But these, after all, are but "spots on the sun." To sum up our
conclusions: the following merits in Debussy's music, it seems to me,
cannot be gainsaid. He has widened incalculably the vocabulary of
music and has expressed in poetic and convincing fashion moods which
never before had been attempted. In his work are new revelations of
the power of the imagination. As Lawrence Gilman keenly remarks, "He
has known how to find music (in _Pelleas et Melisande_) for the
sublime reflection of Arkel, 'If I were God, I should pity the hearts
of men.'" Debussy was also gifted with rare critical ability and many
of his observations are worthy of deep consideration. For
example--"Music should be cleared of all scientific apparatus. Music
should seek humbly to give pleasure; great beauty is possible between
these limits. Extreme complexity is the opposite of art. Beauty should
be perceptible; it should impose itself on us, or insinuate itself,
without any effort on our part to grasp it. Look at Leonardo da Vinci,
Mozart! These are great artists."

No account of modern French music would be satisfactory which omitted
to mention several composers who, though of somewhat lesser importance
than d'Indy and Debussy, have nevertheless achieved works of
distinction and charm. These are Chabrier, Faure, Duparc, Chausson and
Ravel. Chabrier (1841-1894) is noted for a bold exuberance and
vividness of expression, for a sense of humor and for a power of
orchestral color and brilliance which have not been duplicated. His
style is entirely his own and he is a veritable incarnation of "vis
Gallica." Born in the South of France, the hot blood of that magic
land seems to throb in his music. We have from him several pianoforte
compositions of marked originality, in particular the _Bourree
Fantasque_, some inimitable songs, _e.g._, _Les Cigales_ and _La
Villanelle des petits Canards_ and, most famous of all, his Rhapsody
for orchestra entitled _Espana_, based on Spanish themes. This work
has proved to be a landmark in descriptive power and shares with
Rimsky-Korsakoff's _Scheherazade_ the claim of being the most
brilliant piece of orchestral writing in modern times. Some of
Chabrier's best work is in his opera of _Gwendoline_, especially the
Prelude to the second act which is often played by itself.

Although Faure (1845-still living) is more versatile and prolific than
Chabrier, his fame rests upon his achievements in two fields--the song
and p