Some notes on Daphnis et Chloé

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Some Notes on Maurice Ravel's Ballet "Daphnis et Chloe". IAuthor(s): Scott GoddardSource: Music & Letters, Vol. 7, No. 3 (Jul., 1926), pp. 209-220Published by: Oxford University PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/726147 .

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SOME NOTES ON MAURICE RAVEL'S BALLET"DAPHNIS ET CHLOE "-I

THE movement which started in Russia and which freed the artof the modern ballet from so many of the restraining conventionalitiesof form and gesture, that movement which was brought to its presentstate by Serge Diaghilev, and which has such historic names asFokine, Nijinsky, Cecchetti and Karsavina connected with it, wasindirectly responsible for the fostering and dissemination of many ofthe most vital ideas that have been expressed during the last decadeby exponents of all the arts. Especially is this true of painters.Eminent artists like Bakst, Picasso, Derain and Matisse expendedtheir talent upon scenery and costumes. And no less did modern musicbenefit by this invigorating impulse of the Russians. Debussy in" Jeux," de Falla in " The Three Cornered Hat," Stravinsky in" L'Oiseau de Feu," " Petrouschka " and " Le Sacre duPrintemps," Ravel in " Daphnis et Chloe," . . the list could belengthened of fine and delicate music called into being through thisdetermination to uphold the traditions of freedom which were beingformed by the Russian Ballet.

In many cases the stories on which the ballets were founded wereeither folk-tales (as in " Le Sacre du Printemps " and " Le soleilde minuit "), historic tales (as " Prince Igor " and " Thamar ") oradaptations of more modern tales (as " Le Donne di buonumoreand " El Sombrero "). In the case of " Daphnis et Chloe " thepastoral of Longus was chosen by Fokine, who selected from it certainscenes, altered the order of certain occurrences and made out of itall a very passable pastiche of his own ideas mingled with those ofthe Abbe Amyot, the Regent d'Orleans (who was probably responsiblefor the illustrations to Amyot's edition, clothing Daphnis in kilts andChloe in jupons de cour) and some few from Longus. It is hardlygermane to the purpose of this short notice to discuss the ethics ofsuch ruthless treatment of a classic. Nevertheless it is clear thatsuch alteration and arrangement make it useless to seek in themusic for any feeling of that pastoral freshness and simple imagerythat characterise the little book of Longus. Between that and Ravelthere has come Fokine, whose ballet has but slight resemblance tothe work whose name it bears. Two examples may be cited to make


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210 MUSIC AND LETTERSclear what is here meant by wrong treatment and to show how sucltreatment has definitely altered the spirit of the tale and the inter-relations of the characters.In its original plan the tale is too long and complicated to forma reasonable ballet. It is overloaded with too much petty detail tohold the attention of the audience if set out in full. In reality itis not a suitable subject for treatment as a ballet. The tale is notsufficiently arresting. The events are neither deeply tragic nor evenbizarre or impossible. There is no climax. All is charming and yetmonotonous. It is the charm and monotony of the fields and theseasons. There is none of the glitter of life which appears so wellon the ballet stage. But given the initial idea of its having beenchosen for such a purpose, something had to be done to bring the talewithin possible bounds of length arildnarrative scope. Fokirne tookthe character of Bryaxis (in Longus the unoffending leader of theMethymneans, sent to punish the people of Mytilene for damagethat Daphnis' herds had done to a hunting party of young men whohad found their cables gnawed through by the goats and their vesselstaken out to sea) and niade hinmcaptain of the pirate band. Hethen took the episode of the rape of Chloe by pirates (which in Longuscomes before the Bryaxis episode) and transposed it, placing it ascentral feature of the second scene. This pirate episode should comeearly on in the tale and give a touching evidence of Dorcon's affection.For it is he, poor uncouth swain, dying on the ground from woundsreceived from Daphnis' hounds, who shows Chloe how, by makingsweet sounds on his pipe, to save her lover from the clutches of thepirates.

The other example of violence done to the original is that of thealmost continual presence of a corps de ballet, which gazes andcomments, like the conventional Greek chorus, upon the action, how-ever intimate such action may be. In Longus the episode of tlhrivalry between Dorcon and Daphilis for Chloe's kiss takes placein the pastoral seclusion of meadows and woods. In " Daphnis etChloe " the corps de ballet stands around, jeering and giggling.There is a loss here in delicacy and point.

