![Caroline Rae Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres; MA, DPhil (Oxon), Dipl.Mus (Hanover), ARCM](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/810?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Professor Caroline Rae
Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres; MA, DPhil (Oxon), Dipl.Mus (Hanover), ARCM
Professor of Music
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Overview
I am Professor of Music, pianist, author and broadcaster, and received the distinction of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French Government in 2018 for my services to French music and culture. While my research focuses on twentieth-century music in France from Debussy onwards, embracing performance practice as well as archival study, I am also an authority on the musical writings of Alejo Carpentier and broader Franco-Latin American interactions. My research has been funded by the British Academy and AHRC and I am Co-Director of CFMR (Cardiff French Music Research). In addition to my extensive publications which include five books, numerous book chapters and articles, I give recitals and lecture-recitals relating to my research interests and present regularly at international conferences. Recent public talks include at the BBC Proms, the Royal Festival Hall, Barbican Centre, Royal College of Music, Cardiff International Concert Season as well as broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4.
I also enjoy working with orchestras and was Series Advisor to the Philharmonia Orchestra’s international festival of French music City of Light: Paris 1900-1950, nominated for a RPS award in 2016. As a programming consultant to the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, I co-organised their Discovering Dutilleux Festival, which took place in the presence of the composer, Dutilleux 100, Sacher Perspectives Season featuring works commissioned by Paul Sacher, and Jolivet Composer Portrait.
As a pianist, I was a pupil of Dame Fanny Waterman from childhood, later studying in France with Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen, and in Germany with Karl-Heinz Kämmerling and David Wilde at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover. I am a graduate of Somerville College Oxford where I completed my DPhil under the direction of Robert Sherlaw Johnson with whom I maintained a two-piano duo for many years.
Forthcoming publications:
Claude Debussy d’hier à aujourd’hui (Société Française de Musicologie, 2024)
Stravinsky and France: Reception, Interactions and Legacy (University of Rochester Press, 2025)
‘Boulez and his “Useless” Contemporaries’, in Edward Campbell ed., Pierre Boulez in Context (Cambridge University Press, 2025)
‘Debussy’s Influence Since 1945: French Compositional Descendancies’ (with Edward Campbell) in Barbara L. Kelly and David Code eds, Debussy Studies II (Cambridge University Press, 2025)
‘Carpentier’s Early Music Criticism’ and ‘Carpentier’s Early Musical Collaborations’, in Anke Birkenmeier ed., Alejo Carpentier in Context (Cambridge University Press, 2025)
Publication
2025
- Rae, C. 2025. Boulez and his “useless” contemporaries: From polemics to reconciliations. In: Campbell, E. ed. Pierre Boulez in Context. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2024
- Rae, C. 2024. Fanny Waterman. In: Cannadine, D. ed. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press
- Branger, J. et al. eds. 2024. Claude Debussy, d’hier à aujourd’hui. Paris: Société française de musicologie.
- Rae, C. 2024. Marius-François Gaillard and his pianistic contemporaries: Interpretation and style in the 78-rpm recordings of Debussy’s piano works. In: Branger, J. et al. eds. Claude Debussy, d'hier à aujourd'hui. Paris: Société française de musicologie
- de Médicis, F., Rae, C. and Trottier, D. eds. 2024. Stravinsky and France: Reception, interactions and legacy. University of Rochester Press.
- Campbell, E. and Rae, C. 2024. Debussy’s influence since 1945: French compositional descendancies. In: Code, D. and Kelly, B. L. eds. Debussy Studies 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- Rae, C. 2024. Echoes of the rite: Jolivet, Ohana and the style incantatoire. In: de Médicis, F., Rae, C. and Trottier, D. eds. Stravinsky and France: Reception, interactions and legacy. Rochester NY: University of Rochester Press
2023
- Rae, C. 2023. Pianism and virtuosity in Messiaen’s Vingt regards sur l’enfant-Jésus. In: Sholl, R. ed. Messiaen in Context. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 207-220.
- Rae, C. 2023. Revitalising the spiritual: Messiaen and La Jeune France. In: Sholl, R. ed. Messiaen in Context. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 103-118.
2020
- Rae, C. 2020. Jolivet reassessed. Presented at: Université de Montréal Research Seminar, Université de Montréal [via Zoom], 14 October 2020.
- Rae, C. 2020. Forging identities: Latin Americans in Paris and the musical interactions of Miguel Angel Asturias and Alejo Carpentier. In: Huebner, S. and Lazzaro, F. eds. Artistic Migration and Identity: Paris 1870-1940. Bern, New York, Oxford: Peter Lang, pp. 153-166., (10.3726/b14353)
- Branger, J. et al. eds. 2020. Claude Debussy d’hier à aujourd’hui. Paris: Société française de musicologie.
2019
- Rae, C. 2019. Catalysing Latin American identities: Alejo Carpentier’s music criticism as a Cuban case study. In: Dingle, C. ed. The Cambridge History of Music Criticism. The Cambridge History of Music Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 484-501.
- Rae, C. 2019. Mussorgsky and his French compositional descendants. London: Signum Classics, SIGCD-566.
- Rae, C. 2019. Jolivet and the visual arts: Interactions and influences. In: Rae, C. ed. André Jolivet: Music, Art and Literature. Music and Literature Abingdon and New York: Routledge, pp. 107-131.
