Ricardo Vi?es and Les Apaches Matthew G. Goodrich A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts University of Washington 2013 Reading Committee: Robin McCabe, Chair JoAnn Taricani Carole Terry Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Music ? Copyright 2013 Matthew G. Goodrich University of Washington Abstract Ricardo Vi?es and Les Apaches Matthew G. Goodrich Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Dr. Robin McCabe Music Ricardo Vi?es (1875-1943), Catalan-French pianist, one of the great pianists of his time, forever linked with Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and dozens of other composers of the early twentieth century. A remarkable craftsman at the piano, Vi?es was blessed with musical prescience, an uncanny ability to bring new music to life for audiences, and a sense of responsibility toward his contemporaries. Endowed with an inquisitive mind and thirst for eclectic learnings, he was over his lifetime well acquainted with scores of musicians, artists, and literary personages. Mostly Paris-based, Vi?es spent significant time in South America after World War I. The diary he kept during his youth fascinates researchers with its details of the Parisian artistic scene. In recent decades, scholars have done much to reassemble the Vi?es story, which for multiple reasons had become fragmented across time, place, and language into relative obscurity. This dissertation provides an English-language overview of the Vi?es biography as research currently comprehends it, then shines a spotlight on Vi?es?s association with Les Apaches, an interdisciplinary circle of friends who collaborated with remarkable consistency and artistic purpose over the first decade of the twentieth century. An examination of Vi?es?s ever-growing and evolving repertoire and concert programming during this period offers evidence of the ongoing endeavors of this talented cadre and their interface with the larger musical currents flowing through turn-of-the-century Paris, the legendary Belle ?poch that continues to entrance scholars and artistic aficionados. i Table of Contents List of Figures ii List of Tables iii Prologue: The ?Inevitability? of Ricardo Vi?es 1 Part I: Ricardo Vi?es 1. Summative Biography 6 Part II: Ricardo Vi?es and Les Apaches 2. Les Apaches: A Private Window 35 3. Les Apaches Roster 41 4. Les Apaches Realized 78 5. Les Apaches: Salon Priv? 87 6. Ricardo Vi?es: Les Apaches Exemplar 97 Part III: Ricardo Vi?es: Pianist 7. ?Methode Ricardo Vi?es? 105 8. Repertoire and Concerts: Les Apaches Years 119 9. Ricardo Vi?es: Debussy-Ravel Conduit? 150 Epilogue: In Search of Ricardo Vi?es 158 Bibliography 166 ii List of Figures Figure 1: Postcard of Abbaye de Saint-Wandrille 90 Figure 2: Georges d?Espagnat, R?union de musiciens chez Godebski 96 Figure 3: Postcard of Anvers (Antwerp) Port 101 Figure 4: Caricatura de Ricard Vi?es al piano, de Dalli?s 105 iii List of Tables Table 1: Ricardo Vi?es?s Soci?t? Nationale de Musique World Premieres 138 Table 2: Ricardo Vi?es?s Debussy and Ravel World Premieres 154 iv Acknowledgements ? Thank you to Robin McCabe, for giving me a chance again and again. ? Thank you to my DMA committee members JoAnn Taricani and Carole Terry, for their brilliance and steadfast guidance and loyalty. ? Thank you to Cathy Madden, for her consummate mastery and for keeping me whole through my entire graduate school chapter. ? Thank you to Ren?e Goodrich and Keith Schneider, for their academic mentorship. ? Thank you to the rest of my family, for supporting and contributing to my journey in their own unique ways. ? Thank you to Jann Pasler, for helping me shape this dissertation and sharing so generously her time, scholarship, friendship, and walks on the beach. ? Thank you to David Korevaar, for sharing his insights, dissertation, and Vi?es?s library. ? Thank you to Paul Roberts, for sharing his passion for and knowledge of French piano music over two evenings of performances, tapas, wine, and dessert. ? Thank you to Lisa Harrington, for sharing her search for Marcelle Meyer, recordings, best practices, moral support, and duo-piano scheming. ? Thank you to Marisa Pena, for her peerless project management and ?War of Art? inspiration. ? Thank you to Cristina Urrutia, for revealing through her translations Riera?s devotion and contribution to the Vi?es story. ? Thank you to Wendy Blake, for her purveyance of precision. ? Thank you to the staff of the Hannon Library at Southern Oregon University, for taking me in as one of their own. ? Thank you to the staff of the Howard B. Waltz Music Library at University of Colorado, for bending over backward to make the Ricardo Vi?es collection available. ? Thank you to my entity mates Ellen, Lynnette, Michelle, Matt, Lucia, and Omar, for their love and support. ? Thank you to my colleagues at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, for welcoming me into their ranks and taking such an interest in this project. ? Thank you to the staff of Noble Coffee in Ashland, Oregon, for their superb espresso, inspiring workspace, and friendship. ? Thank you to Ricardo Vi?es, for being so exceptionally fascinating. v Dedication To Robin McCabe Julian Martin and Nancy Ryder Moore ?who taught me how to play the piano and passed on their love for this repertoire. 1 Prologue: The ?Inevitability? of Ricardo Vi?es Sunday, 1 November 1896: O Wagner! O Leonardo da Vinci! O Edgar Poe! O Baudelaire! O Gustavo Adolfo Becquer!1 in?ev?i?ta?ble: adj., certain to make happen, unavoidable After the 1781 discovery of Uranus, astronomers noted that the planet was deviating from its expected orbit. It was hypothesized that this was the result of the gravity of another, yet undiscovered planet. A young mathematician set out to solve the puzzle. He sent his calculations to an assistant at the Berlin Observatory, who searched the skies the very night he received the letter. Within one hour, Neptune was discovered within one degree of where its location had been predicted.2 ?You cannot have a Renaissance man without the Renaissance.?3 1 Vi?es: Diary, 1 November 1896. In Nina Gubisch, ed., "Le journal in?dit de Ricardo Vi?es: Introduction, traduction et notes," Revue internationale de la musique fran?aise 1 (1980): 191. 2 http://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/neptune.html, accessed 4.26.2013. 3 http://www.netplaces.com/leonardo-da-vinci/leonardos-legacy/the-quintessential-renaissance-man.htm, accessed 4.26.2013. 2 Ricardo Vi?es had to be who he was, had to exist when and where he did. In him, the subsequence of artistic and musical vogues, the steady stream of works their representative creators brought forth, somehow found in one man their herald, messenger, cocreator, and chronicler. Both the evolution and dissemination of piano music in the early twentieth century relied on him. All that sprang from the fin-de-si?cle?exquisite pleasures, cultivated self- craftship, artist-as-oracle conceit, words and notes infused with mystical bouquet?were distilled into his person. The words of the era?s writers tickled his mind and imagination. The works of its composers were alchemized through him. In a time and place where a great musical and pianistic tradition, Western in the main and French in the local, was to honor the old while assisting the new, Vi?es could have been tailor-made to fulfill a unique role in shaping music?s destiny, as an agent for bringing new ideas and creations to bear, as a quintessential representative of the Parisian artistic zeitgeist, as a bridge between performance practice of old and virtuoso artistry we so revere today. If a particular history within music can be shown as a logical unfolding of innovation in sound and material, Vi?es must be understood as a throughline ferrying the nineteenth-century narratives across the swirling waters of the turn of the century, delivering a tradition into the hands of the annihilators of the 1920s avant-garde. Ricardo Vi?es was a perfect match for his times, the confluence of countless artistic factors and vectors, all of which carried him to accomplishments that confound our imagination. His own passions for literature, art, and the exotic were in exact accord with the artistic m?lange that nourished the very composers whose music he brought to the public. As 3 he acquired untold influences and stimuli, these were integrated and amplified among a remarkable association of interdisciplinary friends: Les Apaches. His unique, syncretic pianism inspired composers who were exploring imaginative, novel possibilities in piano music. Combined with his remarkable capacity to learn and retain hundreds of pieces, this made him uniquely equipped to animate composers? creations in such lockstep with these same collaborators that some scholars credit Vi?es?s special technique with directly influencing the new piano writing of the first decade of the twentieth century. When personal reports are synthesized and reconciled, Vi?es?s psychology emerges as complex, yet he evinced the joy and intellectual curiosity of a perpetually exploring wunderkind. These qualities imbued his performances with what countless critics noted as a miraculous sense of spontaneous creation. They also made him the life of the party: Fellow Apaches described how the energy in the room immediately uplifted when Vi?es entered. These attributes, accreted by his keen intellect, broad artistic knowledge, and multilingual abilities, served him marvelously on the salon circuit and in untold foreign adventures. Who else at the height of his European career could have departed for South America, conquered the musical centers there, sought out all its composers to take under his wing?and then gambled away all his earnings? In his art and at the keyboard, Vi?es had an uncanny ability to bridge seeming opposites, transcend partisanship, and not only maintain face but also foster ever-deeper connections of artistic trust and collaboration with all sides. Debussy vs. Ravel. Ravel vs. Satie. Paris Conservatoire vs. Schola Cantorum. Les Apaches vs. Les Six. No dichotomy mattered. He always 4 found a way to navigate both sides, choose on his own terms, and address a sense of responsibility to his artistic times. Seeming black-and-white dualities are infinitely nuanced, but as we try to understand as much as possible over a broad reach, histories we absorb must necessarily polish out these nuances. Vi?es thrived within the nuances, and because of this he accessed the widest spectrum of input and stimuli, exceptional people of all persuasions, and professional opportunities. This dissertation is a multipronged inquiry into one of the most fascinating human beings I have ever had the privilege of studying, imagining what being him would be like, even striving in some ways to emulate him. The tapestry of his artistic life is so rich in all manner of detail that this offering must be seen along with others?existing, contemporaneous, and future?as just another step in fully understanding and appreciating Ricardo Vi?es?exemplar of Les Apaches. Part I: Ricardo Vi?es 6 1. Summative Biography Friday, 7 September 1906: I updated my journal reasonably late. I responded to Fayet, then read Barbey d?Aurevilly. In the afternoon, I practiced piano, then before dinner, I was with Fabre watching the harvest in the vineyards, then the cellar, because today was the first day of the grape harvest. In the evening, philosophized in the garden?4 On 5 February 1875, in an apartment on the corner of Calle Caladerer?as and Calle Major in L?rida (Catalan: Lleida), in the Catalan region of Spain, Javier Vi?es y Solano (born 1843 in L?rida) and Dolores Roda y Vives welcomed a son: Ricardo Javier Vi?es y Garc?a Roda. His paternal grandparents were Jos? Vi?es and Leonor Solano; his maternal grandparents were Jos? Garcia Roda and Teresa Vives. The Catalan region was at the time affected by civil war. Of these circumstances, Vi?es?s first biographer Juan Riera romanticizes, ?So the twilight that preceded the appearance of Vi?es was tainted with a bellicose ardor, as if it tried to light up the seal that characterized the internal substantial strength of our pianist, the strength that would drive him to take a leading role in fierce battles, which later would turn into successes causing a profound effect on the history of contemporary piano.?5 A delicate child who suffered terrible headaches, young Ricardo was unable to attend school regularly; his amateur-musician mother and lawyer father nurtured what they 4 Vi?es: Diary, 7 September 1906. In Suzy Levy, ed., Journal in?dit de Ricardo Vi?es: Odilon Redon et le milieu occultiste 1897-1915 (Paris: Aux Amateurs de Livres, 1987), 81. 5 Juan Riera, Ricardo Vi?es (Evocation) (L?rida: Imprenta-Escuela Provincial, 1968), 19. 7 considered their child?s special, unusually sensitive nature.6 It appears that the family enjoyed a comparatively comfortable social class despite the upheaval of the time: Ricardo?s father had an arts degree and was adept in commercial law, philosophy, and language arts. He ?practiced his law profession and poetry with a beautiful baritone voice.?7 His mother played the piano, ?a sign of possessing a distinguished and uncommon culture for that era.?8 Music permeated the household. Ricardo?s first piano lessons were with his mother, ?in a familial environment, purely recreational.?9 In May 1882, he began solf?ge with Joaqu?n Terraza, a local organist. The following April, Terraza began teaching him piano. The boy progressed rapidly, and the family moved to Barcelona in the fall of 1885, intending to enroll Ricardo at the conservatory there. At ten years old, he was below the minimum age, so the well-regarded pedagogue Juan Bautista Pujol agreed to teach him privately. In January 1887 Ricardo was admitted into Pujol?s superior class, where he quickly ascended to the top. He received his first prize in July, together with Joaqu?n Malats, who later would join him at the Paris Conservatoire. Following this early success, Ricardo?s mother consulted with Isaac Alb?niz, already in his late twenties a famous international concert pianist, who advised against launching a concert career too early and advocated further study in Paris. Optimistic from his achievements in Barcelona and the promising assessment of Alb?niz, Ricardo and his mother left for Paris on 12 October 1887, arriving the next day. His father and two brothers, Pepe and Eugenio, soon followed. 6 Mildred Clary, Ricardo Vi?es: Un p?lerin de l'Absolu (Arles: Musicales Actes Sud, 2011), 16. 7 Riera, 20. 8 Ibid., 20. 9 Ibid., 20. 8 On 7 November, he was admitted to the Paris Conservatoire as an auditor, as the quota for foreign students had been reached. Less than two weeks later, he had his first lesson with Charles de B?riot. Young Spanish pianists attending the Conservatoire naturally gravitated to B?riot, as his mother and aunt were, respectively, the Spanish mezzo-sopranos Maria Malibran and Pauline Viardot. B?riot was already teaching Enrique Grenados, who also had been born in L?rida and studied with Pujol in Barcelona.10 It was exactly as young Ricardo was arriving in Paris that he started writing in his famous diary, a practice he maintained meticulously until World War I. Currently in the possession of Vi?es?s grandniece Nina Gubisch, the journal fascinates scholars with its observations on the artistic life in Paris over the fin-de-si?cle years. Gubisch has released select diary entries in various articles and collaborations.11 A long-awaited, unabridged French translation in electronic format, prepared by Gubisch and the University of Montreal, is pending. According to Elaine Brody, in her ?The Spaniards in Paris? chapter,12 Vi?es?s journal almost immediately started reporting the family?s financial struggles. Ongoing expenses included lodging, food, private lessons with B?riot, piano rental and tuning, and performance clothing. Although Vi?es received a small allowance of 150 pesetas per month from the 10 Riera, 21. Riera suffuses his biography with floral prose: ?With Granados, they are the two pianists from L?rida that have reached the mecca of the arts, ready to capture all the understandings that they are capable of perceiving.? 11 See Nina Gubisch, ed., "Le journal in?dit de Ricardo Vi?es: Introduction, traduction et notes," Revue internationale de la musique fran?aise 1 (1980): 153-248; Levy; and Clary. 12 Elaine Brody, "Vi?es in Paris: New Light on Twentieth-Century Performance Practice," in A Musical Offering: Essays in Honor of Martin Bernstein, ed. Edward H. Clinkscale and Claire Brook, 45-62 (New York: Pendragon Press, 1977). 9 municipality of Barcelona, money was always short, and the family had to move often. To help out, Vi?es started playing the soir?e circuit for twenty francs a night.13 On 22 November 1888, Vi?es met Maurice ?Mauricio? Ravel, a fellow pianist and future Apache composer who would become his best friend into adulthood. This introduction was likely facilitated by the acquaintance of their Spanish-speaking mothers. In May 1889, Vi?es visited with Alb?niz, who inscribed Septima Habanera, ?In testimony for my sincere and affectionate admiration to the young Vi?es, Alb?niz.?14 Vi?es?s journal evidences his delight in exploring his new city, indulging his lifelong trademark, eager inquisitiveness. Together, he and Ravel sought out musical, artistic, and intellectual loci. In the summer of 1889, they shared the greatest playground imaginable: the Paris Exposition Universelle. ?In the extraordinary Exposition of 1889 the arts and crafts of non-Western nations were on display for the first time: Javanese dancers and a gamelan orchestra; Japanese Noh dramas, Indian dancers, and Chinese crafts and craftsmen; lavish offerings of the pavilion of Czarist Russia?in addition to the construction of the most daring and memorable of all exposition structures, the Eiffel Tower.?15 Brody notes that Vi?es attended the Buffalo Bill shows, pantomime at the Hippodrome, cabaret at the Theatre du Vaudeville, and the Galerie des Machines with Edison?s new phonograph. The fair ?remained for him a perpetual attraction.? Together, the boys and their families enjoyed the Exposition, as well as other Parisian sights.16 13 Brody, Paris: The Musical Kaleidoscope, 172. 14 Riera, 21. 15 Brody, Paris: The Musical Kaleidoscope, 174-5. 16 Ibid., 176. 10 In November of the same year, Vi?es was finally admitted as an official Conservatoire student into B?riot?s class, where he joined compatriots Malats and Granados, as well as Ravel. Vi?es kept busy with extracurricular music activities: He continued his salon performances, taught his first private students, accompanied singers, and?often with Ravel for company? attended countless concerts. Progressing rapidly with B?riot, he learned copious repertoire including virtuoso and salon pieces. In the summers, Vi?es competed in the Conservatoire?s annual performance competitions, coming up short multiple times. In addition, he spent much time attending the theater and opera and voraciously reading, as he would do throughout his life. In the fall of 1892, he entered Benjamin Godard?s ensemble class, joining fellow piano classmate and future Apache Marcel Chadeigne. On 8 February 1893, he and Ravel played Chabrier?s Valses Romantiques for two pianos for the composer; the boys were disappointed when the seriously ill Chabrier didn?t show up the next day to hear them perform the piece in concert. Later that spring, Vi?es worked with composer and conductor Camille Chevillard on his Variations and transcription of Chabrier?s Espa?a.17 At this time, Mme Godebski, third wife of Cyprian Godebski, heard Vi?es play at a soir?e and subsequently invited him to their home. They and Cyprian?s children Cipa and Misia would feature prominently in the lives of Vi?es, Ravel, and Les Apaches for decades.18 In the summer of 1893, Vi?es was heavily favored to win the Conservatoire competition. He wrote in his diary: 17 Brody, Paris: The Musical Kaleidoscope, 178. 18 Malou Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," in Revue belge de Musicologie 60 (2006): 230-231. 11 ?I was immediately applauded. I played the contest piece, the F minor Chopin Fantaisie marvelously. I received applause and bravos after the first half. When I finished, I had the most frenetic ovations?and it was merited because I could not have played better?from the point of cleanliness, security of technique, style, sentiment, warmth. In sum, the public was so enthusiastic about me that I had to get up and bow three or four times. Then I sight- read a piece by Th?odore Dubois to perfection, in great style and with much taste. My success was electric. Again I had to return and bow.?19 Despite his crowd-pleasing performance, Vines was completely passed over. His diary reports the reaction to these results: furor among the audience and even condemnation in the newspapers.20 That fall, he participated in an evening gala benefit for those affected by the steamship explosion in Santander, Spain, which killed more than 500 people and heavily damaged the city.21 Over the winter, he maintained his rehearsal pianist and soir?e schedule; a highlight was meeting Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. On 21 July 1894, he finally won his coveted Conservatoire first prize. The required piece was Saint-Sa?ns?s Theme and Variations, in which he ?stacked marvels over marvels.? He sight- read a Widor piece without even glancing at it, with ?taste and a facility that mesmerized the audience. Even before I had finished, the public acclaimed me with bravos and applause.?22 His ?graduation? was honored on 1 August by Isabel II, former queen of Spain, now living in Paris.23 19 Brody, Paris: The Musical Kaleidoscope, 178. 20 Ibid., 178. 21 Nina Gubisch, http://ricardoVi?es.eu/, accessed 4.14.2013. 22 Brody, Paris: The Musical Kaleidoscope, 180. 23 Nina Gubisch, http://ricardoVi?es.eu/, accessed 4.14.2013. 12 The next month, on 17 September, he attended the burial of Chabrier with Ravel; the two young men honored the occasion beforehand by sight-reading Chabrier?s Gwendoline.24 At the beginning of 1895, Vi?es received his prize from the Conservatoire competition: a Pleyel grand piano. On 21 February 1895, he gave his public debut recital at Salle Pleyel. He programmed a mammoth, two-and-a-half hour marathon that started at nine p.m. A prominent event attracting a well-heeled audience of hundreds, the concert earned Vi?es a profit of 2,000 francs.25 The next month, Vi?es performed B?riot?s Sonata for Two Pianos at Salle Pleyel, with B?riot on the other piano.26 That summer, he purchased a Rachmaninoff prelude27 and Balakirev?s Islamey, which would feature prominently in his performances for decades. He switched allegiance from Pleyel to ?rard, who let him use their hall for no charge.28 In 1896 Vi?es composed his first song, setting Baudelaire?s Parfum Exotique.29 That fall, at a Lamoureux concert with Ravel, he first heard the Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde, which moved him deeply. Vi?es gave his second solo recital on 11 March 1897, this time at Salle ?rard. In this year, B?riot encouraged him to take up the music of Faur?, and over tea chez B?riot in July, Vi?es played Saint-Sa?ns?s Concerto No. 3 for the composer. Saint-Sa?ns dedicated a photo to Vi?es, saying, ?He plays better than Saint-Sa?ns.?30 24 Brody, Paris: The Musical Kaleidoscope, 181. 25 Ibid., 182. 26 Nina Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,?188; used in David Korevaar and Laurie J. Sampsel, "The Ricardo Vi?es Piano Music Collection at the University of Colorado at Boulder," Notes, Second Series 61, no. 2 (December 2004): 362. 27 The Rachmaninoff is probably the famous Prelude in C# minor, likely the copy at U. Colorado. See Korevaar and Sampsel. 28 Brody, Paris: The Musical Kaleidoscope, 183. This switch was definitive; he always gave his solo recitals at ?rard from this point. 29 Nina Gubisch, http://ricardoVi?es.eu/, accessed 4.14.2013. 30 Brody, Paris: The Musical Kaleidoscope, 183. 13 His Conservatoire studies complete, Vi?es proceeded to educate himself in the liberal arts. The institution, as Alfred Casella writes, was basically a ?finishing school,? the curriculum strictly music pedagogic.31 It appears Vi?es never received a formal education, and therefore, the prodigious intellect he would unceasingly display was nurtured by constant self-study. In addition to attending an endless stream of opera and plays, ?He taught himself English (specifically to be able to read Poe in the original), mathematics, astrology, palmistry, and any number of other branches of the ?occult sciences.? He also read extensively from the literature of the time, ranging from the symbolists including Maurice Maeterlinck, Georges Rodenbach, and St?phane Mallarm?; to the decadents Jules-Am?d?e Barbey d'Aurevilly, Joris-Karl Huysmans, and Auguste, comte de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam; to Catholic mystics like Ernest Hello; and utterly unclassifiable authors such as the Rosicrucian Catholic Jos?phin P?ladan.?32 Along the way, he shared many of these literary pursuits with Ravel, lending him works of Maeterlinck and well as Aloysius Bertrand?s Gaspard de la nuit. In the second half of 1897, Vi?es and Ravel became passionate about Russian music, constantly reading new scores and four-hand arrangements of orchestral works. They also played Camille Saint-Sa?ns and C?sar Franck. These explorations set the stage for their presentations in future meetings of Les Apaches, where they would perform in this manner countless times for the group. Vi?es continued to attract the acquaintance of artists, poets, actors, dancers, and fellow musicians. 31 Alfred Casella, Music in My Time, Translated by and edited by Spencer Norton (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1955). Casella was a fellow foreign Conservatoire student from Italy. Although he was friendly with Les Apaches folks such as Ravel and Caplet, he was never a member. 32 Korevaar and Sampsel, 362-63. 14 On 29 January 1898, Maurice Ravel dedicated Menuet Antique to Vi?es. French composers were already prevailing upon Vi?es to perform their works, and given their close friendship, it was natural that he would premiere Ravel's first piano works such as Menuet antique, Pavane pour une infante defunte, and Jeux d'eau. On 5 March, he appeared for the first time in a Soci?t? Nationale de Musique concert: With Marthe Dron, he premiered three etudes of Roger Ducasse for four hands, then on two pianos, Ravel?s Sites auriculaires. This performance was something of a fiasco, as the two played ?rather badly both of us; me, I was an eighth note ahead in Ravel?s Entre cloches, producing an unspeakable effect.?33 On 10 March 1898, he gave a recital at Salle ?rard, followed by another on 18 April, at which he premiered Menuet Antique. On 28 May, he and Ravel met painter Odilon Redon, who would become a close friend and artistic inspiration.34 Later that year, Spain was badly defeated in the Spanish-American war, and Vi?es wrote bitterly about the United States, swearing he would never perform there.35 In 1899, he met cellist Pablo Casals, pianist Ignace Paderewski, and composer Henri Duparc.36 Vi?es enjoyed the Paris Exhibition of 1900, which featured art nouveau designs and dazzling displays of electric lights.37 That fall, he traveled to Russia for two months: ?His strong affinity for the music of the Russian school led to?and was fed by?a tour of Russia in 1900. In 33 Nina Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,?188. Roger Nichols discusses the piano with two keyboards, one in reverse, and explains why this sounded so dreadful: Roger Nichols, Ravel (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2011), 27. 34 Levy, 7. Levy?s book catalogs diary entries by Vi?es that feature Odilon Redon and capture their friendship. 35 Brody, Paris: The Musical Kaleidoscope, 184. Many years later, he would express the desire to avail himself of the opportunities in the United States, but he never had the chance. 36 Nina Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,?237-48 presents the diary entries that correspond to Duparc. Vi?es and Duparc became very close. On 13 March 1904, for example, Vi?es taught Duparc?s son how to play checkers. 37 Brody, Paris: The Musical Kaleidoscope, 185. 15 the years immediately following, he brought the latest compositions of Balakirev, Lyapunov, and other modern Russian composers back to Paris.?38 After the New Year 1901, he met painters Camille Pissarro and, at the Godebskis?, Pierre Bonnard. A few months later, he met Pablo Picasso. Vi?es visited Claude Debussy at the end of November, where he played Pour le Piano for the composer. On a return visit two weeks later, Debussy played Reflets dans l?eau and Mouvement, which he was in process of composing, for Vi?es.39 Vi?es gave the first of his many Debussy premieres on 11 January 1902, performing Pour le piano in addition to works by Glazounov and Lekeu40 at Salle ?rard for the Soci?t? Nationale de Musique. According to his diary, Vi?es first attended Debussy?s Pell?as et M?lisande on 2 May, two days after its premiere, ?which I liked very much.? He noted that the painters ?douard Vuillard and Maurice Denis were also there.41 He attended the opera again on 20 June, sitting with composer Charles Koechlin.42 Out of the young students, musicians, and artists who attended these early performances, a cadre began gathering regularly who would become Les Apaches. For the next decade, Vi?es would be a key participant in the group?s meetings and endeavors. Later in the year, Vi?es met Joris-Karl Huysmans,43 whose ? rebours had long stimulated Vi?es and Ravel, along with countless would-be dandies. After a March 1903 concert, Vi?es met poet L?on-Paul Fargue, who would become a fellow Apache and lifelong friend. On 21 April, at 38 Korevaar and Sampsel, 364. 39 This was several years before Vi?es would premiere them, and they may have been markedly different by then. 40 Michel Duchesneau, L'avant-garde musicale et ses soci?t?s ? Paris de 1871 ? 1939 (Sprimont: Mardaga, 1997), 262. 41 Nina Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,?224. 42 Ibid., 224-25 43 Nina Gubisch, http://ricardoVi?es.eu/, accessed 4.14.2013. 16 the Schola Cantorum, he played Pour le piano, then with Debussy, the Trois Nocturnes arranged for two pianos. Vi?es premiered Debussy?s Estampes on 9 January 1904 at Salle ?rard for the Soci?t? Nationale. Later in the winter, on 1 March, he gave an all-French concert at the Libre Esth?tique in Brussels, performing works by Debussy, Ravel, de S?verac, and F?vrier. He would regularly perform in Brussels and other capitals such as London, ?spreading the gospel of the modern French music of the time in programs calculated to showcase what he considered the best of French music.?44 A budding art collector, he was thrilled to purchase Redon?s pastel Le grand vitrail (?a rapture of harmonious and dazzling colors?) on 4 June for the discount price of 400 francs.45 Over the years, he would come to assemble a sizable collection of artworks created by friends. On 8 January 1905, he premiered the Rimsky-Korsakov Piano Concerto with the Soci?t? des Concerts du Conservatoire. Three days after playing Masques and L?isle joyeuse for Debussy, on 10 February, he premiered these pieces at Salle Aeolian. He repeated the works the following week at Salle Pleyel for the Soci?t? Nationale,46 where he also introduced Coin de cimeti?re au Printemps and ? cheval dans la prairie by D?odat de S?verac. On 20 February, M. D. Calvocoressi brought him a copy of Islamey dedicated by Balakirev, who wrote Vi?es a few weeks later to recommend an accompanying concerto by Lyapunov.47 In the spring, Vi?es undertook a most ambitious endeavor: four historic concerts, comprising an overview of piano music from Antonio de Cabez?n to Claude Debussy, a total of 44 Korevaar and Sampsel, 364. 45 Levy, 64. 46 This is incorrectly given as the premiere in some sources, including Duchesneau. 47 Nina Gubisch, http://ricardoVi?es.eu/, accessed 4.14.2013. Vi?es would go on to frequently perform this work. 17 55 works by 49 composers.48 The concerts took place at Salle ?rard on four consecutive Mondays starting on 27 March. In May, he performed in a concert of Catalan music at the Schola along with pianist Blanche Selva and guitarist Manuel Llobet,49 and later gave the world premiere of the entire En Languedoc by D?odat de S?verac?dedicated to Vi?es?at the Schola Cantorum. By now, ?Vi?es quickly found himself much in demand as a pianist for new music, with numerous works dedicated to him over his career, and with premieres of many more to his credit.?50 In the summer, fellow Apache Abb? L?once Petit introduced him to L?on Bloy,51 who would exert a significant lifelong spiritual influence on Vi?es. With relatively little time to prepare, Vi?es premiered Ravel?s Miroirs on 6 January 1906 at Salle ?rard for the Soci?t? Nationale. This set of five pieces dedicated to Les Apaches members marked a new direction in Ravel?s piano writing. Two more major premieres followed: On 5 February, at Salle des Agriculteurs, Vi?es introduced Debussy?s first book of Images. Paris heard yet another blockbuster for the first time on 17 March at the Schola Cantorum, where he gave the official French premiere of Moussorgsky?s Pictures at an Exhibition. The next month, Vi?es performed the Lyapunov Concerto in Florence, then introduced another Apaches work, Florent Schmitt?s Valses. On 4 March 1907, his mother Dolores Roda y Vives died. This event marked Vi?es deeply, as would be the case for Ravel in 1917. Vi?es?s mother had always exerted a strong influence on the family, and as with Casella,52 her ambitions and support in relocating the 48 Clary, 177-81. 49 Nina Gubisch, http://ricardoVi?es.eu/, accessed 4.14.2013. 50 Korevaar and Sampsel, 363. 51 Nina Gubisch, http://ricardoVi?es.eu/, accessed 4.14.2013. 