CRITIQUE IN A TIME OF LOVE : JACQUES RIVIERE AND DEBUSSY'S MUSIC

In the context of the history of critique and, more broadly, that of the musical discourse, this article looks at Jacques Riviere's early writings on Debussy's music, viewed here as illustrating the evolution of music critique at the turn of the 20th century. Starting with the argument that Riviere, a student of 19th C. rhetorical conventions, draws on his knowledge of symbolist literature as a springboard to Debussy's music, this article reveals how the writer matches his words to the composer's aesthetics. In so doing, Riviere not only adapts his discourse devoting himself to its topic, he also frees himself from the dialectics of impressionist or technical critique by turning his text into an "as-heard" account. Music critique thus takes on the added role of buffer between concertgoers and readers of La NRF, altering discursive modalities in the process. However, as with everything Riviere, these must be infused with the one prerequisite to aesthetical acceptance : love.