Les Apaches (or Société des Apaches) was a group of musicians, writers and artists which formed in Paris, France in 1903. The core was formed by the French composer

Maurice Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...

, the Spanish pianist

Ricardo Viñes Ricardo Viñes y Roda (, ca, Ricard Viñes i Roda, ; 5 February 1875 – 29 April 1943) was a Spanish pianist. He gave the premieres of works by Ravel, Debussy, Satie, Falla and Albéniz. He was the piano teacher of the composer Francis Pou ...

and the writer and critic

Michel-Dimitri Calvocoressi Michel-Dimitri Calvocoressi (2 October 1877 – 1 February 1944) was a French-born music critic and musicologist of Greek descent who was an English citizen and resident from 1914 onwards. He often promoted Russian composers, particularly Modes ...

. The group was private but never formal, and the wider membership was fluid; over 20 unofficial members would attend meetings of Les Apaches until it came to an end during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. During their active years, ''Les Apaches'' met weekly. The meetings were a chance for the members to perform and show new works or ideas to a small group, discuss contemporary artistic interests and collaborate.

Origins

In the early 20th century the term ''Les Apaches'' was used to describe European street gangs who were of intense interest to the French media at the time. Supposedly, the term was adopted by the diverse circle of artists after a newspaper seller mockingly called ''"attention! Les Apaches"'' as members of the group were returning from the premiere of

Claude Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most infl ...

's opera '' Pelléas et Mélisande'', a work they praised and rallied around. It is possible that this was an ironic insult or a reference to their

modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

artistic output. They found the name amusing, especially as they saw art as being at odds with conservative tastes. The precise beginnings of the group are unclear. Many of the regular members were approximate contemporaries, most had met previously and some had been friends for over a decade; four members had been taught by the French composer

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (; 12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers ...

and it is likely that some of the other artists had met at the

École des beaux-arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centur ...

or in Salon exhibitions. Throughout 1901,

Émile Vuillermoz Émile-Jean-Joseph Vuillermoz (23 May 1878 – 2 March 1960) was a French critic in the areas of music, film, drama and literature. He was also a composer, but abandoned this for criticism. Early life Émile Vuillermoz was born in Lyon in 1878. He ...

hosted regular musical events at his home, and members had gathered at events such as the premiere of Ravel's ''

Jeux d'eau ''Jeux d'eau'' (Italian ''giochi d'acqua'') or "water games", is an umbrella term in the history of gardens for the water features that were introduced into mid-16th century Mannerist Italian gardens. History Pools and fountains had been a f ...

'' - by the time the group was calling itself ''Les Apaches'' there was already a circle of artists who met regularly.

Active years

From around 1903, the group met each Saturday. For several years, the meetings usually took place in the city studio of the painter

Paul Sordes Paul Sordes (9 February 1877 – 20 May 1937) was a French painter from Paris and set designer who was an original member of '' Les Apaches'', a group of artists in early 20th-century Paris whose most famous member was Maurice Ravel. It was at So ...

(dubbed 'Ravel with a palette'), a neighbor of the composer

.They later moved to a property that the French composer

Maurice Delage Maurice Charles Delage (13 November 1879 – 19 or 21 September 1961) was a French composer and pianist. Biography Delage was born and died in Paris. He first worked as a clerk for a maritime agency in Paris, and later as a fishmonger in Boul ...

rented. Ravel suggested that they adopt the first melody of Borodin's 2nd Symphony as their theme, an idea with which they all agreed. To enter Sordes' apartment or attract the attention of other Apaches after concerts, the member would have to whistle the first few bars of the music; Rimsky-Korsakov's ''Scheherazade'' was the initial choice, although it was deemed too difficult to whistle. Ricardo-vines

Many in the group were amateurs and enthusiasts of the arts from which they did not make a living, and so the members were not limited to one artistic faction within ''Les Apaches''. The meetings were lively, and would often last until the early hours of the morning; they would discuss art, argue about contemporary issues, perform music for each other (Viñes being the favoured pianist), play duets together, read poetry, drink coffee and smoke. Symbolism, Javanese music, Russian composers,

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

Stéphane Mallarmé Stéphane Mallarmé ( , ; 18 March 1842 – 9 September 1898), pen name of Étienne Mallarmé, was a French poet and critic. He was a major French symbolist poet, and his work anticipated and inspired several revolutionary artistic schools of ...