- Rae, C., Anderson, J. and Potter, C. 2019. The incantatory and the divine: new perspectives on the music of André Jolivet. Presented at: Guildhall School of Music and Drama Research Seminar (ResearchWorks series), Guildhall School of Music and Drama, 18 November 2019.
- Rae, C. 2019. Poulenc at the BBC: composer of the month. BBC Music Magazine Novemb, pp. 66-70.
- Rae, C. 2019. Expressing the incantatory: performing Jolivet's Cinq églogues (1967) for solo viola. Presented at: Public Research Seminar, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, 29 October 2019.
- Rae, C. 2019. Proportioning the divine: Jolivet and the golden section. Presented at: Public Research Seminar, University of Aberdeen, 24 October 2019.
- Rae, C. 2019. Sourcing Jolivet’s compositional aesthetic: Literary influences and his library. In: Rae, C. ed. André Jolivet: Music, Art and Literature. Music and Literature Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 194-213.
- Rae, C. 2019. Introduction: Jolivet in context. In: Rae, C. ed. André Jolivet: Music, Art and Literature. Music and Literature Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 1-12.
- Rae, C. 2019. Chronology of Jolivet’s life and works. In: Rae, C. ed. André Jolivet: Music, Art and Literature. Music and Literature Abingdon: Routledge, pp. xxii-xxxix.
2018
- Rae, C. 2018. Marius-François Gaillard’s Debussy: Controversies and pianistic legacy. In: de Médicis, F. and Huebner, S. eds. Debussy's Resonance. Eastman Studies in Music Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, pp. 562-580.
- Rae, C. ed. 2018. André Jolivet: music, art and literature. Music and Literature. London: Routledge. (10.4324/9780429429255)
- Rae, C. 2018. Marius-François Gaillard et ses enregistrements de Debussy: exécution, style et esthétique pianistique. Presented at: Colloque international Claude Debussy, Université de Lorraine, Cité Musicale, Metz, 25-26 September 2018.
- Rae, C. 2018. From a foreign correspondent: the Parisian chronicles of Alejo Carpentier. In: Kelly, B. L. and Moore, C. eds. Music Criticism in France, 1918-1939: Authority, Advocacy, Legacy. Woodbridge: Boydell Press, pp. 193-218., (10.1017/9781787442573.009)
- Rae, C. 2018. Debussy's Violin Sonata. [BBC Radio Podcast]. 1 June 2018.
- Rae, C. 2018. André Jolivet, Antonin Artaud and Alejo Carpentier: Redefining the surreal. Presented at: Surrealism and Music in France 1924-1952: Interdisciplinary and International Contexts, Senate House, London, UK, 8 June 2018.
- Rae, C. 2018. Exploring Debussy’s legacy: Maurice Ohana’s 'Tombeau de Claude Debussy'. Presented at: Claude Debussy in 2018: a Centenary Celebration, Manchester and Glasgow, UK, 19-23 March 2018.
- Rae, C. 2018. Exploring Marius-François Gaillard’s Debussy recordings. Presented at: Debussy Day: Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Debussy's Death, University of Bangor, Wales, UK, 12 March 2018.
- Rae, C. 2018. Marius-François Gaillard and his Debussy recordings [CD Booklet article]. UK: Appian Publications and Recordings, APR 6025.
2017
- Rae, C. 2017. Aspects of colour and timbre in Julian Anderson’s Incantesimi: Exploring French connections. Presented at: Julian Anderson Symposium – Julian Anderson Total Immersion Weekend, Barbican Centre and Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, 20-21 October 2017.
2016
- Rae, C. 2016. Musical revolutions: The promotion of new music in Machado’s Cuba. Presented at: Music and Nation 1918-1945 – Europe-Americas (II), Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, UK, 23-24 November 2016.
- Rae, C. 2016. Henri Dutilleux and the power of enchantment. In: BBC Proms 2016: The Official Guide. BBC Proms Guides London: BBC, pp. 54-57.
- Rae, C. 2016. Celebrating the Dutilleux centenary. Presented at: International Dutilleux Symposium, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK, 28 January 2016.
- Rae, C. 2016. Innovation and invention in Ohana’s Si le jour paraît for 10-string guitar. Presented at: International Guitar Research Conference (IGRC), University of Surrey, 18-23 March 2016.
2014
- Rae, C. 2014. Dr. Caroline Rae discusses the War of the Romantics. [Website (BBC Radio 3)]. BBC iWonder Guide-Brahms: BBC. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0282nxf
- Rae, C. and Potter, C. eds. 2014. City of light: Paris 1900-1950. London: Philharmonia Orchestra, Philharmonia Limited.
- Rae, C. 2014. BBC Symphony Orchestra rehearsal performance of Ravel's Bolero, conducted by Lionel Bringuier, with commentary by Dr Caroline Rae.. [Film video]. London: BBC Radio 3. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01t693d
- Rae, C. and Potter, C. 2014. City of light: the French musical milieu. In: Rae, C. and Potter, C. eds. City of Light: Paris 1900-1950 Festival Programme Book. London: Philharmonia Orchestra, pp. 12-19.