52 Casella, 187. He eulogizes his mother on this page, but discusses his mother?s role in his development as a theme throughout the book. 18 family to another country were crucial to Vi?es?s development. Her death and his subsequent grief prompted him to intensify his spiritual searching and, it seems, ultimately led to his embracing the Catholic faith. On 26 November, Debussy dedicated Poissons d?or to Vi?es, the only dedication he would make to a living musician. After the New Year, Vi?es received the second book of Images from Debussy, who had just published them. On 20 February 1908, he visited Debussy to play these new works, premiering them the next day at a Cercle Musical matinee. On 15 June, just little more than a year after the passing of his mother, his father died. Vi?es gave the world premiere of Ravel?s Gaspard de la Nuit on 9 January 1909 in a Soci?t? Nationale concert at Salle ?rard. Some writers suggest that interpretive disagreements between Vi?es and Ravel led to the eventual cooling of their friendship. However, less than two weeks later, on 22 January, they were together chez ?douard Laloy, along with fellow Apaches Calvocoressi, Schmitt, and Caplet, to spearhead the creation of the Soci?t? Musicale Ind?pendante as a rival organization to the Soci?t? Nationale de Musique. Later in the winter, Vi?es toured England with the Willaume quartet, also participating in a Claude Debussy festival in Manchester with the composer present.53 On 27 March, he gave the world premiere of Manuel de Falla?s Quatre pieces espagnoles for the Soci?t? Nationale. The two men had met in 1907, when Falla traveled to Paris for his opera La vie br?ve. This premiere marked the start of a productive association between the Spanish composer and pianist that would endure for the remainder of Vi?es?s life. 53 Nina Gubisch, http://ricardoVi?es.eu/, accessed 4.14.2013. 19 In a noteworthy departure from his contemporary music activities, in 1910, Vi?es marked the centenaries of Fr?d?ric Chopin and Robert Schumann with two solo recitals of their works at Salle ?rard, on 21 February and 13 April, respectively. He spent a month in late summer at the Abbeye de Fontfroide with Odilon Redon.54 In January 1911, he toured Switzerland, where in Clarens, he met Igor Stravinsky. Over the rest of the year, he performed in England and made two tours into Spain. On 8 April, he gave an all-Liszt concert at Salle ?rard55 in honor of the composer?s centenary. His touring continued throughout 1912: Lausanne in January, L?rida with Enrique Grenados in September, and concerts in Berlin (where he met Edgar Var?se) in the fall. He also gave the Paris premieres of Debussy?s Minstrels and the Lyapunov Piano Concerto, the latter with the Soci?t? des Concerts du Conservatoire. In September, he again joined Redon at Fontfroide. In January 1913, fellow Apache Albert Roussel brought Vi?es the new edition of his sonata for piano and violin for performance on Vi?es?s upcoming German tour.56 Vi?es was in Berlin on 3 February, when he sent Fargue a postcard of a Berlin cityscape, saying he would soon return to Paris. Vi?es subsequently performed in Antwerp,57 where on 11 February he wrote Fargue another postcard, on which he quoted Baudelaire. Vi?es had met Erik Satie back in 1900, and later Satie would say, "M. Vi?es is the ideal pianist for the cult of modernism.?58 He starting giving multiple Satie premieres: V?ritables Pr?ludes flasques pour un chien in April 1913, and Impressions Automatiques two months later 54 Levy, 107-126. 55 Guide Musical, 1911. Among other works, he performed the Sonata in B Minor and Mephisto Waltz. 56 This is most likely the tour for which the Soci?t? Musicale Ind?pendante commissioned Vi?es to perform and promote French repertoire in Germany; sources disagree on the year. 57 Among solo works by Bach-Tausig, Debussy, and Alb?niz, he performed Franck?s Les Djinns and Variations symphoniques. 58 Korevaar and Sampsel, 364. 20 for Soci?t? Musicale Ind?pendante. Although Vi?es had participated in the formation of this organization, this was the first of its concerts on which he performed. On 14 January 1914, he again played for Soci?t? Musicale Ind?pendante, giving the world premiere of Satie?s Chapitres tourn?es en tous sens. This concert was a Les Apaches tour de force, featuring notable premieres by several members. Upon the outbreak of World War I, Vi?es traveled to Barn?res de Bigorre at the end of September, where he would spend much of his time during the war years.59 It was also then that he stopped writing in his diary, save for two days in 1915. As a national of neutral Spain, he was able to avoid combat. However, he participated in scores of charity and benefit concerts throughout the hostilities60 and somehow was able to carry on with his international performing.61 This included frequent performances in Spain, with annual visits to his hometown of L?rida, which cultivated a festival atmosphere that continued in the years after Vi?es?s death.62 In 1915, he met Jean Cocteau, which would prove a fruitful connection, leading to future collaborations with the new French avant-garde. On 24 March 1916, Vi?es?s old friend and compatriot Granados63 and his wife perished in the torpedoing of the Sussex in the English Channel, the last leg of their journey home from New York. They left six children, for whom Vi?es arranged benefit concerts in Paris and 59 Information from Gubisch, http://ricardoVi?es.eu/, accessed 4.14.2013. However, Esperanza Berrocal says that it is difficult to pin down exactly when he was there. Esperanza Berrocal, "Ricardo Vi?es and the Diffusion of Early Twentieth-Century South American Piano Literature" (Ph.D. diss.: Catholic University of America, 2002), 56. 60 Riera writes, ?He gave all that he could of his generous spirit and his artistic sensibility,? 22. 61 Berrocal notes that he toured eastern Europe at this time, performing benefit concerts on Prague and Budapest, along with Spain, Germany, France, Portugal, Italy, and North Africa. 62 Berrocal, 57. 63 Vi?es and Granados had played together on the 4 April 1914 concert of the Soci?t? Musicale Ind?pendante, where they premiered his Deux Dances espagnoles, playing four hands. 21 Barcelona.64 That year, in addition to tours of Spain,65 he participated in three festivals honoring, respectively, Debussy, Satie, and Ravel. These were held at Lyre et Palette, which would become one of the most celebrated epicenters of the French avant-garde. At this time, Francis Poulenc began studying with Vi?es?an enriching connection for both parties, as Poulenc credited Vi?es as his indisputable pianistic, musical, and cultural mentor. In turn, Vi?es would go on to premiere Poulenc works and those of his Les Six colleagues, in France and internationally. On 4 November, he performed de Falla?s Nuits dans les Jardins d?Espagne in Geneva under Ernest Ansermet,66 conductor of Diaghilev?s Ballets Russes. The next year brought as highlights Gabriel Faur? and d?Indy-Debussy festivals at Palais de Glace to benefit wounded soldiers, a concert of seventeenth-century music at Salle des Agriculteurs, and concerts in Spain.67 In the winter of 1918, he gave a highly successful concert of Spanish music at the Theatre du Vieux Colombier in Paris. But undoubtedly, the event that affected Vi?es most deeply was the 25 March death of his inspiration, collaborator, and friend Debussy, who died while Paris was under siege from German bombardment. Vi?es and the Princesse de Polignac, together in St.-Jean-de-Luz near Spain, held a private homage in her music room, playing through all Debussy?s music.68 64 Berrocal, 57. 65 On 7 January, he sent a postcard to Valentine (Gross) Hugo from Valencia (?You aren?t in this brilliant city...?), and on 3 February, one from the train leaving Salamanca. 66 Nina Gubisch, http://ricardoVi?es.eu/, accessed 4.14.2013. 67 Berrocal, 57. Turina reviewed one of these Spanish concerts, praising ?the quality of his interpretations.? 68 Sylvia Kahan, Music's Modern Muse: A Life of Winnaretta Singer, Princesse de Polignac (Rochester: University of Rochester Press, 2003), 209. 22 In August, Vi?es was in Normandy, seemingly on holiday based on postcards he sent Fargue and Valentine Hugo.69 In November, the war over at long last, he embarked on a concert tour to Spain, where he performed in homage to Debussy on 7 December in Madrid. In the first half of 1919, Vi?es premiered the nineteen-year-old Poulenc?s Trois mouvements perp?tuels at Lyre et Palette; the work was immediately successful.70 He toured Spain for the fourth straight year, where he attended the opening of L?rida?s Teatro Vi?es.71 On 21 June, he appeared in what must have been an astonishing concert event featuring French pianistic giants: Vi?es, Blanche Selva, ?douard Risler, and Alfred Cortot together performing Bach?s Concerto for Four Keyboards and Orchestra with Marcel Labey, a Schola-associated conductor who had been wounded twice in the war. Over the winter, he performed in Spain and France, and in the spring, he participated in S?verac and Satie festivals, the latter at Salle ?rard.72 From August through December 1920, Vi?es made his first of three important tours of South America.73 One might wonder why Vi?es chose to leave Paris amid seemingly constant artistic triumph. Berrocal concludes that Buenos Aires presented a unique challenge and opportunity, as the city?s cultural scene had exploded into artistic prominence. ?The example of 69 This was exactly when the Hundred Days Offensive launched on the Western Front. Vi?es?s holiday was a little close to the action. These postcards are at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas. 70 Keith W. Daniel, Francis Poulenc: His Artistic Development and Musical Style (Ann Arbor: UMI Research Press, 1982), 171. 71 Berrocal, 58. 72 Nina Gubisch, http://ricardoVi?es.eu/, accessed 4.14.2013. 73The definitive source of information about these South American sojourns is Esperanza Berrocal?s Ph.D. dissertation ?Ricardo Vi?es and the Diffusion of Early Twentieth-Century South American Piano Literature? (Catholic University of America, 2002. Previous biographical writings wrote around these years or addressed them extremely generally. Riera?s monograph jumps without explanation from 1918 to 1935, for example. Berrocal?s document is extremely important and much-cited. Her comprehensive literature review is now somewhat out of date in face of recent Vi?es doings. 23 many other artists surely stimulated the idea, for Buenos Aires had become a habitual and profitable stop for performers on international tours.?74 While in South America, Vi?es interfaced with composers in Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile, some of whom he had undoubtedly met in Europe. Harkening back to his historical concerts of 1905, his first bookings in Buenos Aires were a series of seven concerts surveying the entire keyboard literature, featuring an astonishing 212 pieces by about fifty composers.75 Unlike the historical series of 1905, which comprised one long chronological epic, Vi?es presented standard repertoire and modern works on all concerts in this series. Vi?es performed in the Argentine provinces and in Montevideo, Uruguay, then extended his stay through December so as to recoup his expenses. Subsequently he performed eight more concerts, at least three of which completed the historical concerts series. To his brother, he wrote, ?Later, another year, I would like to visit and have worldly entertainment, things that have been absolutely impossible this time, because I was obliged to study over a hundred pieces.?76 His spectacular critical success resulted in virtually an open invitation to perform anytime in Buenos Aires. En route home, he even played aboard the Reina Victoria Eugenia with a fellow Spanish pianist and cellist.77 Back in Paris, on 19 April 1921 in Salle ?rard, Vi?es performed the complete piano works of fellow Apache and close friend S?verac, who had died on 24 March. Around this time, he met Catalan composer Federico Mompou in Paris; the two would become close and enjoy a 74 Berrocal, 59. 75 Ibid., 61-64. 76 Ibid., 65. 77 Ibid., 66. 24 productive association for years to come. In November, he toured the south of France, including repertoire by Mompou on these programs. In April 1922, Vi?es gave a recital at Salle ?rard consisting solely of Argentine composers, as he wished to introduce European audiences to his new South American repertoire. He also premiered Mompou, whose rise to acclaim in Paris was such that his presence was de rigeur in the salons.78 Vi?es was active in the first half of 1923, performing frequently in France and Belgium. Concerto highlights included de Falla?s Nuits dans les Jardins d?Espagne with Arbos and the Concert Colonne, then the premiere of Tailleferre?s Ballade pour piano et orchestra at the Concert Pasdeloup.79 In the latter part of the year through the following spring, he toured France, then North Africa, where he performed in Algiers, Oran, and Tunis. In June 1923 he participated in an extraordinary artistic-social event: the premiere of Manuel de Falla?s puppet opera El retablo de maese Pedro in the salon of Princesse de Polignac. She had commissioned the work, an episode from the second part of Don Quixote, for her personal puppet theater. Many fellow musicians and artistic luminaries were in attendance, including Wanda Landowska and the filmmaker Luis Bu?uel. Together Vi?es and Poulenc worked the large Don Quixote marionette.80 In May 1924 Vi?es traveled again to South America, where he stayed until November. This second tour to Argentina was noteworthy for his numerous active collaborations with Buenos Aires-based musicians and composers. He performed ten concerts in the Diapas?n 78 Ibid., 67-68. 79 Nina Gubisch, http://ricardoVi?es.eu/, accessed 4.14.2013. 80 Kahan, 236. 25 Theatre and toured cities in the interior. With Argentinian pianist Rafael Gonz?lez, who became a close friend, he performed Tailleferre?s Jeux de plein air for two pianos.81 On 3 November, he played for a radio audience of 200,000. A few weeks later, his final concert was billed as Farewell Festival in Homage to Ricardo Vi?es, ?in gratitude for his contribution to the diffusion of music among us and on the occasion of his upcoming return to Europe.?82 This tour was noted by universally rapturous public reception and critical acclaim: ?During the seven months that Vi?es has remained among us, he has conquered the sympathy and admiration from all of us who have listened to [his performances] and have met him.?83 Back in Europe, throughout 1925 Vi?es performed a full passel of concerts, in France, Spain, Belgium, Monte Carlo, and The Netherlands. In between, he taught, composed, and lectured. On 10 February 1925?five days after his 50th birthday? he gave a recital at Salle ?rard comprising pieces dedicated to him.84 The next day he introduced Mompou?s F?tes Lointaines in Madame Andr??s salon.85 Another 50th birthday gala was held on 27 May at the University Alexandre Mercereau in Paris, at which his original poetry was read before he played French and Spanish works.86 In the spring of 1926, Vi?es gave two recitals at Salle ?rard, the second of which on 19 April featured music solely by South American composers.87 Reviews were decidedly mixed. In the years between his South American tours, he was programming works by South American 81 Gonz?lez also performed half of the four-hand orchestral-part arrangement for Nuits dans les Jardins d?Espagne, which Vi?es performed in September. 82 Berrocal, 73. 83 Ibid., 74. 84 ?By then, Vi?es was the dedicatee of hundreds of pieces and at times his concert programs exclusively featured these.?(Berrocal, 80) 85 Nina Gubisch, http://ricardoVi?es.eu/, accessed 4.14.2013. 86 Berrocal, 81. 87 Berrocal, 78. 26 composers such as Chimenti, Carillo, Forte, Allende, and Williams, ?apparently performing to small audiences and little applause.?88 Highlights of 1927 included a February recital at Salle ?rard, an Igor Stravinsky festival in March at Madame Hirsch?s salon where he played the composer?s Serenade, and Falla?s Nuits dans les Jardins d?Espagne with Philippe Gaubert at Salle Pleyel in November.89 He also gave recitals in England, Catalonia, Italy, and the French provinces. Also this year, he completed two compositions, in homage to Erik Satie (Threnodie) and Leon-Paul Fargue (Crinoline), both of which received public performance. Additionally, he lectured on the writings of L?on Bloy in Barcelona. On 19 March 1928, he performed in a Manuel de Falla festival90 at Salle Pleyel, and later in the year, he performed Nuits dans les Jardins d?Espagne again with Piern? on the Concert Colonne.91 The next few years brought multiple concert tours within France, including a performance at the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau; a tour of Spain; at least two trips to The Netherlands; and concerts in London and Brussels. In 1929, he recorded for the first time, including the only Debussy or Ravel he ever set on record: Debussy?s Poissons d?or and Soir?e dans Granade. Events of importance through the spring of 1930 included a recital of Spanish music at Salle ?rard, a concert of Argentinian music at the Sorbonne, and a concert of contemporary music at Vieux Colombier.92 Vi?es embarked for South America again in the summer of 1930. Initially intending to stay just a short time, as he was contracted to give a lucrative series of six recitals in Buenos 88 Korevaar and Sampsel, 365. 89 Nina Gubisch, http://ricardoVi?es.eu/, accessed 4.14.2013. 90 His presence was de rigeur at any kind of Spanish music festival. 91 Nina Gubisch, http://ricardoVi?es.eu/, accessed 4.14.2013. 92 Nina Gubisch, http://ricardoVi?es.eu/, accessed 4.14.2013. 27 Aires, he ended up staying more than five years.93 Almost immediately greeted by a political coup d?etat, he continued concertizing ad hoc whenever possible. He had to wait for the political situation to settle, however, before finishing the series, in which he grouped repertoire thematically. On 6 November 1930 he performed Falla?s Nuits dans les Jardins d?Espagne and Rimsky-Korsakov?s Piano Concerto in C-sharp minor with the Argentine conductor Juan Jose Castro in Buenos Aires?s Teatro Col?n. He assessed this performance as a high point in his career. In Castro, also fiercely dedicated to music of the 20th century, Vi?es had found a kindred spirit. With more concerts to close 1930, then a brief tour to Uruguay to start 1931, Vi?es kept delaying his return to Europe. Given the detailed reports of continued success, including rapturous, unceasing applause in Montevideo and new concerts added to the docket, it would seem he was profiting immensely from the tour. But Berrocal raises a point that needs to be better understood to get a full read on Vi?es: ?In between [the] lines, there was the concern for the tacit subject of his addiction to gambling, which, according to his biographers, had begun as early as 1896 during a trip to Nice and Monte Carlo with his mentor Lord Butterfield and had caused him much trouble during his lifetime.?94 In any case, new engagements continually appeared, and Vi?es spent much of 1931 performing in Buenos Aires, then in more provincial cities, and finally in Uruguay. Even outside the cosmopolitan capitals, he typically presented his trademark eclectic concerts. He offered a 93 Berrocal?s third chapter of her dissertation?a tour de force of scholarship?presents the activities of these years in comprehensive detail. The information presented here comes almost entirely from this source. 94 Berrocal 93. To her point, two diary entries from 1911 in Levy show Vi?es at the roulette wheel two out of three consecutive days. 28 prodigious repertoire that boggles the mind; it was said that he studied two or three new pieces per day.95 Vi?es spent 1932 to 1933 performing throughout Chile, where he collaborated with Chileans including Pedro Allende, the South American composer he appears to have programmed most.96 Toward the end of 1933, a prolonged serious infection that threatened amputation of a finger took him back to Buenos Aires. Although eventually cured, Vi?es was struggling financially from the forced hiatus, a situation exacerbated by his constant gambling.97 A fundraiser to benefit Vi?es in late 1933, featuring Federico Garcia Lorca?s play The Shoemaker?s Prodigious Wife with Lorca himself playing the piano, was a rousing and touching success.98 While Vi?es recovered, he wrote an article on Debussy, Ravel, and Satie that was published in La naci?n. On 15 March 1934, he gave what was billed as his ?farewell? concert in Buenos Aires?which immediately led to new bookings in the capital and provinces. However, it appears that in April, he was hit by a car ?like a bull over a bullfighter? and saved by a leap such as ?that of the famous Nijinsky at the end of the Spectre de la Rose.?99 Although seemingly uninjured, he postponed his return to Europe yet again, spending the rest of the year alternately performing in Buenos Aires and Montevideo. As his sojourn in South America finally drew to a close, the Teatro Ode?n produced a gala homage in his honor, featuring well-known dancers, singers, pianists, and other 95 Ibid., 98. 96 Ibid., 197-98. 97 Berrocal notes that his concerts in South America generated healthy profits, but he kept gambling the proceeds away, forcing him to keep booking new ones. 98 Ibid., 114. 99 Berrocal says July, but it must have been April for the day-date to work, and he addressed a note to his family telling of the incident in May. 29 performers. After a few final concerts in the Argentine and Uruguayan capitals, at long last, on 20 March 1935, he departed for Europe on the Almanzora. Vi?es made his Parisian public wait for nine months for his next major concert, which took place on 21 January 1936 at the ?cole Normale de Musique. Dedicated to the Association des Prix de Piano du Conservatoire de Paris, the recital comprised sixteen French, Russian, and Spanish works dedicated to Vi?es, including two Leibowitz premieres. The performance garnered unusual critical attention and praise, with press reviewing it from as far away as New York. Roland-Manuel wrote in the 1 February Courrier Royal, ?Some have seduced us, Gieseking has pleased us. No one to our taste has united absolute honesty with profound delicacy like Vi?es has; no one maintains so masterly the unit of tone in the diversity of expressive values.?100 Owing to this acclaim, on 28 February he gave a solo recital at Salle ?rard, mixing in South American composers with French, Spanish, and Russian ones. This concert resulted in a L?art musicale article that compared Vi?es and Rachmaninoff.101 Over the summer, he gave an acclaimed course on the interpretation of Spanish music at the ?cole Normale de Musique and a concert of South American music at the Revue Musicale, where he performed works by Bolivian, Chilean, and Argentine composers. Also this year, he made a second series of recordings. By this time, Paris was full of talented pianists. For at least his first year back, Vi?es found himself acclaimed and in demand. The outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 seems to correlate with a slow professional decline. To Riera, ?Something had happened to the 100 Riera, 23. 101 Berrocal, 130. 30 musical sphere in Paris during his absence. Performers from all over Europe had captured the attention of audiences. But certainly no one was as convincing as Ricardo Vi?es, who lived in their memories.?102 During the war years of 1936 to 1939, the conservative, nationalist Vi?es would play often in Spain, particularly in areas secured by General Francisco Franco. In 1937, after a few recitals in France and Switzerland, he participated in an April homage to S?verac at Salle Gaveau.103 Summer brought an unusual booking: He played a concert solely of works by Peruvian composer Rauol de Verneuil for the inauguration of Peru?s pavilion at the 1937 Exposition Internationale.104 But surely the 1937 event that most affected Vi?es took place at the end of the year: On 30 December in Paris, he attended the civil-ceremony funeral for Maurice Ravel, who had died two days before following unsuccessful brain surgery. Over the following year, Vi?es performed in multiple concerts honoring the composer, and he composed homages to Ravel (Menuet spectral) as well as Faure (En Verlaine mineur). He doubtless programmed much Ravel in January 1938, when he performed 20 concerts in Spain benefiting the Red Cross. He was back in Spain in September, playing a concert in Saint-S?bastien in homage to Falla, who in a moving letter to Roland-Manuel, bitterly regretted missing Ravel?s funeral.105 In the first months of 1939 Vi?es performed in Lyon and Bordeaux, then gave a concert of Spanish music at the Ecole Normal de Musique. On 1 August, he performed in recital at the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau. January 1940 saw Vi?es play a Maurice Ravel festival to benefit mobilized musicians, and he appeared in many benefit galas in subsequent months. 102 Riera, 23. 103 Nina Gubisch, http://ricardoVi?es.eu/, accessed 4.14.2013. 104 Berrocal, 133-34. 105 Nichols, 335. 31 With World War II hostilities raging unabated, he longed for a respite and left Paris for the last time on 13 November 1940; the next day, his niece Elvira Vi?es accompanied him to the border. As Vi?es intended to return to Paris after the fighting ended, Ricardo and Elvira did not realize that they would never see each other again. ?Once he left Paris, Vi?es left behind him the wake of an era, his successes and his well-being won with effort.?106 He stayed with relatives, then at the Hotel Bristol in Barcelona. Soon after his arrival in Spain, he refused an offer to return to Argentina, even though opportunities in his native land were few. He did perform occasional concerts in Barcelona, Madrid, and T?rrega. During these years, he taught Maria Canals from early 1941. One of the few to see Vi?es regularly in his last years, she wrote of their relationship in Una vida dins la m?sica.107 On 7 March 1941, he gave a concert at the Teatro Victoria in L?rida, and on 23 November, he performed for the last time in his hometown. On 19 March 1943, one month before his death, he gave his last concert, at the Palau de la M?sica Catalana in Barcelona. According to Elvira Vi?es, Vi?es?s final years were ?very painful for him.??108 By the end, he was poverty-stricken and his family in France was frantic, as the war hindered news and prevented travel. Prevailing upon the generosity of a few friends and the town of L?rida, he kept secret the ailments he was evidently suffering. ?Vi?es?s strong sense of dignity made it hard for the people who surrounded him in Barcelona to realize the seriousness of his illness. It is difficult to assert from the testimonies what exactly caused his death.?109 106 Riera, 24. 107 Maria Canals, Una vida dins la m?sica (Barcelona: Editorial Selecta, Volum 429, 1970). 108 Korevaar and Sampsel, 365. 109 Berrocal, 138. 32 Riera writes, ?On 23 April the first alarming news of the state of Vi?es? health began to arrive. A prolonged poverty hidden by an innate sense of dignity had undermined his body until it wore out. In the hotel where he was staying, he was found in a serious state in his room, where he had shut himself away without asking for help, not bothering anyone in an attempt to hide the final anguish that gripped him. He was moved with urgency to the public hospital of Pedralbes, but nothing could be done. The disease that had injured him unexpectedly had taken his body.?110 He died in the early morning of 29 April 1943, after receiving the last rites. It is said that, pointing to the crucifix, he spoke his last words: ?Aquest es el meu millor amic; sols Ell es la veritat.? (Catalan for ?This is my best friend; He is the only truth.?)111 Joaqu?n Rodrigo lamented, ?Europe and America will cry for Ricardo Vi?es, and they will cry for him in all languages for he showed the same commitment to all of them.?112 His body was shrouded in the Franciscan habit and displayed in the hall of the conservatory. The next day, his remains were moved to L?rida, and a funeral procession including the city council and choirs assembled. He was buried next to his mother in the L?rida cemetery in accordance with his wishes.113 In one last mystery of a life seemingly full of them, Berrocal notes that she found the inscription on Vi?es?s grave had changed at some unknown time. It was initially engraved thus: 110 Riera, 24. 111 Ibid., 24. Riera waxes romantic throughout his monograph, but especially here. 112 Berrocal, 138. 113 Riera, 25. 33 ?Here rests the remains of the illustrious citizen of Lleida and eminent pianist Ricardo Vi?es Roda who being offered the direction of the Paris Conservatoire upon renunciation of his nationality answered, ?the best fortune and the biggest glory is to be a Spaniard.? Lleida gives custody to his remains and will never forget his favorite son.?114 The newer inscription says simply, ?Here remains the illustrious and eminent pianist Ricardo Vi?es i Roda. The city remembers him and admires him.?115 114 Berrocal, 140, from a photo in the L?rida archives. 115 Ibid., 140. Part II: Ricardo Vi?es and Les Apaches 35 2. Les Apaches: A Private Window Saturday, 4 April 1904: In the evening, at Delage?s place with the usual gang. I played four hands with Ravel. I returned on foot with Fargue and Ravel.116 ?Toute la bande habituelle? were Les Apaches, a group of Parisian musicians, artists, and writers who began gathering over 1902 and 1903, growing out of a cadre that together attended the entire first run of performances of Debussy?s Pell?as et M?lisande.117 There, they fiercely guarded the opera en claque against the initial laughter and derision of critics and ?boulevard types? while it established itself with those who would become ?Pell?astre snobs,? assuring the opera?s success.118 Out of this crusade, friendships and aesthetic sympathies coalesced. Banding together to share artistic passions and doings, the nascent group met at various members? flats, the Montmartre home of Paul Sordes, and then later?so as to make music and carry on for all hours?a small, detached garden chalet near Auteuil rented by Maurice Delage. Over years of Saturday nights, they enjoyed a collegial, nonhierarchal enclave where they nurtured their creative interests and endeavors. 116 Vi?es: Diary, 4 April 1904. In Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,?201. 117 The opera opened on 30 April 1902. 118 Jann Pasler, "A Sociology of the Apaches: 'Sacred Battalion' for Pell?as," In Berlioz and Debussy: Sources, Contexts and Legacies, edited by Barbara L. Kelly and Kerry Murphy (Burlington: Ashgate, 2007) 151-52. 36 Vi?es?s diary and written memoires from several Apaches119 document their meetings, penchants, and activities. These centered on various shared interests such as the music of Debussy, Russian music, Asian art, folk music, and symbolist poetry. Individual passions and talents were markedly interdisciplinary: The poets wrote music, the musicians painted and recited poetry, and the painters played instruments.120 Key members included pianist Ricardo Vi?es; composers Maurice Ravel, Florent Schmitt, D?odat de S?verac, and Maurice Delage; critics ?mile Vuillermoz and Michel-Dimitri Calvocoressi; poet L?on-Paul Fargue; poet and painter Tristan Klingsor; artist Paul Sordes; conductor D?sire-?mile Inghelbrecht; and designer ?mile-Alain S?guy. The group also included conductor Paul Ladmirault, pianist and future Op?ra chorale conductor Marcel Chadeigne, music publisher Lucien Garban, composer Andr? Caplet, painter-inventor ?douard B?n?dictus, future Op?ra chaplain Abb? L?once Petit, and aviator Maurice Tabuteau. Over the years, Les Apaches continued to attract new members, later receiving composers Manual de Falla and Igor Stravinsky. Jann Pasler?s articles about Les Apaches121 portray a vibrant artistic coterie, evolving from casual meetings after concerts to a potent parlor-workshop for the French avant-garde. Other passing references?often in writings about Ravel?depict a group unified in artistic values and revolutionary fervor. Les Apaches, however, were more heterogeneous, 119 Four Apaches contributed to a ?tombeau? anthology in honor of Ravel: Colette et al, Maurice Ravel par quelques-uns de ses familiers, (Paris: ?ditions du Tambourinaire, 1939). 120 Lisa Harrington, "In Search of Marcelle Meyer" (D.M.A. dissertation: University of Colorado, 2012), 16. 121 Jann Pasler, ?A Sociology of the Apaches.?; "La Schola Cantorum et les Apaches: l'Enjou du pouvoir artistique ou S?verac mediateur et critique." In La musique: Du theorique au politique, by Dufourt Hugues and Jo?l-Marie Fauquet. Paris: Klincksieck, 1991.; "Stravinsky and the Apaches." The Musical Times 123, no. 1672 (June 1982): 403-407. 37 representing a cross-section of political, artistic, social, and musical values, together woven into the tapestry of musical society at large. Teasing out the story of such a private circle presents an elusive but fulfilling challenge to the researcher. ?Whereas the world of public institutions is recorded in documents and commented upon in the press, one has to glean the content of private gatherings and the nature of personal relationships from diaries, correspondence, memoirs, and the products of collaborations,?122 Pasler notes. Thus, an informed peek into the Apaches? ?wigwam? provides ?a very special window? into a private side?vis ? vis the public institutions?of musical life of Paris at the beginning of the 20th century. As Pell?as et M?lisande found its way to safety in the hands of the well-to-do aesthete arbiters of fashion, the rowdy, young gang of artists and musicians who cheered the work from the rafters indulged in their cause further by playing and singing it in each other?s homes.123 Les Apaches were well established by 30 May 1903, about a year after the opera?s first run. On this date, Vi?es reports the group meeting chez Sordes, at 39 rue Dulong in Montmartre, with Calvocoressi, S?guy, and Fargue also present. The oft-repeated story of the genesis of Les Apaches, recounted in even the briefest passing mentions, has the rowdy band making its way up rue de Rome one evening after a concert.124 They accidentally jostled a vendor of L?Intransigeant, who yelled ?Attention les Apaches!? Fortunately for this paper, it appears that it was indeed Vi?es who bumped the 122 Jann Pasler, ?A Sociology of the Apaches,? 154. 123 Per Pasler, these recollections come largely from Apaches Vuillermoz, Inghelbrecht, and Fargue. 124 Malou Haine dates this fateful collision to March 1904. Malou Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," Revue belge de Musicologie 60 (2006) 237. 