DEBUSSY (Claude). - Lot 89

DEBUSSY (Claude). Born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. 1862–1918. Composer. B.A.S. “Claude Debussy” to “Dear Mr. Barthou” [Louis Barthou, 1862–1934]. n.p. [Paris], April 14, 1915. 1 page, in-12 format. Typewritten. Envelope with postmarks and address. Debussy writes to Prime Minister LOUIS BARTHOU asking him to intercede with War Minister Alexandre Millerand on behalf of his brother ALFRED [Born in 1870, Alfred Debussy was the fourth child (of five) in the Debussy family; Claude was the eldest] …Would you be so kind as to lend me your invaluable support once again? This concerns my brother Alfred Debussy, aged 45, from the class of ’90, who has just passed the exams to become an English interpreter. He has been included on the list of candidates submitted to the Minister of War, but a recommendation from Mr. Millerand would help him immensely, for, if at all possible, he would like to be assigned to the British General Staff rather than languish in an office… He adds: …No one better than you, (…), can do this. Apologizing for playing before you the thankless role of the statue of the Beggar [a play on words referring to the statue of the Commander in *Don Juan*], please accept my gratitude and my respectful regards…Louis Barthou was a center-right politician and writer. He served as Prime Minister under President Raymond Poincaré from March 1913 to December 1913. Elected to the Académie française in 1919, he was nicknamed the “minister of poets.” He was also a bibliophile, an art lover, and a music lover. A great admirer of Debussy, when asked about him in 1932, he stated that “There is an enigma and a spell in his art.” “Olympus has more than one abode. After Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Wagner, Claude Debussy made his own, where he took up residence through an immortality whose legacy France—which he honors—will preserve and whose brilliance it will keep alive.” Debussy sought Barthou’s assistance on several occasions. In 1908, while Barthou was Minister of Public Works, Debussy asked him to ensure that his brother Alfred retained his position as assistant inspector at the Western Railway Company. In October 1913, he sent Barthou his passport so that Barthou could have it signed by Russian Ambassador Alexander Izvolsky, thereby ensuring he would be “invulnerable” during his tour in Saint Petersburg.