Claude DEBUSSY comes to the aid of his stepson, Raoul Bardac.
« It would be better for the service if Raoul Bardac were not forced to take up another assignment
Sold
« It would be better for the service if Raoul Bardac were not forced to take up another assignment
Sold
Claude Debussy (1862.1918)
Autographed pneumatic letter signed to Philippe Berthelot.
One page in-12° on green paper with serrated edges.
Residual trace of a collector's stamp.
[Paris] November 23, 1916.
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“Dear Sir, Thanks to you Raoul Bardac has been assigned to the auxiliary service. Mr. A [uguste] Bréal would like to keep him in the functions he currently holds, that is to say attached to South American propaganda in liaison with the Senate parliamentary committee of Latin America.
Therefore, you will likely soon receive a request from the Press House to retain him. I hope you will agree to this request, which will be forwarded to you by A. Bréal. It would be preferable for the service if Raoul Bardac were not obliged to take up another assignment in the auxiliary service, one that is more or less unsuitable for his abilities, perhaps even far away. Please allow me to sincerely thank you for your kindness and accept my heartfelt gratitude. Yours sincerely, Claude Debussy.
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The Maison de la Presse (Press House) was created in January 1916 by Philippe Berthelot, then working in the office of Aristide Briand, President of the Council. It was an interministerial service for collecting and disseminating information through leaflets, pamphlets, and newspapers. This propaganda organization's mission was to shift the blame for the war onto the enemy and to support the Allies. The composer and musician Raoul Bardac (1881-1950), Claude Debussy's stepson, was mobilized there.
On the same day, Claude Debussy sent a letter to Auguste Bréal on the same subject, mentioning Philippe Berthelot and recommending that his stepson be kept in the service of South American Propaganda (letter kept at the Pierpont Morgan Library, MLT D289.B828).
Brother-in-law of Alfred Cortot and one of the leaders of the Maison de la Presse (he was in charge of the Propaganda Section), Auguste Bréal was a close friend of Philippe Berthelot: he would write his biography, published by Gallimard in 1937.