From these two examples it can be seen, firstly, that two charactershave been modified in expression, and secondly, that the wholeaction has been made to run a grave risk of vulgarisation. It isarguable that with so antique and mythological a tale such libertiesare to be allowed. Even so, it is a perilous precedent.

The scene opens with a wide stretch of countrv. " Une prairieA la lisiere d'un bois sacre. A fond, des collines." From the confinesof silence the sounds commence, low dowvnand distant at first. Theyare built up, interval bv held interval, dignified and slow, until a


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SOME NOTES ON "DAPHNIS ET CHLOE" 211waving curtainof sound is fabricatedupon which are drawn the sharplines of tunes, now heardfor the first time, which later will attain,through implicationand association, to great importance. Hiddenvoices chant a rhythmic figure, but so distantly and slowly as toconceal, at first, the pulse. The music begins to quicken. On to theostage come boys and girls carrying offeringsfor the nymphs. Themusic grows quicker and louder. The stage fills with people. Inone great burst of happiness the music swells and dies. For onemomentthe voicesshoutout their triumphantchant and then hush.

The first dance, the " DanseReligieuse," begins. As this proceedsthe crowdof worshippers s filled with feelings of religious fervour.Exclamanationsof adorationand fervourburst from the chorus. Fora moment the spell is broken when the shepherd Daphnis appearswith his flock. The dance continues and once more is interrupted,while Chloe follows Daphnis across the stage and away into thecountry. The dance starts yet again, and now the ecstasy ofthe worshippers eems to be enhancedby the sight of the two loversand by a prophetic eeling of the nearnessof the fate that is to over-takethem. Daphnisand Chloeenter now fromthe frontof the stage.The dance ceases and all watch while the two lovers bow themselvesin worshipbefore the altar.

Soon the girls draw Daphnis into a dance, leaving Chloe to battlewith " les premieresatteintes de la jalousie." But not for long, forthe lads, led by the eager, boorishDorcon,surroundher and, in theirturn, lead off into a dance. Dorcon essays to kiss Chloe and rousesthe jealousyof her lover, who pushes his rival aside and approachesChloe with all the accepted signs of proprietorship. To the moreenlightened onlookers this action on the part of Daphnis seems alittle premature. Divining the real meaning underlyingthe actionsof Chloe and her chosen companion,they yet feel it is too early tolowerthe curtainupon a pictureof marriedbliss. They are contentto appear to admit the strength of Dorcon's claim, if such an ad-mittancecan be made the excuse for a little exquisitefoolingsuch aswould pass pleasantly the remaining moments of a hot summer'safternoon. And so a combat s proposedbetweenthe two pretenders,a combatof the most bloodless, the most charming,and, above all,one in which there can be no question of Daphnis' failing to comeoff victor. The two boys shall dance before the assembledcompany.The prize shall be Chloe's kiss.

With grotesque steps Dorcon gambols across the stage. His gesturesshow the highest passion. His steps weave a dance of great intricacvand meaning. The thought of all that might be inflames him,carrying him out of the realms of mere endeavour to a plane ofperfectaccomplishment. He seems to have infected his audience


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212 MUSIC AND LETTERSwith his owin miiagnificentartistry. He jumps, they applaud. Ilegrovels, still they applaud. He rushes round ever faster and faster.They applaud ever louder and louder. Certainty of success fills himand he continues his dance until the loudest outburst of applausesuddenly makes him uneasy. The dance ends in the laughter of theonlookers. The field is now clear for the other combatant.

Daphnis comes forward to make his effort. The charming lad stepsout his measures with faultless delicacy, at times forgetful of thestress of the moment, so taken up is he with the balanced movement,and then suddenly recallinig the value of the prize and the necessityfor its attainmeent, launching himself out into more strenuons ex-pressiveness. All through his performance there is an impressionof nonchalant certainty of success. l-ie finishes with the softest ofgestures, the lightest of movements. There is a moment's silence.Then the crowd presses in upon Daphnis. Dorcon comes forward,thickwittedly imagining that his chances of the prize are still strong.Theni, and only then, does realisation conie to him, and he seesclearly the significance of the shouts with which the crowd greeted hisdance and of the clamour that ended it. Daphnis receives his guerdoll,the crowd departs, Chloe with themn,and lie is left alone " immobile,commltnen extase."

