ts. It only pricks. It instigates, begins, leaves
off, and then continues, rousing to action the hearer's innate need of
an aim and an order and meaning in things. Its subtle gestures, its
brief, sharp, delicate phrases, its quintessentiality, are like the
thrusting open of doors into the interiors of the conscience, the
opening of windows on long vistas, are like the breaking of light upon
obscured memories and buried emotions. They are like the unsealing of
springs long sealed, suffering them to flow again in the night. And for
a glowing instant, they transform the auditor from a passive receiver
into an artist.

And there is much besides that Ravel and Debussy have in common. They
have each been profoundly influenced by Russian music, "Daphnis et
Chloe" showing the influence of Borodin, "Pelleas et Melisande" that of
Moussorgsky. Both have made wide discoveries in the field of harmony.
Both have felt the power of outlying and exotic modes. Both have been
profoundly impressed by the artistic currents of the Paris about them.
Both, like so many other French musicians, have been kindled by the
bright colors of Spain, Ravel in his orchestral Rhapsody, in his one-act
opera "L'Heure espagnol" and in the piano-piece in the collection
"Miroirs" entitled "Alborada del Graciozo," Debussy in "Iberia" and in
some of his preludes. Indeed, a parallelism exists throughout their
respective works. Debussy writes "Homage a Rameau"; Ravel "Le Tombeau de
Couperin." Debussy writes "Le Martyre de Saint-Sebastien"; Ravel
projects an oratorio, "Saint-Francois d'Assise." Ravel writes the
"Ondine" of the collection entitled "Gaspard de la nuit"; Debussy
follows it with the "Ondine" of his second volume of preludes. Both,
during the same year, conceive and execute the idea of setting to music
the lyrics of Mallarme entitled "Soupir" and "Placet futile."
Nevertheless, this fact constitutes Ravel in no wise the imitator of
Debussy. His work is by no means, as some of our critics have made haste
to insist, a counterfeit of his elder's. Did the music of Ravel not
demonstrate that he possesses a sensibility quite distinct from
Debussy's, in some respects less fine, delicious, lucent, in others
perhaps even more deeply engaging; did it not represent a distinct
development from Debussy's art in a direction quite its own, one might
with justice speak of a discipleship. But in the light of Ravel's actual
accomplishment, of his large and original and at