In France, from the end of 19th century to the beginning of 20th century, Wagner’s influence still dominated the French music. On the other hand, however, the nationalism which caused by the Franco-Prussian War obviously enforced its invasion upon every aspects. Furthermore, the latter was also regarded as a trigger of the “Neo-Classicism,” which was popular in the 1920s.Under these two different trends, the masterpiece “Joueurs de flute” by Albert Roussel (1869-1937) was appeared in 1924.

This thesis contains three chapters. The background of Roussel’s music and his unusual life are briefly addressed in the first chapter. Roussel’s music creation process can be divided into three stages and each of them is carefully studied to uncover how his music style was developed. The literature implication and criticism about his work “Joueurs de flute” is also introduced in this chapter.

The following chapter analyzes the structure and the application of his composition method in this work. Five dimensions are focused:“Form”,“Modes and Tonalities”, “Melody”, “Harmony”, and “Beat and Rhythm Pattern”.

The Final chapter combines the previous research in order to find the more appropriate way to perform this work.