38 newsboy125 and subsequently delighted in the ?hooligan? name (?The word enchanted Vi?es which launched that day there the Apaches in eternity.?126) He first referred to them as such in his diary on 14 March 1904.127 Apaches was in the air after 1902, when it was used in Le matin to describe a Belleville street gang who terrorized the boulevards. The name also connotes the Native American people, and it was also used for certain artistic anarchists.128 Given Les Apaches ideals of independence and freedom?Roland-Manuel insisted that the Apaches were ?open to all the changeable winds of fashion, but firmly closed to pedants and spurious aesthetes?129?it comes as little surprise that this fortuitous epithet would have amused and resonated with the friends. Ravel came up with an Apaches secret theme: the opening notes of Borodin?s Second Symphony,130 which they would whistle to summon one another. ?It served them to find each other in the concert hall or theater when the ushers, tired of waiting for the end of their discussions in the corridors, would shut off the lights, or if they were in a crowd on the street.?131 He also invented a phantom member, one Gomez de Riquet, who could be conveniently referenced so as to dodge an unwanted appointment or extract oneself from a tedious encounter.132 Some Apache members had special nicknames. Ravel was ?Rara.? These dandified conceits reveal something of a snobbish self-concept for the group. Indeed, to some it would appear as though Les Apaches carried some of the attributes of a 125 Roland-Manuel, Ravel (London: Dennis Dobson, 1947) 34. 126 Maurice Delage, ?Les premiers amis de Ravel,? in Maurice Ravel par quelques-uns de ses familiers (Paris: ?ditions du Tambourinaire, 1939) 99. 127 Malou Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches,? 237. 128 Jann Pasler, "La Schola Cantorum et les Apaches,? 319-323. 129 Roland-Manuel, 33. 130 Reflecting their delight in relatively unknown Russian music. 131 Victor Seroff, Maurice Ravel (Freeport: Books for Libraries Press, 1970) 58. 132 ?I?m so sorry, I must run to Saint-Germain to dejeuner with Gomez de Riquet.? 39 secret society. Women were strictly forbidden from meetings, for example. However, one might consider that these were highly creative, hypersensitive men in their twenties, likely overly steeped in the rarified exquisite pleasures of Baudelaire and Huysmans?s Des Esseintes, striving to affirm their artistic visions and fulfill their promise in an enormous, chaotic city amid complex social and artistic dynamics. ?It was a group of young men whose art was their religion. They were ready to sacrifice everything to it.?133 Artists were astute to band together, and dashes of foppish pretense were likely not confined solely to Les Apaches. Owing to the extended, animated hubbub of meetings, the men found themselves needing to relocate their late-night artistic sprees. ?Apaches headquarters? moved in 1904 to a small wooden pavilion Delage rented at 3 rue de Civry in Auteuil. At their first meeting there, on 24 March, they enjoyed a parody of Pell?as et M?lisande put on by Ravel and Delage.134 The garden chalet was protected from the street by a wall pierced by a narrow door. Within, ?We played or read what we wrote or composed in the friendliest atmosphere that could be imagined.?135 The Apaches sanctuary saw the coming to life of many works: Ravel?s Sh?h?razade, Miroirs, and Gaspard de la Nuit; de Severac?s En Languedoc; Fargue?s Po?mes; even Stravinsky?s Rite of Spring; and untold cross-pollination that would lead to future undertakings and accomplishments. Les Apaches were a unique confluence of freewheeling, nonhierarchical organization; impressive diversity and eclectic erudition; and disciplined regularity and longevity. Together, the friends fanned the flames of their artistic passions and endeavors for more than a decade. 133 Seroff, 56. 134 Jann Pasler, ?A Sociology of the Apaches,? 155. 135 L?on-Paul Fargue, "Un h?ros de la musique: Ricardo Vi?es," in Portraits de famille (Paris: J. B. Janin, 1947) 223- 24. 40 Over the years, their commitment and investment in supporting one other in service of artistic innovation informed the course of the French avant-garde, while leading to artistic maturity and success for its members. Unfortunately, as with many artistic coteries of international composition, World War I brought a definitive end to their gatherings. The group never met again as such after the war, as members scattered and pursued independent paths. Their hold on the pulse of the French avant-garde would be yielded to future artistic collectives such as Satie?s Nouveaux Jeunes and Les Six. But Les Apaches writings, music, recollections, and?through all these?the private window that looks into this unique time in musical Paris still spark the imagination. They afford scholars and Belle ?poque aficionados artistic nourishment as well as the enjoyment of a voyeur who has the pleasure of witnessing both the cozy of the quotidian and the extraordinary of the historic. 41 3. Les Apaches Roster Monday, 14 March 1904: We went out together, all the Apaches, as we call ourselves.136 Naming Les Apaches is somewhat subjective. As the group maintained no official charter or member lists, ?real? Apaches are identified through triangulation: mentions in Vi?es?s diary, the written legacy of definitive members such as Calvocoressi, accounts by others who interfaced with the group, and retroactively through the investigations of musicologists such as Pasler and Haine. Many names are universal to all accounts of the Apaches story so as to be incontrovertible. On the other hand, the line blurs when distinguishing less-frequent Apaches from non-Apaches visitors. Markedly nonhierarchical, the group was neither organized around a singular leader nor stack-ranked by member contribution. Multiple individual reminiscences indicated that all felt welcomed and valued no matter the level of involvement or expertise in whatever creative field of endeavor. Pasler notes that there were ?no codes, no structured or formal presentations, no special clothes or behavior, no pressure to conform to the ideal of a certain patroness, nor any requirement to produce regularly and in the same manner,?137 and concludes that as a result, ?Relationships between Apaches were almost certainly on a quasi-equal footing.?138 In light of this, it may seem moot to reconstitute an organizational structure per se. However, in attempting to comprehend the dynamics of an inherently elusive group a century 136 Vi?es: Diary, 14 March 1904. In Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 237. 137 Pasler, ?A Sociology of the Apaches,? 165. 138 Ibid., 166. 42 after the fact, one might consider seeming degrees of investment and influence in direction and mission from the evidence at hand?such as would happen in evaluating a present-day organization. At the very least, to understand the Apaches story and appreciate the collaboration and synergy among members, it is beneficial to catalog just who is who. Here then are presented the members of Les Apaches, reconciled from the available information, selected and placed by this author. These profiles are not comprehensive, but serve to spotlight achievements during the Les Apaches era as well as connections and collaborations among the group. Center Maurice Ravel (1875-1943), French composer. See section ?Maurice Ravel: Composer, Apache, Friend.? Ricardo Vi?es (1875-1937), Catalan-French pianist. See chapter 6, ?Ricardo Vi?es: Les Apaches Exemplar.? Circle 1: Key members Michel-Dimitri Calvocoressi (1877-1944), Greek-French writer and critic. See section ?The Miroirs Quintet.? Marcel Chadeigne (1875-1926), French pianist and conductor. A classmate of Vi?es and Ravel in the studio of Charles de B?riot, and subsequently with Vi?es in Godard?s ensemble class, Chadeigne was an excellent pianist who received his Conservatoire first prize the year after Vi?es. According to Delage, he could sightread an orchestra score of thirty staffs. At 43 Vi?es?s debut recital in 1895, it was Chadeigne who played the orchestra reduction for Beriot?s Second Piano Concerto.139 One of the first Apaches?Vi?es noted that Chadeigne was ?very intelligent, the only one in the class [with Ravel] with whom we can talk?140?Chadeigne was part of the cadre who attended the initial run of Pell?as et M?lisande, to which he introduced Inghelbrecht.141 Vi?es noted in his diary of an Apaches gathering where he and Chadeigne performed four hands Rimsky-Korsakov?s Piano Concerto and Franck?s Les Djinns.142 In March 1906, Chadeigne organized a presentation of works by Vuillermoz and Inghelbrecht at the Th??tre Royal.143 In 1909, he became conductor of choirs at the Paris Op?ra. Maurice Delage (1879-1961), French composer. See section ?The Miroirs Quintet.? L?on-Paul Fargue (1876-1947), French poet. See section ?The Miroirs Quintet.? D?sir?-?mile Inghelbrecht (1880-1965), French conductor-composer. After he was expelled from the Conservatoire, Inghelbrecht played violin in an orchestra. He met Ravel in 1902 at Chadeigne?s144 and was one of the early vociferous defenders of Pell?as et M?lisande.145 In order to attend each performance, he had to find himself a replacement in his orchestra, and added that afterward, ?We met at each other?s homes and we played it over 139 Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 250. 140 Vi?es: Diary, 27 July 1895. In Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 250. 141 Pasler, ?A Sociology of the Apaches,? 153. 142 Vi?es: Diary, 31 October 1903. In Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 250. 143 Jann Pasler, "La Schola Cantorum et les Apaches: l'Enjou du pouvoir artistique ou S?verac mediateur et critique," in La musique: Du theorique au politique, by Dufourt Hugues and Jo?l-Marie Fauquet (Paris: Klincksieck, 1991) 331. 144 Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 250. 145 Pasler notes that Chadeigne brought him; the two had known each other in the Conservatoire harmony class. 44 again for ourselves, some of us at the piano, some singing.?146 In 1908, as conductor at the Th??tre des Arts, he led 50 performances of Florent Schmitt?s La trag?die de Salom?. Inghelbrecht maintained a close friendship and copious correspondence with Debussy and conducted the chorus for Le martyre de St. S?bastien at its 1911 premiere. At the Soci?t? Musicale Ind?pendante concert of 14 January 1914, he conducted the premieres of Ravel?s Trois Po?mes de St?phan? Mallarm?147 and Delage?s Quatre Po?mes hindous.148 Vuillermoz noted that Inghelbrecht enthusiastically promoted his colleagues? works, ?which he conducted with meticulousness and understanding.?149 He was said to be ?lively as saltpeter and nervous as a cat.?150 Compositions during the Apaches era are marked by ?exotic? influences, such as Pour le jour de la pr?miere neige au vieux Japon (1908). His La nursery (1905-1911) suites of childhood scenes for piano are ?presented with charmingly contrived naivety.?151 Vi?es premiered Inghelbrecht?s Suite petite-russienne (J?ai aim? Ivan, Chant du vent, Kozatchka, Mon coeur, Chant de soldats) on 11 January 1908 at Salle ?rard for the Soci?t? Nationale de Musique.152 Tristan Klingsor (L?on Lecl?re) (1874-1966), French poet-painter. A true interdisciplinarian, Klingsor was equally at home as poet, painter, and musician. He studied at ?cole du Louvre and met Paul Sordes at the Salon des Ind?pendants. Sordes subsequently 146 Pasler, ?A Sociology of the Apaches,? 152-53. 147 Although according to Roger Nichols, their friendship had cooled by this point. See Nichols, 108, 117. 148 Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 250. 149 Ibid., 250. 150 Ibid., 250. 151 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., s.v. ?Inghelbrecht, D(?sir?)-?(mile).? 152 Michel Duchesneau, L'avant-garde musicale et ses soci?t?s ? Paris de 1871 ? 1939 (Sprimont: Mardaga, 1997) 268. 45 invited Klingsor to his Saturday soirees, where Klingsor developed an immediate connection with Ravel. He was ?one of the most ardent members of the Apaches.?153 Klingsor set many of his own poems to music.154 In his poetry, he ?was particularly focused on music-text relationships and sought to apply the laws of harmony and counterpoint to the rules of prosody.?155 His dreamy take on Scheherazade, published in 1903, provided Ravel with the texts for his piece of the same name for voice and orchestra. Both presented their respective versions to the group on 7 November 1903.156 Interestingly, the sexual ambiguity of the final song L?indiff?rent taken up by some scholars reflects that of Ravel, Vi?es, and the Apaches as a whole.157 Paul Ladmirault (1877-1944), French composer. Displaying immense gifts for composition early on, Ladmirault studied with Gabriel Faur? at the Conservatoire, in the class a few years behind Ravel, Schmitt, and Vuillermoz. Ladmirault and Inghelbrecht were part of a circle of musicians who met weekly chez Vuillermoz during 1901, a possible antecedent to Les Apaches.158 Vi?es?s diary entry of 7 November 1903 mentions Ladmirault and Klingsor joining the group after attending a reprise of Pell?as et M?lisande.159 It appears that Ladmirault?s compositional mastery was fully mature by this time. Some of his music showcases an interest in regionalism and folklore, including that of his native Brittany. This includes the Apaches-era compositions Suite bretonne (1903), Variations sur des 153 Seroff, 68. 154 Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 258. 155 Pasler, ?A Sociology of the Apaches,? 157. 156 Ibid., 157-58. 157 Scholarly discourse to date probes at this issue delicately and discreetly, largely for a conspicuous lack of solid information. 158 Pasler, ?A Sociology of the Apaches,? 154. 159 Ibid., 155. 46 airs de biniou tr?gorois (1908), and Rhapsodie ga?lique (1909). Having developed a personal chromaticism and imaginative approach to motivic development, he nonetheless expressed his musical debt to Faur? and Ravel.160 The latter was particularly fond of Suite bretonne, particularly noting its orchestration.161 In 1911 fellow Apaches Florent Schmitt wrote, ?Of all the memorable musicians of the rising generation, Paul Ladmirault is maybe the most gifted, the most original, but also the most modest; and, in our century of ambition, this humility is mistaken.?162 Florent Schmitt (1870-1958), French composer and critic. Schmitt was a prolific, successful, and important composer of his generation. Born in Lorraine, he studied harmony at the Paris Conservatoire with Dubois and Lavignac and composition with Massenet and Faur?. On his fifth try, he won the Prix de Rome for his cantata S?miramis. His works from his three- year stay in Rome and subsequent travels showed him to be a productive innovator with a strong individual voice. His style ?was admired for its energy, dynamism, grandeur, and virility, for its union of French clarity and German strength.?163 He and Ravel maintained a warm correspondence, Schmitt often encouraging Ravel in the early years. He frequented Apaches gatherings after his sojourn in Rome, but apparently left no written record of these activities.164 Important works of the Les Apaches era (out of about 40 he composed by 1910) include the cantata Psalm XLVII (1906), Piano Quintet (1908), and ballet La trag?die de Salom? (1907), later a 1910 symphonic poem he dedicated to 160 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., s.v. ?Ladmirault, Paul.? 161 Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 253. 162 Ibid., 253. 163 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., s.v. ?Schmitt, Florent.? 164 Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 248. 47 Stravinsky. Stravinsky wrote ?I confess that [Salom?] has given me greater joy than any work I have heard in a long time.?165 It was taken up by the Ballet Russes in 1913. Also a critic, Schmitt championed Chabrier, Lalo, Franck, Saint-Sa?ns, Faur?, Rimsky- Korsakov, early Stravinsky, and early Schoenberg?reflecting the tastes of many of Les Apaches. ?Although a taciturn man, Schmitt forcefully expressed his preferences or disapproval.?166 It is said that at the March 1908 premiere of Rhapsodie espagnole at the Ch?telet, the end of the second movement brought jeers from the orchestra level seats, and subsequently, the thundering voice of Schmitt, from above: "Once again, for those below who did not understand.?167 Schmitt set several Fargue texts, and the two dedicated many of their works to one another. On two occasions, he commenced collaborations with Calvocoressi but abandoned them. Vi?es premiered Schmitt?s Trois Valses on 21 April 1906 at the Salle ?rard for the Soci?t? Nationale de Musique.168 ?mile-Alain S?guy (1877-1951), French designer. One of the earliest Apaches, S?guy was a classmate of Apache ?douard B?n?dictus at the ?cole des Arts Decoratifs. He designed furniture and interiors in styles following those of the applied arts, including art nouveau and art deco. S?guy introduced Vi?es to the Marquise de Pierre, who repeatedly invited the pianist to her salon.169 D?odat de S?verac (1872-1921), French composer. S?verac had a long affiliation with the Schola Cantorum, studying there from 1896 to 1907. His thesis advocated for French music 165 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., s.v. ?Schmitt, Florent.? 166 Ibid. 167 Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 248. 168 Duchesneau, 267. 169 Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 260. 48 to draw from regional folk music so as to throw off Germanic influence.170 This would have been highly sympathetic with Apaches aesthetics; perhaps some of his arguments were developed at Apaches gatherings. S?verac followed this up by moving back to his Languedoc hometown in 1907, where he served on the municipal council. Works composed during this time showed a marked modal flavor and folk influences. He served in the World War I and composed little during the action; unfinished prewar scores mostly remained so. He ended his career as organist in the city of C?ret and died young. Some musicologists propose that his leaving Paris after early success there stunted his career and led to comparative neglect. However, he was an important composer of his generation, ?whose works, though humanized by colourful images of people and landscapes, are at the same time characterized by a certain nostalgia and melancholy.?171 Vi?es first mentions S?verac in his diary entry of 1 July 1901.172 On 1 March 1904, he included the composer on an all-French program in Brussels. He premiered two movements from En Languedoc (Coin de cimieti?re au printemps, A cheval dans la prairie) on 18 February 1905 at the Salle Pleyel for the Soci?t? Nationale de Musique,173 and subsequently premiered the entire work?which S?verac dedicated to him?at the Schola Cantorum on 25 May 1905.174 Humorously, after critic Pierre Lalo hinted at plagiarism on the part of Ravel in Miroirs of En Languedoc, Ravel wrote to S?verac the next day in faux apology: ?How was I supposed to know that there could be such similarities between an oceangoing vessel and a village fete?!!?175 170 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., s.v. ?S?verac, (Marie Joseph Alexandre) D?odat de.? 171 Ibid. 172 Nina Gubisch, http://ricardoVi?es.eu/ 173 Duchesneau, 265. 174 Nina Gubisch, http://ricardoVi?es.eu/ 175 Nichols, 79. 49 Vi?es spent almost the entire month of September 1906 at S?verac?s home in his birth village, Saint-Felix.176 On 29 April 1911, he premiered four movements from Cerda?a (En tartane, Les F?tes, M?n?triers et glaneuses, Le Retour des mueltiers) at the Schola Cantorum for the Soci?t? Nationale de Musique.177 After World War I, he contributed to numerous de S?verac festivals and events. Paul Sordes, French painter. See section ?The Miroirs Quintet.? ?mile Vuillermoz (1878-1960), French music critic. Vuillermoz studied composition alongside Ravel and Schmitt with Faur? at the Conservatoire after studying literature and law at the University of Lyons. A composer of m?lodie and operetta, he turned to criticism early, noting that Pell?as deserved a more worthy audience?the future Apaches in the rafters?than its wealthy aesthete-snob converts.178 He played a strong-arm role in the initiative to protect the first run: ?Vuillermoz, ?in the first row, surrounded by a party of staff-officers that seemed to become more imposing with each act,? looked upon them as ?troops marshaled? to keep order in the theatre.?179 Vuillermoz parlayed his decisive opinions and combative power on behalf of the Apaches in journals such as Courrier musical, and later became editor-in-chief of R?vue musicale and Bulletin fran?ais de la soci?t? Ind?pendante de musique.180 Pasler notes that his prolific, colorful writings were highly skewed to promote his own agendas, but nevertheless, he 176 Nina Gubisch, http://ricardoVi?es.eu/ 177 Duchesneau, 272. 178 Pasler, ?A Sociology of the Apaches,? 152. 179 Ibid., 152-53. 180 Ibid., 159. 50 was the ?prophetic and clairvoyant?combat musician?181 of Les Apaches; he achieved marked success on their behalf and in the service of the musical avant-garde. Vuillermoz helped galvanize the press around Ravel after the controversial failed Prix de Rome attempt of 1905, and later spearheaded the endeavor to form the Soci?t? Musicale Ind?pendante in 1909.182 After World War I, he analyzed the works of four Apaches in Musiques d?aujourd?hui. He went on to have a prolific career as journalist and critic (also of drama and film), championing the cause of his contemporaries. He was keenly interested in film music and recording technology, and created Cin?phonies?a sort of early music video.183 He stands out as one of the enthusiastic defenders of contemporary music and more particularly that of Debussy, Ravel, and Schmitt. ?With his tactics of attack and exclusion, Vuillermoz helped to unify and protect Apaches members.?184 Of Vuillermoz, Delage wrote, ?It is astonishing to see him put as much intelligence in what he doesn?t write as in what he writes.?185 Circle 2: Other frequent members ?douard B?n?dictus (1878-1930), painter-chemist. A classmate of S?guy at the ?cole des Arts Decoratifs, he later turned to chemistry. He was also a composer, writer, and painter. Delage described him as a "mage with unlimited knowledge,? and he was also able in 181 Ibid., 160. 182 The Harry Ransom Center holds a number of pieces of correspondence between Vuillermoz and Ravel. 183 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., s.v. ?Vuillermoz, ?mile.? 184 Pasler, ?A Sociology of the Apaches,? 160-61. 185 Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 246. 51 bookbinding and graphic arts. In 1903, he invented the laminated safety glass that is still used in car windshields. Later, he created fabrics and wallpaper in the art deco style.186 Andr? Caplet (1878-1925), French composer and conductor. Prodigiously talented, Caplet progressed rapidly and was a frequent prize winner at the Conservatoire. He tutored his classmate Calvocoressi in harmony. Just eleven years after serving as rehearsal pianist for the Le Havre Folies-Berg?re at age 12, Caplet won the Prix de Rome on his first attempt. As a conductor, he substituted for Leroux at age eighteen, later becoming assistant conductor of the Colonne, musical director of the Theatre de l?Od?on, and in 1912, musical director of the Boston Opera. He was famed for his Pell?as et M?lisande, conducting the London premiere. Caplet and Debussy were on close terms after 1907. Their mutual admiration (Debussy called Caplet his ?angel of corrections?187) led Caplet to orchestrate a large portion of Le martyre de Saint Sebastian, then conduct its premiere. He was wounded in World War I, and aftereffects from gassing led to a premature death. After the war, he composed almost exclusively for the voice, setting many religious texts. His style harkened back to Debussy while being uniquely chromatic and atmospheric. His works often showed his deep Catholic piety.188 Lucien Garban (1877-1959), music publisher. At Durand, Garban read manuscripts, corrected proofs, and transcribed numerous works of French composers and Mussorgsky. Friends with Ravel at the Conservatoire, he later assisted the composer with many arrangements and transcriptions. 186 Ibid., 260. 187 Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 254. 188 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., s.v. ?Caplet, Andr?.? 52 Garban was present in Debussy?s home on 14 December 1901, where Vi?es played Pour le piano for Debussy and Debussy in turn played Reflets dans l?eau and Mouvement from Images. Debussy told Garban that Vi?es ?played them better than he himself.?189 Charles Gu?rin (1875-1939), French designer. Gu?rin studied with Gustave Moreau at the ?cole des Beaux-Arts before in turn becoming a professor there. He designed the sets and costumes for L?incoronazione di Poppea by Monteverdi at the Th??tre des Arts in 1913. His lithographs and drawings illustrate works of several writers of the 1920s. Klingsor wrote a monograph on Guerin in 1922.190 Pierre Haour (1880-1920), French editor. Haour was a close friend of Ravel?s from 1899, and after 1904, the Apaches occasionally met on Tuesdays at his flat.191 He was passionate about literature and in 1907 undertook at his own expense to help Fargue publish his Po?mes.192 In 1917, Fargue introduced him to Adrienne Monnier, creator of the bookstore Rue de l?Od?on, frequented by writers of the time. Together Haour and Monnier launched an ambitious publishing program under the label A. Monnier et Cie. During the summers, Haour rented the chateau La Bijeannette in St. Sauveur, and in 1920 Ravel joined him for the summer. By the end of August, Haour was gravely ill. Ravel saw him to a hospital in Auteuil, where he died on September 10 at the age of 40, the first of the Apaches to pass away.193 Georges Mouveau (1878-1959), French stage designer. He consulted on Jacques Dr?sa?s designs for the 1912 ballet setting of Ravel?s Ma mere l?Oye. Later, he became lead designer for 189 Vi?es: Diary, 14 December 1901. In Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,? 224. 190 Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 260. 191 Pasler, ?A Sociology of the Apaches,? 155. 192 Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 261. 193 Nichols, 217. 53 the Paris Op?ra. It was said that he could create an immediate draft design for any assignment given him.194 Abb? L?once Petit (1875-1935), French chaplain. Vi?es called Petit ?very intelligent? in his journal.195 It is said that during the early Pell?as et M?lisande, he would not leave his breviary to ?mingle with the courteous or discourteous jousting between supporters and opponents.?196 Petit introduced Vi?es to Catholic author Leon Bloy, who became a huge influence on Vi?es. Roland-Manuel dedicated his A la gloire de Ravel (1938) to Petit, who was chaplain of the Paris Op?ra. L?on Pivet, French engraver. Pivet studed at the ?cole des Arts Decoratifs. Vi?es and Pivet may have originally crossed paths in the company of Nabi painters they both knew.197 Pivet met Fargue in 1904, just as Les Apaches started meeting chez Delage. Pasler opines that Pivet may have advised Stravinsky on a graphic solution of perspective and space in music for the latter?s Three Japanese Lyrics, as his own lithographs and paintings were dramatically influenced by Japanese art.198 Magnus Synnestvedt (1879-1947), Norwegian critic. Synnestvedt, son of the Norwegian consulate in Paris, joined Les Apaches in 1904. He effected cultural exchange between France and Norway, organizing concerts of Scandinavian music in Paris (at one of which in November 1904 Vi?es performed Sinding and Grieg), then presenting works of Debussy in Oslo in December 1906. He served as music critic for several French and Norwegian newspapers. In 1908, he married the cousin of D?odat de S?verac. Settling in Neuilly, the couple opened their 194 Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 259. 195 Ibid., 261. 196 Ibid., 261. 197 Pasler, ?A Sociology of the Apaches,? 154. 198 Jann Pasler, "Stravinsky and the Apaches" (The Musical Times 123, no. 1672, June 1982) 406. 54 home to Les Apaches. A 20 January 1909 soiree saw Vi?es performing Gaspard de la Nuit, Poissons d?or, and Reflets dans l?eau. Synnestvedt also worked with Calvocoressi on Russian initiatives including collaboration with Diaghilev and Balakirev.199 Maurice Tabuteau (1884-1976), French aviator. An amateur pianist and ?Ravel fanatic,?200 Tabuteau was introduced to the Apaches in the summer of 1904 as a result of his sister?s marriage to the brother of critic Jean Marnold. After meetings, Tabuteau would sometimes drive fellow Apaches home in an old Panhard automobile.201 Fargue likened a Tabuteau without music to a drug addict without morphine.202 At an Apaches gathering, he recounted the story of his October 1910 record flight in a Farman biplane over Buc, setting the record for distance and duration.203 Two months later, he won aviation?s Michelin Cup.204 Circle 3: Later composer members Manuel de Falla (1876-1946), Spanish composer. One of the most important Spanish composers of the 20th century, Falla imbued his music with Spanish coloration, dance rhythms, and folk melody. Falla arrived in Paris in 1907 and met Vi?es and joined Les Apaches almost immediately. The pianist immediately became a key Falla advocate, bringing him to Les Apaches on 15 October 1907.205 A tireless champion of Falla?s works, Vi?es performed them frequently, both in France and abroad. He premiered the Pi?ces espagnoles (Aragonesa, Cubana, 199 Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 252. 200 Ibid., 262. 201 Ibid., 262. 202 Fargue, 224. 203 Clary, 148. 204 Back in those days, aviation records were reset almost on a weekly basis. 205 Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 254. 55 Montanesa, Andaluza) on 27 March 1909 at the Salle ?rard for the Soci?t? Nationale de Musique.206 Falla dedicated Noches en los jardines de Espa?a (1916) to Vi?es. Although Vi?es didn?t premiere the piece, he programmed it frequently for the rest of his career. Roland-Manuel (1891-1966), French composer and writer. The youngest of the group and one of the last to join, Roland-Manuel studied violin and composition, the latter with Roussel, at the Schola Cantorum after 1905. He later studied with and advocated tirelessly on behalf of Ravel. His modest compositional output dates mostly from after World War I, although he published the song ?Farizade au sourire de rose? on a Persian text in 1913 and a piano trio in 1917. His style was precise, restrained, and refined, sometimes more whimsical ? la Les Six.207 He is perhaps better known for his writings on music, especially multiple works on Ravel. Albert Roussel (1869-1937), French composer. Long associated with the Schola Cantorum, he studied composition with Eug?ne Gigout and Vincent d?Indy from 1898 until 1907, and taught there himself until 1914. A naval officer before resigning to study music, he became interested in Indian music during his voyages. He collaborated with Calvocoressi on texts for the Indian-music inspired Evocations (1911), ?in its dramatic power, orchestral colour, exotic influences and structure one of the great successes of French music in the period immediately before World War I.?208 In his memoires, Calvocoressi wrote about Roussel: ?We 206 Duchesneau, 362. 207 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., s.v. ?Roland-Manuel.? 208 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., s.v. ?Alfred Roussel.? 56 all liked him very much? As often as not, it was just by a quiet smile that he would reveal his unfavorable opinions or, as the case might be, show that he stuck to his guns.?209 Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), Russian composer. Les Apaches welcomed Stravinsky upon the composer?s arrival in Paris, an affiliation overshadowed by that with the Ballets Russes. He became particularly close with Delage and stayed with him at the garden chalet, writing of the words 3 rue de Civry, ?I don?t even know how to tell you how dear they are to me!?210 Schmitt reports of a private performance of Rite of Spring at the Apaches wigwam: ?This work has, all by itself, more importance than all other music that can be played at this moment anywhere in the world.?211 Stravinsky?s Apaches work was Three Japanese Lyrics (1913). The work was premiered on the aforementioned 14 January 1914 Soci?t? Musicale Ind?pendante concert. He dedicated each song to a fellow Apache: Delage, Schmitt, and Ravel. Pasler writes, ?Having had the opportunity to discuss not only Japanese art and the implications of Pell?as, but also symbolist poetry and the relation between poetry and music gave Stravinsky a wealth of knowledge and understanding about changes at the time in all arts. His association with the Apaches laid the foundations for later alliances with other French poets, artists, and musicians.?212 Circle 4: Peripheral members Others occasionally listed as Apaches are Felix Augustin, who worked with Mouveau; Joaquin Boceta, Spanish mathematician; Partington y de Carcer, secretary general of a Spanish 209 M. D. Calvocoressi, Music and Ballet (London: Faber and Faber, 1933) 58. 210 Pasler, "Stravinsky and the Apaches," 403. 211 Ibid., 404. 212 Ibid., 407. 57 bank; Chanvin; Georges d?Espagnat (1870-1950), French painter; Estienne, descendant of the famous printing family; Alexander Friedrich; Georges Jean-Aubrey (1882-1950), French musicologist and writer; and Charles Lacoste (1870-1959), French artist. 58 Maurice Ravel: Composer, Apache, Friend Sunday, 24 December 1905: At my house, I found Ravel in the process of correcting his Miroirs; also there were Pepe and Elvirita; Ravel bought this one a toy (a mechanical bear) at Bazar des Ternes.213 In considering the artistic values and activities shared and promoted by Apaches members throughout and after the group?s existence, and for his meteoric rise during the Apaches era, one could persuasively argue that the group?s soul center was composer Maurice Ravel. Maurice Delage later wrote as much: ?I had to be admitted to a club whose enthusiasm and spirit of unity deeply touched me. Ravel seemed to be naturally the center of the circle who did not yet have a name.?214 Ravel was, of course, one of the most innovative and accomplished composers of the 20th century. It was during the time of Les Apaches that he found his footing; highlights during these years include:  Jeux d?eau (1902)  String Quartet (1904)  Sh?h?razade (1904)  Sonatine (1905)  Miroirs (1906)  Histoires naturelles (1907)  Rapsodie espagnole (1908)  Gaspard de la nuit (1909)  Ma m?re l?oye (1910)  L?heure espagnole (1911)  Valses nobles et sentimentales (1911)  Daphnis et Chlo? (1912) 213 Vi?es: Diary, 24 December 1905. In Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,? 