There enters one who lures him from his steadfast ecstasy with lherdisquieting, passionate dancing. This is Lyceion. She drops onle byone the veils that clothe her. He, another Atalanta, picks them upand replaces them upon her shoulders. Aggrieved at his refusal tofollow her play she leaves him. He stands alone, troubled in mindand vaguely uneasy as at some impending disaster. There is asudden, muffled cry and clatter of arms. The music rolls andgrumbles along, gathering in speed and intensity. Acute trumpetnotes shrill out. At the back of the stage wild figures ruLshacross,women chased by pirates. An agonised cry rings out. Daphnis hearsand runs in search of Chloe. Hardly a momeint later Chlo6jreachesthe spot where lie has been standing and throws herself for protectionat the foot of the altar. Quicker than thought she is caught up anldtaken off by a band of marauders and Daphnis comes back to findher sandal, dropped in the scuffle. He cannot withstand tlle ideathat she has come to somne errible grief, and he utters curses upont-he gods who have failed to answer her prayers for protection. As hefalls unconscious at the entrance to the grot, the whole place becomesflooded with ghostly light. One by omie the statues of the nlymphsstir into life. For a momrentthey pause together an-dthen- float intoa slow and imystic danee. They conei over to Daphinis, raise himiup, tend him and guide him to the great rodk, invoking their godPan. The music softens and slackens. Imperceptibly the figure of


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SOME NOTES ON " DAPHNIS ET CHLOE " 213the god begins to invade the place, dominating the whole action andthe whole scene. Daphnis falls in supplication at the feet of Pan.The light quickly wanes and leaves all in darkness.Through this darkness hidden voices begin to he heard.*They rise and fall in strong rhythms but remain everdistant until a trumpet call sounds far away. Then, whilegradually the voices approach nearer, the light grows, the trumpetsbecome more insistent, the voices rise higher and higher, untilabruptly the scene of the robbers' camp becomes visible, lit by theharsh glare of torches. Rushing and leaping hither and thither, therobbers dance with unceasing tirelessness, with brutal insistence. Un-wearyingly they foot the same rude measures, only increasing inspeed and loudness. Voices shout in bestial ecstasy. The half-dozennotes that at one time have been vaguely associated with the thoughtof Chloe are now blared out in naked fury on trumpet after trumpet.In a moment of highest frenzy the dancers sink exhausted. Chloei3 brought in amongst them. The chief, Bryaxis, commands her todance. Restlessly she moves about. Her dance is one longsupplication, one long agony. At one point she tries to escape. Thebrigands drag her back with violence. Despairingly she continuesher dance. Once again she attempts to flee. Once more she is hauledback. The poor creature does not see how her repeated attempts tobreak loose do but increase 'the great desire of Bryaxis. At lengthhe can hold himself in control no longer. He rushes towards her.She implores his pity. Implacable, he bears her off.

In a trice the air becomes filled with weird shapes. The light fadesand terrible apparitions surge around. Flames lit by invisible handsspring up. Sinister beings jump from shadow to shadow. Terrorseizesthe pirates. They find themselves surrounded by legions of satyrswho mock at their discomfiture. They try to escape, but seemunable to break through this circle of spirits. The very earth opensunder them. And now the massive shadow of Pan again fills theplace, and this time the gesture of the god is one of awful menace.Fear is so strong upon the men that they make one swift dash forliberty, and the place is left empty but for Chloe standing therealone with a divine light playing round her head.The scene now dissolves. The countryside of the beginning isfound again, with its calm and quiet. A complete contrast with whathas gone before. No sound is to be heard but that of the ripple* It is said that, at the first performancen 1912,the scene-shiftingat thispoint was,noisy enough to drown the hidden choir. This, however, io noexcusefor the substitutionby M. Diaghilev of the version for wind-instru-ments, against the direct wish of the composerthat this second versionshouldonly be employed n circumstanceswhere no voices were available.


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214 MUSICAND LETTERSand drip of runlets draining the morning dew from off the hills andthe deep murmur of slumbering earth as she rhythmically breathes.At length she stirs in her sleep and dawn commences.From the depths of consciousness a rhythm becomes audible. Itis gradually transformed into a tune and increases in volume as itrises up, spreading through the whole expanse of sound, then fallingto rest and giving place to a broad melody which has been evolvedfrom the first rhythmic figure. At the point of highest upwardendeavour, when the voices that have been heard in the distancedraw near, and the shepherds, coming into the place, find Daphnisstill lying in front of the images of the n;ymphs in a swoon andawaken him, this finely-wrought melody reaches its first climax. Fora moment the lad is dazed at the transition from the mad horror ofthe robbers' attack to this peaceful campaign with the dawn comingcalmly onward. lTe looks round him, the thought of Chloe stillstrong in him. There seems to be nothing but the growing sunlightand the miurmur of runlets. And thern, in a moment, a company ofgirls comes by and among them is she.