- Rae, C. 2014. The magic of timbre: French orchestral sound. In: Rae, C. and Potter, C. eds. City of Light: Paris 1900-1950 Festival Programme Book. London: Philharmonia Orchestra, pp. 23-26.
2013
- Rae, C. 2013. Messiaen and Ohana: parallel preoccupations or anxiety of influence?. In: Dingle, C. and Fallon, R. eds. Messiaen perspectives 2: Techniques, influence and reception. Farnham: Ashgate, pp. 153-174.
- Rae, C. 2013. Messiaen and the romantic gesture: Contemplations on his piano music and pianism. In: Dingle, C. and Fallon, R. eds. Messiaen perspectives 1: Sources and influences. Farnham: Ashgate, pp. 235-256.
- Rae, C. 2013. Dutilleux and Lutosławski: Franco-Polish connections. In: Mantzourani, E. ed. Polish Music since 1945. Krakow: Musica Iagellonica, pp. 147-162.
2012
- Rae, C. 2012. Marius-François Gaillard’s Debussy: performances and recordings – controversy and legacy. Presented at: L'héritage de Claude Debussy: du rêve pour les générations futures, Université de Montréal, Canada, 29 February - 3 March 2012.
2011
- Rae, C. 2011. From a foreign correspondent: Alejo Carpentier’s Parisian Chronicles. Presented at: Music Criticism in France in the Interwar Period (1918-1939), University of Ottawa, Canada, 4-6 November 2011.
- Rae, C. 2011. Debussyist, Modernist, Exoticist: Marius-François Gaillard rediscovered. The Musical Times 152(1916), pp. 59-80.
2010
- Rae, C. 2010. Beyond boundaries: Dutilleux's foreign leavening. Contemporary Music Review 29(5), pp. 431-446. (10.1080/07494467.2010.589123)
- Potter, C. and Rae, C. 2010. Dutilleux at 95: Preface. Contemporary Music Review 29(5), pp. 429-430. (10.1080/07494467.2010.589122)
2009
- Rae, C. 2009. Piano music of Africa and the African Diaspora. Ethnomusicology 53(1), pp. 146-151.
2008
- Rae, C. 2008. In Havana and Paris: The musical activities of Alejo Carpentier. Music and Letters 89(3), pp. 373-395. (10.1093/ml/gcn033)
- Rae, C. 2008. The Works of Messiaen's Final Years. In: Sherlaw Johnson, R. and Rae, C. eds. Messiaen. London: Omnibus Press, pp. 196-208.
2007
- Rae, C. 2007. The musical collaborations of Alejo Carpentier: Afrocubanism and the quest for spiritual renewal. Bulletin of Spanish Studies: Hispanic Studies and Researches on Spain, Portugal and Latin America 84(7), pp. 905-929. (10.1080/14753820701560519)
- Rae, C. 2007. Erinnerungen, Träume, Gedanken: Lieder des Zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts. Programmbuch zum Europäischen Musikfest Stuttgart, pp. 232-239.
- Rae, C. 2007. Alejo Carpentier: music and magic realism. Presented at: Centre for Interdisciplinary Music Research (CIMR), Roehampton University, London, 13 October 2007.
2006
- Rae, C. 2006. Alejo Carpentier and the promotion of new music in Machado's Cuba. Presented at: Royal Musical Association Conference, Nottingham University, July 2006.
- Rae, C. 2006. Jolivet on Jolivet: an interview with the composer’s daughter. Musical Times 147(1894), pp. 5-22.
2005
- Rae, C. 2005. Maurice Ohana: From the Garden of the Hesperides [CD booklet article]. Warner Classics.
- Rae, C. 2005. Alexandre Tansman and his Symphonies [CD booklet article]. Chandos.
2004
- Rae, C. 2004. Myth and mysticism in Jolivet: musical magic realism?. Cahiers rémois de musicologie 2, pp. 139-171.
- Rae, C. 2004. Alejo Carpentier and the magic of music: a Centenary retrospective. Presented at: Alejo Carpentier Centenary Lecture, Taylor Institution, Oxford University, 23 November 2004.
- Rae, C. 2004. Maurice Ohana and the Debussyian descendency: an exploration of the music for piano. [Performed at Lecture-Recital, Elder Conservatorium University of Adelaide, 28 July 2004].
- Rae, C. 2004. André Jolivet: The Erato recordings [CD booklet article]. Warner Classics.
- Rae, C. 2004. Lutoslawski Studies [Book Review]. Music and Letters 85(1), pp. 127-132. (10.1093/ml/85.1.127)
- Rae, C. 2004. Irish Music in the Twentieth Century [Book Review]. Music and Letters 85(4), pp. 666-669. (10.1093/ml/85.4.666)
2001
- Rae, C. 2001. Maurice Ohana's 'Livre des Prodiges', 'Anneau du Tamarit' and 'Synaxis'. Tempo(216), pp. 55-58.
