The ''Première rhapsodie'' (First

Rhapsody Rhapsody may refer to: * A work of epic poetry, or part of one, that is suitable for recitation at one time ** Rhapsode, a classical Greek professional performer of epic poetry Computer software * Rhapsody (online music service), an online m ...

), L. 116, CD. 124, by Claude Debussy is a piece for accompanied clarinet. Composed between December 1909 and January 1910, it was dedicated to the French clarinet professor Prosper Mimart. In 1909, Gabriel Fauré, Director of the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

, named Debussy to its board of directors (''le Conseil Supérieur''). One of Debussy's first duties was to supply two works for the next year's clarinet examinations. The ''Rhapsodie'' was first performed as part of the examinations on July 14, 1910. The original composition was for clarinet and piano; Debussy published his own orchestration of the accompaniment in 1911, after the official premiere with Mimart. In 1901, Debussy had been commissioned to write a work for alto saxophone and orchestra by Elise Hall, but never finished the 1903 draft during his lifetime. This "Second Rhapsody" was later completed by

Jean Roger-Ducasse Jean Jules Aimable Roger-Ducasse (Bordeaux, 18 April 1873 – Le Taillan-Médoc ( Gironde), 19 July 1954) was a French composer. Biography Jean Roger-Ducasse studied at the Paris Conservatoire with Émile Pessard and André Gedalge, and was t ...

as ''Rapsodie pour orchestre et saxophone''.

Excerpts

<< \new Staff="clar" \relative c'' \new PianoStaff >> << \new Staff="clar" \relative c'' \new PianoStaff >> << \new Staff="clar" \relative c'' \new PianoStaff >>

References

External links

*
Performance of the ''Première rhapsodie''
by

Richard Stoltzman Richard Leslie Stoltzman (born July 12, 1942) is an American clarinetist. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, he spent his early years in San Francisco, California, and Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating from Woodward High School in 1960. Today, Stoltzman is part ...

(clarinet) and Peter John Stoltzman (piano) from the

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts, which houses significant examples of European, Asian, and American art. Its collection includes paintings, sculpture, tapestries, and decorative arts. It was found ...

MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...

format Compositions by Claude Debussy Compositions for clarinet Music dedicated to ensembles or performers 1910 compositions Rhapsodies {{classical-composition-stub