Personal thoughts (Théodore Gouvy)

The following lines, taken from various letters, notes, cards, etc., show the evolution of Gouvy’s ideas and judgments, from the time of his youth in Paris to the last moments of his life, spent in Lorraine. Anecdotal or profound, elliptical or detailed, these sincere thoughts summarise the composer’s musical opinions. (Quotations taken from: Martin Kaltenecker, Théodore Gouvy, doctoral thesis, Université de Paris-IV: Paris- Sorbonne, 1986.)