ABSTRACT
In 1903, Séverac composed a regionalist theater work in one act entitled Le retour, set to a libretto by poet-novelist Maurice Magre (1877–1941). 1 He then expanded the composition into two acts and orchestrated it under the title Le coeur du moulin, or Chat-huant. 2 Séverac offered the work to d’Indy upon his mentor’s request, and although d’Indy’s response was that of cautious counselor, he nonetheless encouraged Séverac to submit the composition to the Concours musical de la ville de Paris. Séverac commented on the process:
Mine would be a scandalous presence at the Schola [Cantorum] … these competitions are silly … Dear d’Indy is in the process of defending me and … happily, Messager … is well-disposed toward Le coeur du moulin … I played Le coeur du moulin for some friends before dropping it off … and they were entirely enchanted. 3
