Outside the schools, especially in the North, a certain number of teachers of both sexes have formed choral societies among work-girls and co-operative societies, such as La Fraternelle at Saint Quentin.

In a general way one may say that M. Maurice Buchor’s campaign has especially succeeded in departments like that of Aisne and Drome, where the ground has been prepared by the Academy Inspector.  Unhappily in many districts the movement receives a lively opposition from music-teachers, who do not approve of this mnemotechnical way of learning poetry with music, without any instruction in solfeggio or musical science.  And it is quite evident that this method would have its defects if it were a question of training musicians.  But it is really a matter of training people who have some music in them; and so the musicians must not be too fastidious.  I hope that great musicians will one day spring from this good ground—­musicians more human than those of our own time, musicians whose music will be rooted in their hearts and in their country.]

[Footnote 249:  We must not forget M. Bourgault-Ducoudray, who was his forerunner with his Chants de Fontenoy, collections of songs for the Ecoles Normales.]

M. Buchor’s endeavours have been the most extensive and the most fruitful, but he is not alone in individual effort.  There was, twenty years ago, in the suburbs of Paris and in the provinces, a large number of well-meaning people who devoted themselves to the work of musical education with sincerity and splendid enthusiasm.  But their good works were too isolated, and were swamped by the apathy of the people about them; though sometimes they kindled little fires of love and understanding in art, which only needed coaxing in order to burn brightly; and even their less happy efforts generally succeeded in lighting a few sparks, which were left smouldering in people’s hearts.[250]

At length, as a result of these individual efforts, the State began to show an interest in this educational movement, although it had for so long stood apart from it.[251] It discovered, in its turn, the educational value of singing.  A musical test was instituted at the examination for the Brevet superieur[252] which made the study of solfeggio a more serious matter in the Ecoles Normales.  In 1903 an endeavour was made to organise the teaching of music in the schools and colleges in a more rational way.[253]

[Footnote 250:  Mention must especially be made of little groups of young students, pupils of the Universities or the larger schools, who are devoting themselves at present to the moral and musical instruction of the people.  Such an effort, made more than a year ago at Vaugirard, resulted in the Manecanterie des petits chanteurs de la Croix de bois, a small choir of the children of the people, who in the poor parishes go from one church to another singing Gregorian and Palestrinian music.]