1st Edition
Louis Laloy (1874-1944) on Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky
First published in 1999, this is the first study of the noted French music critic and scholar Louis Laloy, and the first collection of his writings. His writings were unique in their time and have never previously been translated. Laloy’s ideas on Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky are presented here with an introduction by Deborah Priest to each extract, placing it in the context of the period and the composer’s work. Detailed annotations explain technical and cultural references.
As a friend of all three composers, but especially of Debussy, Laloy wrote with great authority and influence: his work provides recollections, analytical insights, and insights into reception and performance practice. His erudition and wide range of reference make for fascinating and enlightening reading about the period. Deborah Priest provides a detailed introduction which sets Laloy’s work against the background of the Paris music scene from 1900- 1940.
Part 1. On Debussy. 1. Laloy’s Friendship with Debussy. 2. Early Influences on Debussy. 3. Genesis and First Performances of Pelléas et Mélisande. 4. The Légion d’Honneur. 5. ‘Claude Debussy. Simplicity in Music’. 6. ‘Remarks on Claude Debussy’. 7. Debussy’s Compositional Style. 8. ‘Claude Debussy and Debussyism’. 9. ‘Claude Debussy’s Works for the Theatre’. 10. Debussy and Satie. 11. Advice on Playing Debussy’s Music. 12. After Debussy’s Death. 13. ‘The Debussy Monument’. 14. ‘Recollection’. 15. La Damoiselle Élue. 16. Cinq Poèmes de Baudelaire. 17. Prélude à l’Après-Midi d’un Faune. 18. Nocturnes. 19. Pelléas et Mélisande. 20. La Mer. 21. Images II. 22. Children’s Corner and Trois Chansons de Charles d’Orléans. 23. Trois Ballades de François Villon. 24. Ibéria. 25. Rondes de Printemps. 26. Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien. 27. Various Piano Works. 28. Ode à la France. Part 2. On Ravel. 29. Ravel and the Prix de Rome in 1905. 30. Ravel’s Works for Music Theatre. 31. Shéhérazade. 32. Histoires Naturelles. 33. Rapsodie Espagnole. 34. Gaspard de la Nuit. 35. L’Heure Espagnole. 36. Daphnis et Chloé. 37. Adélaïde and L’Enfant et les Sortilèges. Part 3. On Stravinsky. 38. Le Sacre du Printemps. 39. Le Rossignol. 40. Le Chant du Rossignol. 41. From Pulcinella to Œdipus Rex. 42. Mavra. 43. Les Noces. 44. Various Works from the 1920s. 45. Œdipus Rex, Jeu de Cartes and the Suite from Loiseau de Feu. 46. Perséphone.
Biography
Deborah Priest