204. 214 Clary, 145. 59 Commensurate with Ravel?s rise to the heights of cultural and musicological import, scholars have produced myriad accounts, beginning well within his lifetime. Even after this dissertation was underway, this writer was the fortunate beneficiary of Roger Nichols?s 2011 biography,215 which includes information from a barque-load of newly released writings and correspondence; and Paul Roberts?s 2012 study of Ravel?s piano works.216 Additionally, Nina Gubisch released an article in 2011 about Ravel and Vi?es in Cahiers Maurice Ravel.217 Ravel scholarship is flourishing. These publications consider the Ravel-Vi?es dyad of seminal importance. In the previous section categorizing Apaches personages, Ricardo Vi?es is placed directly alongside Ravel. The two men are uniquely linked via close, long-term interdependence from their formative years through artistic maturity. As more information surfaces about both, it is evident that the Vi?es- Ravel alliance can be considered one of the most synergistic artistic partnerships in recent musical history, deep in personal richness and mutually profitable in active collaboration. The public products of this association were exactly contemporaneous with the Apaches era. Their lives were entwined from 1888 through the World War I years. Born the same year, musically gifted, and intellectually voracious, the two boys came of age sharing countless hours at the piano, playing scores four hands or experimenting with new sonorities: Monday, 15 August 1892: We didn?t go out today, but we spent a good day together, all the time at the piano trying out new chords, playing over some ideas we had, Maurice and I. Mama and Pepe 215 Nichols, Roger. Ravel. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2011. 216 Roberts, Paul. Reflections: The Piano Music of Maurice Ravel. Milwaukee: Amadeus Press, 2012. 217 Gubisch-Vi?es, Nina. "Ravel, Vi?es, Les annees de formation: Go?ts croises, curiosities partagees (1888-1900)." Cahiers Maurice Ravel, no. 14 (January 2011): 16-42. 60 were angry. I didn?t even come home for dinner and they were waiting.218 Outside their drawing rooms, they roamed the streets, partaking of the dazzling musical and artistic offerings in their adopted city. They marveled at novel pleasures such as the Paris Exposition?s gamelan and Russian music concerts, outdoor magicians and fire eaters, and the bookstalls along the quay. Over the years, Vi?es, an avid reader, shared with Ravel many of his literary discoveries, such as Baudelaire, Huysmans, and Edgar Allen Poe. In turn, Ravel introduced Vi?es to the newly published works of Rimbaud. (?What a genius, this Rimbaud!?) Together in the concert halls, they heard Berlioz?s B?atrice et B?n?dict, Gounod?s Romeo et Juliet, Wagner?s Tristan und Isolde, and countless others. Victor Seroff?s timeworn, romanticized biography of Ravel has the boys taking in crowded cafes, poking around smoky night clubs, and witnessing all manner of street high jinks. He also mentions a decidedly nonacademic component of their musical education: ?The boys explored the street where natives from far lands bivouacked as if they were at home. They spent hours browsing in the Oriental shops and country theatres, and listening to the groups of popular musicians whose free renditions of their national music seemed to flow from inspiration. Here Ravel and Vi?es were introduced to music unrestricted by the laws of harmony taught at the Conservatory, they heard music composed of sounds of unrelated chords and scales that enchanted them like a tantalizing perfume. It was there, in those Oriental bazaars, that Ravel tasted for the first time the exotic. To the last days of his life this intoxication never left him.?219 After Vi?es?s 1894 Conservatoire first prize, it seemed as though his and Ravel?s respective prospects were diverging. As Vi?es?s star was rising, throngs of people in carriages 218 Brody, "Vi?es in Paris,? 49. 219 Seroff, 27. 61 and formalwear in attendance at his 1895 debut recital, Ravel?s seemed relatively static. Composing extremely slowly, seemingly pursuing little else, expelled from the Conservatoire for failing to meet minimum requirements in either piano or composition, and living off his family except for the occasional soiree or accompanying job, Ravel was searching for his way. In any case he was both possessed of a potent self-concept and not one to wear his heart on his sleeve. Vi?es?s diary account of Ravel?s response to the Prelude from Tristan et Isolde, played by the Lamoureux in November 1896, proves telling and perspicacious: ?By a strange coincidence, at the very moment when, feeling deeply moved, I was thinking to myself there was nothing in the whole of creation as sublime and divine as this superb Prelude, at that moment Ravel touched me on the hand and said: ?That?s how it always is, every time I hear it?? and in fact he who looks so cold and cynical, Ravel the super-eccentric decadent, was trembling convulsively and crying like a child, really deeply too because now and then I heard him sobbing. Until here, in spite of the high opinion I had of Ravel?s intellectual powers, I thought, because he is so secretive about the least details of his existence, that there was perhaps a touch of bias and fashion-following in his opinions and literary tastes. But since this afternoon, I see that this fellow was born with inclinations, tastes and opinions, and that when he expresses them he does so not to put on airs and be up to date, but because he really feels that way; and I take this opportunity of declaring that Ravel is one of the most unlucky and misunderstood people of all because, in the eyes of the crowd, he passes for a failure, whereas in reality he is someone of superior intellect and artistic gifts, at odds with his surroundings and worthy of the greatest success in the future. He is, what?s more, very complex: there is in him a mixture of mediaeval Catholicism and a satanic impiety, but he also has a love of art and beauty that guides him and makes him respond sincerely.?220 In January 1898, Ravel reentered the Conservatoire to study with newly appointed Gabriel Faur?, after which he progressed rapidly. That year, Vi?es started performing Ravel?s 220 Vi?es: Diary, 1 November 1896. In Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,? 190-191. Translated in Nichols, 21-22, 24. 62 compositions publicly, starting with Sites auriculaires and Menuet antique, followed within a few years by Pavane pour une infante defunte and Jeux d'eau. Ravel was admittedly in the thrall of Chabrier and Debussy. However, until Vi?es met the latter in 1901, Ravel had exclusive access to Vi?es and his imaginative, colorful technique. They had shared pianistic and other artistic explorations for many years, and to many writers, the essence of this exchange definitively found its way into works such as Jeux d'eau that heralded new, colorful possibilities in harmony, rhythm, and pianism. Ravel and Vi?es formed the nucleus of the coalescing Apaches from the start, both part of the group who attended the early Pell?as performances. One can see them as the hooligan ringleaders, adopting the moniker, devising the secret aural codes and imaginary friends. The melding of assumed street-gang edginess?at least in artistic intent or within their wigwam walls?with extreme aesthete refinement manifested in the group?s posturing. Ravel had seemingly been born thus inclined. In the introduction to his collection of Ravel?s correspondence and writings, Arbie Orenstein states that the Apaches group ?was an extremely important influence on Ravel. Not only were his own intellectual horizons broadened, but it was at the Apaches meetings that he met many of his future collaborators and lifelong friends.?221 From early on, the nascent band was stunned by Ravel?s new pianistic innovations. L?on-Paul Fargue wrote that with Pavane pour une infant d?funte and Jeux d?eau, ?Ravel, with the first stroke of his rapier, positioned himself as an independent force of the first order, a grand master of an oeuvre at once 221 Orenstein, 3. 63 personal, singular, secretive.?222 As these pieces were publically premiered by Vi?es on 5 April 1902, just a few weeks before the opening of Pell?as et M?lisande, Jeux d?eau might be considered as compelling an Apaches talisman as Pell?as, and it was composed by one of them. Fargue went on to say that these works, ?the first notes of Ravel that echo in my memory, stayed with all of us for days afterwards. Here, for us, was a strange fire, a precious object we had just discovered, arrayed in resonances and refinements that belonged to no one else.?223 Les Apaches rallied around Ravel?s musical inspiration and discoveries. They also supported him during his multiple unsuccessful tries for the Prix de Rome. This came to a head in the so-called Affaire Ravel of 1905. A few years later they forcefully defended him during the second Affaire Ravel, when Histoires naturelles achieved a polarizing ruckus with its novel text setting. The real firebomb came from Ravel?s constant nemesis, critic Pierre Lalo, who ended a lengthy article thusly: ?I hope that the vulgarization and exploitation of ?Debussysm? by clever and mediocre composers will not make too ephemeral the future of a delightful art and will not turn us away from loving the exquisite music of an exquisite musician as his work merits.?224 Not only Ravel himself, but fellow Apaches critics Calvocoressi and Vuillermoz took up forceful pens to counter this sort of salvo. By this time, Debussy and Ravel had been alienated from one another largely by way of polemics such as this. Vi?es premiered almost all of Ravel?s works through Gaspard de la nuit, in the process bringing the pieces to realization with the Apaches as private witnesses. These works were instrumental in a kind of mutual exchange between Debussy and Ravel through Vi?es. After 222 Roberts, ?Reflections,? 32. 223 Ibid., 32. 224 Seroff, 109. 64 Miroirs, Ravel took up his next inspiration: poetry of Aloysius Bertrand he had borrowed from Vi?es more than a decade earlier. Tuesday, 12 November 1895: In the afternoon, Ravel and his mother came, they stayed until seven o?clock; we talked about literature and art; he told me that the Gaspard de la nuit that I bought in London is very rare.225 Subsequently, on 9 January 1909 at Salle ?rard, Vi?es introduced one of the most celebrated works in the entire piano literature. There have been differing takes on the seeming unraveling of Debussy and Vi?es?s relationship. Victor Seroff writes, ?It was one of those friendships that should have lasted a lifetime,?226 and he attributes the cooling squarely to political differences. It has also been said that their estrangement was at least in part a response to Vi?es?s performance of Gaspard de la nuit, about which the two remained at odds regarding the tempo of Le gibet. Years later in 1922, Ravel wrote Calvocoressi regarding the recording of the piano works: ?I?m not asking Ricardo for two reasons: first, I think he?s supposed to be in Spain about that time; second, I would especially like to have Gaspard de la nuit recorded, and Vi?es never wanted to perform these pieces, in particular ?Le Gibet,? according to the composer?s intentions. I did say wanted: I don?t know if you were ever present at one of those discussions in which he assured me that if he observed the nuances and the tempo that I indicated, ?Le Gibet? would bore the public. And nothing would make him change his mind.?227 After Gaspard, Vi?es never gave another Ravel premiere, and Marguerite Long introduced both Le tombeau de Couperin and the Piano Concerto in G. 225 Vi?es: Diary, 12 November 1895. In Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,? 188. 226 Seroff, 26. 227 In Orenstein, 219. 65 One can perhaps perceive essential differences between the two men that may have ultimately fissured into a gulf too wide to bridge. While Ravel was agnostic and somewhat revolutionary in his political views, Vi?es, always fascinated by fin-de-si?cle occult interests, grew ever more mystical, embraced the Catholic faith following his mother?s death, and was conservative. Vi?es was obsessed by numbers and occult arts such as astrology and palmistry. Ravel was unabashedly secular, cultivated, and precise. Earlier on, the Dreyfus affair that so divided France likely found Ravel and Vi?es on opposite sides, as Vi?es?s journal refers to ?Dreyfusard pigs.? Although Pasler points out that Apaches members held a wide variety of political and artistic affiliations, multiple contemporary reports noted Vi?es?s propensity to passionately foist his views and tastes onto his friends. In contrast, Ravel was private and circumspect. Multiple journal entries indicate rendezvous with Ravel in the years post-Gaspard. Together with Faur? and other Apaches, Vi?es and Ravel spearheaded the founding of the Soci?t? Musicale Ind?pendante. We will see them immortalized together in d?Espagnat?s painting of the Godebski salon. They frequented the same social and musical circles. On 13 October 1911, Ravel wrote from Spain, ?Dear Ricardo, I?m returning home the day after tomorrow and will come over to see you soon. Kind regards to all. Cordially yours, Maurice Ravel?228 History is full of examples of World War I wreaking havoc on all manner of artistic societies. With the onset of hostilities, Ravel straightaway asserted himself to national service, eventually driving a lorry near the front. Although Vi?es participated in wartime initiatives by 228 In Orenstein, 127. 66 tirelessly performing for benefits and charities, he also repaired to relative safely in the south of France and spent much time in neutral Spain, punctuated by time in Paris and occasional appearances on Soci?t? Musicale Ind?pendante concerts. A handful of scholars propose that perhaps the two simply grew apart as a result of lives diverging as lives do. Esperanza Berrocal notes that Nina Gubisch believes that reports of a decisive break in friendship between Ravel and her great-uncle are exaggerated, and that Ravel may have anticipated Vi?es?s absence on tours at the time of the Valses nobles et sentimentales and Le tombeau de Couperin premieres. This leads to another possible factor: Their musical vehicles eventually diverged. After writing many piano works during the Apaches decade, for the remainder of his career Ravel would follow Gaspard de la nuit with just two more major piano solo works and the two piano concerti. Vi?es, while continuing to program Apaches-era French works in his repertoire, was ever-compelled to champion new works. He would subsequently serve as pianist for Erik Satie and other composers in Satie?s circle (who ultimately rejected Ravel), Mompou and other Spanish composers, and as a result of three life-altering trips to South America, scores of composers from that continent. Ravel went on to become one of the most successful composers of the 20th century, although in the years after World War I his output slowed: La valse, L?enfant et les sortil?ges, Bolero, Tzigane, and the two piano concerti for orchestra; the sonatas for violin and cello and violin and piano; and various songs and choral music. 67 Roger Nichols tells of an idea that back during Apaches years, Vi?es may have left Ravel with the gift of a compositional impression that would remain dormant until after the war. In the diary, he muses on a ball he attended with Ravel, the Godebskis, and their friends: Saturday, 28 January 1905: It was the first time I had been to the Op?ra ball, and as always when I see young, beautiful women, lights, music, and all this activity, I thought of death, of the ephemeral nature of everything, I imagined balls from past generations who are now nothing but dust, as will be all the masks I saw, and in a short while! What horror, Oblivion!229 If there is any reality to this scenario of inspiration, it is appropriate that it was Vi?es?s prot?g? Marcelle Meyer who joined Ravel in 1920 to audition La valse for Diaghilev. Among the luminaries who attended Ravel?s funeral on 30 December 1938 were Francis Poulenc, Darius Milhaud, Igor Stravinsky, D?sir?-?mile Inghelbrecht, and Ricardo Vi?es.230 One can only imagine what Vi?es felt at this farewell, almost exactly 50 years after he had first met ?the boy with the long hair.?231 In 1939, after Ravel?s death, a remarkable collection, Maurice Ravel par quelques-uns de ses familiers, was published ?a la tombeau? in his honor. Among its nine essays were four by fellow Apaches: Fargue, Delage, Klingsor, and Vuillermoz. In December 1905, as Ravel and Vi?es were preparing for the first performance of Miroirs, Vi?es arrived home on Christmas Eve to find Ravel there, still correcting the proofs at the eleventh hour. After the premiere less than two weeks later, it was evident to thoughtful listeners that Ravel had created a striking composition. More than a year earlier, when Ravel had revealed the first of it to Les Apaches, only the prescient Vi?es was appreciative. It is 229 Vi?es: Diary, 28 January 1905. Quoted and translated in Nichols, 59. 230 Nichols, 345. 231 Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,? 174. 68 understandable that Vi?es would singularly apprehend Miroirs, for in the five pieces? synthesis of impressionist visual imagery, symbolist poetic allusion, and novel organization of harmonic and pitch structure, they epitomize the artistic, literary, and pianistic explorations that Ravel and Vi?es enjoyed together while maturing artistically. As this dissertation has organized Les Apaches around Ravel (as creative nucleus) and Vi?es (as essential transmitter and protagonist), it seems fitting to evoke this Ravel piano masterwork with Vi?es as dedicatee to reveal something more of Les Apaches and the inner life of some of its other members. 69 The Miroirs Quintet Saturday, 6 January 1906: In the evening, in a fiacre because it was raining, I went to the Salle ?rard (concert of the Nationale) and played Ravel's Miroirs, without knowing it quite yet, but divinely well and I had a huge success (as in other years with Debussy); I had to encore "Alborada del gracioso." Everyone was mad with enthusiasm and admiration. I introduced Jean-Aubry to Ravel.232 Maurice Ravel?s Miroirs could be considered the quintessential Les Apaches work. In development, compositional technique, and most obviously, dedication of its component pieces, it exemplified Apaches discoveries and values through its creation and premiere by the group?s most essential core members. One could well imagine a comprehensive dedication over the entire work: ?? les Apaches.? A view into a private group of artists can be gleaned solely through the fragments of recollections, threads of their discussions and discoveries, and how these might be brought to bear in the creations birthed from such a milieu. To consider insights into Les Apaches members through such a major work as Miroirs is compelling, as the piece so evidently embodies something of the essence of the group, even as the masterwork in the final analysis transcends its constituent components. In his dissertation, ?Ravel?s Mirrors,?233 David Korevaar follows the clues of the eponymous mirrors that Ravel elucidated by way of a Shakespeare quote. He makes the case 232 Vi?es: Diary, 6 January 1906. In Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,? 204-5. 233 Korevaar, David. "Ravel's Mirrors". D.M.A. dissertation: The Juilliard School, 2000, winner of Juilliard?s Richard French award. 70 that in a larger frame, Miroirs shows something of the inner life of its dedicatees, re-reflected through the prism of Ravel?s evolving techniques: ?Speaking through Shakespeare?s Cassius,234 Ravel may raise the possibility that he is revealing to the friends to whom he inscribed the Miroirs something secret about themselves, seen in the composer?s musical mirror.?235 Korevaar describes some of the possible correlations among Ravel?s compositional innovations within the work and its quintet of Apaches dedicatees: ?In the music of Ravel?s Miroirs, we may seek secret portraits of artists with whom Ravel was closely associated?and, in the sum of its five parts, a portrait of the self-effacing composer himself.?236 Similarly, in his book Ravel and the Art of the Piano (2012), Paul Roberts relates the pianistic gestures within Miroirs with writing and poetry by Apaches poet L?on-Paul Fargue to further illuminate possible connections, not only for the piece to which Fargue is dedicatee, but also for the set as a whole.237 The movements and their dedications: Noctuelles: to L?on-Paul Fargue Oiseaux tristes: to Ricardo Vi?es Un barque sur l?ocean: to Paul Sordes Alborada del gracioso: to Michel-Dimitri Calvocoressi La valle? des cloches: to Maurice Delage Michel-Dimitri Calvocoressi (1877-1944), Greek-French-English critic and music writer. Previously a student of classics and law, Calvocoressi studied harmony with Xavier Leroux at the 234 the eye sees not itself/But by reflection, by some other things? [Julius Caesar, Act I, Scene 2]. 235 Korevaar, ?Ravel?s Mirrors,? 25. 236 Ibid., 28. 237 Roberts, Reflections, Chapter 3, 37-74. 71 Conservatoire, where he met Ravel. Gifted in languages, he worked as a music critic and correspondent in French, English, German, and Russian. He used these skills to translate libretti and song texts into French and English, furnishing Ravel with translations and transliterations for Cinq m?lodies populaires grecques. An ardent champion of Russian music and a Mussorgsky expert, he gave frequent lectures about this music, usually taking Vi?es with him to illustrate examples. His correspondence with Balakirev served as link between Les Apaches and Russian composers, and he assisted Diaghilev in organizing the impresario?s showcases of Russian music, opera, and ballet in Paris. Of particular import was a meeting Calvocoressi facilitated between Diaghilev and the Apaches at his home on 1 August 1909, which led to commissions for Ravel (Daphnis et Chlo?), Schmitt (La trag?die de Salom?), and later, Falla.238 During World War I, he worked as a cryptographer in London, remaining in England after the war as a musicologist and critic. Most of his subsequent books were published in English. His Music and Ballet memoires include information about Les Apaches.239 Korevaar and Roberts both point out the humorous disconnect between Calvocoressi?s admittedly shoddy pianism and Ravel?s dedication to him of Alborada del gracioso?one of the most virtuosic pieces in the literature. Maurice Delage (1879-1961), French composer. A late-bloomer from a moneyed family, Delage embraced musical studies as a result of Pell?as et M?lisande, which he attended many times with his friends. He taught himself piano so as to play Pell?as excerpts by ear before the 238 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., s.v. ?Calvocoressi, Michel-Dimitri.? 239 Calvocoressi, M. D. Music and Ballet. London: Faber and Faber, 1933. 72 opera was published, and Ravel subsequently accepted him as a composition student. Fargue called Delage ?the man most saturated with music that I know, mad music man, as we said that Hokusai was mad for drawing.?240 It was Delage who secured the garden chalet in which Les Apaches held their Saturday meetings. He became close friends with Stravinsky when the latter joined the group, and was the dedicatee of Akahito, the first of Stravinsky?s Three Japanese Lyrics. Delage?s compositional influences were Debussy and music of the Far East and India. His first orchestral work, Conte par la mer (1909), was rejected by d?Indy and the Soci?t? Nationale de Musique. His fellow Apaches rallied around this snub to form the Soci?t? Musicale Ind?pendante. His Quatre po?mes hindous, premiered on the aforementioned 14 January 1914 Soci?t? Musicale Ind?pendante concert, feature glissandi, tunings, ornaments, and vocal techniques that evoke Indian timbres and shadings.241 A later major work was Sept hai-ka?s (1923), a setting of Japanese texts for voice and chamber ensemble. Delage?s output was fairly modest, but ?his artistic contribution remains far from insignificant. Vuillermoz called him the ?Henri Duparc of his generation? while Stravinsky dubbed him ?an artist of the first order.??242 Korevaar notes that Ravel?s dedication of La valle? des cloches, ?the most Eastern- sounding of the Miroirs with its static harmony and pentatonic sounds,?243 to Delage was especially appropriate given the latter?s pull toward Asia and Asian musics. In turn, Delage dedicated a great many works to various Apaches colleagues. Delage was the only person 240 Fargue, 224. 241 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., s.v. ?Delage, Maurice.? 242 Ibid. 243 Korevaar, ?Ravel?s Mirrors,? 45. 73 present when Maurice Ravel died,244 and his essay in homage, ?Les premiers amis de Ravel,?245 is a valuable document of the Apaches era. L?on-Paul Fargue (1876-1947), French poet. Fargue was an exceptional modernist, a disciple of Mallarm? and master of startling vivid imagery. Apaches leader-mentor and key chronicler, he was evidentially?perhaps with Vi?es?the most companionable and beloved of the group. His lifelong close friendships with Ravel and Vi?es were marked by mutual admiration and inspiration. Fellow Apache ?mile Vuillermoz said of Fargue, ?The elegant and precise writings of this nocturnal visionary constituted, in effect, the daily bread of Ravellians from the very beginning.?246 Of his poetry, Paul Roberts writes, ?Influenced by the musical sonorities and rhythms of Verlaine and Mallarme, Fargue?s early poetry provided a bridge between the nineteenth century and modernism, between Symbolism and the Surrealists?247?and notes that Vuillermoz attributed to Fargue Ravel?s literary sensibilities and tastes. Florent Schmitt went on to say that Fargue "is perhaps the greatest poet" since Rimbaud, Verlaine, and Mallarm?.248 Vuillermoz noted the ?accuracy of his comments in a sparkling language of magical metaphors? and that listening to Fargue read his poems aloud gave the ?same auditory pleasure as the execution of a piano piece by Debussy."249 244 Nichols, 345. 245 In Colette et al., 97-114. 246 Quoted in and translated by Korevaar, 34. 247 Roberts, Reflections, 49. 248 Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 257. 249 Ibid., 257. 74 The dedication of Noctuelles to Fargue is apt, as multiple reports describe him as an avowed night owl who endlessly walked Parisian streets after dark, often arriving at Apaches gatherings long after midnight. The noctuelles of the title likely refer directly to an untitled work from Po?mes, which although published in 1912 was written much earlier and would have been read by Fargue in Apaches gatherings.250 Fargue?s first book of Po?mes carries over seventeen of its verses dedications to Apaches (all names noted in this chapter). His memorials to Ricardo Vi?es (?Un Heroes de la Musique?) and Ravel (?Autour de Ravel?) include heartfelt reminiscences about Apaches gatherings and members. Paul Sordes, French painter. Sordes is immortalized solely in Apaches recollections and the Une barque sur l?oc?an dedication. No independent record of his biography or works seems to exist. One of the first Apaches, he had met Klingsor at the Salon des Ind?pendants where the latter was ?attracted to his drawings and watercolors of an extraordinary poetic feeling.?251 Sordes, who made his living as a theater scenic artist, hosted early Apaches Saturday evenings at his Montmartre flat. Almost all of what we know about Sordes comes from various memoirs of fellow Apaches. L?on-Paul Fargue wrote, ?We met for years at Paul Sordes?s, a discreet and refined painter, music-loving, little fond of the rules and inflations of fashion.?252 He noted Sordes?s admiration of Whistler and Aubrey Beardsley. 250 Roberts, Reflections, 47-56, discusses Noctuelles, including analysis of this poem. 251 Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 259. 252 Fargue, 223. 75 Tristan Klingsor speaks to Sordes's pianistic abilities that marked him as a ?qualified,? interdisciplinary Apache: ?What a seductive spirit this Paul Sordes was!...He sightread modern pieces easily, sensitive to all the inflections, entranced by the subtle harmonies, which were so enjoyable to hear. As a painter, he searched for beautiful nuance and rhythm; one could see he adored Whistler; he could have been a kind of Ravel of the palette.?253 Likely his ?indolent, capricious, more interested in tasting the joy of art than in creating?254 character is why he is completely forgotten today. As for Ravel?s dedication of Un barque sur l?ocean, Korevaar correlates the ?indolent, flighty, blond daydreamer? with, among other attributes, the work?s ?subtle and ravishing harmonies,? a mark of this ?discreet and refined, music-loving" painter.255 Vuillermoz said that Sordes?s ?reminded sensuality was a constant example? to Ravel, who owned a gouache by the artist and reportedly carried it around everywhere.256 Roberts notes two barques in the poetry of Fargue, one of which is in close association with a piano alongside the sea,257 pointing out that surely Ravel would have heard Fargue read this ?La rampe s?allume? at Apaches gatherings?and so perhaps the poet?s imagery penetrates Miroirs beyond Noctuelles. Sordes?s brother Charles also joined Apaches gatherings. He read aloud the adventures of Sinbad the Sailor and excerpts from 1001 Nights, which may have inspired Klingsor and Ravel in their respective Sh?h?razades. He also played tam-tam in the orchestra under Inghelbrecht for the 1905 premiere of Schmitt?s Psaume XLVI.258 253 Tristan Klingsor, ?l?Epoch Ravel,? in Colette et al., 128. 254 Ibid., 128. 255 Korevaar, ?Ravel?s Mirrors,? 41-42. 256 Roberts, Reflections, 60. 257 Ibid., 61. 258 Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 259. 76 Tuesday, 11 October 1904: In the evening, at Delage?s; Ravel made us discover Oiseaux tristes, a new piano piece that pleased only me.259 Ricardo Vi?es (1875-1943), Catalan-French pianist. As the subject of this dissertation, Vi?es is well established as a seminal Apaches member. In the context of Miroirs, he is both a dedicatee and the pianist who brought the masterwork to public life. As he noted in his journal the night of the performance, his premiere was ?un succ?s monster.? Here is the diary chronology of events that led Vi?es to admit ?without knowing it quite yet?: A year after Vi?es first heard Oiseaux tristes, on 16 October 1905, he took the score home to start working on it. On 2 November, Ravel and he corrected the manuscript errors for Un barque sur l?ocean, and Vi?es was finally allowed to borrow that score. On Christmas Eve, Vi?es found Ravel chez Vi?es, still correcting the Miroirs. The world premiere of the entire set took place less than two weeks later.260 Vi?es was the dedicatee of Oiseaux tristes, the first of the set to be composed. Oft quoted is a quip attributed to Ravel: ?It was fun to inscribe to a pianist a piece that was not in the least pianistic.?261 Korevaar notes, too, that in dedicating the first piece composed in the set to Vi?es, Ravel was paying homage forward to the man he knew would bring the work to life.262 Korevaar notes that psychologically, ?sad birds? is at odds with peer reports that paint Vi?es as perpetually happy-go-lucky. This notion is decidedly not the case, as Nina Gubisch?s 259 Vi?es: Diary, 11 October 1904. In Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,? 203. 260 Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,? 204-5. 261 Calvocoressi, 66. 262 Korevaar, ?Ravel?s Mirrors,? 38. 77 introduction to her major release of a portion of the Vi?es diary263 underscores the emotional turbulence and insecurity that periodically plagued Vi?es. ?These complex feelings: sadness in loneliness, incomprehension, but also the joyful realization that this sorrow, in his mind, could be the destiny only of uncommon beings.?264 The title may come from another Fargue poem that Ravel again would have known, ?Dans la rue qui monte au soleil?: ?But in a street with the name of a sad bird, lives and smiles, day and night, the immortal Myrtis, fair of face.?265 As with Sordes?s barque, this image too is associated with that of a piano, which appears a few lines earlier. Korevaar concludes that ?the emotional depth and darkness (and artifice) of ?Oiseaux tristes? mirror the inner life not only of Ricardo Vi?es, but also of his partner in literary and artistic adventures, Maurice Ravel?both men who, like L?on-Paul Fargue, masked their inner uncertainties with outward gaiety.?266 Miroirs portrays and names five of the Apaches nearest and dearest to Ravel. Indeed, these particular personages largely correlate to the authors of the various memoirs that shed light on the relationships within the group and with Ravel?and for that matter, Vi?es. Together, these illuminate the multidisciplinary elements embodying a set of pieces that mark and describe?while immortalizing?those who were perhaps the most Apaches of Apaches. 263 Ibid., 38. 264 Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,? 167. Quoted in and translated by Korevaar, ?Ravel?s Mirrors,? 38. 265 Roberts, Reflections, 57. 266 Korevaar, ?Ravel?s Mirrors,? 39. 78 4. Les Apaches Realized Tuesday, 18 April 1905: I went to look for Cypa to go to dine with the Redons, Bouchor, and S?verac at the Porte Maillot. Fargue came and recited to us his poems, divine, something to Redon, who doesn?t know them. S?verac played his ?Chant de la terre,? a part of his ?Languedoc? and the beginning of ?La mort de Gauguin? which is wonderful. I could only listen. We left all together to take the Metro. Redon, Fargue, and I talked about Paul Claudel.267 Les Apaches, although rather a diverse band in individual artistic backgrounds and temperaments, established a shared regard for certain artistic influences, movements, and entities. These, gleaned from their discussions and written memories, also influenced the works that emerged. L?on-Paul Fargue wrote, ?Ravel shared our predilections, our weaknesses, our manias, for Chinese art, Mallarm? and Verlaine, Rimbaud and Corbi?re, C?zanne and Van Gogh, Rameau and Chopin, Whistler and Val?ry, the Russians and Debussy.?268 In one expedient sentence, Fargue reveals to us the Apaches aesthetic penchants in a nutshell. Not insignificantly, these correspond to the very artistic essentials that fascinated Claude Debussy.269 While the Apaches could themselves examine and consider the philosophy and material specimens of these interests, they also had the alchemic example of Debussy. While his musical innovations resonated with them, extramusical influences perceived therein amplified the multifaceted potency of Debussy as the group?s artistic prophet-liege. 