas as a testament to the intricate interplay between musical homage and the socio-political landscape of Fin-de-siècle France. By unraveling the nuances of these compositions and contextualizing them within the broader artistic and historical framework, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of a pivotal era that has left an indelible mark on the evolution of music and cultural discourse.

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Interview with Elsa Barraine (probably 1987); transcribed by Catherine Massip in Hommage a Elsa Barraine (1910-1999), Exhibition Catalogue (Biblio- thèque national de France

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 [1] Ma pièce est très simple: il s’agit d’un mode 3 dans sa première transposition, dont l’éclairage orangé, blanc, et or, tombe perpétuellement sur une longue septième de dominante. C’est statique, solennel, et dépouillé, comme un énorme bloc de pierre.

[2]  The Dreyfus Affair was a political scandal where Alfred Dreyfus, who was a French artillery officer of Jewish descent, was wrongly convicted of treason in 1894 and sentenced to life in prison. His second trial, which wasn’t granted until 1899, further divided French society into two groups. Pro-Republican and clergy who were opposed to the supporters of Dreyfusards.