- Rae, C. 2001. Tansman, Alexandre. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians 2nd Edition. Grove Music Online Oxford University Press, (10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.27479)
- Rae, C. 2001. Ohana, Maurice. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians 2nd Edition. Grove Music Online Oxford University Press, (10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.20292)
- Rae, C. 2001. Delaistier, Maurice. In: Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press, (10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.44410)
- Rae, C. 2001. Constant, Marius. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians 2nd Edition. Grove Music Online Oxford University Press, (10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.06329)
- Rae, C. 2001. Boutry, Roger. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musician 2nd Edition. Grove Music Online Oxford University Press, (10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.03741)
2000
- Rae, C. 2000. Ohana’s 'In Dark and Blue', 'Sorgin-Ngo' and other music for strings. Notes 57(2), pp. 464-468.
- Rae, C. 2000. Henri Dutilleux and Maurice Ohana: victims of an exclusion zone?. Tempo 212(212), pp. 22-30. (10.1017/s0040298200007580)
- Rae, C. 2000. Maurice Ohana’s 'Office des Oracles' and 'Messe' [Music Review]. Tempo(212), pp. 55-57. (10.1017/S0040298200007683)
- Rae, C. 2000. The music of Maurice Ohana. Aldershot: Ashgate.
1999
- Rae, C. 1999. Magic and music - Alejo Carpentier and Maurice Ohana: cross-connections in Twentieth Century French music and the South Americas. In: Barbiche, J. ed. Des Amériques: impressions et expressions. Paris: L'Harmattan
1995
- Rae, C. 1995. The piano music of Maurice Ohana. Revista Musica 6(12), pp. 44-74.
1994
- Rae, C. 1994. La magie musicale de Maurice Ohana. Le Monde de la musique(2), pp. 16-17.
- Rae, C. 1994. Debussy et Ohana: allusions et références. Cahiers Debussy(17-18), pp. 103-120.
- Rae, C. 1994. L'improvisation dans l’oeuvre de Maurice Ohana. Presented at: l'improvisation Musicale En Question: Actes du Colloque International, Rouen, France, 16-18 March 1992 Presented at Dambricourt, J. ed.l'improvisation Musicale En Question: Actes du Colloque International Tenu à l'Université de Rouen les 16, 17 et 18 Mars 1992. Rouen: Université, Centre d'étude et de diffusion des langues artistiques pp. 73-85.
1992
- Rae, C. 1992. Honegger: a centenary reappraisal. The Musical Times 133(1789), pp. 118-121.
- Rae, C. 1992. Ohana, Maurice. In: Morton, B. and Collins, P. eds. Contemporary Composers. St James Press, pp. 703-705.
- Rae, C. 1992. Le symbolisme et l’archétype du mythe européen dans l’oeuvre de Maurice Ohana. 'Musique et Europe' Cahiers du CIREM (Centre international de recherche aesthétique musicale)(24-5), pp. 115-130.
- Rae, C. 1992. La Célestine. In: Sadie, S. ed. The New Grove Dictionary of Opera., Vol. 1. Macmillan, pp. 795.
- Rae, C. 1992. Ohana, Maurice. In: Sadie, S. ed. The New Grove Dictionary of Opera., Vol. 3. Macmillan, pp. 659-600.
1991
- Rae, C. 1991. Maurice Ohana: iconoclast or individualist?. The Musical Times, pp. 69-74.
1988
- Rae, C. 1988. La Célestine: Maurice Ohana's Oper in Paris. Die neue Zeitschrift für Musik 149(10), pp. 35-36.
Articles
- Rae, C. 2019. Poulenc at the BBC: composer of the month. BBC Music Magazine Novemb, pp. 66-70.
- Rae, C. 2011. Debussyist, Modernist, Exoticist: Marius-François Gaillard rediscovered. The Musical Times 152(1916), pp. 59-80.
- Rae, C. 2010. Beyond boundaries: Dutilleux's foreign leavening. Contemporary Music Review 29(5), pp. 431-446. (10.1080/07494467.2010.589123)
- Potter, C. and Rae, C. 2010. Dutilleux at 95: Preface. Contemporary Music Review 29(5), pp. 429-430. (10.1080/07494467.2010.589122)
- Rae, C. 2009. Piano music of Africa and the African Diaspora. Ethnomusicology 53(1), pp. 146-151.
- Rae, C. 2008. In Havana and Paris: The musical activities of Alejo Carpentier. Music and Letters 89(3), pp. 373-395. (10.1093/ml/gcn033)
- Rae, C. 2007. The musical collaborations of Alejo Carpentier: Afrocubanism and the quest for spiritual renewal. Bulletin of Spanish Studies: Hispanic Studies and Researches on Spain, Portugal and Latin America 84(7), pp. 905-929. (10.1080/14753820701560519)
- Rae, C. 2007. Erinnerungen, Träume, Gedanken: Lieder des Zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts. Programmbuch zum Europäischen Musikfest Stuttgart, pp. 232-239.
- Rae, C. 2006. Jolivet on Jolivet: an interview with the composer’s daughter. Musical Times 147(1894), pp. 5-22.
- Rae, C. 2004. Myth and mysticism in Jolivet: musical magic realism?. Cahiers rémois de musicologie 2, pp. 139-171.
- Rae, C. 2004. Lutoslawski Studies [Book Review]. Music and Letters 85(1), pp. 127-132. (10.1093/ml/85.1.127)
- Rae, C. 2004. Irish Music in the Twentieth Century [Book Review]. Music and Letters 85(4), pp. 666-669. (10.1093/ml/85.4.666)
- Rae, C. 2001. Maurice Ohana's 'Livre des Prodiges', 'Anneau du Tamarit' and 'Synaxis'. Tempo(216), pp. 55-58.
