Florent Schmitt and Maurice Ravel: Measured Time from the Turn of the Century 1

In contrast to his friend and colleague Maurice Ravel (1875–1937), whose music for piano is often performed, Florent Schmitt (1870–1958) left a mass of repertoire that has faded from view. Though he was designated France's “greatest living composer” by Alfred Cortot, ² widespread neglect of Schmitt's music after World War II may be partially explained through his involvement with the Vichy government. ³ Even today his Vichy past follows him. On the outskirts of Paris in 2005, the Lycée Florent Schmitt was renamed in honor of Alexandre Dumas after a ten-year controversy, begun by an investigation of Schmitt's musical associations with Nazi Germany in the 1930s. ⁴