Again the stately melody takes the stage, rises higher and higher,builds still miiore orgeous fabrics of sound and sense. Voices of boysand girls break in upon it at its moment of greatest exaltation andbroaden it out with utteranees of deepest einotion and highest joy.Pastoral happiness takes hold on the people. Old Lamo tells of Panand Syrinx. Daphnis and Chloe, filled with the abandonment of puredelight, dance and mime the tale as he has told it. She dances tothe piping of Daphnis, following the melody of the flute which oncewas the nymph Syrinx. The dance becomes more and more wilduntil, after a last fling, Chloe'falls wearied into the arms of her lover.Then and there the two swear lasting friendship before the altarof the Nymphs. From then onwards the feeling of amity andheightened emotion becomes general. Groups of girls and boys,dressed as followers of Bacchus, rush on to the place. Theydance, gradually drawing every spectator into their wild figurings.The music, strongly rhythmic, surges forward, sometimes wailing,sometimes howling, at times rushing upwards in huge waves of sound,at times sinking down in order the more effectively to build up anothermassive climax. And now all bonds are burst, all bounds surpassed,and the end comes in an overwhelming sustained cry of victoryand joy.

II.Daphnis et Chloe " is by far the most extended piece of com-position that Ravel has done. It is so far out of the general run ofhis work that it will be of interest to endeavour to gauge the amount


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SOME NOTES ON " DAPHNIS ET CHLOE" 215of success that has attended so sustained an effort. Such a work callsfor abilities of a different order than does the composition of shorterworks. The perfection shown in those pieces is one of detail. Onthat, attentive care must be expended in order to ensure that thebalance of those small parts is equitably compassed. The question isone of sensitiveness in small matters. But with a large work, such asa ballet like " Daphnis et Chloe'" the problem has shifted ground.It has become one of broad effects which, however they may be com-pounded of small details, must yet be so managed as to hold the atten-tion and keep it to the salient lines of the tale, leaving detail, whichmay still be as polished as the artist pleases, to take second place.The problem, then, for the composer who has a keen perception ofthe implications of minute points and skill in setting them in exactarray, will always be how far to continue in this process of meticulousattentiveness without weakening the larger scheme. Too muchattention to the trees will cause the wood to be lost sight of, and willmake for bewilderment at so much undergrowth. There will be littlechance of an understanding of the problem posed. The broad linesmust always be present and visible. The music must be moredefinitely positive and assured than need be the case with chambermusic or with works that keep within narrower limits.

Again the presence of the ballet stage, with its conventions and itshuge burden of pageantry and scenic display, lessens the effectivenessof delicate writing and calls for the same broad treatment. It is toomuch to say that a point, to be made, must be hammered home. Yetit is none the less true that only the highest lights will illumine theimaginative faculties of even the most keenly perceptive audience, andthat the story must be grouped round one or two such tense momentsif it is to convey any consecutive meaning. A series of delicatelymoulded scenes, small and carefully polished, will not suffice to makea long ballet. H-owever perfect each in its turn may be, the resultwill not fail to be inconclusive and wearisome. The tale itself willnever penetrate through the wealth of detail with which it is sur-rounded.

The way in which a composer, such as Ravel, who has especialability in less extended forms, attacks and controls this enlargedscheme is earnest of his adaptability. " Daphnis et Chloe " is com-parable in this respect to that other great monument of modern Frenchmusic, Dukas' opera " Ariane et Barbe-Bleue." Polished as arethe details and finished as are the separate pictures in this opera, thewhole charming thing has, as well, an evident structural cohesionthat binds the work together in the same way as Maeterlinck's taleis bound. Not only is it that in the case of Dukas' opera the workis symphonic in character. Rather is it an example of the artist's


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216 MUSIC AND L,ETTERSvision being wide enouglh to embrace both sides of the problem, theparticular and the general, the detailed perfection and the broadsurvey. In similar fashion Ravel in " Daphnis et Chloe " hasavoided that meticulousness which would disorganise the constructionof a large work. Before starting the ballet in 1906 he had com-posed in such differing media as string quartet, pianoforte solo, songand concerted chamber music. Now he was to set himself the taskof writing for a larger orchestra than ever before and on a scaleinfinitely more extended.