- Rae, C. 2000. Ohana’s 'In Dark and Blue', 'Sorgin-Ngo' and other music for strings. Notes 57(2), pp. 464-468.
- Rae, C. 2000. Henri Dutilleux and Maurice Ohana: victims of an exclusion zone?. Tempo 212(212), pp. 22-30. (10.1017/s0040298200007580)
- Rae, C. 2000. Maurice Ohana’s 'Office des Oracles' and 'Messe' [Music Review]. Tempo(212), pp. 55-57. (10.1017/S0040298200007683)
- Rae, C. 1995. The piano music of Maurice Ohana. Revista Musica 6(12), pp. 44-74.
- Rae, C. 1994. La magie musicale de Maurice Ohana. Le Monde de la musique(2), pp. 16-17.
- Rae, C. 1994. Debussy et Ohana: allusions et références. Cahiers Debussy(17-18), pp. 103-120.
- Rae, C. 1992. Honegger: a centenary reappraisal. The Musical Times 133(1789), pp. 118-121.
- Rae, C. 1992. Le symbolisme et l’archétype du mythe européen dans l’oeuvre de Maurice Ohana. 'Musique et Europe' Cahiers du CIREM (Centre international de recherche aesthétique musicale)(24-5), pp. 115-130.
- Rae, C. 1991. Maurice Ohana: iconoclast or individualist?. The Musical Times, pp. 69-74.
- Rae, C. 1988. La Célestine: Maurice Ohana's Oper in Paris. Die neue Zeitschrift für Musik 149(10), pp. 35-36.
Audio
- Rae, C. 2018. Debussy's Violin Sonata. [BBC Radio Podcast]. 1 June 2018.
Book sections
- Rae, C. 2025. Boulez and his “useless” contemporaries: From polemics to reconciliations. In: Campbell, E. ed. Pierre Boulez in Context. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- Rae, C. 2024. Fanny Waterman. In: Cannadine, D. ed. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press
- Rae, C. 2024. Marius-François Gaillard and his pianistic contemporaries: Interpretation and style in the 78-rpm recordings of Debussy’s piano works. In: Branger, J. et al. eds. Claude Debussy, d'hier à aujourd'hui. Paris: Société française de musicologie
- Campbell, E. and Rae, C. 2024. Debussy’s influence since 1945: French compositional descendancies. In: Code, D. and Kelly, B. L. eds. Debussy Studies 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- Rae, C. 2024. Echoes of the rite: Jolivet, Ohana and the style incantatoire. In: de Médicis, F., Rae, C. and Trottier, D. eds. Stravinsky and France: Reception, interactions and legacy. Rochester NY: University of Rochester Press
- Rae, C. 2023. Pianism and virtuosity in Messiaen’s Vingt regards sur l’enfant-Jésus. In: Sholl, R. ed. Messiaen in Context. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 207-220.
- Rae, C. 2023. Revitalising the spiritual: Messiaen and La Jeune France. In: Sholl, R. ed. Messiaen in Context. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 103-118.
- Rae, C. 2020. Forging identities: Latin Americans in Paris and the musical interactions of Miguel Angel Asturias and Alejo Carpentier. In: Huebner, S. and Lazzaro, F. eds. Artistic Migration and Identity: Paris 1870-1940. Bern, New York, Oxford: Peter Lang, pp. 153-166., (10.3726/b14353)
- Rae, C. 2019. Catalysing Latin American identities: Alejo Carpentier’s music criticism as a Cuban case study. In: Dingle, C. ed. The Cambridge History of Music Criticism. The Cambridge History of Music Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 484-501.
- Rae, C. 2019. Jolivet and the visual arts: Interactions and influences. In: Rae, C. ed. André Jolivet: Music, Art and Literature. Music and Literature Abingdon and New York: Routledge, pp. 107-131.
- Rae, C. 2019. Sourcing Jolivet’s compositional aesthetic: Literary influences and his library. In: Rae, C. ed. André Jolivet: Music, Art and Literature. Music and Literature Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 194-213.
- Rae, C. 2019. Introduction: Jolivet in context. In: Rae, C. ed. André Jolivet: Music, Art and Literature. Music and Literature Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 1-12.
- Rae, C. 2019. Chronology of Jolivet’s life and works. In: Rae, C. ed. André Jolivet: Music, Art and Literature. Music and Literature Abingdon: Routledge, pp. xxii-xxxix.
- Rae, C. 2018. Marius-François Gaillard’s Debussy: Controversies and pianistic legacy. In: de Médicis, F. and Huebner, S. eds. Debussy's Resonance. Eastman Studies in Music Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, pp. 562-580.
- Rae, C. 2018. From a foreign correspondent: the Parisian chronicles of Alejo Carpentier. In: Kelly, B. L. and Moore, C. eds. Music Criticism in France, 1918-1939: Authority, Advocacy, Legacy. Woodbridge: Boydell Press, pp. 193-218., (10.1017/9781787442573.009)
- Rae, C. 2016. Henri Dutilleux and the power of enchantment. In: BBC Proms 2016: The Official Guide. BBC Proms Guides London: BBC, pp. 54-57.
