By Nick Jones

NOTES ON THE PROGRAM by Nick Jones Petite Suite either side by side or at two keyboards, and so Claude Debussy (1862-1918) he turned out the standard pieces with titles Orchestrated by Henri Biisser like “Bohemian Dance” and “Slavic Ballad.” But to this period also belong such enduring Composed for piano duet: 1886-1889. Or favorites as the two Arabesques and the chestrated: 1907. Orchestral forces: two Rêverie for piano solo and the charming flutes, piccolo, two oboes, English horn, two Petite Suite for piano, four hands. All were clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trum later orchestrated, but not by their composer, pets, timpani, percussion, harp, and strings. who had by then moved on to new chal Henry Sopkin conducted this work at ASO lenges. subscription concerts in 1952 and 1962. The Petite Suite was orchestrated for a 1907 Paris concert by the conductor Henri Debussy was slow to warm to the piano, Biisser. Its four evocative miniatures are seen a circumstance perhaps understandable in by critics as demonstrating the young view of the exquisite nuances of color his Debussy’s influences among his French fore mature music draws from voices and from the bears and contemporaries. En bateau wide spectrum of orchestral instruments. The (Andantino) is a barcarolle, by turns languid mechanical fact that every note struck on a and elated, reminiscent of those by Fauré. piano begins at its loudest point and dies The delicate Cortège (Moderato) is said to inexorably away from there must have owe something to Bizet. The Menuet (Mod seemed an expressive defect to him. Later in erato), containing melodies doubled at the his career he was to plumb the expressive interval of a 10th below, is perhaps the most possibilities of the instrument in his two innately pianistic of the pieces, its elegance books of exquisite Préludes and his dozen attributed to the influence of Massenet. The Études (dedicated to Chopin), but during his final Ballet (Allegro giusto) is bustling and student years at the Paris Conservatory he is festive, suggesting the spirit of Chabrier with reported to have had a very uneasy relation a touch of Delibes added. ship with the piano. His teacher Antoine François Marmontel is reported to have remarked, “Debussy isn’t very fond of the Petite Suite from Jeux d’enfants piano, but he loves music.” As a student per (“Children’s Games”) former, he was said to overdo every effect at Georges Bizet (1838-1875) the keyboard, as though trying to control an obstreperous steed. Composed for piano duet: 1871. Suite Little wonder then that Debussy’s early selected and orchestrated by the composer: keyboard works seem a bit uncharacteristic, 1873. First performance: March 2, 1873, not so much awkward or inferior as simply Odèon Theater, Paris; Edouard Colonne con not “Debussian.” Not only was he searching ducting. Orchestral forces: two flutes, pic for his own voice as a composer — as almost colo, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, all young composers do at first — but he was four horns, two trumpets, timpani, percus also looking for an accommodation with the sion, and strings. These are the first ASO per instrument itself. formances o f the complete Suite, although Still, some sort of peace had to be made. various movements have been heard at ASO In the early 1880s, he was for a while the concerts for young listeners. house pianist to Mme. von Meek, Tchaikovsky’s Russian patroness. He was the Many a composer has had to weather keyboardist of a piano-violin-cello trio that parental disapproval to prepare for a career in she maintained, he taught her children piano, music, but Bizet’s musical parents intended and he played four-hand duets with the lady him from the start for a musical career. There herself. As a budding composer in the decade is a famous story that at one point in his child that followed, he knew that keyboard music hood, they even hid his schoolbooks so that sold well for home performance, both solo he would pay more attention to his musical pieces and music for duo pianists playing training. As a youngster, he listened outside 18.

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