The melodic structuire of " Daphuiis et Chloe " is riot so closelywoven as that of " L'HIeure Espagnole," a fact which is to beexpeeted whenlthe diffuseness of the tale is taken into account. Thereare more characters to differentiate. The action takes longer toplay and needs more expression in the music. The long concerteddances, which do not of necessity help on the action, mnustbeaccounted for. Ravel has built up his work on a number of im-portant themes and the idea of the leit-motif is stronger here thanin his opera. But even then the id&a s not so definite as to warrantainy one theme being given the label of a decisive emotion or a par-ticular person. Only one tuine cai be taken to portray definition ofcharacter. It is that which is first heard on a horn, twelve bars fromthe beginniing. It plays an imiportant part in the work as a whole

Exa.Solo Horn.

. tres expressif

and has in it the germnof practically every other tune. Of theeighteen salient melodies which are heard in the ballet, six of whichare used for general dalnces and so need not be taken to possess anygreat dramatic significance with regard to the main tale, nine arefounded either on the upward fifth (Daphnis?), the downward fifth(Chloe'?) or derivatives of these. The character of Dorcon is givenprominence by the appearaniceof new melodic material, a device whichwas used in the " L'Heutre Espagnole " for the two interloping lovers.Fine treatment, could have been given to D)orcon'sdeath, as it occursin Longuis, torn to pieces by the hounds. As it is, he appears againat the end, and joins in the general rejoicings, an undeniably weakspot in the texture of the ballet. A memorable episode is that where


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SOME NOTES ON "DAPHNIS ET CHLOE" 217the statues of the nymphs come to life and begin their mysteriousslow dance. Four flutes play a gentle swinging melody accompanied

EX.2. Lent et tres souple de mesure.FourFlutesPPilf r . _ _

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by eolando stig and hap_ae noo n w lrnt

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- Solo

Celo.C.bss(pz)flw ror* i I - j I V _ I IF

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fr uncopne eih-pr choi .elwhdnoentecotaas suport th voce durin th_hrytobrihu


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218 MUSIC AND LETTERSorchestra. In the meantime absolute darkness covers both stageand orchestrauntil at length hidden trumpets sound and the lightbegins to return, revealingthe ro}bers' camp. This vocal interludehas an effect of unrealitythat makesthe warriors'dance,whichfollowsimmediatelyupon it, a rude and brutal expressionof untamedforce.The transitionbetweenthis scene and the third takes place while thespiritsriotouslygambolaboutand whirl throughthe air. This againnakes an intense contrast as it fades away before the calm, coolatmosphereof the dawningday. The warriors'dance starts with arhythm hammeredout on the strings, tromboneand bassoons. Thetheme consists of a series of descendingfifths, the same interval asthat whichhas been identifiedwith Daphnis. When Chloeis broughtin to dance in front of her captorsthe accompaniment o her steps isthe ascendingfifth of the opening. And thus the two elements arefound throughthe whole work. The scene of the dawn, and of therestoration, one to the other, iDaphnisand Chloe, opens with themurmurof flutes and clarinets,balancedby deep notes on the lowerstrings. Outof these there presentlyrises a repeatedtwo-barphrasefoundedon the descending ifth. This leads into the main melody.

expressif.t

--' 'IF - - F' -- __ _._pp~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~JD

I=- 4

This melody has in it the elements of grandeur. Its sweeping paceis majestic, its curvedoutline simple and monumental. It is akin tothe deepest poetic utterances of any age. It is superblyprophetic.In itself it has an immense forwarddrive caused by the melodicformation,not relying upon harmonic or dynamic effect to carry itonward, but bearing within its curves the inevitable elasticity andspring that is to be found in lines of highest draughtsmanship. Itsatisfiesthe intelligenceby its relationshipwith the materialthat hasgone to build the work, being thus a perfect resolutionof the tale.It satisfiesthe emotionsby the ease with whichit comesto its momentof greatest meaning, having in it nothing that is not the inevitableand natural outcomeof the dramathat has been unfoldedand thathere finds its sole true climax in thankfulnessfor dangersovercomeand storms past.