- Rae, C. and Potter, C. 2014. City of light: the French musical milieu. In: Rae, C. and Potter, C. eds. City of Light: Paris 1900-1950 Festival Programme Book. London: Philharmonia Orchestra, pp. 12-19.
- Rae, C. 2014. The magic of timbre: French orchestral sound. In: Rae, C. and Potter, C. eds. City of Light: Paris 1900-1950 Festival Programme Book. London: Philharmonia Orchestra, pp. 23-26.
- Rae, C. 2013. Messiaen and Ohana: parallel preoccupations or anxiety of influence?. In: Dingle, C. and Fallon, R. eds. Messiaen perspectives 2: Techniques, influence and reception. Farnham: Ashgate, pp. 153-174.
- Rae, C. 2013. Messiaen and the romantic gesture: Contemplations on his piano music and pianism. In: Dingle, C. and Fallon, R. eds. Messiaen perspectives 1: Sources and influences. Farnham: Ashgate, pp. 235-256.
- Rae, C. 2013. Dutilleux and Lutosławski: Franco-Polish connections. In: Mantzourani, E. ed. Polish Music since 1945. Krakow: Musica Iagellonica, pp. 147-162.
- Rae, C. 2008. The Works of Messiaen's Final Years. In: Sherlaw Johnson, R. and Rae, C. eds. Messiaen. London: Omnibus Press, pp. 196-208.
- Rae, C. 2001. Tansman, Alexandre. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians 2nd Edition. Grove Music Online Oxford University Press, (10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.27479)
- Rae, C. 2001. Ohana, Maurice. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians 2nd Edition. Grove Music Online Oxford University Press, (10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.20292)
- Rae, C. 2001. Delaistier, Maurice. In: Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press, (10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.44410)
- Rae, C. 2001. Constant, Marius. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians 2nd Edition. Grove Music Online Oxford University Press, (10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.06329)
- Rae, C. 2001. Boutry, Roger. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musician 2nd Edition. Grove Music Online Oxford University Press, (10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.03741)
- Rae, C. 1999. Magic and music - Alejo Carpentier and Maurice Ohana: cross-connections in Twentieth Century French music and the South Americas. In: Barbiche, J. ed. Des Amériques: impressions et expressions. Paris: L'Harmattan
- Rae, C. 1992. Ohana, Maurice. In: Morton, B. and Collins, P. eds. Contemporary Composers. St James Press, pp. 703-705.
- Rae, C. 1992. La Célestine. In: Sadie, S. ed. The New Grove Dictionary of Opera., Vol. 1. Macmillan, pp. 795.
- Rae, C. 1992. Ohana, Maurice. In: Sadie, S. ed. The New Grove Dictionary of Opera., Vol. 3. Macmillan, pp. 659-600.
Books
- Branger, J. et al. eds. 2024. Claude Debussy, d’hier à aujourd’hui. Paris: Société française de musicologie.
- de Médicis, F., Rae, C. and Trottier, D. eds. 2024. Stravinsky and France: Reception, interactions and legacy. University of Rochester Press.
- Branger, J. et al. eds. 2020. Claude Debussy d’hier à aujourd’hui. Paris: Société française de musicologie.
- Rae, C. ed. 2018. André Jolivet: music, art and literature. Music and Literature. London: Routledge. (10.4324/9780429429255)
- Rae, C. and Potter, C. eds. 2014. City of light: Paris 1900-1950. London: Philharmonia Orchestra, Philharmonia Limited.
- Rae, C. 2000. The music of Maurice Ohana. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Conferences
- Rae, C. 2020. Jolivet reassessed. Presented at: Université de Montréal Research Seminar, Université de Montréal [via Zoom], 14 October 2020.
- Rae, C., Anderson, J. and Potter, C. 2019. The incantatory and the divine: new perspectives on the music of André Jolivet. Presented at: Guildhall School of Music and Drama Research Seminar (ResearchWorks series), Guildhall School of Music and Drama, 18 November 2019.
- Rae, C. 2019. Expressing the incantatory: performing Jolivet's Cinq églogues (1967) for solo viola. Presented at: Public Research Seminar, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, 29 October 2019.
- Rae, C. 2019. Proportioning the divine: Jolivet and the golden section. Presented at: Public Research Seminar, University of Aberdeen, 24 October 2019.
- Rae, C. 2018. Marius-François Gaillard et ses enregistrements de Debussy: exécution, style et esthétique pianistique. Presented at: Colloque international Claude Debussy, Université de Lorraine, Cité Musicale, Metz, 25-26 September 2018.
- Rae, C. 2018. André Jolivet, Antonin Artaud and Alejo Carpentier: Redefining the surreal. Presented at: Surrealism and Music in France 1924-1952: Interdisciplinary and International Contexts, Senate House, London, UK, 8 June 2018.
- Rae, C. 2018. Exploring Debussy’s legacy: Maurice Ohana’s 'Tombeau de Claude Debussy'. Presented at: Claude Debussy in 2018: a Centenary Celebration, Manchester and Glasgow, UK, 19-23 March 2018.
- Rae, C. 2018. Exploring Marius-François Gaillard’s Debussy recordings. Presented at: Debussy Day: Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Debussy's Death, University of Bangor, Wales, UK, 12 March 2018.
