He made several trips to Germany, the first in 1873 when he carried to Brahms the César Franck score of _Redemption_ sent with the composer’s compliments. At this time he also met Liszt and Wagner, and later he attended the Bayreuth performances including the world première (first performance) of _Parsifal_. His musical activities led him from the organ loft to becoming tympani (kettle-drums) player in the Colonne Orchestra, where he went, no doubt, to learn the instruments of the orchestra and how to handle them. He found out, because he is most skilled in writing for orchestra. He has had many prominent pupils, and it is his pride and his ambition to continue along the lines laid down by César Franck. He has had more than ordinary success as a conductor going to many countries to conduct his own compositions. He came twice to America as guest conductor of the Boston Symphony appearing with that organization in its home and also in New York. Vincent d’Indy, following the ideal of Franck is largely responsible for the return of music in his country to symphony, from which it had strayed far. In this period there was a general feeling to bring music back to classical form. This young school was doing it in France as Brahms had done it in Germany and the result was that many composers wrote symphonies. If we look through musical history since then, we will find that the revival of a feeling for the classics has helped to make the latter part of the 19th century very rich. Although d’Indy has written several operas, there has been no attempt to give them in this country, which is strange because it is very difficult to get operas that are worth producing at the Metropolitan Opera House or in Chicago, the only other city in America that supports its own opera on a large scale. D’Indy is living in Paris (1925), where the life around him bristles with study, achievement and ambition. He is as much of an inspiration to his pupils as was his own teacher, but this is the 20th century, in which conditions, and men, are different from those of the past! He has not stood still but has gone steadily ahead, although his influence upon the very modern writers must have been healthy and restraining, notwithstanding the fact that only a few years ago _he_ was regarded as a modern. GABRIEL FAURÉ In the musical history of France, the name of Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924) looms high. He was born in Pamiers, and was taught by the Dean of French musical folk, Camille Saint-Saëns. Like all the musicians of France, no matter whether or not they planned to use it as a profession, they devoted as much time to the organ as to the piano, and most of them became famous organists even though they had not planned to be organists. For this reason France has more great organists and organ compositions to offer than any other country of the world.