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SOME NOTES ON "DAPHNIS ET CHLOE" 219The last act points no moral. It has no significanceother thanthat of a summing-up of the tale and is in no way concerned with

problemsof right or wrong, being boundto no text that might confuseits simplicity. The expression is direct and unadorned. Longusfinishes with a picture of hymeneal bliss, free fromi all suspicion ofinfelicity. Fokine was able to forgo much of this. He did not feelhimself under any restrictions as to the portrayal of a high purposesuch as would satisfy the calls of a charming domesticity. Daphnisand Chloe have come together. The future of both is left an openquestion, except in so far as the freshness of the running rills, thesongs of the birds and above all the nobility of the tune which heraldsdawn seem to point to a life that will not be uneventful ordevoid of rapture. It is one of the few times that Ravel has allowedhimself the liberty of building up a broad melody that is sufficientlypositive in expression to hint at a definite state of mind. In generalhis larger themes are so impersonal as to admit of no clear interpre-tation. The second movement of the " Sonatine " may signify eitherjoy or mere gallantry, " Petit Poucet," resignation or some childishfear, " L'Indifferent," similar contradictory feelings. This im-personality has the effect of liberating the words of a song or themelody of an instrumental movement from the implications of thesurrounding matter, giving words or tune a wider interpretation thanthey would possess if securely tied to the expression of an exact mood.But at this point in " Daphnis et Chloe " (the same obtains in thebroad melodic conclusion to " Ma Mere l'oye ") Ravel has drawn along sweep of melody, albeit with that delicacy which is never absentfrom his work. For once he has revealed himself, irrevocably stamp-ing the ballet with the impress, not alone of his personality (that hasbeen present from the first page and has continued in varying intensitythrough the whole work) but of his own deepest philosophy.

At a moment such as this when the tale of the ballet has beeniplayed to an end and the intervention of Pan has concluded thesufferings of the protagonists, an ending could well have been putto the actual work by some hundreds of bars of technically skilfulwriting. This would give the opportunity for brilliant action on thestage and would leave the dancers the task of satisfying an oestheticwish for balance and finality. But it argues a paucity of imaginationin a composer who would thus shore up a work with merely technicaldisplay, however sparkling and vivacious such might well be in thehands of a twentieth century French master of orchestration. Inorder fully to gratify the artistic desires of the audience, to resolvethe tangle of roused emotions (a resolution which the intervention ofPan, by reason of its unreality, does not supply) it is necessary forthe composer to take the matter into his own hands. He must frame


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220 MUSIC AND LETTERSsuch utterances as will give the clue to what has passed and settlethe mind so securely, on that score, that the merry-making whichends the work may se,em not out of place as a too-rapid change fronithe horrors and terrors of the dra,ma, but a truly inspired thanks-giving for liberation fronm hose past troubles. In order that thosehappenings may be felt to be past and over, something more thaneven a divine appearance is needed to straighten out nmatters. Andit is this spacious sweeping melody that supplies the need and crownsthe architecture of the tale with a shapely line. By that tune theballet will live in men's memories. Enclosed within it lies the germof the complete work. It is fashioned wholly on melodic material thathas previously been heard. In itself it has beauty and strength.Fully to realise its significance it is necessary to know the completecomposition and to see how exquisitely all the themes are dependenton each other and how in this last ample melody all threads arAgathered together and all problems solved.

The sueeess with which Ravel has worked over this wide expanse ofdramatic narration is due to his unfailing regard for the potentialbeauty of the main lines of the tale and to the assurance with whichhe has sacrificed small matters to great issues. In reality he seemsto have made no sacrifice. The details of construction are as perfectas in any of his sonata movements. I-Iis treatment of the orchestrais as delicate as ever before or since. The tone-colour of eachseparate instruiment is as surely laid on, the actual tones as justlybalanced, as in " Ma Mere l'oye." The structure is as carefullyplanned and as nicely placed as in any pianoforte piece or song. Forall that immaculateness of dletail is subordinated to the general plan,its presence is undoubted. And it is this subordination actually whichgives prominence to fragments like the " Danse Religieuse " in thefirst part and the dance of the warriors in the second.

As it stands the tale is dangerously filled with niggling detail thatis liable to become futile or precious if unskilfully treated. Ravelbeing, as he is, a great master of exquisite rightness, might havebeen expected to be the last composer to be able to weld a long-drawn-out tale together by an embracing vision of its salient points. Thesimple dignified lines in which he has cast " Daphnis et Chlos " area demonstration of his classical tendencies and a proof of his manifoldability.

SCOTT GODDARD.

Some notes on Daphnis et Chloé

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