After doing all the readings assigned for this class, I understand how French nationalism arose after the Franco-Prussian War. At first I thought, “They lost a war. So what?” And then I realized that the French had suffered a huge blow to their self-esteem. They were reeling. They had to find something they were good at and prove they were better at it than everyone else, namely, the Germans.
So the French musicians waged a culture war on German music, which is also understandable given the circumstances. What I don’t understand is why the French continuously accuse Wagner and his contemporaries of attempting to suppress French music and/or infiltrate the music scene in Paris. Milhaud claims that French music has “had to suffer assaults and influences which have often blotted out its characteristics” (4). Cocteau goes so far as to claim that German composers stole ideas from the French through an analogy about seeds, thoroughly insulting Germany in the process (16). This defensiveness seems like an overreach to me. It’s reasonable for the French to promote their own music, but these accusations are quite far-fetched. The German composers certainly had better things to do than to actively steal French ideas and suppress their music.
Ravel’s and Milhaud’s points about heritage and music make sense. (They refer to it as “race,” but I’ll use the terms “heritage” or “nationality.”) Of course people’s family and culture will influence their music. And with the ongoing research on generational trauma, it’s even more apparent how that could influence compositions. However, I disagree with Milhaud and Ravel when they imply that heritage cannot be overcome. Milhaud claims that Honegger, a composer of German ancestry, never overcame his German-ness in spite of his “purely French education” (7), acting as if Honegger had tried and failed to stop being German. I think that doesn’t necessarily have to be true. Honegger may have simply been composing in a style he liked. As cool as it would be, musical styles are not contained in DNA.
In another vein, it is very clear how the French were distancing themselves from German styles. Their use of old forms, new simplicity, and easy-listening style is very different from German pieces at the time. Through the same characteristics, it is also obvious how the French felt they were achieving musical order. Milhaud’s chamber symphonies are astonishingly short. The textures are never too thick, the movements are brief, and the music is relatively simple. The same ideas appear in Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, which is characterized by simplicity and thin textures. The textures are even too thin at times, which is my main criticism of the piece. These are the complete opposite of Wagner’s operas, which are dense in texture, very complicated, and hours in length.
Through these new styles, the French were able to gain back some confidence. Admittedly, the French did pull some Mean Girls-esque moves by tearing down German music to build their own self-esteem. But, hey! We got some pretty cool music out of it. At this point, it’s probably safe to say that all has been forgiven. Well, maybe not Franck, but at least he and Regina George can bond over their shared traffic accidents.