Friendships furthered with Falla and Caplet

The war was not yet over. Yet more devastating for Emma, Debussy was dead. She was inconsolable. The news spread abroad rapidly, and on 29 March Manuel de Falla sent a telegram from Madrid, mourning ‘the glorious creator of the new music’. Emma responded by asking Magdeleine Greslé, a singer who became an ever closer and very helpful friend, to send him a photograph and autograph of Debussy. In his reply Falla not only thanked her for these mementoes of the ‘unfor-gettable and adored Maître’, but also sent her a copy of a talk he gave at the Ateneo in Madrid on 27 April 1918 entitled El arte profundo de Claude Debussy.

This correspondence marked the start of a close friendship between Emma and the composer. Falla had spent seven fruitful years in Paris between 1907 and 1914 and established friendships with Debussy, Dukas, Viñes, Ravel, Satie and Stravinsky, despite acute innate shyness. He was in good health during these years, but as time went on became increasingly hypochondriac, relying on a vast array of medications, filtering his water and wearing gloves when shaking hands with people. Emma no doubt felt a kindred spirit, being so concerned for her own health, and would take a close interest in his welfare.

Gabriel Fauré was in Nice at the time of Debussy's death and on 6 April wrote a very touching letter to Emma, wishing he had been nearer at hand. How revealing is the sentence reading, ‘I can't tell you how sorry I am to have got to know Debussy so late, for I was not attracted to him immediately!’ As in previous correspondence, his warm affection for Emma and Chouchou is evident.

P.-J. Toulet knew that time would not heal Emma's pain, but must surely bring her some calm. He warned her against taking notice of letters and articles which would exasperate Debussy in the world beyond if that were possible. He even offered to help her write her own biography of the composer ‘professionally’. He hoped she and Chouchou would soon visit his part of the world, a wish which would soon be fulfilled.