267 Vi?es: Diary, 18 April 1905. In Levy, 71. 268 Quoted in Arbie Orenstein, A Ravel Reader: Correspondence, Articles, Interviews (Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2003) 3. 269 Paul Roberts, Reflections: The Piano Music of Maurice Ravel (Milwaukee: Amadeus Press, 2012) 40. 79 Debussy was thus an Apaches preoccupation subsequent to the sacred cause of rallying in support of Pell?as et M?lisande. Vi?es and Ravel?and surely, many of the others?were well aware of works like Pr?lude ? l'apr?s-midi d'un faune with its extramusical poetic inspiration and exquisite novel timbres, and Pell?as cemented Debussy?s status as the leading composer of the French avant-garde. Although the elder composer never attended an Apaches meeting,270 he nonetheless remained a vital basis for the group. They steeped themselves in and championed his music. Over the years, Vi?es served as a key conduit between Les Apaches and Debussy. As he brought Debussy into his repertoire, he shared these pieces in Apaches meetings while preparing their premieres, or even afterward, such as on 5 December 1903 when he played the Toccata from Pour le piano just before Fargue read his Nocturnes.271 In this way, they could analyze and assimilate the continued evolution of the elder composer. With passing years, the relationship between Les Apaches and Debussy became more complex as Ravel?s composition evolved and his fame grew. However, amid a dynamic tension between the two composers, the group?and Ravel himself?always held steadfast to the musical principles Debussy sought and stood for. For example, Ravel himself premiered Debussy?s D?une cahier esquisses on the first concert of the Soci?t? Musicale Ind?pendante. A few of the Apaches conducted Pell?as et M?lisande, and the 1911 premiere of Le Martyre de Saint-S?bastien involved Apaches Caplet, Chadeigne, Inghelbrecht, and Vuillermoz.272 270 Pasler, ?A Sociology of the Apaches,? 156. 271 Vi?es: Diary, 5 December 1903. In Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,? 226. 272 Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 250, 254. 80 Debussy?s own esteem for Russian music was fervently shared by Les Apaches. They were passionate for it, absorbing its attributes such as rough-edged harmonic progression, folk idiom, and exotic instrumental timbres. From 1897, Ravel and Vi?es had steeped themselves in countless Russian scores in piano four-hands (such as Rimsky-Korsakov?s symphonies and Antar, ?with its superb Orientalism?),273 as though in preparation for future Apaches evenings. In her chapter ?The Russians in Paris,?274 Elaine Brody summarizes the Franco-Russo musical alliance of the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Artists and the public were exposed to Russian music through concert series as part of the Paris Exhibitions, as well as subsequent donations of Russian scores to the Conservatoire Library and increased musical outreach. A Russian Five concert was sponsored back in 1892 by Countess Greffulhe?s Soci?t? de Grandes Auditions. Brody?s chapter paints a picture of a Paris insatiable for Russian music and performers. In truth, this phenomenon was not sustained to the extent portrayed, and the last few of the five historic Russian concerts of 1907 were sparsely attended.275 However, with Vi?es or Vi?es and Ravel at the piano, and the expertise of Calvocoressi informing the proceedings, the Apaches had an inner track to comprehending and assimilating this music. This foreknowledge could be brought to bear at, for example, the historic Russian concerts, the Boris Godunov of 1908, and starting in 1909, the Ballet Russes, again underwritten by Greffulhe?s organization.276 Les Apaches also had in common interest in musics from other lands as well as the integration of folk and children?s music. The composers particularly admired Mussorgsky?s 273 Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,? 192. 274 Brody, ?Paris: The Musical Kaleidoscope,? 190-212. 275 Nichols, 91-92. 276 Jann Pasler, ?Countess Greffulhe as Entrepreneur: Negotiation Class, Gender, and Nation," in Writing Through Music: Essays on Music, Culture, and Politics (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008) 311-12. 81 Nursery cycle, as did Debussy. Children?s music found Apaches outlets in Ravel?s Ma mere l?Oye and Inghelbrecht?s La nursery. Asian music and art were famously in vogue in turn-of-the-century Paris. Debussy had long held an appetite for l?Orientalisme and its objects, evidenced in his lacquered goldfish and Arkel the frog as well as the fastidiousness with which he painstakingly arranged his cover designs. The many Apache visual artists were swept up by the estampes, Japanese woodcut prints and exquisite watercolors coming from the Far East. Vi?es and Ravel enjoyed exhibitions of Japanese art. These visual elements extended to other lands and media. Delage and Stravinsky set Japanese texts, while composers such as Delage and Roussel took up elements of music from India (which had also interested Debussy) into their compositions. Indeed as with Debussy, the visual arts in general were a key stimulus for Les Apaches; quite obviously their ranks included a number of artists and painters. A young Ravel combined drawing and literature (Wednesday, 10 August 1892: Maurice showed me a very gloomy drawing he has done for a descent into Edgar Poe?s Maelstrom. Today, he made in front of me another one, also very black, for Poe?s Manuscript found in a Bottle.277), and Vi?es associated with dozens of artists, including the French symbolist painter Odilon Redon, with whom he was close. Redon and Sordes shared an interest in fin-de-si?cle spiritual and occult philosophies, informing their artworks. In the salons such as those of Misia Sert and Cipa and Ida Godbebski, group members crossed paths with numerous artistic luminaries such as Pablo Picasso, Pierre Bonnard, and ?douard Vuillard. 277 Vi?es: Diary, 5 August 1892. In Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,? 183. 82 Baudelaire, Mallarm?, and Verlaine provided key literary inspiration. Seeking to convey the rarified and ephemeral in the words themselves, their poetry was sympathetic with an overall cult of the exquisite. Most notably, Fargue was a disciple of Mallarm? and would have set the tone for the reading of texts within the group, with Klingsor too participating. And Vi?es would recite from a veritable encyclopedia of symbolist poetry he had committed to memory. From their adolescence, together Vi?es and Ravel had steeped themselves in such poetry and literature. Another recursive aspect becomes apparent: As Debussy was both an Apaches artistic ideal while himself embodying others, Huysmans?s Des Esseintes?s library is itself a compendium of Apaches symbolist staples.278 Perhaps the Apache rule against woman at meetings stemmed from the symbolist appropriation of the pre-Raphaelite-inspired woman as femme fatale-sacred oracle?too mysterious and distracting for Apaches Saturday nights. Many of the shared aesthetics of the Apaches had previously manifested in the curriculum of excited self-study and exchange between Vi?es and Ravel. With Les Apaches, these two doubtless asserted their specialty interests to some degree; at the same time, members likely self-selected into the group based on their own aligning inclinations. As Fargue wrote, ?We had more or less the same tastes in art, which was very fortunate for people as fanatical as we were, because, as someone has said, one can only discuss things with like- minded people, especially questions of subtle distinction.?279 Jann Pasler in Composing the Citizen reveals a Paris that amid a variety of social, political, and artistic agendas nurtured a population imbued with dedication to the public utility 278 David Korevaar, ?Ravel's Mirrors,? (D.M.A. diss: The Juilliard School, 2000) 4. 279 Roberts, ?Reflections,? 37. 83 of music (and other arts). This populace was educated, musically informed, and seeking new, novel ways to express the French voice. In this light, Vi?es and his friends (as well as pianists Blanche Selva and ?douard Risler, and indeed endeavors such as the Soci?t? Nationale de Musique) rode a wave of clamor for new French music that was well established and activated by the time Les Apaches congregated. Their association was perfectly aligned with their time and place. Within this environment, Les Apaches brought their aesthetic predilections to bear in myriad forms of industry. Most obviously were the works that were created, unveiled, and refined there before publication. Such masterpieces as Ravel?s Rapsodie espagnole and Fargue?s Po?mes were developed and shared among the group. Apaches were proactive in outreach to shape public perception so as to curry understanding for their works and promote their initiatives. Through the influence naturally asserted by critics Calvocoressi and Vuillermoz, the group had built-in prolific, persuasive mouthpieces with ready-made platforms from which to defend Apaches values. As one example, the Calvocoressi-Vi?es collaborations made public the Apaches? regard and passion for Russian music, serving as educational outreach in support of the contemporaneous performances. Calvocoressi was a formidable influence, a fluent Russian speaker and encyclopedic Russian music historian. He gave many public lectures on Russian music, with Vi?es serving as pianist. And Vi?es in turn gave countless premieres and performances of Russian music in Paris and elsewhere. Apaches writings would complement the concerts Vi?es packed with contemporary composers and performed in Paris, the provinces, and cities such as Brussels, London, and Berlin. 84 One can readily imagine these flames fanned within Apaches gatherings, with Calvocoressi soliciting input and airing out his ideas and Ravel and Vi?es presenting scores of Russian symphonic works to fellow Apaches. ?Such performances undoubtedly encouraged discussions about what the French could learn from the Russians, and created a sympathetic, knowledgeable base upon which Diaghilev and Stravinsky could later draw.?280 The Apaches threw their collective support behind up-and-coming new members and other visitors who represented Apaches aims or created works that resonated with Apaches values. Above all things, the group championed musical innovation.281 Thus, they were the first group to draw Manuel de Falla in 1907 and Igor Stravinsky in 1909, their respective arrivals into Paris. Apaches initiatives directly created more public arenas for showcasing their works. As one example, a meeting held chez B?n?dictus with ?all Apaches? present, where they planned a modern music concert held on Saturday, 24 March 1906 in the same building where Vi?es?s brother P?p? resided. A printed program evidenced a formal presentation and chronicled the event. All the composers except one were Apaches. Compositions by Schmitt, Vuillermoz, Inghelbrecht, Ravel, and S?v?rac alternated with poems by Fargue. Klingsor was represented by his texts. And to top it off, Vi?es, Chadeigne, Schmitt, and Vuillermoz were performers.282 Apaches composers were not unilateral in opposition to institutional French music per se as the revolutionary band sometimes portrayed. In the so-called schism between the Schola and Conservatoire, both sides would have been well represented in Apaches ranks. However, 280 Pasler, ?A Sociology of the Apaches,? 157. 281 Ibid., 165. 282 Haine, "Cipa Godebski et les Apaches," 260-61. 85 the group did occasionally find its art shut out of the officially funded institutions such as the Soci?t? Nationale de Musique, especially as the more conservative d?Indy-Saint-Sa?ns-Schola axis appeared to assert more of a stranglehold on programming. As a direct result of this, galvanized by president Vincent d?Indy?s spurn of Delage?s Conte par la mer, Les Apaches members along with Faur? mobilized to found the Soci?t? Musicale Ind?pendante. Of interest is that on the first concert, at Salle Gaveau on 20 April 1910. Ravel premiered Debussy?s D?un cahier d?esquisses?which had been composed years before. Vi?es first performed on the twenty-seventh concert, on 5 June 1913, where he premiered Satie?s Descriptions automatiques.283 But it was the thirtieth Soci?t? Musicale Ind?pendante concert of 14 January 1914 that was a tour de force of Les Apaches creations.284 The day?s program comprised:  Maurice Delage: Quatre poems hindous (Madras, Lahore, B?nar?s, Jeypour)  ?rik Satie: Chapitres tourn?s en tous sens  Gaston Knosp: Deux Scherzare  Igor Stravinsky: Trois Po?mes de la lyrique japonaise (Akahito, Mazatsumi, Tsaraiuki)  Florent Schmitt: Une semaine du petit elfe Ferme-l?oeil  Maurice Ravel: Trois Po?mes de St?phane Mallarm? (Soupir, Placet futile, Surgi de la croupe et du bond) The concert was a rich offering entirely comprising world premieres. Most of the works represented Apaches composers and may well have been workshopped within the group and aired at the Godebskis. The remaining pieces, premieres by Erik Satie and Gaston Knosp, had the distinction of being performed by Vi?es. Conveniently, two of the critics reporting on the day?s offerings were Apaches Vuillermoz and Calvocoressi. 283 Duchesneau, 308 284 Ibid., 309 86 In retrospect, this concert was the Les Apaches valedictory. Just a little more than six months later, World War I would splinter the group, as it did so many in Europe. It seems somewhat appropriate and symbolic that amid so much Apaches representation at this event, Vi?es gave the world premiere of Erik Satie?s Chapitres tourn?s en tous sens.285 In the next wave of Parisian avant-garde between the wars, Satie would be an epicenter around which the Nouveaux Jeunes and Les Six generation would flock. None other than Vi?es would crash the party before somewhat?but never entirely?leaving pianistic matters in the capable hands of his prot?g?s Francis Poulenc and Marcelle Meyer, themselves to be featured on many future Soci?t? Musicale Ind?pendante concerts. 285 Vi?es had previously premiered Satie works, however. 87   5.LesApaches:SalonPriv?  Saturday,12April1902:Wehadahousewarmingpartyatthe homeofCypaandCyprienGodebski,20ruedeChartres;there weremanyartisticcelebrities,thevileCatulleMend?swithhislast wifewhoreallypleasedme,whileshelookslikedeath.Tothink thathisfirstwifewastheretoo,hownovel!Imadethe acquaintanceofDr.Mardrusandhiswife.Hetoldmeheadmired meverymuchattheScholaCantorum,thedayIplayedthe Beethoven111.JudithGautierwasthere.Therewasa performanceofpuppetsbythepainterRanson,ithadlotsofspirit. TheyaskedmetoplayandIgavetheToccataofDebussyand SeguedillasofAlbeniz.TherewasasupperandIleftwithMr.and Mrs.OdilonRedonatfourinthemorning.286  LesApachescultivatedafecundandnourishingartisticenclavethatprovidedasocial outletwhileitnurturedandinsulateditsmembersintheircreativeendeavors.Onecanwell imagineApachesmemberseagerlyawaitingtheirweeklygatherings.Asinspiredcreators, memberswouldhavetoiledinfrequentsolitarysplendoralternatingwithvariousinteractions topursueandpromotetheirinitiatives. ArbieOrensteinwrites,?Itwouldbedifficulttorecapturethegreatexcitementand unboundedenthusiasmoftheApachesmeetings.?287Canweimaginewhatitwouldhavebeen liketoshareaneveningwithLesApachesintheirgardenchalet? Farguepronouncedtheirwigwam?neatasadoll?shouse,alittlemasterpieceofahouse withnoneighbors,wherewecouldmakemusicallnightlongwhenwehadmissedthelasttrain home.?288  286Vi?es:Diary,12April1902.InLevy,38. 287Orenstein,4. 288RolandManuel,34. 88   Andthen,onceinside: ?Benchescoveredwithdraperies,adresser,afewchairs,small tablesaretheonlyfurniturewith,ofcourse,abrandnewbaby grandpiano,soontwo.Paintingsandengravings,somevases, variousobjectsdecoratetheroomandmakeitwarm.Asamovar keepstheteahot.Onerecognizestherethetasteofthetime, DelagehavingspenttwoyearsinEnglandwheretheAesthetic Movement(amovementstronglyfollowedbyJamesWhistler, OscarWilde,AubreyBeardsley,andinFrancebyPaulSordes)has shakenupthedecorativeandfinearts,givingdesigninallits formsanewfreedom.BusyVictorianinteriorsarereplacedby Japaneseinspiredlightandbrightforms.?289  Beyondthisinventory,thechaletcontained?alargestovewhichneverkeptthemwarm, andDelage?sbedhiddenintheclosetuntilthelastApachesaidgoodbye.?290Thisinterior ambience,toourimagination,soundsinpartsaustere,cozy,andartsychic,itsdecorinformed byApachesaestheticstotheextentthatthemenwouldhavebeenabletoaffordthem. Togetherinthisenvironment,LesApachesindulgedtheirsharedloveforthemusicof Debussy,Russianmusic,Asianart,folkmusic,andsymbolistpoetry.Afterhoursofperformance andexchange,Sordeswouldringabellataboutonea.m.tosignaltheclosingofthepianolid outofdeferencetotheneighbors.ButthennightowlFarguewouldjustbearriving,so ?everythinghadtobeperformedalloveragaintokeephiminformedoftheirprogress.?291 Hence,therelocationtoAuteuilandDelage?sgardenpavilion,wheretherollickingintellectual andartisticfestivitiescouldcontinuelateintothenight. WeknowofthebroadstrokesofApachestastesfromvarioustestimonials,andwecan gleantheirassimilationthroughthegroup?sactivitiesandcreativeworks.However,attheend  289Clary,146. 290Seroff,66. 291Ibid.,65. 89   oftheday,wehavescantinformationoftheprecisenuancesofdiscourse.Arrivinghomeafter alatenight,itwouldseemVi?eswastoospenttodocumentthesespecificsinhisdiary.As Paslernotes,?Thepresenceofpoets,painters,setdesigners,andalithographeramongthe Apachesmadeinterdisciplinaryexchangetypicaloftheirmeetings.ItisunfortunatethatVi?es notedlittledetailofwhattheydiscussed.?292 Themainactivityandindeedraisond??treformeetingswasformemberstosharetheir projectswithoneanother.Vi?esnotedinhisjournalthepiecesheworkedonfortheresident composers,andperformanceswereofbothsketchesandfullyformedworks.293Farguewrote, ?Eachweekoneofuswouldhavesomethingtoread,todeclaim,toperform:apoem,some prose,apieceofmusic.Wefoundourselvesthereinapropitiousatmosphereforthese exchanges,exchangesmadeyetmorepreciousbythemixtureoffriendshipandattention.?294  Fargue?slastpointseemscrucial.Whendiscussingthecreationsspringingfromsuchan associationofforwardthinkingmusiciansandartistsasLesApaches,whilemeasuringtheideas andproductsthatemergefromsuchanenvironment,itispossibletooverlookthedeep friendshipthatundergirdedsuchindustry.?Thehappyatmosphereoftheircirclecannotbe emphasizedstrongenoughfor,whileamongthosedevotedfriends,Ravelwrotehismost spontaneousworks.?295Paslersumsitupaptly:?Apachegatheringswereessentiallyprivate meetingsofagroupoffriendstoshareandsupportoneanother?sdeepestartisticpassions.?296  292Pasler,?ASociologyoftheApaches,?158. 293Ibid.,156. 294QuotedinandtranslatedbyKorevaar,?Ravel?sMirrors,?30. 295Seroff,65.Histimewornbiographyisclearlyromanticized:Nomusicscholartodaywouldusespontaneousin associationwithRavel;theauraoffriendshipisthepointofthisquote. 296Pasler,?ASociologyoftheApaches,?159. 90    ThisauthorhasviewedamodestamountofcorrespondenceamongLesApaches.The Parisianpneumatictubemailsystem,withmultipledeliveriesdaily,enabledthemtodispatch mundaneorlogisticalcommuniqu?saswewouldemailtoday.Thus,wehaveSchmitttelling Fargue,?Takethe7htrainStLazare,getoffatStCloud?sotheycangotogethertohear Gaubert. Occasionallyonecanfindatreasurablebitofcorrespondencebetweenfriendswhoare thinkingofoneanotherwhentravelingorotherwiseapart,andwiththeirconnectionsofully suffusedwiththatwhichtheyshare,themessagerevealsalittlesomethingofmutual resonance:     91    Figure1:PostcardofAbbayedeSaintWandrille(fromL?onPaulFarguetoPaulSordes) Credit:HarryRansomCenter,theUniversityofTexasatAustin Usedwithpermission  ?Dearfriend,thisiswonderful,filledwithmysteries.Theslateoftheroofsisallscarredwith bloodystreaks,rust,lichens,ivy.Thepiecesofthelandscapearesetlikejewels,Persian enamels,Egyptian,instrongdiamondgratesallencrustedwithbizarreplants,inthewindows, thepanescoveredinagreencase,inthesmalldormerwindowsbetweenabranchofatree. Maeterlinckjustboughtthisabbey.Heisthereatthismoment.? Sucharrestingimagery,withthepayoffoftheMaeterlinckconnection.TheApache sacredchapelgerminatedinMaeterlinck,bywayofPell?asetM?lisandeandDebussy.Thewaft ofmultilayeredsensibilities?sharedbetweenfriends.Thepostcardisunsigned,butwas definitivelywrittenbyFarguetofellowApacheSordes. 92   Whatisitaboutthenatureofcloseconnectionandlovethatbringsforthone?shighest selfinartisticcreation?EventhemeticulouslycultivatedselfimageofApachespersonnel? especiallyRavel?foundavoiceinsomanyinspiredworksbecauseitwasanimatedby authenticfeeling.WiththeinnatetrustamongLesApaches,aspiritualconnectionfosteredby yearsofsharinginsuchacollegialenvironment,theycouldcollaboratemoreclosely,anticipate eachother?sactions?andsupportoneanother.?Theylivedinsuchcloserharmonythatthey claimedthateachoneknewwhateveryotheroneofthemwasdoing,whathewasthinking, andwherehewouldbeonthefollowingday.?297  Asprivateartisticentity,theApachesandtheirgatheringscanbeseenasamicrocosm ofthehalfprivate,halfpublicParisianliteracyartisticsalons,evenasthelatterhadalong historyandwouldremainrelevanttosupportpostWorldWarIrevolutionsinartandmusic.An eveningattheApachessalonpriv?wouldlikelyhaveunfoldedsimilarlytooneinanaristocratic orartisticsalon,bothofferingapotpourriofartisticofferingsanddiscussion.Whereasthe Apacheswigwamwasaprotectedspaceinwhichmemberscouldworkouttheirideasand creationsinprivacy,theParisianaristocraticorartisticsalonwasasomewhatmorepublic milieu,hostslordingovertheproceedings,performersandguestsvaryingfromweektoweek. Thesevenueswerevitalshowcasesforartisticachievementalongsidetheconcertand theaterseries.MainstaysofParisianintellectuallifefromtheEnlightenmenton,thesalonsstill maintainedprestigeandutilityintothe20thcentury.DebussyandFaur?frequentedearlier salons,suchasthatofPaulineViardot.Debussyperformedhisownworksandthoseofothers.  297Seroff,56. 93   Althoughnotovertlygregarious,Faur?nonethelessunderstoodtheimportanceofcirculating throughthesalonsasawaytobecomeknownandconnectedwithintheParisianmusical establishment.OnthemanifestofWinnarettaSinger(PrincessdePolignac),forexample,he wasafrequentcomposerperformerbeforeandduringtheLesApacheera.Hewasinturn diligentandtirelessinintroducinghisprot?g?sandotheryoungtalentintothesecircles, puttingthemintopositionstoachievepossiblecommissionsorcollaborations. Thus,fromanearlyage,Ravelbecameafrequentsalongoer.Vi?eswasindemandasa pianistandaccompanistalmostfromhisfirstdaysintheFrenchcapital.Hisdiaryshowssucha dizzyingsociallife,infact,augmentedbyatirelessinclinationtomakeintroductionsand nurtureconnectionsforotherfriends,thatonewondershowhepossiblylearnedand maintainedsuchacolossalrepertoire?especiallyconsideringhisvociferousreadingandgallery hopping. PrincessCystria,Count?tiennedeBeaumont,JacquesRouch?,andothersarenamedas placesVi?esplayed,butLesApachesalsofoundthemselvesinbigticketsalonssuchasthoseof Mme.deSaintMarceaux,PrincessedePolignac,andMisiaSert.In1922,composerGeorges Auricwrote,?IfIclosemyeyesforamoment,Iimaginequicklyasalonwheremanypeople wait,tightonthecouch,inadoorway,orbalancingonthearmsofchairswheredreaming,here isAndr?Gide,there,PaulVal?ry.Vi?esisgoingtoplay.Hetakesalittlelookathisfriends.On thewalls,Vuillards,Bonnardsclingalwaystounstablefurniture,hauntedbyladiesinterry robesandpoodlesmadeofcotton.?298  298QuotedinClary,165. 94   Vi?esandhiscollaboratingcomposerswereabletousethesalonstodevelopan audiencefornewlyheardworks;sometimesevenonconsecutivenights.Thiswouldhavebeen particularlyusefulforcontinuedpreviewingofaworkpriortopublicperformance.For example,hisdiaryindicatesthaton10February1905,hepremieredDebussy?sMasquesand L?islejoyeuseatSalleAeolian.299AtreceptiongivenbyPrincessedePolignaccheztheDuchess ofLuyneson14February,heplayedSchumann,Chopin,Debussy,andAlbeniz.300(TheDebussy piecesareunnamed,butlikelywouldhaveincludedoneorbothofthenewworks.)Thenext night,atPrincessePolignac?shomesalon,heagainperformedMasquesandL?islejoyeuse.301 Then,on18February,heperformedthematSallePleyelforSoci?t?NationaledeMusique302 Dependingonaperson?sstandingwiththePrincesse,thereweremultiplechanceswithineight daystohearandunderstandthequalitiesofthenewworks. Themost?Apaches?ofsalonswasthatofIdaandCipaGodebski,longtimefriendsof Vi?esandRavel.(CipaGodebskiwashalfbrothertoMisiaSert.)Vi?eshadmetthefamilyback in1893,becomingagoodfriendandappearingintheirhomefrequently.About1902,they beganhostingtheirSundaynightssoirees,whichattractedagalaxyofartists,writers,and musiciansintothe1920s.303 Vi?esintroducedRaveltothecoupleinJune1904: 16June1904:DinnerattheGodebskis?,towhomIintroduced Ravel.TherewerealsotheTerrasses,GrovlezandL?onSimon.We playedmusic,IandRavelwhoplayedthefirstmovementofhis Sonatine.Itpleasedthemverymuch.Bonnardwastheretoo.304  299VinesplayedthepiecesforDebussytwiceinthepreviousfewdays.Gubisch,"Lejournalin?dit,?228. 300Ibid.,228. 301Kahan,378. 302Duchesneau,265.Thismanifestclaimsitistheworldpremiere. 303Haine,"CipaGodebskietlesApaches,"22831. 304Vi?es:Diary,16June1904.InGubisch,"Lejournalin?dit,?202. 95    TheGodebskisandRavelbecameimmediatelyclose,andtheassociationwouldprovebeneficial andnurturingtothecomposerforyearstocome. Connectedbytruefriendshipanddeepcreativeunderstandingratherthanjust benefactorartistsymbiosis,theGodebskisandApachesaccordedoneanotheramoremodest, intimategathering,whereintellectualpulchritudeandartisticdiscoursecouldcometothefore. Ofallthesalons,thiswasthemostsympathetictoApachesvaluesandcreations,alogicalnext steptoseeApachescreationsintotheworld. Vi?esconstantlyperformed?hegavecountlessconcertsandappearedtolovebeingon stage.ThisisevidencedinadiaryreportofaGodebskidinner: Sunday2May1903:IdinedatCypaGodebski?s.Iwasnextto BourgesandBonnard.TheNathansons,whowenttothegala eveningattheoperainhonoroftheKingofEngland,hadtoleave afterthemeal.BouchecamejustasthebeautifulMme.Schopfer, thedivorc?e.IplayedpiecesbyFranck,Borodine,Rachmaninov, Schumann,Balakirev,Debussy,andRavel.Ireturnedwiththe Redons.305  Towardtheendofthedecade,asLesApachesSaturdayeveningsbecamelessfrequent, theGodebskiSundaystookuptheslackandhostedmanyofitsmembers.The1910Georges d?EspagnetpaintingR?uniondemusicienschezGodebskiisaveritableApachesportrait, depicting,fromlefttoright,FlorentSchmitt,D?odatdeS?verac,DimitriCalvocoressi,Cipaand JanGodebski,AlbertRoussel,RicardoVi?esatthepiano,andMauriceRavelonthefarright.306    305Vi?es:Diary,2May1903.InLevy,56. 306PierreGuillot,"Lectured'untableau,"inAlbertRoussel:Musiqueetesth?tique,byManfredKelkel,3444(Paris: LibrairiePhilosophiqueJ.Vrin,1989). 96    Figure2:Georgesd?Espagnat(18701950),R?uniondemusicienschezGodebski,1910(oiloncanvas) Credit:Bibliothequedel'OperaGarnier,Paris,France/TheBridgemanArtLibrary ?2013ArtistsRightsSociety(ARS),NewYork/ADAGP,Paris Usedwithpermission  ForthosemanyApacheswhoperformedandexhibitedworksatthesesalons,the Apachessalonpriv?wouldfeedpresenceandworksintothepublicParisiansalonsasthesein turnmightbeviewedwithinthemusicalsceneatlarge.Thesalonsfunctionedasawholesale artisticmarket,vettingandplacingtheirwaresthroughsocialandculturalconnectionsinto myriadtheaters,exhibitions,andmusicalsocieties.AndfortheApaches,theirsalonpriv?was thehothouselaboratorywhereartisticideasgerminatedandwerecoaxedintofruitionthrough theconscientiousstewardshipoftoutelabande. 97  6.RicardoVi?es:LesApachesExemplar    Tuesday,6November1906:IwenttodinnerattheMorlandsin theirnewapartmentat52rueLaBruy?re.RavelandTabuteau dinedtherealso;then,manypeoplecame,Delage,theSordes,and Fargueamidothers.Weplayedfourhands,RavelandI,Antarand Thamar;ayounggirlsangDuparcandBorodine.Duringdinner,I talkedtothemaboutastrologyandhoroscopes.307  ForhismultifacetedconnectionswithhisfellowApachesaswellasotherartistsoutside thegroup,whileconveyingApachescreationstothepublicviahisperformances,RicardoVi?es assumesapositionofuniqueprominenceamongLesApaches.Hefaithfullyrecordedtheir meetings,discussions,andactivities.Thesediaryentriesandthewritingsofcolleaguesshow himasnotonlyreporterofApachesactivities,butalsokeyprotagonistintheApachesstory, prominentandpopularamongthegroup.Measuredbyinfluence,exchange,linktotheoutside, andrealizationoffellowmembers?creations,Vi?eswasanactiveandpersuasive representative. Vi?esmostobviouslyservedthegroupfromthepiano.AlthoughseveraloftheApaches, includingRavelandChadeigne,werecapablepianists,Vi?eswastopshelf,andmoreoveritis indisputablethathewasaneagerperformerwholovedanaudience.ItwasVi?es,orVi?esand Raveltogether,whoplayedthemusicalscoresLesApacheslistenedtoandscrutinized.He affordedthegroupachancetohear,forexample,Russianpianomusicandorchestral reductionsvirtuallybeforeanyoneelse.  307Vi?es:Diary,6November1906.InGubisch,"Lejournalin?dit,?206. 98  Vi?eswasalsoanindefatigablechampionandperformeroftheworksofApaches composers.Heplayedtheirinprogressworks,forwhichtheydoubtlessworkedcloselywith himonmattersofpianism.Whentheirpieceswerecomplete,heperformedtheminthesalons andinpublic.Throughtheofficialmusicsocieties,hepremieredpianoworksoffellowApaches Falla,Inghelbrecht,Ravel,Schmitt,andS?verac. HewasabletoserveasapianisticenvoyfromgrandmasterDebussy,sharingallthe composer?slatestworkswiththegroupwhentheywereinhandandmanytimesthereafter. Giventhegroup?sallegiancetoDebussyandtheresidentcomposers?ongoinginterestinwhat theeldercomposerwasdoing,thesesneakpreviewsandresultantanalysisanddiscussion providedvaluablemusicalinputforthegroup. BetweenGodebskiSundays,othersalons,andfrequentconcertbookings,hecertainly hadtheopportunitytoperformmanyoftheworksinhiseverincreasingrepertoireeachweek. ThesensitiveandsophisticatedbutfriendlyandprotectiveApachesaudiencewouldhavebeen highlybeneficialasVi?esdevelopedhisperformancerealizations,especiallyconsideringso manyoftheworksheplayedwerenotyetstandardrepertoire.WhileVi?eslearnedand introducedcontemporaryworks,hisfellowApacheshadtheopportunitytohearwhattheir colleaguesoutsidethegardenwallswerecreating. InApachesdiscussionsofpoetry,art,andliterature,Vi?eswassowellreadand connectedtomyriadartiststhathewasapassionatecontributor,bringingadizzyingamountof aucourantmaterialandinformationtobear. ?TheyusedtosayinParisthatonecouldseeVi?esanywhereand everywhere.Asamatterofcoursehewenttoconcerts,butalso henevermissedanartexhibit,anewplay,alecture,oran informalgatheringoftheliterati,wherehewouldastonishthem 99  withhisencyclopedicknowledge,orbyhourlongrecitationsof poemsbyVerlaine,Baudelaire,andMallarm?.?308  InadditiontotestifyingthatVi?eshadaninsatiableappetiteforParisianculturaland intellectualofferings,thislittledossiershowsthatVi?eslovedsharinghisliterarypassionswith audiences,whichhedoubtlessdidfrequentlyinthecompanyofLesApaches.Itislikelythathe wasthebestreadofthemall;SuzyLevy?scollectionofdiaryentriesrelatedtoRedoncompiles animpressivedossierofVi?es?sannualreadingfromhisjournalreports.309Thislistsmorethan 500titlesbyauthorsincludingPoe,Dickens,Flaubert,Rousseau,Hugo,Goethe,Zola,Byron, Irving,Virgil,Baudelaire,Moli?re,Huysmans,Ibsen,Maeterlinck,Rimbaud,Mallarm?, Hawthorne,Emerson,Schiller,Balzac,andscoresofothers. MultiplereportsportrayananimatedVi?es,ineffablydelightedinsharinghisfavorites orlatestdiscoveries.AnalmostmanicpassiondoubtlessenlivenedmanyanApachesevening: ?Hepossessedthevigorandenthusiasmtypicaloftheautodidacteagertosharewhathehad learned.?310Vi?essocializedwithagalaxyofmusician,artist,andliteraryfriends,who stimulatedhimwhileprovidinghimaforumtocirculatehispassions.OfVi?es?sseeming effortlesscollectionofluminaries,Rierawrites: ?Thenamesandaddressesofmusicians,intellectuals,andartists begintolineupinhisnotecards.ManuelRuizZorrilla,the Godebskis,Odil?nRedon,Nonell,Picasso,thepoetJos?Mar?a Herdia,theastronomerCamilleFlammarion,SaintSa?ns,thepoet L?onPaulFargue,thewritersL?onBloy,PaulVal?ry,andValery Larbaud.Thislistwouldbecomeneverending,explainingthe mentalagilityanduniversalandextensiveculturethatVi?escame  308Seroff,23. 309Levy,149162. 310Brody,?VinesinParis,?48. 100  topossess,permittinghimtogetalongskillfullywithwhatever artisticorintellectualcamp.?311   EffortlessacquaintancewithsomuchoftheParisianintelligentsiaandartisticelitekept Vi?es?spulseontheartisticdoingsabouttown.Onecanimaginethathewasanunceasingfont ofartisticgossipatApachesgatherings,holdingcourtforhisraptfriends.  InconsideringtheimportanceoffriendshipasatrueforceanimatingLesApaches, inspiringthemtogreaterinnovationandaccomplishment,RicardoVi?esaslovingcompanion mustbeconsideredinthisdiscussionofVi?estheexemplar.Hispeerswereuniversalinnoting himasawhirlwindofpositiveenergy.InhishomagetoVi?es,Farguewrote: ?Amongthosewhoknewhimatanytimeintheirlife,whocould resisttheimageofatalkativeRicardo,excited,literallyjumping onhisfriends,graspingthemforcefullybyabuttonontheir jacket,bytheendoftheirsensitivity,inhishastetomakethem sharehisloveofpeopleandthings,hislovelyeffusions,hisfads alwayssureandmotivated?Noone,nodoubt.?312   IftheApacheswerelookingforasupportiveaudiencefortheirfledglingworks,or someonetoplaysaidworks,oranemotionalpickmeupamidvariablecreativeprospectsand successwithinthecomplexwebofmusicalParis,whocouldindeedresist? Anotherpostcard,thistimefromVi?estoFarguefromAntwerp,evidencesthewarm relationshipsandsharedpassionsamongLesApaches,revealingVi?esasathoughtful,caring friend,hisliterarydexterityalwaysattheready.     311Riera,22. 312Fargue,22122. 101      Figure3:PostcardofAnvers(Antwerp)Port(fromRicardoVi?estoL?onPaulFargue) Credit:HarryRansomCenter,theUniversityofTexasatAustin Usedwithpermission  102  Onthebackhewrites,?Jevoisunportremplidevoilesetdemats/Encortoutfatigu?s parlavaguemarine.(Baudelaire)?(?Iseeaportfilledwithsailsandrigging/Stillutterlywearied bythewavesofthesea.?)Vi?esinfusesthistravelcorrespondencewithlinesfromthesecond halfofBaudelaire?spoemParfumexotiquefromFleursdumal.313Notevagueaddedasalater correction,indicatingVi?eswaslikelywritingoutthepoemfrommemory.AsVi?esgave lengthyrecitationsofpoetry,andthereiswordinhisdiarythatheintendedtotranslateallthe BaudelaireheknewintoSpanish,thisisnotsurprising.SharingthisbitofBaudelairewithpoet FarguewhileVi?eswastravelingwasasmallbuttouchinggestureoffriendship,perfectly entrainedtotheartisticchapeltheyinhabited. Vi?essentFargueanotherpostcard314onwhichhecomparedspl?n?ticNormandytoa novelbyBarbey.315Onthephotoside,hepensaliteraryjoke;thepostcardillustratesstairs leadingfromaboardwalkdowntothebeach,withthecaption?LaDescente?laMer,?towhich Vi?esappendsinink:?quin?estpasterrible,vouslevoyez,commele?Descentedansla Ma?lstrome!?