On 1 August 1914, the same day of the military mobilization, Debussy wrote to some English men's clothiers in Paris (at the Carnaval de Venise shop) that, in light of the circumstances, he still could not pay a substantial bill of 1,963 francs and that he was appealing to their “kind generosity.” When war was declared by Germany, he wrote to Durand of his deep dismay: Raoul Bardac and Dolly's husband had been conscripted into military service, and he almost envied Satie, “who will have an important job defending Paris in his capacity as corporal.” Debussy described himself as no more “than a poor little atom hurled around by this terrible cataclysm.” And yet, when he contacted Inghelbrecht on 18 August, he momentarily regained his natural, rather sarcastic tone: “The war has cleansed Paris of all its foreigners, either by shooting them or by expelling them. It's instantly become a charming place. For the time being, Raoul Bardac is in the motor service at Versailles, and Corporal Satie is defending Arcueil. Erlanger is at the disposal of the Minister of War, perhaps to clean the inkwells?” Added to his note was this postscript: “In [18]70 they had Richard Wagner; in 1914 they have only Richard Strauss.”!

Stay in Angers

On 31 August, the Germans were already at Compiègne, less than fifty miles north of Paris. Debussy asked Arthur Fontaine, an old friend who held an official position, for advice. Emma was anxious and insisted that they leave Paris. As the government itself was retreating to Bordeaux on 3 September, Debussy decided the next day to ask for a safe-conduct pass to go to Angers “with 4 people.” During the trip, he covered the document issued by the railways with musical sketches for “Pour les notes répétées,” one of his future Études. After a “dreadful trip” and some “nightmarish sights,” the Debussys first ended up at the Hôtel des Trois Marchands—“a type of hostel for cattle dealers.” Fortunately, they encountered Charles Domergue, the founder of the Cercle musical, who had become a bicycle infantryman and who managed to find them a room at the Grand Hôtel.