and

Paul Cézanne Paul Cézanne ( , , ; ; 19 January 1839 – 22 October 1906) was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th-century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically d ...

were all topics that fascinated ''Les Apaches''. The music of Debussy was a particular passion. Ideas and fragments of larger unfinished works would often be performed or shown at the meetings; this mingling of ideas would influence several ''Apaches'' and lead to various artistic collaborations. The meetings of the group were vibrant occasions, and when other neighbors complained about the noise so late at night, the group began meeting in a more isolated hut rented by Delage, which they called their 'wigwam'. Outside of the meetings, the members would support each other; Viñes premiered works by the composers, the critics would encourage new music, and the poets would collaborate with the musicians to set words to music. The wider membership of the group was always shifting. The group (or as they called themselves, 'the band') attracted many members during its existence, some who would meet with the group occasionally, and others whose association with ''Les Apaches'' was brief. Despite this somewhat fluid nature of ''Les Apaches'', the group was highly exclusive in other ways; women were strictly forbidden. Due to the nature of the group, many of the members became close. Ravel, who dedicated each movement of ''

Miroirs upRavel in 1907 ''Miroirs'' (French for "Mirrors") is a five-movement suite for solo piano written by French composer Maurice Ravel between 1904 and 1905."Miroirs". Maurice Ravel Frontispice. First performed by Ricardo Viñes in 1906, ''Miroirs ...

'' to a member of ''Les Apaches'', used the French familiar form ''tu'' with only three friends outside his close family - all of them were part of ''Les Apaches''. There is speculation that the one romantic relationship in Ravel's life was with the poet and fellow ''apache''

Léon-Paul Fargue Léon-Paul Fargue (, 4 March 187624 November 1947) was a French poet and essayist. He was born in Paris, France, on rue Coquilliére. As a poet he was noted for his poetry of atmosphere and detail. His work spanned numerous literary movements. ...

. In 1910, the Russian composer

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

became a member of ''Les Apaches''. According to Stravinsky's letters, he frequently visited Paris, staying at the home of his closest friend in the city, Maurice Delage, who helped him deliver manuscripts and set up interviews with the press. In a letter to the ''apache'' composer

Florent Schmitt Florent Schmitt (; 28 September 187017 August 1958) was a French composer. He was part of the group known as Les Apaches. His most famous pieces are ''La tragédie de Salome'' and ''Psaume XLVII'' (Psalm 47). He has been described as "one of th ...

, Stravinsky noted that for a time he only listened to the music of Ravel, Schmitt, and Debussy. Although some of the members remained friends, the meetings petered out during

and eventually stopped altogether.

Debussy and Les Apaches

Claude Debussy ca 1908, foto av Félix Nadar

Contrary to popular belief,

was never part of ''Les Apaches''. However, the music of Debussy was of particular importance within ''Les Apaches'', who all greatly admired his compositions, supporting them when they received unfavourable reviews. ''Pelléas et Mélisande'' was a work they openly admired despite the mixed critical reception. Ravel was a particular fan, attending every one of the opera's performances in its first run - a total of fourteen. Debussy's music also featured in the meetings held by ''Les Apaches''. Ravel had made transcriptions of Debussy's '' Nocturnes'' and his ''

Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune ''Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune'' ( L. 86), known in English as ''Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun'', is a symphonic poem for orchestra by Claude Debussy, approximately 10 minutes in duration. It was composed in 1894 and first performed ...

'' for two pianos and piano duet respectively, compositions praised by fellow ''Apaches''. Although Debussy was not close with any one of the ''Apaches'', he was acquainted with several members. The most notable relationship Debussy had with an Apache was Viñes, with whom Debussy had a professional relationship for several years. Viñes (a pianist Debussy admired) regularly premiered Debussy works and, during his regular meetings with Debussy, Viñes would perform works by Ravel for him. Through Viñes, ''Les Apaches'' were indirectly linked with Debussy. Ravel was often compared with Debussy, and the followers of the composers began to form rough factions; those who supported the younger Ravel, and those who defended Debussy. Similarities in the music of the two composers, as well as the association through Viñes, lead to accusations of plagiarism by Ravel. ''Les Apaches'' had always been avid supporters of Debussy, although made a point of defending Ravel when it was claimed that he had imitated Debussy.

Notes

References

Sources