(?whichisn?tterrible,yousee,like?ADescentintotheMaelstr?m!?).Vi?eslike DebussyandRavelwasmadforEdgarAllenPoe;hetaughthimselfEnglishspeciallytoreadthe author?sworksintheirnativelanguage.ButforVi?es,thesecultivationswereinsufficientas endsinthemselves?theyhadtobesharedwithhisfellows. Vi?eshadtheremarkableabilitytoinhabitseeminglyopposedworldsandthrivein both.Hispersonalityseemedwellsuitedtobridgedifferencesandkeeptheproceedings friendly.HeworkedwithbothDebussyandRavelthroughouttheApachesera,servingas  313NotethatParfumexotiqueisthesamepoemhesettomusicbackin1896. 314ViewedintheHarryRansomarchives,notreproducedhere. 315JulesAm?d?eBarbeyd'Aurevilly,anotherfavoritefindesi?cleauthor. 103  artisticemissarysubsequenttothecoolingofrelationshipsbetweenthetwocomposers. AlthoughtheApachesthemselveswerediverseinaffiliation,includingbothScholaand Conservatoirealignedcomposersandperformers,Vi?esnegotiatedbothworlds.Educatedin theConservatoire,healsoperformedwithintheScholaandcollaboratedwiththecomposers frombothcamps.Inthisway,hispresencewouldservetohelpcoherethegroupbeyondtheir sharedcommitmenttomusicalinnovation. ToallthatVi?eswasandmeanttoLesApaches,nolessimportantishislegacy?the journalentriesdescribingLesApachesmeetingsandactivitiesoverthedurationofthegroup?s existence.AstirelesschroniclerofthegoingsonwithintheApacheshaven,Vi?esservesto widentheviewthroughourveryspecialwindow. AfterWorldWarI,Vi?estookhisinterdisciplinaryspiritandattractiontoinfluential artisticcirclesnotonlybychampioningcomposerssuchasPoulencandSatie,butalsoinhis passingthetorchofpianisticmuseandagent.AsmentortoFrancisPoulencandMarcelle Meyer,whocollaboratedwithSatieandCocteauinbringingforththenextwaveoftheParisian avantgarde,Vi?esconveyedhisimpulsetosupportthenewanddowellbythecomposersof theday.Thus,Vi?esandhisApachesspiritwereabletocontinueservingtheinnovativeinart andmusic.    Part III: Ricardo Vi?es: Pianist 105   7.?MethodeRicardoVi?es?   Thursday,27October1901:Intheafternoon,Ravelcame;Debussy toldhimthatmymannerofplayingpleasedhimverymuch,very much,especiallymysonority.316     Figure4:CaricaturadeRicardVi?esalpiano,deDalli?s,1911 Credit:CATArxiuMunicipaldeLleida,LlegatRicardVi?es,Ref.A6R843 Usedwithpermission  WritingsonVi?es?spianismfocusprimarilyonhisuncannyembodimentoftheessence ofawork,prescientabilitytobringfortheffectivenewscores,incrediblememory,and immenserepertoire.Brodycapturedalltheseinaquotefromprivatecorrespondencewitha BerkeleyprofessorwhowasoneofVi?es?sstudents:  316Vi?es:Diary,27October1901.InGubisch,"Lejournalin?dit,?198. 106   ?Whatmadehisperformancesdifferentfromother performances?...Theyweretheinnersharingofadiscoveryhe hadmadeonhisown,butinwhichnothingofhisownself remained.HewasthePictures,hewastheNightsintheGardenof Spain,hewastheGalloMa?aneroofJoaquinRodrigo?.Hewas selfeffacingtothepointofobliteration,butneverquite.Vi?es wasalwaysthere,butalwaysingoodcompany?.Histechnique wastherebutonlytobehidden.Itwasperfectinthatitwas neverbroughtup.?317  Thisessentiallytellsusmostofwhatweneedtoknowabouthispianisticvalues.Inthe mostaffectingperformances,onedoesnotexperiencemusicmakingas?technique?or?sound? or?interpretation??rather,theseelementsareindivisible,togetherasynergisticwholeideally effectingtranscendenceortransformationforperformerandlistener. Withcontemporaryreportssounanimousthatindeedsomethingtranscendental seemedtooccuratVi?es?sperformances,apianistmightwellyearntodiscoverjusthowhe wasabletoproducethis.Unfortunately,Vi?esmaderelativelyfewrecordings,andsadly,we arenotprivytofilmdocumentationofhislegendaryperformances.Heleftneitheralineageof pedagogicaldescendantsnorencyclopedicpianotreatises.Inattemptingtoretroactively analyzehisapproachtothepiano,ourinquirymustbemultipronged. Inherdissertationsection?Vi?esasaPerformer:TechniqueandInterpretation,? Berrocalnotesthatoftcitedbycontemporariesandbiographerswerehis?suppletouchand flowing,effortlessplaying.?318Theseshedlightontheresults,butaprocessstillbearsteasing out.Withthisinmind,itwouldbeilluminatingtoattempttorecreatea?MethodeVi?es.?What didVi?esabsorbfromtheFrenchschool,howwasheinfluencedbyB?riot,andwhatisperhaps uniqueinhisapproach?  317Brody,"Vi?esinParis,?47. 318Berrocal,37. 107   Training Friday,21December1888:Iplayedthe?M?canisme?andM.B?riot toldthestudentstobeware,thatIwouldsurpassthemall.319  Vi?eswastaughtbyhisamateurmusicianmotherbeforecommencingsolf?ge,then pianostudies,fromagesevenwithorganistJoaquinTerrazainhishometownofL?rida,Spain. Atageten,heenteredthestudioofJuanBautistaPujolattheBarcelonaConservatory,winning thefirstprizeon18July1887. NothingofnoteseemstobewrittenaboutTerraza,butPujol?spedagogywasmarkedby elementsthatwouldremainofparamountimportanceinVi?es?smatureapproach: ?The?Catalan?schoolofpianoplayingischaracterizedbyspecial attentiontoclarityofvoicing,tonecolor,andmostespecially, subtleuseofthepedals.Itisatraditionthatwasbegunbythe CatalanpianistJuanBautistaPujol.?320  Thiscoloristicapproachisnotableinencompassingsomeoftheveryattributes marveledatbycriticsduringVi?es?scareer.Pujol,whohadstudiedattheParisConservatoire himselfbeforetouringandsettlingbackinBarcelona,cultivatedanauralsophisticationinVi?es andGrenados.Bothwouldlateremphasizeasinginglineandcoloristicpedalingwiththeir students. Vi?esclearlydisplayedimmediatefacilityandmusicaltemperament.IssacAlb?niz, advisedfurtherstudyinParis?arguablythepianisticcenterinEuropeformuchofthe1800s. PujolhadalreadysentfellowcountrymenEnriqueGrenadosandJoaqu?nMalatstoCharlesde B?riot?sclassattheParisConservatoire.Vi?eswasadmittedasanauditorandjoinedB?riot?s  319Vi?es:Diary,21December1888.InNinaGubisch,"Lejournalin?dit,?179. 320MarkHansen,?TheCatalanSchoolofPedaling,?inThePianist?sGuidetoPedaling,byJosephBanowetz (Bloomington:IndianaUniversityPress,1985)220. 108   mostadvancedclassstraightaway.In1889,hewasofficiallyadmitted,andhewonhisfirstprize in1894. TheseminalworkexploringthedevelopmentofParisConservatoirepedagogyisCharles Timbrell?sFrenchPianism:AHistoricalPerspective,321acompendiumofbiographies,interviews, andreminiscencespertainingtotheConservatoire?sperformanceandpedagogictradition. TracingthelineageofConservatoireprofessorsbacktoChopinandforwardtowellknown 20thcenturypianists,Timbrellrevealsatrainingtraditionthatisremarkablyconsistentand unified,uniquelyofitstimeandplace. Thus,uponjoiningB?riot?sclassattheConservatoire,Vi?essteppedintoamature nationalpianopedagogyfromwhichmanyfinepianistsemerged.Generallymarkedbythe cultivationoftechniquescenteredonfingercentricdexterityandindependence,the?French School?likelyevolvedoutoftherefinedharpsichordtraditionofCouperinandRameau.Its shallowkeyedsupplenessresultedinseeminglyeffortlessflightorgliding,withvaluesof evenness,precision,jeuperle,andspeedcreatingthepalettefromwhichpianistsservedFrench aesthetics?elegance,understatedness,andsubtlety. Anapproachwherethefingertipsleadandthearmfollowscreatescoordinated movement,soinonesense,theFrenchfocusonfingeractionissound.Thereisamarked emphasis,however,oncultivatinga?hammerlikeindependence?whiledeemphasizingarm motionsthatactuallyarenecessarytoaccommodatetheneedsofthefingers.Intruth, however,theentireupperarmmustbeallowedtomovefreelyandappropriately:?Thesesmall movementsfacilitateandenablethemovementsofthefingers,hands,andforearmsthatare  321Timbrell,Charles.FrenchPianism:AHistoricalPerspective.Portland,OR:AmadeusPress,1999. 109 usually thought of as constituting technique. When the arms are free, the technique functions better.?322 Fixing the arms to control ?fingers like hammers??exacerbated by the endless exercises and drilling of the French school? would likely have led many Conservatoire students to reach limits in musical expression, sound, and endurance. B?riot himself was not strictly a product of the Conservatoire tradition, however, as his major teacher was the great Swiss pianist Sigismond Thalberg, who trained with Hummel and Moscheles. Thalberg was ?noted for his round and beautiful tone, nearly motionless control and crystal-clear passage work.?323 His preferred approach was not one of striking the keys with high fingers, but rather depressing them from a close position for the best tone, or for especially graceful melodies, ?kneading? them with ?fingers of velvet.?324 B?riot was the most influential of Thalberg?s students, and his teaching also incorporated these pianistic values: ?Like Thalberg, he attached great importance to critical listening, refinement of touch, singing tone, slow practice, and meticulous use of the pedals. This very musical approach is reflected in his two books of exercises, M?chanisme et style and La sonorit? du piano.?325 An interview given by Paul Loyonnet, another famous B?riot student, corroborates B?riot?s more varied pianistic values, noting clarity and voicing, nuance, and most importantly, cultivation of an always singing tone and singing line: ?With him it was always ?interpretation, interpretation, interpretation!? Slow practice and the quality of one?s sound were his main concerns? All of his students developed a taste for good 322 Thomas Mark, What Every Pianist Needs to Know About the Body (Chicago: GIA Publications, 2003) 70. 323 Timbrell, 45. 324 Ibid., 46. 325 Ibid., 46 110   musical?diction,?asenseofgoodpedaling,contrastingtouches, andclarityinfasttempos.?326  B?riot?scombinationofcultivatinganintelligentmusicalresponseandrealizingit throughrefinedtouch,sound,andpedaltechniqueswaswellsuitedforVi?esandwouldhave complementedPujol?sapproach.Onemightsurmisethatadifferent,moretraditionalstudioat theConservatoire?suchasDi?mer?s?mayhavetrainedamoreprototypical,more ?mechanical?pianist,resultinginaperformerlesssuitedtobringingforwardprodigious, imaginative,multivariatenewrepertoire,fromthenewFrenchandSpanishpianomusicto Russianblockbusters.  Alongtheway,Vi?esseemstohaveforgedhisownsynthesisoftechnique:pristineand fleeting,yetmoresonorousandexuberantthattheprevailingFrenchaesthetic.After scrutinizingVi?es?sdiary,notingongoingdebateswithB?riot,BrodywasconvincedVi?eswas largelyselftaughtratherthanadefinitiveproductofConservatoiretrainingandB?riot?sclass. Theremaybemerittothisassessment;however,manyoftheelementsVi?eswouldhave discoveredcorrelateinlargeparttodescriptionsofhistraining.TheinfluenceofPujoland B?riottogethermanifestedinVi?es?suniversallyacclaimedmasteryandupfrontteachingof singingtonealwaysinservicetoaline,localcolorandshading,myriadpedaltechniques,and commitmenttoservingmusicfirstandforemost. InscoresfromVi?es?slibrarythatIhaveobtained,327hismarkedfingeringsdoindicate somethingofanindependentfingerphilosophy(althoughintruthitmaybeatenuousexercise  326Timbrell,18889. 111   to?reverseengineer?forthis).Slow,legatopassagesaremarkedliberallywithfinger substitutionsthatallowforacontinualfingerlegato.GivenVi?es?sconstantuseofthepedal,in thesecasesheclearlyenvisagesthepedalasacoloristictool,notasasubstituteforfinger connection.Passageworksarefingeredsuchthatthesamefingerdoesnotplayontwosame notesincloseproximity,whilethehandseemstobekeptclosedwhenpossible. Fromthesoundpaletteheevincedaswellasreportsofstudents,Vi?esevidently discoveredtheprincipleofplayingfirmlyjusttothesoundpoint,asMindruKatzandDorothy Taubman,amongothers,wouldlaterteach.Frenchtechniquewouldbydefinitionavoid slammingtothebottomofthekeybed,whichcombinedwithslavish?fingerindependence? wouldberuinous.ButVi?esclearlyfoundthesweetspotinthekeyactiontoeffectamalleable, ringingsound,andmakinguseofthesubsequent?bounce?wouldrelievepressureinthe fingersandwrist. RecallingthatVi?eswasalsoanautodidactinlanguagesandliterature,clearlyhewas naturallyendowedwithaninvestigative,imaginativeapproachtolearning.Moreover,the descriptionsofhisperformancesareuniqueintheunanimityofwhatlistenersreportwhen attemptingtodescribehis?becomingthework?synergizingtechniquewithmusicalaims.While hewasstillyoung,Vi?esevolvedatechniqueversatileandadaptableenoughtoservetextures andsonoritiesforthehundredsofnewmusicscoreshewouldgoontoperform.    327SeeDavidKorevaarandLaurieJ.Sampsel,"TheRicardoVi?esPianoMusicCollectionattheUniversityof ColoradoatBoulder,"(Notes,SecondSeries61,no.2December2004)361400.IamgratefultoKorevaarand Sampselforallowingmefullaccesstothiscollection. 112   Pedagogy AlthoughVi?es?shistoryininstitutionalteachingismodest,heacceptedaselectgroup ofprivatestudentsandwasadedicatedteacher.Someofthesestudentsdescribedtheir trainingandlessonsinwriting,leavingabitofarecordofVi?es?spedagogy.Hismostfamous studentwasFrancoisPoulenc,who,forbiddenbyhisfathertopursuemusicstudies,sought privateinstructionwithVi?es. Hismostaccomplishedprot?g?wasthegreatFrenchpianistMarcelleMeyer,whose ownlifeandcareeraredeservedlybecomingmoreknownandappreciated.LisaHarrington, Meyerscholar,writes,?ItwasVi?estowhomsheattributedherbrillianttechnique.According toPoulenc,whoalsostudiedwithVi?es,MeyeroncesaidofStravinsky?sTroismouvementsde Petrouchka,?Itisnotasdifficultasallthat,thankstoVi?es.??328 Vi?esseemstohavetaughtMeyerhowto?ringthesoundpoint?fromamusical impulse: ?Meyer?sfirsthusband,PierreBertin,recallsthatsheplayed Satie?sworks?ashelikedthemtobeplayed,withthatfeelingof sonorousweightyougetfromawellstrucknote,givingoff harmonicswhichseemtobeemanationsfromthemusical thought?anartwhichMarcellehadlearntfromVi?es.ButVi?es playedonlysomeofSatie?spieces.Marcelleusedtoplaythemall, andwasequallygoodatsightreadingthem.?329  OfhisownlessonswithVi?es,FrancisPoulencrecalled,?theartofpedaling,this essentialingredientofmodernmusic;noonecouldteachitbetterthanVi?essincehemanaged toplayclearlyinawashofpedaling,whichseemsparadoxical.Andwhatsciencehe  328Harrington,17 329Ibid.,17. 113   demonstratedinstaccato!?330ItissaidthatVi?eswouldkickPoulencintheshinwhenhedid notliketheyoungcomposerpianist?spedaling,althoughthisdidnotseemtodiminishthe greatesteemwithwhichPoulencheldVi?es. Vi?es?slaststudent,MariaCanals,leftvaluableaccountsofherteacherinthebookUna vidadinslam?sica.CanalswrotethatVi?estaughtthat?onemusteliminateallunnecessary physicalmovementsandacquireabsoluteindependenceineachfinger.Foradvancedstudents, insteadofassigninghoursofetudes,hewouldcreateexercisesfromthemostdifficultpassages ofeachpiece,freeingupmorepracticetimeforthelearningofrepertoire,andinstillingamore comprehensivemusicalattitudetowardstechnique,includingpedaling,balance,andtone.?331 ThislastphraseisperhapsthekeytoaparadoxIdiscussedwithHarrington.Vi?es cultivatedatouchwherethefingersremainonthekeys,whichwouldhavebeeninkeeping withBeriot?sapproach.Thiswouldhaveaidedfacilityandenabledhimtoextendhisfingersto ringthesoundpoint.However,photosofVi?essittingatthepiano,althoughnotquiteas exaggeratedasthecaricatureheadingthischapter,exhibitmarkedanteriorheadcarriage,and invariably,hiswristsareprominentlypresseddownintoconstantflexion.CombiningtheFrench fingeroriented?independentaction?withthedepressedwrist,onecangainacertainkindof ?control.?However,weknowtodaythatthisclearlycomesatamechanicaldisadvantage,as theloweredwristputsconstantpressureonthecarpaltunnelsandbreaksthesupportofthe wholearm.  330Ibid.,18. 331MariaCanals,Unavidadinslam?sica(Barcelona:EditorialSelecta,Volum429,1970),quotedinHarrington,17. 114   AphotoofMarcelleMeyer?shandsshowsthemalmostcontortedwithtension,withlow wrists,depressedbridge,andfingersatattention.332Howdidthesephenomenalperformers playlikethis?Howdidthesemechanics,whichweabsolutelynowknowtobedeleterious, servethesepianiststhroughsomuchrepertoire? InMeyer?srecordings,thiswriterdetectsaslightlychokedoff,hitchedqualityinher soundgeneration.Whatisheardisinaccordancewiththeaxiomof?absoluteindependencein eachfinger,?whichweknowtodayisanatomicallyimpossibletoachievebutcanbe approximatedwithfingersheldflexedbeyondtheirnaturalcurveandarchpresseddownto accommodate,exactlyascanbeseeninphotosofMeyer?shands. Hugelyimportant,however,isthatthisoverworkisincrediblywelldisguisedbyher amplefacilityand?morenotably?withintheintelligenceofhermusicmakingandabsolute commitmenttoshapingeveryphrasepurposefully.Meyeranimateseventhesmallestmotives andgestureswithconstantmicroshadingsthatareamarveltohear.Vi?es?srecordingsarefew andweremaderelativelylateinhiscareer.Inthemhedemonstratesasimilareleganceofline andvirtuosiccoloring,likelythroughacombinationofincrediblypreciseauralintentbeing conveyedtobothhisfingersandthepedals.Butonegetsthesensethatthesearenot representativeofVi?esathispeak,infrontofanaudiencewhenhewassaidtobeathisbest. ForboththeseConservatoiregraduateswhowentontoenjoyproductiveandinfluential careers,theircolossalsuccessandprodigiousrepertoiremayseematoddswiththeirphysical approachtothepiano.Undoubtedlythiswasmitigatedbyinstrumentswithlighteraction.But muchmoresignificantly,theiravowedcommitmenttobecomethemusic,andfurthermoreto  332Meyer?shandsarepicturedinHarrington,18.Iamgratefultoherforhavingsharedthesephotosandher dissertationdraftswithmeaswebothtracedtheevidenceofConservatoirepedagogythroughVi?es. 115   sharetheseexcitingworkswiththeaudiencestheysoreportedlyloved,wouldhavebestowed onthemaheightenedcoordinationbasedontheneedsofexpression.Inhischapter ?TechniqueoftheSoul,?BorisBermanwrites,?Theperformer?semotionalinvolvementand identificationwithapiecearenecessaryconditionsforcreatinganartisticallycredible performance.?333 AustralianactorandfamousmovementreeducatorF.M.Alexanderdiscoveredthatthe relationshipoftheheadandspineistheprinciplemeanswherebyvertebratesorganize movement,andthatrelievinganydeleteriouspressureinthisrelationshipenablesmovement andactivitytobehealthierandmoreeffective.Alexander?sdescendantsinperformance training334havediscoveredthatbeyondthisdynamicrelationship,coordinationinserviceof performanceisincontrovertiblytiedtoartisticconception.?Themorespecificallyandactively weinvitetheaudiencetobewithuswhilewearewiththem,themorecompletelyour coordination?ourpsychophysicalselves?willrespond.?335Atthesametime,thestrongerthe performanceintent,themorecoordinationissummonedtoservetheseaims,andlessefficient mechanicscanbeoverriddentoalargedegreebyholisticperformanceintent. ThisisasignificantclueastohowVi?eswasabletoeffecttransformativeperformances atthepianodespiteanyawkwardphysicalmechanicalrelationshiptotheinstrumenthemay haveevinced.Hetoldstudentsthatinordertoimproveatthepiano,theyneededtoread books.336ToaConservatoirestudent,thislikelywouldhavesoundedabsurd,butVi?eshadan  333BorisBerman,NotesfromthePianist'sBench(NewHaven:YaleUniversityPress,2000)172. 334Inparticularhisprot?g?MarjorieBarstow,thefirstgraduateofhisteachertrainingclass,andBarstow?s subsequentstudentCatherineMadden. 335CatherineMadden,OnstageSynergy:IntegrativeAlexanderTechniquePracticeforPerformingArtists (Wilmington,NC:IntellectBooks,forthcoming). 336Harrington,16. 116   innatesenseoftheimportanceofcultivatingarichpsychophysicallandscapewhenheplayed. Withagargantuanlibraryofartisticandliteraryimagerysomuchapartofhispsyche,hehadin hisimaginationandfingertipsacatalogofimaginativeintention. InhismemoryofVi?es,FarguewrotesensitivelyabouthowVi?es?sderivedhispianistic intentfromvividmusicmaking: ?Hehadawayofdeliveringthekeyboardthatmadethehillsof Anacapri,forexample,springfromhishands,appearingtofall fromthepeakofamagicalart,asecondart.Headdedtohis playingsomethingthatwasnotthegame,thattranscendedthe keysandputforthasadirectcontactofhishearttoours, establishedonatrailofharmony.Hehadthepassion,authority, precision,flexibilityofthefamouspianists,butheexceededthem byamagicalpersonalequation,akindofwhisper.?337  WeknowthatthepoetFarguewasakeenobserverandmasterofmetaphor.Cultivating adimensionalvisualuniversefromwhichDebussy?spreludecouldspringforthwouldpromote aconstructiveuseandinviteanappropriatemeasureofphysicalgesturetorealizetheintent.  Alltold,basedonwhatwenowknowaboutefficientandsafepianotechnique,and derivingVi?es?sapproachfromvariousdepictionsaswellashowhetaughthisownstudents, thiswriterwouldsurmisethatubiquitousreportsofincrediblenaturalfacilityhadtobe accurate,andwouldbeempoweredbyhisimaginativemusicalimpulse.ButforVi?estoacquire andmaintainoneofthelargestrepertoireanypianisthaseverhad,practicingandperforming constantlywithlowwristsand?independentfingers,?hewouldlikelyhavepaidatolloverthe years.BerrocalinvokesscholarswhowonderifinthefinalanalysisVi?es?srepertoirechoices eventuallyfavoredpieces(miniatures)thatplayedtohisstrengthsanddeemphasizedhis  337Fargue,227. 117   weaknesses.Despitethemarathonconcertsofstandardrepertoireearlierinhiscareer,this seemstenable.Hepreferredthe?rardgrand,withitslighteraction,andthetechniquehe broughtforthinserviceofthemusicwasbasedonexquisitenuanceandcolorratherthanraw powerandpyrotechnics.Indeed,thechoicesandperformancesonhis1930srecordingsseems tounderscorethis. Thisaside,reportsthatforgethistechniqueas?soeffortlessonedoesn?trealizethe difficulties?areontosomethingkey.ItseemsevidentthatthephysicalimpetusVi?esproduced wassuchamatchtotheessenceofthemusicthatinartistryitproducedtheeffectreportedby critics.Andmoreandmore,itisunderstoodbymovementandperformancetrainersthat performerswhoderivetheirtechnicalneedsofthemomentfromtheartisticimpulseathand arehighlylikelytoperformonamorerepeatable,consistentlyinspiringlevel. Itisanintriguinginvestigationtoattemptaretroactivepsychophysicalanalysisona performersouniqueasVi?es.Itisalsoimpossibleevertoknowtheaccuracyofsuchinquiry. WecaninanycaseextrapolatethevaluesthatanimatedVi?es?spianism,holdtheseprinciples steadfast,andinvitethemtoserveusinourownplaying.Theseprinciplescanundergirdallthat wehavetheadvantagetoknowtodayaboutergonomicrelationshipsatthepianoaswellasthe emergingscienceofdimensionaltechniquesthatenableperformingartiststosummonthe systemicsupportneededforsuchahighlyorganizedandexcitableactivity. Inbecomingoneofthegreatpianistsofhistime,Vi?esderivedakeytenetfrom somethinghelikelydiscoveredearly,whetherthroughthecircumstancesofhislife,bywayof hisintellectualpursuits,orthroughrepeatedtranscendentalexperiencesuchaswiththe TristanPrelude:thataperformercanandmustdecodeandcompletelyembodytheessenceof 118 a work, then share this with the audience. One of Vi?es?s most impressive accomplishments is that he was able to distill this essence immediately in new scores, which by all reports he learned speedily. He was able to bring to bear the constant reinforcement of Apaches concerns and interdisciplinary presence and discussions of artists and poets feeding him intellectual, visual, and literary stimulus. Thus, a pianist would do well to mind the Brody quote at the beginning of this chapter, then strive to recreate the means whereby Vi?es was able to call forth such magic. 119 8. Repertoire and Concerts: Les Apaches Years Wednesday 8 January 1908: Today I received the second series of Debussy?s Images of which one, Poissons d?or, is dedicated to me. More important, Debussy put the dedication on the copy that was sent to me. I started studying Poissons d?or right away.338 Seventy years after the passing of Ricardo Vi?es, his legend is secured in the archival reports of critics and peers. As the recordings he left fill only about one compact disc, the material evidence of his genius resides primarily in the artifacts and compiled testimonials that in composite reveal his spellbinding performances, colossal repertoire, and innovative concert programming. ?His repertory, as Jean-Aubry once said, was prodigious; perhaps no pianist ever had one like it. One wondered how he even had time to read all the music he actually played from memory.?339 During the years of Les Apaches, his catalog evolved to encompass virtually all the new French, Russian, and Spanish music of the early twentieth century. Later, he augmented this with music written by South American composers. Considering the pieces he performed in context of his overall repertoire and how he programmed his concerts during the era of Les Apaches, a narrative of choices emerges, telling about his vision of performance as it evolved during these years. 338 Vi?es: Diary, 3 February 1906. In Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,? 230. 339 Brody, ? Vi?es in Paris,? 46. 120 Pre-Apache Repertoire In July 1894, when Vi?es won his Conservatoire first prize, he was nineteen years old. As Paul Loyonnet recalls from his own studies with Charles de B?riot, Vi?es would have been required to learn a new Bach Prelude and Fugue, Chopin Etude, and B?riot Transcendental Etude by Friday each week.340 Vi?es corroborated this in his diary, as for example on 27 November 1891, when he played an unspecified Prelude and Fugue and one of the two Chopin Etudes in F minor.341 For a June 1892 jury, he prepared the Chopin Nocturne in C minor, Finale from a Schumann sonata, and a Liszt polonaise.342 The required Conservatoire concert pieces were the Chopin F minor Fantasie and Saint-Sa?ns?s Theme and Variations. In addition to standard repertoire, he would have studied salon pieces, virtuosic works, and novelties of the time. Vi?es?s library held some three dozen pieces by Charles de B?riot, many of which have markings and fingerings within. 343 He would continue to perform the works of his teacher, as in a 5 March 1895 concert with the Soci?t? de musique nouvelle, where together he and B?riot performed the Sonata for Two Pianos.344 His first two professional solo recitals, in 1895 and 1897, featured B?riot concerti, and he programmed two B?riot pieces in the historical concerts of 1905. 340 Timbrell, 186. 341 Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,? 181. 342 Ibid., 183. 343 Korevaar and Sampsel, 370-71. 344 Le Guide Musical 1895, no. 11, 257. ?Beautiful sonata?played by Mr. Ricardo Vi?es and the author with great success.? 121 In February 1895, he booked Salle Pleyel for his public debut. The program ran about two-and-a-half hours long; it comprised a mixture of standard repertoire played in its entirety, French novelties, and an entire piano concerto by B?riot. 345  Beethoven: Sonata Op. 57 (?Appassionata?)  Schumann: Carnaval  Chopin: Berceuse  Chopin: Etude Op. 25 No. 2  Chopin: Nocturne in C minor  Dubois: Les Myrtilles  Godard: Valse chromatique  B?riot: S?r?nit?  Moszkowski: Tarantelle  Schubert: Minuet  Mendelssohn: Scherzo from A Midsummer Night?s Dream  Liszt: Un Sospiro  Paganini-Liszt: La Campanella  B?riot: Piano Concerto No. 2346 The concert, with an audience of several hundred in evening dress arriving in carriages, was both profitable and a critical success. Vi?es presented his second solo recital on 11 March 1897, this time at Salle ?rard.347 Again, the concert featured a B?riot concerto?the fourth?with the composer at the second piano. The rest of the program included:  Schumann: Symphonic Etudes  Chopin: Polonaise in A-flat, unspecified Nocturne  Grieg: To Spring  Franck: Pr?lude, chorale, et fugue  Alb?niz: Orientale and Seguidilla  Moszkowski: unspecified 345 Brody, Paris: A Musical Kaleidoscope, 182. 346 B?riot himself was to accompany the concerto, but was ill; future Apache Marcel Chadeigne was announced as the replacement. 347 Brody, Paris: A Musical Kaleidoscope, 182-183. Brody notes that Vi?es sold his prize Pleyel and affiliated with ?rard, as he was offered the hall on more favorable terms. 122 Note the mixture of Romantic classic repertoire; repeats of B?riot and Moszkowski; Franck, a ?solidly French? composer whom Vi?es would continue to champion; and the first appearance of Alb?niz. The Guide Musical reviewer noted, ?Mr. Vi?es won in the implementation of his program, where one could find bravura effects and bright colors.?348 Vi?es?s first appearance at the Soci?t? Nationale de Musique took place on 5 March 1898, marked by the first of his many Ravel premieres: Sites auriculaires for two pianos (with Marthe Dron). They also played piano four hands the Etudes (?in a simple style?) of Roger Ducasse. The only commentary from Le Guide Musical about the Ravel was ??!?!? after naming the piece?whether this was incredulity about the title, piece, or performance, we cannot know.349 Just five days later, Vi?es gave another solo recital at Salle ?rard, the first of two about a month apart: more traditional repertoire on the first, modern on the second. The first program, on 10 March, included:  Beethoven: 32 Variations in C minor  Bach-Tausig: Toccata and Fugue in D minor  Grieg: Album Leaves  Leschetitzky: Intermezzo in Octaves  Liadov: Music Box The Liadov (?executed with dazzling brio?), which appears to be some of the first Russian music Vi?es publically performed, was encored.350 Of the contemporary program a month later, the Guide Musical reviewer wrote, ?Mr. Ricardo Vi?es demonstrated this time much commitment and dedication in devoting his 348 Le Guide Musical 1897, no. 12, 229-30. 349 Le Guide Musical 1898, no. 11, 244. 350 Le Guide Musical 1898, no. 12, 268. 123 program almost entirely to these gentlemen, the official composers of the Conservatory and the Soci?t? Nationale.? Included on the program were Franck?s Pr?lude, Aria et Finale, Alb?niz?s Rapsodia espa?ola, Chabrier?s Scherzo-Waltz, the premiere of Ravel?s Menuet antique, and many other unnamed ?polonaises, mazurkas, suites, variations, sarabandes, etc.! I will not mention the names of the authors; they are so known, they talk about them so often!?351 It is perhaps interesting that the reviewer noted these composers as ?official?; in large part these were then the works of sanctioned composers of the day. The Ravel may well have stood out as a novelty by a newcomer on the scene. In any case, this program dates Vi?es?s dedication to creating full-length offerings solely of contemporary music squarely to 1898. Juxtaposed with this, exactly one week later, he performed one of Bach?s double concerti in C minor with the Quatuor Weingaertner at Salle Pleyel.352 At Salle ?rard in January 1899, Vi?es performed Franck?s Sonata for Violin and Piano with violinist C?sar Figuerido, then performed various solo works including Chopin?s Polonaise in F-sharp minor.353 Franck also featured in a 4 February concert for the Soci?t? Nationale de Musique, where Vi?es played three chorales arranged for two pianos by Henri Duparc.354 Le Guide Musical announced a solo recital at Salle ?rard for 20 April, but did not review the concert.355 351 Le Guide Musical 1898, no. 17, 392. 352 Ibid., 392-93. 353 Le Guide Musical 1899, no. 5, 107. 354 Le Guide Musical 1899, no. 7, 156. The reviewer lamented, ?Leave to the organ that which belongs to the organ!? On the same program, Vi?es performed the ?douard Lalo Trio with Parent and Baretti. 355 Perhaps Vi?es was upstaged by Paderewski, who was giving three concerts at Salle ?rard at that time. (Le Guide Musical 1899, no. 18, 412-13.) 124 Vi?es continued to perform a mixture of mostly traditional repertoire supplemented by newer French work in his spring concert at Salle ?rard in 1900, ?with a perfect understanding of the style specific to each master.?356 This program included:  Beethoven: Sonata Op. 27 No. 1  Schumann: Romance in F# major, Noveletten Nos. 1 and 2  Chopin: Multiple unspecified pieces  Duparc: L?nore, symphonic poem transcribed for two pianos by Saint-Sa?ns (with Rhen?-Batoa) During this year, Vi?es also performed on two Soci?t? Nationale de Musique concerts, where he played world premieres by Jemain (?executed with remarkable finesse?),357 Vreuls, and Labey. As a last-minute substitution on the 13 January program for songs by Tiersot, Vi?es offered a work by Alb?niz and an ??I don?t know? by a Russian composer??which ?brightened the room,? whatever it was.358 In 1901, in addition to many chamber music performances, he made a noteworthy appearance on the Soci?t? Nationale de Musique concert of 13 April, playing solo works by Balakirev and Faur?, as well as Ravel?s Menuet antique and the world premiere of a Nocturne by Franz Godebski.359 Le Guide Musical, in reviewing a January 1902 performance of the Beethoven ?Appassionata? at the Schola Cantorum, noted that Vi?es and Blanche Selva were lauded for their late-Beethoven sonata performances; apparently these works were seldom heard in Paris except through the cycle performances of ?douard Risler.360 But one might consider the January and March 1902 Soci?t? Nationale de Musique concerts a valedictory of Vi?es?s pre-Apaches era. These concerts were marked by several 356 Le Guide Musical 1900, no. 17, 393. 357 Le Guide Musical 1900, no. 3, 57. 358 Ibid., 57. 359 Le Guide Musical 1901, no. 16, 371.Franz Godebski was brother of Misia Sert, half-brother of Cipa Godebski. 360 Le Guide Musical 1902, no. 5, 106. 125 Russian works, including the French premiere of Glazunov?s Suite on the Name ?Sacha? and works by Balakirev and Borodin. Most important was the introduction of Pour le piano, the first of Vi?es?s Debussy premieres. Le Guide Musical noted that the room was overflowing; by then there was great interest in a new Debussy work, especially just a few months before the first performance of Pell?as and M?lisande. The publication reported a huge success, from the ?agile fingers and penetrating feeling? of Vi?es to the composition, with which ?one should give up trying to express with words the enveloping charm that emanates from such music.?361 As this work represents a demarcation point of sorts in Debussy?s piano writing, perhaps owing to nascent influence from Ravel and Vi?es, while marking the start of a productive relationship between Debussy and Vi?es for years to come, it seems apt to crown Vi?es?s pre-Apaches years with this particular performance. Apaches-Era Repertoire April 1902 represents a persuasive demarcation for the start of the Apaches era. Not only did Pell?as and M?lisande premiere at the end of this month, but Vi?es also kicked off the proceedings of his own accord a few weeks earlier. In Salle Pleyel for Soci?t? Nationale de Musique on 5 April, he premiered Ravel?s Pavane pour une infante d?funte and Jeux d'eau while also performing Faur??s Th?me et Variations. 361 Le Guide Musical 1902, no. 3, 57. 126 We know the esteem with which Les Apaches held these new Ravel works, although Nichols notes that Ravel undervalued Jeux d'eau at the time.362 In retrospect, we see these pieces as commencing a remarkable new kind of piano music that took hold over the ensuing decade, evolved by Ravel and Debussy seemingly in lockstep, with Vi?es realizing these creations in the company of the accumulating Apaches.363 As Vi?es performed copiously and premiered many new works at this time, a look at his ever-growing and evolving repertoire and concert programming over the Les Apaches era? approximately 1902 until 1914?evidences the ongoing endeavors of this talented cadre and their interface with the larger musical currents flowing through turn-of-the-century Paris. In between the Ravel premieres and that of Pell?as and M?lisande, Vi?es gave a sizeable solo recital at Salle ?rard on 24 April. The program included Beethoven?s Opus 81a (?Les Adieux?), Schumann?s Kreisleriana, and other works by Chopin, Brahms, Gluck, Faur?, Borodin, and Balakirev. The Guide Musical reviewer likened Vi?es to a figure in a Velasquez painting, noting that the pianist ?respected the style of the musical gods? and was a ?great virtuoso?simple in his originality, touching in the expressive parts, superior master in passages of high difficulty.?364 Vi?es?s performances of 1903 and 1904 consolidated his activities on behalf of the new French and Russian music he was championing. The Guide Musical lists multiple chamber and 362 Nichols, 39-41. For his part, in his diary, Vi?es proclaimed ?I had much success with Jeux d'eau.? (Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,? 