Paris in London

English reactions to the string quartets of Debussy and Ravel, Franck's violin sonata, or the piano quartets of Fauré and Chausson fluctuated between irritation and admiration. This study traces the presence and impact of this repertoire. French and English composers had long played only minor roles in London concert life. At the turn of the century, both the promotion of native music and international transfer relationships intensified. Saint-Saëns was already a regular guest, now Fauré established himself first in private circles. The Société des concerts français systematically disseminated recent chamber music. In parallel, writers such as Edwin Evans and G. Jean-Aubry propagated the French 'school' as a model for English music, which was equally expected to break away from German models. In an environment where chamber music was increasingly valued, composers such as Frank Bridge, John Ireland, Cyril Scott, and Eugene Goossens productively explored the new sounds. Contemporary press reviews and discourse, archival documents, letters and diaries, and a look at personal and compositional constellations create a panorama of cultural and genre history that expands the European perspective on the period of upheaval around 1900.