Debussy's example, severely abused.[258] There was even a
moment when the _Schola_ took a decided share in the battle, and,
through M. Charles Bordes, issued a manifesto--_Credo_, as they called
it--about a new art founded on the ancient traditions of French music:
"We wish to have free speech in music--a sustained recitative,
infinite variety, and, in short, complete liberty in musical
utterance. We wish for the triumph of natural music, so that it
shall be as free and full of movement as speech, and as plastic and
rhythmic as a classical dance."
It was open war against the metrical art of the last three centuries, in
the name of national tradition (more or less freely interpreted), of
folk-song, and of Gregorian chant. And "the constant and avowed purpose
of all this campaign was the triumph of French music, and its
cult."[259]
[Footnote 258: There is no need to say that Rameau's genius justified
all this enthusiasm; but one cannot help believing that it was aroused,
not so much on account of his musical genius as on account of his
supposed championship of the French music of the past against foreign
art; though that art was well adapted to the laws of French opera, as we
may see for ourselves in Gluck's case.
Pages:
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419