199.) The Guide Musical reviewer preferred Pavane, considering Jeux d'eau a kind of exaggerated Debussy knockoff. (Le Guide Musical 1902, no. 15, 349.) 363 Relative to the soon-to-congregate Les Apaches, Gustave Samazeuilh notes in a small Guide Musical review that on 22 March, just a few weeks prior to this concert, Vi?es performed two (unnamed) pieces by Florent Schmitt? an Apaches preamble of sorts. (Le Guide Musical 1902, no. 13, 296.) 364 Le Guide Musical 1902, no. 18, 420. 127 solo appearances365 on shared recitals for various concert performance entities; in the majority of cases, the repertoire consisted of these new French and Russian works, offered a few at a time.366 After performing Balakirev?s Scherzo No. 2 for the Soci?t? Nationale de Musique on 10 January 1903, he repeated this work on programs in Brussels and Paris later in the spring. On a 17 April concert titled ?Old Masters and Russian Music,? he presented Balakirev?s Islamey, perhaps one of his first public performances of this signature work.367 Also of interest was his offering of Mussorgsky?s Kinderscherz (?Children?s Games?), evidencing the Russian and Apaches esteem for children?s music. He also played Jeux d?eau and, on multiple occasions throughout 1903, Pour le piano, including at a Debussy festival at the Schola Cantorum where he also performed the two-piano arrangement of Nocturnes, with Debussy at the second piano. Traditional repertoire given during this year included Chopin?s Barcarolle and Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante, as well as the ?Appassionata,? the latter at a Beethoven festival. The 9 January 1904 Soci?t? Nationale de Musique concert provided Vi?es with another Debussy masterpiece to champion: Estampes. Korevaar notes that, remarkably, some considered Vi?es?s talent superior to the work itself.368 On the same concert, Vi?es performed four Grenados Spanish Dances in what was likely their French premiere (?pleasant, but no great novelty?).369 He brought Estampes to Brussels in March, as well as Ravel?s Pavane and works of S?verac, and performed the Debussy again on 25 March in Salle Aeolian along with the Faur? 365 Often, Vi?es would perform chamber and solo works on the same concert. 366 These included pieces by Faur?, S?verac, Balakirev, Debussy, Ravel, Borodin, Mussorgsky, and Woolet. 367 Le Guide Musical 1903, no. 17, 376. He also offered ?the? Rachmaninoff Prelude at this concert (doubtless the aforementioned C-sharp minor). 368 The Monde Musical critic wrote, ?One certainly has the right to believe that the three little piano pieces presented by M. Vi?es?with such mastery and ability?are of very secondary interest.? (Translated and quoted in Korevaar and Sampsel, 364.) 369 Le Guide Musical 1904, no. 3, 48. The reviewer also praised both Vi?es and Debussy for Estampes, especially Pagodes, also noting that Jardins sous la pluie was encored. 128 Piano Quartet in G minor. His last major concert of 1904 took place in November in Verviers, Belgium, where he performed Franck?s Variations symphoniques along with solo works of Chopin, Schumann, Borodin, and Debussy.370 Historic Concerts of 1905 The first quarter of 1905 brought several noted Vi?es debuts: the world premieres of Debussy?s Masques and L?Isle Joyeuse, as well as two pieces from S?verac?s En Languedoc.371 With Soci?t? des Concerts du Conservatoire, he gave the French premiere of Rimsky-Korsakov?s Piano Concerto in C-sharp minor, a work he would champion throughout his career.372 But Vi?es?s capstone achievement of the year was his series of historic concerts?a staggering feat that showcased his mastery as a pianistic chronicler. It was in this decade when he was becoming known as a new-works specialist, and by 1905, he would have premiered almost half of the Debussy and Ravel works he would introduce. In these four concerts, however, Vi?es gave a survey of the entire keyboard literature and showcased the broad spectrum of repertoire he had acquired. One can surmise that given Vi?es?s interest in the significance of numbers, his turning thirty years old in February 1905 was a key impetus for this summative presentation. The concerts, in roughly chronological order, took place on consecutive Mondays in spring 1905. 370 Imagine that on the same?motley?concert, the orchestra performed Tchaikovsky?s 1812 Overture, panned by the Guide Musical reviewer for ?banality and poverty of orchestration.? (Le Guide Musicale 1904, no. 48, 906.) 371 Le Guide Musical 1905, no. 9, 167. Interestingly, according to the Guide Musical reviewer, who called the occasion ?a great triumph for M. Claude Debussy,? it was the S?verac that was encored. 372 He performed this concerto at least twice more in 1905 alone, including with Concerts Lamoureux. 129 27 March 1905: ?De Cabezon ? Haydn? ?cole Espagnole  Cabezon: Variations sur la Chant du Chevalier  Moreno: Minuetto d?une sonatine (in?dite) ?cole Anglaise  Byrd: Pavane (Le Marquis de Salisbury)  Bull: Gigue de la chasse du roi  Purcell: Prelude in C major ?cole Italienne  Frescobaldi: Fugue in G minor  Scarlatti: Sonata in D major ?cole Fran?aise  Champion: La Loureuse  Couperin: Les Vieux Seigneurs; L?Arlequine  Rameau: Les Tourbillons, rondeau  Dandrieu: L?Hymen (concert des oiseaux no. 3) ?cole Allemande  Kuhnau: Partita No. 3: Pr?lude et Menuet  J. S. Bach: Invention in B minor  Handel: Capriccio in G minor  C. P. E. Bach: Les langueurs tendres  Haydn: Sonata in D major: Allegro  Bach-Liszt: Organ Prelude and Fugue in A minor 3 April 1905: ?De Mozart ? Chopin?  Mozart: Adagio in B minor  Beethoven: Sonata in F minor, Op. 57 (?Appassionata?)  Schubert: Impromptu in A-flat major, Op. 142 No. 2  Weber: Momento Capriccioso  Mendelssohn: Romance sans paroles, Op. 62 No. 1  Schumann: Fantaisie, Op. 17  Chopin: Scherzo in C-sharp minor; Prelude in A-flat major; Etude in A minor 10 April 1905: ?Auteurs Modernes?  Liszt: Sonata in B minor  Castillon: Fantaisie in D minor  Saint-Sa?ns: Prelude in F minor, Op. 52  B?riot: Cantabile; Allegro vivace  Marty: Pens?e intime  Dubois: Les Myrtilles  Brahms: Rhapsody in G minor  Grieg: Album Leaf in B-flat major (premiere); Le Ruisseau 130  Scott: Dagobah (premiere)  Borodin: Scherzo in A-flat major  Alb?niz: La Tour Vermeille  Granados: Danse Espagnole  Balakirev: Islamey 17 April 1905: ?Auteurs Modernes?  Franck: Pr?lude, Choral et Fugue  Chausson: Paysage  D?Indy: Lac Vert, La Poste  Faur?: Th?me et Variations  Samazeuilh: Prelude in G minor  F?vrier: Nocturne (premiere)  Moreau: Dans la Nuit  Rhen?-Baton: Pr?lude Oriental  Piern?: Nocturne en forme de Valse  Debussy: L?isle joueuse  S?verac: Coin de cimieti?re au printemps  Ravel: Jeux d?eau  Chabrier: Bour?e Fantasque373 Reviews of the series were telling in their investment in the endeavor, thoughtfully discussing aspects of performance practice and chronology as would be on display within such a succession of works covering a long historical period. Of this ?fast and vivid story that he has undertaken,? the Guide Musical reviewer concluded, ?Really, for a performer, there is no better way to prove his variety, his intelligence, and the surety of his style.?374 Apache D?odat de S?verac was honored with a festival performance of three piano suites and various songs on 25 May at the Schola Cantorum.375 Of this event, the Guide Musical reviewer wrote, ?M. de S?verac is a very young musician who already has many things to tell us.?376 373 Concert repertoire taken from illustrations of the programs. Clary, 179. 374 Le Guide Musical 1905, no. 15, 297. 375Vi?es and Blanche Selva performed the piano music on this program, and in fact regularly contributed to various ?academic concert? presentations at the Schola, often together, as in a Spanish program a few months previously. 376 Le Guide Musical 1905, no. 24-25, 457. 131 The Years 1906 to 1910 In the second half of the decade, Vi?es?s premieres included two major Ravel works staggered fairly far apart, as Ravel was branching out to other media in his compositions. The first half of 1906 was a string of one Apaches-related event after another, as noted in previous chapters. These included the premieres of Ravel?s Miroirs, the first book of Debussy?s Images, Mussorgsky?s Pictures at an Exhibition, and Schmitt?s Valses. He repeated the Ravel and Debussy throughout the year, performed Lyapunov?s Piano Concerto No. 1 in Florence, and gave solo works of Debussy, Alb?niz, Ravel, and S?verac in Le Havre. The year 1907 brought neither Debussy or Ravel premieres nor Soci?t? Nationale de Musique appearances, and the Guide Musical carries significantly fewer listings. Perhaps the death of Vi?es?s mother in March temporarily kept him out of the public eye. Just before, on 22 February, the Cercle musical presented an intriguing all-Ravel program,377 including Jeux d?eau and two pieces from Miroirs?Vi?es at the piano?as well as a performance of Histoires naturelles a month after its controversial premiere. On 7 May, Vi?es performed the Franck Sonata for Violin and Piano with Parent along with solo pieces by Balakirev, Lyapunov, and Ravel in Salle Berlioz. In November he performed various solo works and both the Rimsky- Korsakov Piano Concerto and Franck?s Variations symphoniques in Lyon. Apaches regard for Russian music was evidenced in Inghelbrecht?s Suite petite- russienne, which Vi?es premiered for the 11 January 1908 Soci?t? Nationale de Musique 377 Le Guide Musical 1907, no. 9, 170-71. Of this event, Calvocoressi wrote a lengthy tribute-review. 132 concert in Salle ?rard.378 Less than a month later, he performed the Rimsky-Korsakov Piano Concerto with Concerts Lamoureux. Calvocoressi?s rapturous review in Le Guide Musical is no surprise, but the reviewer in Le M?nestral added that with Vi?es, ?We were in the presence of an artist joining a developed musical intelligence to an irreproachable technique.?379 Mixed repertoire appeared a week later, when Vi?es performed Rameau, Couperin, Faur?, Debussy, and Rachmaninoff in a salon performance. On 9 May, in what the Guide Musical called ?a curious concert of varied works,? Vi?es performed some ?pretty? pieces by Armande de Polignac, niece of Winnaretta Singer, Princesse de Polignac.380 Vi?es premiered two big-ticket Apaches compositions in early 1909: Ravel?s Gaspard de la nuit and Falla?s Pi?ces espagnoles (Aragonesa, Cubana, Montanesa, Andaluza), both at Salle ?rard for the Soci?t? Nationale de Musique. Imagine hearing Gaspard for the first time, then immediately having to capture the essence of both work and performance for publication: ?In terms of difficulties, I believe that Mr. Ricardo Vi?es broke the world record in three unpublished pieces of M. Ravel, for piano; it should be forbidden to go so fast and thus give vertigo to the ears and even to harmless eyes. In any case, if M. Ravel wrote this Gaspard de la nuit for piano enthusiasts, he can boast of having prepared for them chills as terrible as those of Scarbo of the tales of Hoffmann, which he wanted to describe in one of his pieces? Mr. Ricardo Vi?es, dizzying, shaped it all, from memory, with a more comic modern art.?381 Despite Ravel?s objection to Vi?es?s rendition of Le Gibet, Gaspard evidently made a tremendous impression. The Falla pieces, which he performed on 27 March, were deemed 378 Le Guide Musical 1908, no. 3, 49. Of this work, the reviewer wrote, ?I would like to say nothing.? Vi?es also premiered works by Jean Poueigh and joined the Geloso Quartet to perform the Franck Quintet. The concert culminated with Ravel?s String Quartet. 379 Le M?nestral, 15 February 1908. 380 Le Guide Musical 1908, no. 20, 413. 381 Le Guide Musical 1909, no. 3, 54. 133 ?picturesque and suggestive.?382 Vi?es programmed both works together on 6 April at the Libre-Esth?tique in Brussels.383 These latter two concerts also featured works of fellow Apache Schmitt. In the fall, Vi?es made an appearance in Toulouse, playing the Rimsky-Korsakov Piano Concerto, then an interesting group of solo pieces (?remarkably played and chiseled?): Chopin, Rameau, Liszt?s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11, Brahms?s transcription after Gluck's Gavotte from Iphigenie en Aulide, and Debussy?s Jardins sous la pluie. 384 Centenary Concerts: 1910 to 1911 By 1910 Vi?es was a contemporary music performing legend, his name affixed to those of Debussy, Ravel, and other Apaches such as Falla. His premieres and appearances on various musical societies and internationally are well reported in publications such as Le Guide Musical. However, as an acclaimed performer of Chopin, Schumann, and Liszt, as well as a musical encyclopedist, Vi?es was not to let these composers? centenaries pass unacknowledged. He marked these occasions with recitals at Salle ?rard, the first two of which were lecture collaborations with M. D. Calvocoressi. 382 Le Guide Musicale 1909, no. 14, 293. 383 Le Guide Musicale 1909, no. 15, 317. The reviewer found the Ravel ?quite strange.? 384 Le Guide Musicale 1909, no. 48, 738. The orchestra also played Dukas?s Sorcerer?s Apprentice. 134 Chopin: 21 February 1910  Sonata in B-flat minor  Unspecified preludes, nocturnes, impromptus, scherzos, waltzes, polonaises, etudes Schumann: 13 April 1910385  Fantaisie  Symphonic Etudes  Carnaval Liszt: 8 April 1911  Sonata in B minor  Ballade No. 2  Mephisto Waltz  Other unspecified pieces The Guide Musical noted that while Vi?es lent his prestige to ?new talents? such as Chabrier and Ravel, ?for the ancients, it is by these happily composed sessions that he knows to honor their memory.?386 Repertoire in and among these historical concerts included several world premieres, including that of Turina?s S?villa (Sous les orangers, Le Jeudi Saint ? minuit, La Feria) on 5 Feburary 1910 at Salle Pleyel for Soci?t? Nationale de Musique, broadening Vi?es?s Spanish corpus. The Guide Musical reviewer was extremely impressed with Turina?s work and wrote about its pieces at some length, concluding, ?This composition of a spontaneous, very personal allure was executed to perfection by Mr. Ricardo Vi?es, who excels in these sorts of brilliant sketches and who succeeds wonderfully in placing them in the right light. This artist is 385 He performed the Schumann Quintet a month previously with Quatuor Tracol for Soci?t? Beethoven. 386 Le Guide Musicale 1910, no. 17, 332. Schumann was apparently ?ancient? by 1910. 135 particularly chic in employment of pedal sonorities and the enhancement of contrasts.?387 In May, he performed Alb?niz?s Triana388 in Brussels, along with Faur??s Theme and Variations. In January 1911, Vi?es performed Triana again at Salle ?rard for Soci?t? Nationale de Musique. This concert was particularly noteworthy for his premieres of four Debussy Preludes.389 Two weeks later, Concerts Durant in Brussels presented a two-day series comprised entirely of Russian orchestral music, most of which was being heard in the Belgian capital for the first time. On a program of symphonies by Borodin and Rimsky-Korsakov and smaller pieces by Liodov and Glazunov, Vi?es performed the concerti of Rimsky-Korsakov and Lyapunov. He gave the latter work again in March with the Soci?t? des Concerts du Conservatoire, ?executed to perfection, with all its variety of color and lighthearted originality.?390 In April 1911, Vi?es introduced four pieces of fellow Apache S?verac?s Cerda?a at the Schola Cantorum for Soci?t? Nationale de Musique. The Guide Musical lauded both composer and performer: ?Mr. de S?verac, inspired by the character of the modern Spanish School, wrote these parts not in the manner of pastiche, but with a palette that is his own; in their elegant form, rhythmic movement full of verve, charming drawing, they contrast with the known formula of the composer and were greeted triumphantly. It should be acknowledged that the performance was extraordinary; Mr. Ricardo Vi?es brought not only the prodigious virtuosity of 387 Le Guide Musicale 1910, no. 7, 128. 388 Le Guide Musical, 1910, no. 22, 433. This is an early mention of Triana, a work with which Vi?es became much associated. The University of Colorado library holds Vi?es?s personal copy of Triana, where one can note many of his fingerings. 389 Le Guide Musical 1911, no. 4, 70. The reviewer and public were more impressed with the Alb?niz. 390 Le Guide Musical 1911, no. 13, 247. 136 his fingers, but placed at the service of this instrumental work his musical soul and a kind of patriotic fervor.?391 Until World War I In the years leading up to World War I, Vi?es started performing more works of Satie and gave his final premieres of Debussy. He played no more Ravel premieres after Gaspard de la nuit, although he programmed Ravel frequently his entire career. In the winter of 1912, Vi?es joined several other performers and composers for a series of five concerts presented by Durand to showcase its publications.392 A concert later in the year in Marseilles combined Vi?es?s French, Russian, and Spanish repertoire, including the Rimsky- Korsakov Piano Concerto, Franck?s Les Djinns, and solo works of Debussy, Alb?niz, and Granados. On 15 December in Salle Berlioz, he performed the works of his Apache colleagues S?verac, Schmitt, and Ravel. After performing only Gaspard for Soci?t? Nationale de Musique in 1912, Vi?es?s appearances on this organization?s concerts increased markedly in 1913 and 1914. In a noteworthy Soci?t? Nationale de Musique concert on 5 April 1913, he premiered Satie?s V?ritables Pr?ludes flasques pour un chien and three more Debussy preludes.393 His premiere of Satie?s Descriptions automatiques for Soci?t? Musicale Ind?pendante on 5 June 1913 marked his first performance with this organization; it is surprising given Vi?es?s role in the founding of 391 Le Guide Musical 1911, no. 19, 367-68. 392 Vi?es performed at least Debussy?s Estampes and both sets of Images. Le Guide Musical 1912, no. 10, 189; no. 10, 200; no. 11, 224. 393 Le Guide Musical 1913, no. 15, 321-22. The three Debussy preludes were Les F?es sont d'exquises danseuses, La Terrasse des audiences du clair de lune, Feux d'artifice, which, according to the Le Guide Musical reviewer, ?add nothing to the glory of the author,? whereas the Satie was deemed ?declicious!? 137 Soci?t? Musicale Ind?pendante that their twenty-seventh concert was the first on which he appeared. In other cities and venues, he performed Triana (multiple times), Debussy preludes, and earlier classics such as Beethoven?s 32 Variations and the Bach-Tausig Toccata and Fugue in D minor. When the Soci?t? Musicale Ind?pendante periodical sent him to Berlin to promote French music, he presented Roussel?s Sonata for Piano and Violin along with solo works of S?verac. Before war broke out in 1914, Vi?es appeared in a slew of Soci?t? Nationale de Musique and Soci?t? Musicale Ind?pendante concerts. On 10 January in Salle ?rard, he performed Alb?niz?s Rondele?a, Balakirev?s Islamey, Debussy?s Pour le piano, and Mussorgsky?s Ein Kinderscherz. This was a relatively rare Soci?t? Nationale de Musique concert for Vi?es in that all the works presented were from his established repertoire. Four days later, however, he premiered Satie?s Chapitres tourn?s en tous sens and Gaston Knosp?s Gaston?s Deux Scherzare on the aforementioned Soci?t? Musicale Ind?pendante concert that featured so many new works by Les Apaches. After playing Turina, S?verac, and Ravel works on the Soci?t? Nationale de Musique concert of 25 April, on 23 May, he performed Chabrier?s Espa?a and Dukas?s Fanfare from La P?ri with Alfred Cortot on two pianos. This was the last Soci?t? Nationale de Musique concert until November 1917. The celebrated premieres Vi?es gave of the piano repertoire of Ravel and Debussy immediately cemented his place in music history, as well as that of the composers. In fact, even before scholars began pulling together the far-flung pieces that in composite give us a fuller understanding of Vi?es, books and studies of Debussy and Ravel were diligent in reporting him 138 as the first performer of their piano works. If he had presented only these, his name would still ring familiar to historians and cognoscenti. Brody and scholars following on her research (in short, most everyone writing about Vi?es) have nurtured a few different mythoi of Vi?es based on his legendary repertoire. The first was that he was a prescient oracle endowed with the power to discern the inherent qualities of a work that guaranteed its success. Taken further, Vi?es becomes a King Midas, turning even the most oubli? oubli?s to gold, whose performance guaranteed the success of their works. A look at the pieces he performed on the Soci?t? Nationale de Musique programs, however, gives one small look into his repertoire and the context within which these premieres took place. Of the programs he played from 1898 to 1914 he performed 39 world premieres, including long-forgotten works by Marcel Labey, Louis Thirion, and Abel Decaux. Year Date Composer Work 1898 March 5 Ducasse, Roger ?tudes (pn4m) 1898 March 5 Ravel, Maurice Sites auriculaires (Habanera, Entre cloches) (2pn) 1900 January 13 Jemain, Joseph Aspirations (Vers la source, Vers la joie, Vers les ?mes) 1900 January 13 Vreuls, Victor Trio 1900 February 24 Labey, Marcel Sonate 1901 April 13 de Queylar, Jean Pr?lude, Choral et Finale 1901 April 13 Gobdebski, Franz Nocturne 1902 January 11 Debussy, Claude Pour le piano: Pr?lude, Sarabande, Toccata 1902 April 5 Ravel, Maurice Pavane pour une infante d?funte 1902 April 5 Ravel, Maurice Jeux d'eau 1903 January 10 Rousseau, Samuel Sonate 139 1903 April 18 Faur?, Gabriel Pi?ces br?ves: Nos. 2, 4, 7, 8 1903 April 18 Planchet, Charles Sonate 1903 April 18 Woollett, Henry Pr?lude, Fugue et Final 1904 January 9 Debussy, Claude Estampes: Pagodes, La soir?e dans Grenade, Jardins sous la pluie 1904 February 20 Lacroix, Eug?ne Sonate 1905 February 18 de S?verac, D?odat En Languedoc (selections): Coin de cimieti?re au printemps, A cheval dans la prairie 1905 February 18 Debussy, Claude Masques 1905 February 18 Debussy, Claude L'isle joyeuse 1906 January 6 Ravel, Maurice Miroirs: Noctuelles, Oiseaux tristes, Une barque sur l'oc?an, Alborada del gracioso, La vall?e des cloches 1906 March 17 F?vrier, Henry Nocturne in F-sharp major 1906 March 17 F?vrier, Henry Valse-Caprice 1906 April 21 Schmitt, Florent Trois Valses 1908 January 11 Inghelbrecht, D?sir?- ?mile Suite petite-russienne: J'ai aim? Ivan, Chant du vent, Kozatchka, Mon coeur, Chant de soldats 1908 January 11 Poueigh, Jean Pointes s?ches: Cerfs-volants, Parc d'automne, Combat de coqs 1909 January 9 Lekeu, Guillaume Trio 1909 January 9 Ravel, Maurice Gaspard de la nuit: Ondine, Le Gibet, Scarbo 1909 March 27 de Falla, Manuel Pi?ces espagnoles: Aragonesa, Cubana, Montanesa, Andaluza 1910 February 5 Turina, Joaqu?n S?villa: Sous les orangers, Le Jeudi Saint ? minuit, La Feria 1910 February 5 Uribe-Holguin, Guillermo Sonate 1910 March 5 F?vrier, Henry Intermezzo 1910 March 5 Grovlez, Gabriel Recuerdo 1910 March 5 Thirion, Louis R?ves (Trois Nocturnes) 1911 January 14 Debussy, Claude Pr?ludes: Les collines d'Anacapri, La fille aux cheveux de lin, La s?r?nade interrompue, Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir 140 1911 April 29 de S?verac, D?odat Cerda?a (extraits) : En tartane, Les f?tes, M?n?triers et glaneuses, Le retour des mueltiers 1913 April 5 Debussy, Claude Pr?ludes: Les f?es sont d'exquises danseuses, La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune, Feux d'artifice 1913 April 5 Satie, ?rik V?ritables pr?ludes flasques pour un chien: S?v?re r?primande, Seul ? la maison, On joue 1914 March 28 Decaux, Abel Clair de lune: Minuit passe, La ruelle, Le cimeti?re, La mer 1914 March 28 Satie, ?rik Croquis et Agaceries d'un gros bonhomme en bois: Tyrolienne turque, Danse maigre (? la mani?re de ces messieurs), Espa?a?a Table 1: Vi?es?s Soci?t? Nationale de Musique World Premieres394 Vi?es put himself completely in service of the composers of his day, imbued with a sense of duty to promote the works and ensure the legacy of would-be musical creators the world over. He sometimes invoked friendship and artistic oblige more than the inherent attraction of the scores he was asked to play. However, some writers have gone on to say that by performing new music and not conforming to the programming that the ?circus virtuosi? of the day indulged in, Vi?es limited his career possibilities. As we have seen, it was an inherently French attribute to both cultivate and debate the new, and plenty of resources were dedicated to doing just this?at least until tastes grew more reactionary after World War I. For Vi?es to play the music of his French colleagues, in particular the already-famous Debussy and his best friend from youth Maurice Ravel, does not fully warrant the meme of ?sacrificed his career to dedicate his art to this generation of composers.? In any case, however, probably no one was better suited to play these new works than Vi?es. His unique talents, dizzying interests, interdisciplinary awareness, knowledge of 394 Compiled from Duchesneau, 225-338. 141 literature and art, and pianism and musical values were sympathetic and aligned with those of the composers of the day. As an example, this was borne out in the exchange between Debussy and Vi?es whereby each independently connected Pour le Piano with the paintings of Turner. Chamber Music and Concerti From 1898, Vi?es performed a considerable amount of chamber music with various collaborators in important venues. Early that year, he performed Spanish repertoire with a Spanish violinist and cellist to a mostly Spanish audience in Salle ?rard. The most interesting part of the Guide Musical review, however, is this: ?Mr. Vi?es played well a Rachmaninoff Prelude curiously built on three descending notes, the sixth, the fifth and the tonic.?395 We know he purchased this famous Rachmaninoff Prelude in C-sharp minor in 1895.396 Also notable is that although he repeated this piece in a number of concerts, Vi?es seems never to have performed any other Rachmaninoff. Over the years, Vi?es played both traditional chamber repertoire as well as new music offerings. Much of the new French music he played for the Soci?t? Nationale de Musique was collaborative, many of which were premieres by myriad minor French composers. But many partnerships, including repeated ones with Sailler and Abbiate or the Quartet Parent, offered traditional repertoire along with pieces by established French composers. In 1901 alone, he performed a Schumann Trio, Brahms Trio Op. 40, Schubert ?Trout? Quintet, d?Indy Trio and Quartet, Faur? Quartet Op. 15, and Franck Quintet. The next year, he was lauded for his 395 Le Guide Musical 1898, no. 5, 101. 396 Brody, ?Paris: The Musical Kaleidoscope,? 182. Vi?es?s copy, marked in blue pencil, is most likely in the University of Colorado collection. (Korevaar and Sampsel, 374.) 142 performance of the Schumann Piano Trio No. 1 with Concerts Colonne. Vi?es performed this Schumann and the Franck again in 1906, although by mid-decade, the lion?s share of his chamber performances were of newer work and premieres. In fall 1909, Vi?es performed the Schumann Quartet and Quintet for Soir?es d'Art with the Quatuor Geloso, with whom he also performed the Franck Quintet and more modern works. Vi?es concerti repertoire was minuscule, especially when measured against his solo offerings. Beyond the B?riot offerings of his early recitals, various Bach concerti for multiple keyboards, and occasional one-offs, it appears he regularly performed just a handful:  Franck: Variations symphoniques397  Rimsky-Korsakov: Piano Concerto in C-sharp Minor  Lyapunov: Piano Concerto No. 1398  Falla: Noches en los jardines de Espa?a This is truly curious, given the importance for a solo virtuoso of concerto performance with orchestra. One wonders whether Vi?es knew full well that the particular magic of his pianism?subtlety, finesse, local color and shading, embodying ?the soul? of a work?might not translate effectively to the inherently heightened frame of the concerto form. These concerti have elements in common: Rimsky-Korsakov would have appealed to Vi?es (and Les Apaches) in its kaleidoscopic treatment of a folk theme. The Franck is similarly craftsmanlike in its cyclical thematic transformation, and likewise of short duration for modest, integrated forces. In the Falla, the piano is not on virtuoso display, but evocatively woven with the lush orchestral parts. Given what we can glean thus far, it seems consistent that Vi?es would have little inclination to tackle a ?larger-than-life,? bravura concerto such as the Tchaikovsky. But 397 He also occasionally performed Franck?s Les Djinns, as in Antwerp in February 1913. 398 He also performed Lyapunov?s Rhapsody on Ukrainian Themes, as with Soci?t? des Concerts du Conservatoire in December 1917. 143 doubtless he could have played anything, and certain of this repertoire would seem tailor-made for his special touch: the Beethoven G major, Chopin F minor, Mendelssohn D minor, Schumann, Liszt A major, or even Scriabin F-sharp minor come to mind. There is no evidence that later in life he performed either of the Ravel concerti, although surely he must have studied these scores at least in private. Russian Piano Music Esteem for Russian music had taken hold of Vi?es long before he traveled in Russia for most of September and October 1900. By 1898, he was programming Liadov to great success, for example. In subsequent years, he would give French premieres of myriad works by Balakirev, Borodin, Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. Fellow Apache and Russophile Michel Calvocoressi noted by 1903 that Vi?es was a ?tireless and devoted interpreter? of the modern Russian school.?399 Evidence that Russian music hadn?t penetrated into France as deeply as we might conclude also lies in the fact that Vi?es gave dozens of French premieres of Russian piano repertoire, including pieces such as Pictures at an Exhibition that one would expect to have been played in the French capital before 1906. And the Pictures premiere was not such a great critical success; the Guide Musical critic wrote, ?All this noisy phantasmagoria parades by quickly enough and provides pleasant sensations, but one must recognize that this genre, as fun 399 Berrocal, 29. 144 as it is, is a bit superficial, that it would be at home in a film representation but holds little interest from the point of view of piano execution.?400 Vi?es championed the virtuoso showcase Islamey, performing it countless times after the appearance of the new 1902 edition. Although he wasn?t the first to perform Islamey in France,401 he was the work?s foremost champion outside of Russia. Although the piece dated from 1869, it likely was still relatively unknown and novel to French audiences. Nonetheless, as Roy Howat demonstrates, the work was deeply influential on composers such as Chabrier, Debussy, and Ravel, for more than its dazzling pianism. Ravel stated his regard for this piece in a March 1912 Revue musicale de la S.I.M. article on the Lamoureaux Orchestra concerts, which featured Casella?s orchestral transcription: ?I would venture to call Islamey a masterpiece? The complex orchestration, very full, nevertheless light, transformed a brilliant fantasy for the piano into an equally brilliant orchestral piece.?402 Techniques from Islamey that Ravel gleaned and evolved into his own works would have been revealed or reinforced by Vi?es?s many performances. The Calvocoressi lecture-recitals on Russian music, a model Apaches endeavor, received considerable press. The second of these collaborations, 403 on 23 March 1905 at the ?cole des ?tudes sociales, sold out. Amid various chamber pieces and songs, Vi?es performed Islamey and 400 Le Guide Musical 1906, no. 12, 227-28. 401 The ?Ricardo Vi?es? entry in New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians says Vi?es gave the French premiere of Islamey, but this is incorrect. Louis Di?mer performed it for Soci?t? Nationale de Musique back in April 1888, when Vi?es was thirteen years old (the young Vi?es might have attended this performance). (Duchesneau, 247.) Blanche Selva also seems to have beaten Vi?es to the piece, performing it for Soci?t? Nationale de Musique in January 1901. (Duchesneau, 261.) 402 Orenstein, 346. 403 Presumably there was little press around the first one. 145 the ?curious? Pictures at an Exhibition, ?unknown in France.?404 Another Calvocoressi conference followed in 1906, in which Vi?es performed ?with his habitual talent? three Borodin pieces.405 In the winter of 1909, Calvocoressi and Vi?es traveled to Brussels to give another such presentation for Cercle Artistique; Vi?es?s offerings were Pictures, Islamey, and works by ?Lyapunov, Akimenko, etc.?406 Riera lists a fairly comprehensive account of Vi?es?s Russian premieres, while a Catalan monograph in collaboration with Gubisch includes a chapter called ?The Russian Composers,? which states outright that Vi?es was singularly responsible for getting Russian works performed in Paris.407 Later, after the war, Vi?es would introduce Prokofiev?s Sarcasmes into Paris. Indisputably the Vi?es legacy includes the dissemination into Western Europe of much of the Russian piano repertoire, a large part of which is considered standard today. It would have been a point of pride for the Apaches that this prescient accomplishment be achieved by one of their own. Spanish Piano Music The music of Russia must have hit France like a behemoth, as its ?school? of composers had banded together and produced a significant and copious corpus before Paris was introduced to their work. The music of Spain, right next door, was different, its introduction into Paris quieter. It was not imported to great fanfare atop the circus wagons of a powerful 404 Le Guide Musical 1905, no. 12, 241. Note that this hearing took place almost exactly a year before the work had its official French premiere for the Soci?t? Nationale de Musique. 