This wide-ranging study of Gabriel Fauré and his contemporaries places the music of Fauré in a historical and philosophical context and considers such questions as the meaning of personal style in art and the representation of religious belief in music. Taking a broad view of cultural life during the composer's lifetime and beyond, the book moves deftly between specific details in Fauré's music and related critical, literary and philosophical issues, ranging from Gounod to Boulez and from Proust to Valéry.