ABSTRACT
Many writers on Dutilleux’s music have encountered difficulties when attempting to define his place in the contemporary musical world. He has never belonged to a group of composers (such as Les Six or Jeune France), and his musical style cannot be easily compartmentalised. Daniel Humbert wrote ‘Henri Dutilleux follows his path alone and cannot be classified under any category or in any school’, 1 and Claude Glayman likes to describe the composer as ‘un musicien indépendant’. 2 This naturally raises the question ‘independent of whom?’ If Dutilleux dislikes dayman’s term, it is because he recognises that he has been influenced by music of the past and by certain composers of this century. He also rightly insists that ‘contemporary music’ is a very broad term which is not confined to one movement or style, 3 as has been the case throughout musical history. If it is impossible to attach a label to Dutilleux’s music, it is equally erroneous to presume that he therefore has nothing in common with his contemporaries. It is not my intention to categorise Dutilleux, but to show that he is by no means as isolated a figure as is sometimes assumed.
