Letters and postcards were written from various places : Paris, Royan, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Cannes, Brussels, Fontainebleau, Salzburg and elsewhere. It is a characteristically witty series, especially in the collection of postcards, where the composer often sends a humorous line or remark, sometimes relating to the image printed on the reverse, enclosing frivolous and irreverent poems. It is also a revealing correspondence, all the more since Paul Dukas was a notably private person. This collection of letters to Marguerite Hasselmans contains intimate insights into his private and professional life, discussing his works, including Ariane et Barbe-Bleu, the symphony, la Peri amongst others ; his friendship with Albéniz (deploring his loss), Fauré, Paul Claudel, Alfred Cortot, Widor, Saint-Saëns, Jacques Durand, Florent Schmitt, Poujaud, and his family, including announcing his decision to marry Suzanne Pereyra, the death of his brother, the anniversary of his father's death and other family events; the musical life of Paris and his work as a critic. As the companion of Fauré and a musician herself, Marguerite Hasselmans was a uniquely-placed correspondent for Paul Dukas.Their correspondence continued and even intensified after Fauré's death.
Paul Dukas' correspondence with Marguerite Hasselmans spans the years 1907 to 1933 and includes 86 autograph letters and 50 postcards adressed to Marguerite Hasselmans, signed with initials ("PD") or in full ("Paul Dukas"). The collection also includes three letters from Paul Dukas to Gabriel Fauré and contains 15 letters and postcards to Marguerite Hasselmans or her father Alphonse and her brother Louis, written by Paul Poujaud, Jules Massenet, Benjamin Godard, Pauline Viardot, Pierre Lalo and Camille Saint-Saëns.