According the author, this dissertation focuses on the issues of the French style and sound in solo violin music of the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which is approached from three perspectives: “a detailed look at performance directions [in the scores]; comparison among recordings by artists close to this period…as well as contemporary artists; and interviews with three living French violinists…with strong ties to this tradition.” The artist identifies three “pivotal” works: Franck's violin sonata, Debussy's violin sonata, and Ravel's “Tzigane.” To achieve this “French” sound, the author and those professionals who were interviewed (Régis Pasquier, Olivier Charlier, and Gérard Poulet) believe that bow technique plays an extremely important role. The “delicate and imperceptible” elements present in the French style call for a great variety in the use of the bow: pressure, speed, etc. These nuances create a “very fluid and colorful sound.” Likewise the piano for which these composers wrote the accompaniment for their sonatas (Franck and Debussy) had a different sound that modern Steinways. The Erard and Pleyel were more capable of producing a “light, veiled, or distant sonority,” thus creating a “sweet, misty tone” characteristic of the French sound. The study is divided into five parts beginning with a discussion of Fin du Siècle Paris, then proceeding to an explanation of the “shape and style” of the three works in question, before examining each work individually. The appendix contains transcriptions of the author's interviews with Charlier, Pasquier, and Poulet, which are extremely interesting. The term of le bon goût is mentioned in several places, and it must be understood not only as “good taste,” but also the idea of finesse and refinement. The variety of sonorities – the speed of the bow, the pressure of the bow, the variations in vibrato, and the tasteful use of portamento and portando – all contribute greatly to the French style. This study – a very fine first step in identifying and defining so elusive a thing as style – also leaves room for further investigation; such as, what role did the Paris Conservatoire play in establishing (knowingly or not) the French style.