France and the "Belle Époque"

The end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th mark a period of long-lasting peace in France, after the constant turmoil of wars between the country and it's neighbors in the early years of the French Third Republic. Unrestrained optimism, innovation, creativity, but also imperialism drove the society to an unmatched artistic growth, in an era nostalgically referred to as the Belle Époque. France was a cultural center of global influence; its educational, scientific and medical institutions were at the leading edge of Europe, and Paris was an effervescent hub for artists from all around the world. The western classical music of the times deeply reflects the state of euphory of the European societies preceding the outbreak of the Great War. The ever-developing demand and commissions of chamber music from the bourgeoisie and the "nouveaux-riches" created an abundant musical life bathed in the values of optimism and inventiveness. The exacerbated curiosity towards exotic cultures as well, with it's positive and negative implications, culminating in the successive World's Fairs, also had a striking effect on the composers musical imagery.