- Rae, C. 2017. Aspects of colour and timbre in Julian Anderson’s Incantesimi: Exploring French connections. Presented at: Julian Anderson Symposium – Julian Anderson Total Immersion Weekend, Barbican Centre and Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, 20-21 October 2017.
- Rae, C. 2016. Musical revolutions: The promotion of new music in Machado’s Cuba. Presented at: Music and Nation 1918-1945 – Europe-Americas (II), Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, UK, 23-24 November 2016.
- Rae, C. 2016. Celebrating the Dutilleux centenary. Presented at: International Dutilleux Symposium, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK, 28 January 2016.
- Rae, C. 2016. Innovation and invention in Ohana’s Si le jour paraît for 10-string guitar. Presented at: International Guitar Research Conference (IGRC), University of Surrey, 18-23 March 2016.
- Rae, C. 2012. Marius-François Gaillard’s Debussy: performances and recordings – controversy and legacy. Presented at: L'héritage de Claude Debussy: du rêve pour les générations futures, Université de Montréal, Canada, 29 February - 3 March 2012.
- Rae, C. 2011. From a foreign correspondent: Alejo Carpentier’s Parisian Chronicles. Presented at: Music Criticism in France in the Interwar Period (1918-1939), University of Ottawa, Canada, 4-6 November 2011.
- Rae, C. 2007. Alejo Carpentier: music and magic realism. Presented at: Centre for Interdisciplinary Music Research (CIMR), Roehampton University, London, 13 October 2007.
- Rae, C. 2006. Alejo Carpentier and the promotion of new music in Machado's Cuba. Presented at: Royal Musical Association Conference, Nottingham University, July 2006.
- Rae, C. 2004. Alejo Carpentier and the magic of music: a Centenary retrospective. Presented at: Alejo Carpentier Centenary Lecture, Taylor Institution, Oxford University, 23 November 2004.
- Rae, C. 1994. L'improvisation dans l’oeuvre de Maurice Ohana. Presented at: l'improvisation Musicale En Question: Actes du Colloque International, Rouen, France, 16-18 March 1992 Presented at Dambricourt, J. ed.l'improvisation Musicale En Question: Actes du Colloque International Tenu à l'Université de Rouen les 16, 17 et 18 Mars 1992. Rouen: Université, Centre d'étude et de diffusion des langues artistiques pp. 73-85.
Other
- Rae, C. 2019. Mussorgsky and his French compositional descendants. London: Signum Classics, SIGCD-566.
- Rae, C. 2018. Marius-François Gaillard and his Debussy recordings [CD Booklet article]. UK: Appian Publications and Recordings, APR 6025.
- Rae, C. 2005. Maurice Ohana: From the Garden of the Hesperides [CD booklet article]. Warner Classics.
- Rae, C. 2005. Alexandre Tansman and his Symphonies [CD booklet article]. Chandos.
- Rae, C. 2004. André Jolivet: The Erato recordings [CD booklet article]. Warner Classics.
Performances
- Rae, C. 2004. Maurice Ohana and the Debussyian descendency: an exploration of the music for piano. [Performed at Lecture-Recital, Elder Conservatorium University of Adelaide, 28 July 2004].
Videos
- Rae, C. 2014. Dr. Caroline Rae discusses the War of the Romantics. [Website (BBC Radio 3)]. BBC iWonder Guide-Brahms: BBC. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0282nxf
- Rae, C. 2014. BBC Symphony Orchestra rehearsal performance of Ravel's Bolero, conducted by Lionel Bringuier, with commentary by Dr Caroline Rae.. [Film video]. London: BBC Radio 3. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01t693d
Research
My research focuses on twentieth century music in France from Debussy onwards and embraces reception and archival study as well as practice-based research on issues of pianism as well as performance practice. I am also an authority on the musical writings of Alejo Carpentier. Current research projects include monographs on the music of André Jolivet and the Debussy Préludes for piano.
In 2018, I received the distinction of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Letters from the French Government for my services to French music and culture, and my research has been funded by the British Academy and AHRC.
Recent publications include André Jolivet: Music, Art and Literature (Routledge, 2019), the first book on the composer in English for which I am contributing editor, and the edited volumes Claude Debussy, d’hier à aujourd’hui (SFM, 2024) and Stravinsky and France: Reception, Interactions and Legacy (URP, forthcoming 2025) for both of which I am contributing co-editor. Additionally, I have published recent book chapters on Messiaen, Jolivet, Boulez, Dutilleux, performance practice in Debussy’s piano works, Franco-Latin American interactions, and Alejo Carpentier.
