ABSTRACT
In the summer of 1848 when Gabriel Fauré was just a child of three, the composer Édouard Lalo — himself only twenty-five at the time — came up with the idea of founding a nation-wide, democratic musical association, the Association des artistes musiciens, for the purpose of “performing or having performed, as well as publishing, every musical composition which an elected jury would deem truly worthy of the art.” Lalo also petitioned the state for “suitable premises in which to house administrative and publishing offices or to give concerts.” 1 Before the project could be realized the Revolution of 1848 (among other things) intervened and Lalo’s ambitious dream never saw the light of day.
