Between 1914 and 1924 a complex mood of change was in the air which, in its simplest terms, involved a new freedom to experiment and a sweeping aside of traditionally held values. In music this took the form of a revolt against the Impressionism ofDebussy and the dense chromaticism of German romanticism.

The other members were Louis Durey, Arthur Honegger, Germaine Tailleferre, Georges Auric, Darius Milhaud and Francis Poulenc. From 1916 onwards the group's chief venues were the Salle Huygens, which also included works of art and performances of poetry, and the Théatre du Vieux- Colombier, which was run by the singer Jane Bathori. Milhaud began to add to these regular performances with Saturday evening dinners at his apartment. Afterwards they would all adjourn to the fairgounds, circuses, cinemas or music- halls and soak up the effects of a million experiences and sounds all going on at once which were to become a crucial part of their compositions. Paris's popular Nouveau Cirque and Cirque Medrano included a cosmopolitan array of acts - clowns, acrobats, jugglers, magic and animal numbers - as well as musical plays, pantomimes and even operettas.

The annual fair was a spectacular event too, containing many of the elements of the circus, as well as stalls selling household goods and food. The pivotal work as far as Cocteau's ideas were concerned had been Erik Satie's ballet Parade, which he saw as symbolising the emergence of a new Parisian musical avant- garde. It was the result of the colourful collaboration between Cocteau (who devised the scenario), Picasso (who designed the sets and costumes), the choreographer Leonide Massine and Satie, and its premiere in 1917 caused a riot. By 1920 the group of six composers had transformed into Les Six and become a prominent force in Parisian musical life. It has to be said though that their musical styles were all very different, and they followed Cocteau's ideas to a greater or lesser degree. Their main bond seems to have been one of friendship although they were often extremely critical, as well as supportive, of each other's work. The group eventually dissolved as their careers and musical outlooks developed and took different paths.