Chabrier’s style

Tunes Like Berlioz, Chabrier had the knack of writing long, supple tunes. One of the best is the second tune in the overture to his opera Gwendoline (pictured above), in the arch-romantic key of D flat, where he pretends to get lost in the middle, then finishes gloriously.

Piano He was a terrific pianist – the adjective is used advisedly, because owners of pianos went in fear of their instruments when he played. Lots of variety, huge differences between piano and forte, indeed between forte and fortissimo. In general, drama and ‘élan’. No rubato.

Texture Always changing, with profuse decorations, on the lines of Art nouveau. Often it’s hard to distinguish decoration from substance, since they marry so perfectly.

Harmony Chabrier has, with some reason, been dubbed ‘the first musical Impressionist’. Discords (sevenths and ninths) are often used in their own right, not implying any particular resolution, a lesson learnt by fans like Debussy and Ravel.