405 Le Guide Musical 1906, no. 51, 824. 406 Le Guide Musical 1909, no. 6, 118-19. Akimenko was one of Stravinsky?s teachers. 407 Berrocal, 30 146 impresario like Diaghelev, but rather was ported in quietly by a cadre of Spanish composers and musicians who came to Paris hoping for more exposure and opportunities. Berrocal points out that Vi?es studies inevitably discuss his diffusion of contemporary French music, then give his Russian initiatives as a sidebar. While she single-handedly took on the South American chapter of his life and repertoire, in her dissertation she persuasively advocates for much more attention on Vi?es?s role in promoting and spreading Spanish piano music of the time, and this writer concurs. As a Catalan of Spanish nationality, first schooled in a vibrantly colorful Spanish pedagogy, and with the will and mind to take on this repertoire, Vi?es evidently did so with great effect. His concerts of Spanish music, such as by Alb?niz, Granados, Turina, Falla, and Mompou, were acclaimed.408 His master classes on this music garnered scholarly attention. In his chapter ?The Exotic Via Russia and Spain,?409 Roy Howat discusses both sources of rich influences on French piano music and their effect on one another: ?This dual exoticism is the more intriguing for its many interactions.?410 With Vi?es?s championing the works of composers from both countries, along with his natural inclination to bring to bear innumerable artistic impetuses, it is intriguing to ponder a role for the pianist in a possible shared evolution of both Russian and Spanish piano music. Vi?es?s unique gift for connection and support would truly be evidenced after the Apaches years, first by his embrace of the young composers around Satie between the wars, 408 A ticket stub held by the Harry Ransom Center shows a program at Paris?s Theatre Raymond Duncan comprising music of all these composers. 409 Howat, 126-144. 410 Ibid., 126. 147 then in his absorption of the repertoire of South American composers he met in Paris and then after 1920 when he spent many years in South America. A detailed discussion of this repertoire and its merits is outside the scope of this study, but the gold standard in scholarship for the South America chapter has been established by Esperanza Berrocal?s much-praised and cited Ph.D. dissertation, ?Ricardo Vi?es and the Diffusion of South American Repertoire.? In this, she documents the rapid cultural development in centers such as Buenos Aires that give rise to a flourishing musical culture and many South American composers. Her examination of concert programs and relics tallies 50 pieces of these composers that entered Vi?es?s repertoire. In reexamining the concept that Vi?es?s conscious decision to throw all his weight behind composers of the day at the expense of his own career, we may note that his performance of contemporary French repertoire would have been in keeping with the prevailing upscale artistic values of the time, evidencing a natural interface and pole position within Les Apaches. His embrace of Russian and Spanish repertoire would have been a logical outgrowth of his own intellectual and artistic curiosity, nourished by Les Apaches values and his own Spanish heritage and history. Having a natural affinity toward this kind of collaboration, it would be logical and fulfilling for Vi?es to perform the music of his temporary South American cohorts. By extension, one wonders whether this did indeed push the perception of his career solidly over into the niche, especially with the changing tastes within the Parisian musical establishment after the 1920s. Was all the new music Vi?es took on worth his efforts? Or rather was his loyalty and mission injudicious or out of proportion to the import of the pieces at hand? On one hand, 148 Berrocal evokes Rubenstein as saying that only Villo-Lobos of South American composers was worth performing. On the other, one of the aims of Berrocal?s research was to identify and classify this repertoire in hopes that it would not remain so neglected. By and large, Vi?es?s concerts of South American music in Paris were not particularly successful. One wonders if by the end of his career, he became overlooked due to his repertoire choices and perhaps decreased pianism. Certainly, by the last decade of Vi?es?s career, a new breed of international pianist, typified by Rubenstein and Horowitz, had taken hold, both in the salons and concert halls. Repertoire now standard that would have been available to Vi?es, such as Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Scriabin, as well as a galaxy of Romantic concerti, was passed over. The last years of Vi?es?s life and subsequent petering out of his career are murky and bear more research. Likely for a myriad of reasons, Vi?es chose to devote a huge portion of his time and performance opportunities in service of composers of his time, and continued this mission for his entire performing life. It can be argued that never again did he have better material to work with than the miraculous oeuvre of piano works from the first decade of the twentieth century. As Vi?es helped birth these works into the pianistic canon, he also enjoyed their place in his own and by their virtues had superb repertoire as calling cards to perform all over Europe and in South America. The assertion that Vi?es was able to magically prophesize blockbusters perhaps does not quite hold up to scrutiny when one considers that little he brought forward in the thirty years after presenting a number of Debussy?s Preludes has been singled out for particular acclaim or solidified a position in the canon. 149 Vi?es?s early success with Debussy and Ravel may have validated any predilection for him to commit to the music of his time. Despite bringing literally hundreds of new pieces to life, however, the closest he would come to recapturing these triumphs probably came with Falla, Satie, and Mompou. This does not in any way minimize the yeoman?s effort he put forth to the composers of his time, but merely recasts some of the myth of Vi?es as oracle into a more nuanced story. 150 9. Ricardo Vi?es: Debussy-Ravel Conduit? Sunday, 3 February 1903: At three o?clock, I went to Debussy?s house to have him hear the Images which I played several times in a row, and also I saw that he was very happy because afterward he made his current wife come (Mme Bardac). Then they asked me to introduce the Miroirs of Ravel that I played for them. I left their house at six o?clock. 411 If one accepts axiomatically a sweeping assertion of Elaine Brody?quoted seemingly as self-evident fact in a number of subsequent studies?of Vi?es?s direct influence on Debussy and Ravel, one might conclude that were it not for Vi?es, neither composer could possibly have evolved his own compositional approach such to create the piano masterpieces largely premiered and championed by Vi?es himself: ?His influence on the compositional style of both Ravel and Debussy, and through them on the music of their contemporaries, is undeniable.?412 ?But Debussy and Ravel might almost be said to have a symbiotic relationship, with Ravel first borrowing some of Debussy?s concepts of instrumental music and Debussy later being inspired by Ravel?s piano music, each feeding on the other and both stimulated by their mutual interpreter Ricardo Vi?es.?413 The contemporaneous Vi?es association with both Debussy and Ravel is of undisputed musicological import. And such statements create a compelling construct to weave into a Vi?es mythology. They came in 1977, as new information shed light on the dynamics of this unique ?impressionist? era with its exquisite textures and sonorities of keyboard writing?and also 411 Vi?es: Diary, 3 February 1906. In Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,? 229. 412 Brody, ? Vi?es in Paris,? 49. 413 Ibid., 50-51. 151 served to reveal the magnitude of a somewhat neglected pianist. We know much more now the extent to which Vi?es contributed to the overall musical legacy of the early twentieth century. Now that his career and influence have penetrated the awareness of historians and connoisseurs, perhaps it is time to tease out a more nuanced reality?that in no way diminishes Vi?es?s colossal accomplishments. We have seen how closely knit the lives and careers of Vi?es and Ravel were before and during the Apaches era. Ongoing association as they matured musically in each other?s presence accorded a constant exchange of shared ideas and experiences. This took place not just at the piano. In mutually cultivating and sharing their literary and artistic sensibilities, they set the stage for the unusually deep absorption of prevailing artistic trends that served to inform and crystalize Les Apaches concerns. The Ravel-Vi?es relationship inherently supports the assertion of pianistic influence, especially as Vi?es rapidly outclassed Ravel as a pianist, while having seemingly little impulse to compose himself. Korevaar agrees in degree with Brody?s assessment: ?There is little question that Vi?es's brand of pianism, dependent on his exquisite pedaling and command of color, had a tremendous influence on Ravel's development as a composer.?414 Paul Roberts writes, ?Vi?es?it might be argued, provided Ravel (and Debussy) with the crucial impetus for writing piano works in the first place.?415 This seems highly probable in the case of Ravel; it is logical that Ravel would have immediately applied years of amalgamation of both pianists? timbral and textural discoveries into compositional service straightaway, as he did in his early piano pieces that culminated in 414 Korevaar and Sampsel, 363. 415 Roberts, ?Reflections,? 2. 152 the remarkable Jeux d?eau, with its Lisztian figuration, pedal-colored textures, and French coolness and motion. Debussy had already a corpus of piano works, although these manifested a Chopinesque idiom before Pour le piano, and the works afterward are markedly different still. Brody writes, ?I believe that these works [Debussy?s pieces for piano after Pour le piano], too, were composed with Vi?es and his extraordinary technique in mind. True, these pieces may also have drawn something from Ravel?s music.?416 Korevaar reasons, ?Vi?es became acquainted with Debussy?a friendship that ultimately was to outlast that with Ravel?and seems to have worked a similar magic on Debussy's pianistic style. Vi?es's influence can be discerned in Debussy's move from the neoclassicism of Pour le piano (premiered by Vi?es in 1902, but composed before they had met) to the impressionism of Estampes (premiered by Vi?es in 1904).417 Estampes is thus cited as the prototype of the new Debussy piano writing informed by Vi?es?s technique. Roy Howat associates the first of these, Pagodes, persuasively with the gamelan Debussy specially sought out at the 1900 Exposition Universelle after having heard it in 1889. ?The crux here lies in how often Debussy?s instructions and unusual textural balances in ?Pagodes? make little sense by western norms but fall into place when treated as gamelan gestures.?418 Vi?es and Ravel too were enthralled by these gamelan orchestras, and indeed one can perceive gamelan influence in Jeux d?eau. Perhaps Vi?es and Debussy discussed the possibilities of realizing these timbres and composite textures in keyboard music in late 1901 416 Brody, ? Vi?es in Paris,? 50-51. 417 Korevaar and Sampsel, 363. 418 Roy Howat, The Art of French Piano Music, (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009) 113. 153 while they prepared for the Pour le Piano premiere. It also is likely that a few months later, Debussy immediately perceived the gamelan in Ravel?s Jeux d?eau. But which inspired Debussy more?his musing over how to translate the percussive rhythmic layering of gamelan to the piano, or what he gleaned in Vi?es?s technique in performances before composing the work? It would be hard to dispute that La soir?e dans Grenade, the second piece in the set, seems an ?inevitable? Vi?es fit.419 And fortunately, this is one of the two Debussy performances we have of Vi?es on record. As Roberts says, ?It has an unmistakable Spanish idiom, rhythm is foregrounded and the tempo is surprisingly but compellingly fast. He brings to it the character of Alb?niz.? This writer would add that the lines are sensualized by subtlety in coloration, lots of blending with pedal, and shading of the phrasal gestures in exact accord with the overall momentum of the performance. With the line between Pour le piano and Estampes, Brody places clusters of Debussy and Ravel?s piano works in time, noting the points of mutual interaction with Vi?es, to support her assertion of Vi?es?s influence on the composers? techniques. She takes Debussy?s works en masse ?the Estampes, the Masques, L?Isle joyeuse, the two sets of Images, and eventually the Preludes.? Few would disagree that the line demarcating the larger groups of pieces is tenable. But the question remains whether the ?strikingly different? Debussy works Vi?es performed after Pour le piano represents causation or correlation. 419 And yet, as scholars point out, Ravel?s Habanera wafts through the piece. Debussy borrowed this score after the 1898 premiere, but later claimed it had fallen behind his piano. 154 Year Date Composer Work 1898 March 5 Ravel, Maurice Sites auriculaires (Habanera, Entre cloches) (2pn) 1898 April 18 Ravel, Maurice Menuet antique 1902 January 11 Debussy, Claude Pour le piano: Pr?lude, Sarabande, Toccata 1902 April 5 Ravel, Maurice Pavane pour une infante d?funte 1902 April 5 Ravel, Maurice Jeux d?eau 1904 January 9 Debussy, Claude Estampes: Pagodes, La soir?e dans Grenade, Jardins sous la pluie 1905 February 10 Debussy, Claude Masques 1905 February 10 Debussy, Claude L?isle joyeuse 1906 January 6 Ravel, Maurice Miroirs: Noctuelles, Oiseaux tristes, Une barque sur l?oc?an, Alborada del gracioso, La Vall?e des cloches 1906 February 5 Debussy, Claude Images I: Reflets dans l?eau, Hommage ? Rameau, Mouvement 1908 February 21 Debussy, Claude Images II: Cloches ? travers les feuilles, Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut, Poissons d?or 1909 January 9 Ravel, Maurice Gaspard de la nuit: Ondine, Le gibet, Scarbo 1911 January 14 Debussy, Claude Pr?ludes: Les collines d?Anacapri, La fille aux cheveux de lin, La s?r?nade interrompue, Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l?air du soir 1913 April 5 Debussy, Claude Pr?ludes: Les f?es sont d?exquises danseuses, La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune, Feux d?artifice Table 2: Ricardo Vi?es?s Debussy and Ravel World Premieres Ravel and Debussy mutually admired one another?s work, and at the turn of the century, maintained cordial relations, even friendship. Perhaps as a result of vociferous press agitators who for whatever reason were compelled to endlessly debate the innovations of each vis-?-vis the other, relations broke between the two. Both remained hyperaware of what the other was doing, however. And the inspiration of Debussy absolutely continued to motivate and inspire Les Apaches after he and Ravel broke. But in their piano works of the first decade of the twentieth century, were they responding to Vi?es, directly to one another, or creating works 155 that somehow drew upon all the prevailing trends of the era, which Vi?es with his knowledge and perspicacity was able to immediately discern and animate? Knotty indeed is scrutinizing the concept that Ravel and Debussy both matured as composers by feeding off one another through respective associations with Vi?es, as though through his pianism he was a sort of back-and-forth artistic provocateur, willing both to their full expression. Supporting this writer?s puzzlement on this point, Roberts said, ?There is an undoubted conduit between the two. But would Debussy have become Debussy, would Ravel have become Ravel, without Vi?es? Of course. At the same time, they?re constantly aware of what the other is doing.?420 Roberts is more detailed about the chronology of the composers? works and the achievements they revealed on the part of each, showing that the composers did seem to be in a kind of sympathetic lockstep. And undoubtedly, Vi?es?s voluminous performances showcasing his unique pianism would have afforded a free-flowing channel for such conveyance in both directions. An interesting study is the relationship between Debussy?s D?un cahier d?esquisses and Ravel?s Oiseaux tristes, wherein as communicated by Vi?es both composers were creating a finely wrought artifice intended to sound absolutely like an improvised sketch in the moment. Both composers may have employed golden section ratios in their mid-decade works. Could any of this have been conveyed by the numerologist Vi?es? Roberts, in both this private interview, then in his book Reflections: The Piano Music of Maurice Ravel, which appeared later, offered another possible way in which Vi?es could have over time broadened both composers? palette conception. The Pleyel grand piano he was 420 Paul Roberts, private interview, 12 October 2011. 156 awarded for his July 1894 Conservatoire First Prize?delivered on 16 January 1895?included a third, sostenuto middle pedal. (Another French piano maker had invented the system, while Pleyel copied it.) Vi?es certainly would have taken to it immediately, and Ravel certainly would have played this piano as well. One can well imagine the two young musicians experimenting with the new sounds possible through its use. Roberts points out that these instruments would have been available in Paris in the 1890s, and indeed Madame de Saint-Marceaux?s new 1896 Steinway?subsequently played by scores of composers and performers?would almost certainly have had one. But most pianos in use at the time would not have had this pedal.421 At the end of the day, the true importance of Debussy and Ravel?s mutual association with Vi?es was that of having an intelligent, sensitive, imaginative cocreator to perform their works for the public, for Les Apaches, and for each other. It speaks to Vi?es?s personality and commitment as artistic conveyance and bridge that he maintained close ties with both composers. Vi?es?s enthusiasm for literary and artistic endeavors, his unforced innocence, and, most of all, his sophisticated pianism given to service of both composers enabled him to maintain these relationships and thus serve as conduit. In the final analysis, beyond splitting hairs to quantify Vi?es?s influence on the piano writing of Ravel and Debussy, one might assert the important point that ultimately Vi?es and his career benefitted every bit as much from his collaboration with Ravel and Debussy as they did from theirs with him. He earned and enjoyed a privileged relationship with both composers, grounded in artistic sympathies, social proximity, and mutual trust and commitment. Owing to 421 Roberts, Reflections, 175-78. 157 his ongoing capability and commitment, Vi?es was gifted the opportunity to play these composers? masterworks, creating performances that were calling cards for decades throughout Europe and in South America. One can deduce that of the scores of works he premiered by a galaxy of composers, none were more important than this remarkable collection of Debussy and Ravel pieces, which have long become indispensable piano repertoire and will remain so into perpetuity. 158 Epilogue: In Search of Ricardo Vi?es Thursday, 3 December 1914: I went to dine at the Duparcs? house and then, by car, always paid by them, to the train station where I took the train to go back to Bagn?res.422 On 25 July 1914, we find Ricardo Vi?es chez Misia Sert with Diaghilev and Erik Satie, with whom he was playing the composer?s Trois morceaux en forme de poire in hopes that Diaghilev would take up Satie?s music for a ballet. Their performance was interrupted by the news that Austria had declared war on Serbia.423 Nine days later, France and Germany were at war. The onset of World War I suspended concert series and music publications. Some salons continued to function somewhat; Les Apaches gatherings did not continue. Ravel in short order maneuvered himself into service. Vi?es, a national of neutral Spain, occasioned Paris but repaired to the south of France and into Spain. He continued concertizing, often in the service of war relief. He stopped keeping his journal around this time. At the beginning of 1916, he purchased a brand new notebook and composed entries for two days. After this, he never wrote in his diary again.424 The Apaches never reconvened after the war, in part because a number of them married. At least none was killed in action (although Caplet?s health was severely compromised), unlike with the Blaue Reiter movement, which was decimated by war casualties. Two years later, Vi?es was in Buenos Aires for the first time, and he would spend much time in 422 Vi?es: Diary, 3 December 1914. In Gubisch, "Le journal in?dit,? 246. 423 Arthur Gold and Robert Fizdale, Misia: The Life of Misia Sert (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1980) 162. 424 Levy, 148. 159 the subsequent fifteen years concertizing in and promoting the resident composers of South America. Separately, the Apaches members continued their own endeavors, periodically crossing paths with one another. After decades of neglect save for brief mentions in passing, particularly in context of Debussy or Ravel, scholarship on Ricardo Vi?es in the past thirty years has assembled an impressive, dimensional canon revealing the magnitude of Vi?es the man and pianist, his activities richly entrained to his times and their intellectual fecundity. In these recent decades, scholars have been much engaged with multiple views into Vi?es: his documentation of fin-de-si?cle Paris through his remarkable diaries; the interweaving of his life and activities with those of scores of artistic, musical, and social luminaries; his relatively unknown South American adventures; and his affiliation with the Apaches, remarkable in their shared passions and activities. With all that has been added to the Vi?es canon through this multivariate inquiry, however, the overall assessment still feels similar to what Elaine Brody wrote in 1977: ?Although he is mentioned in almost every book about Debussy, Ravel, Falla, Satie, or Poulenc, the material about him is so scattered that it is almost impossible to gather the entire story without some assistance.?425 Issues that Esperanza Berrocal summarizes as still needing to be probed further include the murky circumstances of his last years, such as his waning performances, addiction to gambling, and final illness and death. The information we have is spotty, but nonetheless it paints a singularly bleak picture. To this author, circumstances could credibly lead one to 425 Brody, ? Vi?es in Paris,? 57. 160 speculate that by the end Vi?es suffered terrible depression. Amid bloodshed and chaos, the fecund artistic smorgasbord of his younger days would seem thousands of miles and years remote. It seems plausible that a poverty-stricken and disillusioned Vi?es lost interest in performing and no longer cared for himself properly. Too proud to reach out or admit to needing help, he simply would be unable to rally from whatever had manifested, and care at the Barcelona hospital was likely substandard given his war-ravaged homeland. I am reminded of Peter Ostwald?s searing and pointed retroactive psychophysical analysis of Schumann?s last months, prompted by the release of medical records and resulting in a special second edition of the book. Although Schumann?s situation was unique in its notoriety and recent availability of information, Ostwald has set the bar for this kind of analysis incredibly high. My piano-bench speculation into Vi?es?s end, ends here. Perhaps another comparable is the case of Stefan Zweig. Similarly enthusiastic about all that was new and innovative in art, bonded by shared love of knowledge to many fellow writers and scholars across national boundaries, he too grew weary of constant separation and displacement during and between the bloody wars. These writings indicate one direction research into Vi?es?s last years might take. While working on an anticipated Vi?es monograph, unfulfilled because of her death, Brody wrote that she had access to Vi?es?s diary and all correspondence and personal papers, likely through her association with Elvira Vi?es and Nina Gubisch. At the time, however, the South American chapter was yet to be told by Esperanza Berrocal. In turn, as Berrocal prepared her Ph.D. literature review, a superb compendium, she had no way to know that some 800 pieces of music from Vi?es?s personal collection were scattered throughout the University of 161 Colorado Music Library, unbeknownst to anyone?including library staff. Meanwhile, Jann Pasler was independently researching and interviewing scores of people related to and associated with Les Apaches. So the maze of inquiry extends far and wide, surprises around each corner, revealing a more elaborate puzzle than even the earlier Vi?es scholars comprehended. This would seem logical, given the hundreds of connections and vectors Vi?es moved along. This story is still worth telling. David Korevaar e-mailed me persuasively, ?There is still room for a biography.? In late 2011, Mildred Clary published a study in French, ?avec l?aimable collaboration de Nina Gubisch-Vi?es,? in the form of thematic biographic sketches, the first in French. These shed light on more neglected aspects of Vi?es such as his own compositions and poetry while offering hitherto unpublished diary entries. The book is rich with photos and mementos from Nina Gubisch?s personal connection. Most recently, scholars (including this one) eagerly awaited the announced December 2012 electronic release of Vi?es?s unabridged diaries translated into French, a collaboration between Nina Gubisch and the University of Montreal. Although the compilation and translation are complete and ready for publication, their release has been delayed indefinitely. This dissertation with its summative biography attempts to pull together in English the information on Vi?es, across decades and languages, into a story enabling today?s pianists to gain insight into the pianism, repertoire, and artistic zeitgeist that may shine light on their own study of Ravel, Balakirev, or Granados. As I have embarked on my own Vi?es research, remarkable synchronicities have marked my almost-two-decade journey. In planning a Master?s of Music exam topic about Vi?es and his 162 association with Ravel and Debussy, I discovered that the lion?s share of a recital I had given one month previously featured Vi?es premieres: Gaspard de la Nuit (world premiere) and Pictures at an Exhibition (French premiere). When in light of recent scholarship Robin McCabe and I decided to focus on Vi?es?s association with Les Apaches, I discovered that an active and knowledgeable scholar of this colorful coterie was Jann Pasler at University of California, San Diego, a campus where I had friends and colleagues and visited often. Later that year, when Paul Roberts arrived at University of Washington to present an all- French master class and lecture-recital, every single piece on his program had had its debut under Vi?es, and we had the opportunity to discuss him over post-concert tapas. When I traveled to the University of Colorado to examine the contents of Vi?es?s personal music library, I met Korevaar, who had his own astonishing coincidence: He had completed his dissertation on Miroirs?featuring Les Apaches?years before his appointment to University of Colorado and subsequent discovery and stewardship of the long-forgotten Vi?es collection. Korevaar introduced me to his D.M.A. student Lisa Harrington, at the same time writing her own dissertation on Marcelle Meyer, the great French pianist and associate of Satie, Poulenc, Cocteau, Coco Chanel, and their ilk. Meyer studied privately with Vi?es after her Conservatoire first prize and is considered his greatest student and pianistic heir. The fortuitous connection with Harrington was key to deriving yet more insight from the Vi?es story. Poulenc and Meyer can be seen as receiving the baton from their teacher Vi?es in the cause of new music and interdisciplinary associations. While Vi?es was in Buenos Aires for the first time, it was Meyer with whom Ravel played Wien (again at the home of Misia Sert) for Diaghalev, with Stravinsky in attendance. Although Diaghalev?s rejection and Stravinsky?s 163 silence led to Ravel?s breaking with both men, the work as La Valse would go on to a triumph in the concert hall. In 1961, toward the end of his life, Poulenc would link the two together with a hero of Les Apaches, dedicating his book on Emmanuel Chabrier ?to the memory of Ricardo Vi?es and Marcelle Meyer, unforgettable interpreters of Chabrier.?426 Understanding the relatively unexplored lineage of Vi?es through Poulenc and Meyer reveals correspondences with the psychological and aesthetic Vi?es. Poulenc and his cohorts tried to make sense of the world they found themselves in, one that had grown increasingly precarious and astringent, and yet remained intellectually and culturally vibrant. In their activities and works, the artistic ethos and sharing of Vi?es wafts through as a sweet balm from the past, a multivariate palette of artistic endeavor and shared benediction. Vi?es recorded seldom, the sum total of his legacy on record fitting on one CD, released by Marston. We are left to extrapolate how Vi?es might have sounded in his prime, in front of audiences where it is clear he was at his best. Disliking the recording process and coming to it relatively late in his career, Vi?es didn?t leave a clear representation of his peak abilities. His recordings, though full of poise and color, do not fully showcase his universally praised technique or mystifying ability to inhabit the world of a piece. Nor do they document his vast repertoire. This said, the recordings are fascinating, the choice of material at the time, telling. Fortunately, Marcelle Meyer did record prolifically, and after decades of being lost, thus erasing her name as well from the pianist annals (since she never taught), these recordings have now reemerged in a seventeen-CD collection. Although an immense talent, rigorously trained by Cortot and Marguerite Long, Meyer was definitively ?finished? by Vi?es?she specially 426 Harrington, 110. 164 sought him out after her Conservatoire training. When hearing her recordings?charming, airy, gracious, insouciant, at the same time etched with a natural undergirding intelligence, and with some of the most compelling motivic and phrasal shaping and shading to be heard on record, particularly in her baroque works?one might imagine that through her Vi?es not only passed on his dedication to the composers of the day, but also the very essence of his personality, passionately curious mind, and love for spontaneous performance. In pulling together the story of the almost-forgotten pianist, Harrington and her research offer another view of Vi?es, a retroactive one, as teasing out the through line and influences within Marcelle Meyer?s career in context of her own highly organized social milieu are more harmonics to Vi?es?s fundamental. Although the Vi?es story still has many unexplored angles, and pulling it together remains a challenge, we are getting there. New scholarship and digital research techniques will eventually enable musicologists to gather together all the scattered documents. One day soon some intrepid researcher-biographer will create the authoritative magnum opus. The topic is too compelling to leave unfinished, the unabridged journals and colorful mementos too tempting a prize. I traveled to the Harry Ransom Archives looking for some of these, hoping for a find such as a major Ravel work full of Vi?es?s markings. I unearthed several compelling items, interesting correspondence among the Apaches, the Vi?es postcard quoting Baudelaire, Ravel manuscripts in his stunning calligraphy. But I found surprisingly few big-ticket items that would evidence the modus operandi of Debussy or Ravel and Vi?es in collaboration into perpetuity. Where was everything? I wondered. Berrocal and Korevaar discuss the continued search for Vi?es items, for example. In an intriguing piece of the puzzle, I received an e-mail from Pasler 165 saying that she had found a thirty-year-old manifest of important Vi?es manuscripts and personal papers that had been sold in the 1970s to a women?in Tangier. The treasure hunt continues. Understanding Ricardo Vi?es is to gain entry into the glittering artistic world of Paris, that most remarkable cauldron of artistic expression and novelty. Vi?es embodies the intellectually ostentatious salons, the private ?laboratory? of Les Apaches, the passing of the baton to the representatives of the 1920s avant-garde, and both the history of concert piano performance and the French piano tradition. The original ideas expressed, about piano playing, the responsibility to the music of one?s own time, the thrill of living within an artistic kaleidoscope, are timeless in how they shine light on our own aesthetic value reflection. The existence of this man, his words documented, the writings of others who held him in great esteem, recognizing the nature of his gifts, is a rich legacy to meditate upon for one?s own craft, timely for this day and age. Where so much more that is meaningful in the performance moment is expected from today?s artists, and so many gifted performers (and teachers) understand the power of cocreating with the composer whose sounds and ideas they endeavor to present with inspiration and integrity, Vi?es stands as a testament to the power of performer to transform an audience in one night while over time contributing to the artistic legacy of an era. 166 Bibliography All French texts translated by the author, unless otherwise noted. Banowetz, Joseph. The Pianist's Guide to Pedaling. Bloomington: University of Indiana Press, 1985. Berman, Boris. Notes from the Pianist's Bench. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000. Berrocal, Esperanza. "Ricardo Vi?es and the Diffusion of Early Twentieth- Century South American Piano Literature." Ph.D. diss.: Catholic University of America, 2002. Brody, Elaine. Paris: The Musical Kaleidoscope 1870-1925. 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