I am Co-Director of CFMR (Cardiff French Music Research), broadcast regularly for the BBC and frequently present at international conferences in the UK and abroad. As a pianist, I maintain my activities as a performer. I have been a programming consultant for the Philharmonia Orchestra and BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and organised international conferences and symposia including:
• André Jolivet 2024: A 50th Anniversary Retrospective, Public Study Day (Cardiff, November 2024)
• Celebrating the Dutilleux Centenary, Public Study Day in association with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (Cardiff, January 2016)
• City of Light: Paris 1900-1950 International Conference in association with the Institut Français and RMA (London, May 2015)
• Music and War: City of Light Explore Day, in association with the Philharmonia Orchestra (Somerset House London, February 2015)
• Exploring Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande, Public Study Day in association with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Southbank Centre London, November 2014)
• Sacher Perspectives: New Methods in Source Study, International Conference in association with the Paul Sacher Foundation, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Swiss Embassy and RMA (Cardiff, March 2012)
• Discovering the Music of André Jolivet, Public Study Day in association with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (Cardiff, December 2011)
• Discovering Dutilleux Symposium, in association with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (Cardiff, February 2008) – in the presence of the composer.
Teaching
I have been Director of UG Studies and Chair of the UG Examining Board as well as Director of PGT Studies and Chair of the MA Examining Board, and Director ot Teaching and Learning.
At undergraduate level, my teaching has included modules on Music in France since 1900, Piano Music and Pianism from Liszt to Ligeti, Schenkerian Analysis, Tonal and Post-Tonal Analysis, Debussy and Bartók (specialist modules), Elements of Tonal Music, Harmony and Counterpoint (including fugue), Performance Seminars for public recitalists as well as Repertoire Studies and twentieth-century music history. In addition, I supervise dissertations and analysis projects on a wide range of topics.
At Master's level, I am currently module leader for the Closed and Public Recitals on the MA Performance pathway for which I give regular Performance Masterclasses, and also contrbute to the MA Music Studies and Composition pathways. I have taught specialist modules on twentieth-century French music with particular reference to the piano music of Debussy and Messiaen, as well as Dutilleux, Ohana, Boulez and Poulenc, and also taught Performance Practice, Cultures of Performance, Organology and Technique, and Repertoire Studies. I have supervised dissertations on a wide range of topics including Clara Schumann, Boulez's Second Piano Sonata, Poulenc, and aspects of music in Cuba.
Biography
Caroline Rae is Professor of Music at Cardiff University and has been a Visiting Lecturer at the universities of Paris-Sorbonne, Paris 8, Rouen and Köln, and Visiting Scholar at St John’s College Oxford. A specialist in twentieth-century French music, she was made a Chevalier de l’ordre des arts et des lettres by the French Government for services to French music in 2018. Co-Director of the Cardiff French Music Research centre (CFRM), she has published extensively on French music from Debussy onwards as well as on the music criticism of the Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier. In addition to numerous articles and book chapters, she is the author of The Music of Maurice Ohana (Ashgate, 2000 and 2019), contributing co-editor of Dutilleux at 95 (Contemporary Music Review, 2010), contributing editor of the first book on Jolivet in English, André Jolivet: Music, Art and Literature (Routledge, 2019), contributing co-editor of Claude Debussy d’hier à aujourd’hui (SFR in press) and Stravinsky and France: Reception, Interactions and Legacy (URP in press), and am currently completing a monograph on Jolivet for Boydell. My research has been supported by the AHRC, British Academy and a Cardiff University Research Fellowship (2018-2019). I have convened four major international conferences supported by the Royal Musical Association in collaboration with organisations including the Paul Sacher Foundation, Institut français, Swiss Embassy and BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and also presented at, and served on the committees of, many others in the UK and abroad. A regular reviewer for various publishers and grant awarding authorities, I have been an external examiner in conservatoire as well as university sectors.
Series Advisor to the Philharmonia Orchestra’s acclaimed City of Light: Paris 1900-1950 season, nominated for an RPS award in 2016, she was programming consultant to the BBC National Orchestra of Wales for the BBC Discovering Dutilleux Festival (2008), Jolivet Composer Portrait (2011), Paul Sacher Perspectives Season (2011-12) and Dutilleux 100 (2016). My BBC Radio 3 broadcasting includes Composer of the Week, Record Review and Building a Library as well as live concert commentaries and interval features including for International Woman’s Day and the BBC Proms.
Also a pianist, Caroline remains active as a performer giving recitals and lecture-recitals relating to her research interests. She was a pupil of Dame Fanny Waterman from childhood, later studying in Paris with Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen and with Karlheinz Kämmerling and David Wilde at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hanover. She completed her DPhil at Somerville College Oxford with Robert Sherlaw Johnson with whom she maintained a two-piano duo for many years featuring Messiaen’s Visions de l’Amen. She has served on the juries of the BBC Young Musician Competition as well as the Wales International Piano Competition.
Honours and awards
Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for services to French music and culture (2018).
Visiting Scholar St John's College Oxford (2002)
French Government Scholarship (1982-3)
Professional memberships
Vice-President, Royal Musical Association
Committees and reviewing
Jury member BBC Young Musician Competition
Jury member Wales International Piano Competition
Supervisions
I welcome enquiries from prospective PhD candidates on all aspects of music in France of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, pianism and performance practice, and twentieth-century concert music in Latin America.
Current supervision
Past projects
I have supervised many PhDs successfully to completion, these including:
Performance Practices in the Piano Works of Ravel
French Women Composers of the Interwar Years
The Organ Music of Maurice Duruflé
Joly Braga Santos and the Piano
New Music in West Germany of the 1940s
New Approaches to Systematic Composition
Identity and Poetic Space in Original Composition
The Piano Music of Maurice Ohana
The 20th-Century Harpsichord
