Claude Debussy – The Little Shepherd, from “Children’s Corner” (audio + sheet music)

Children’s Corner (L. 113) is a six-movement suite for solo piano by Claude Debussy. It was published by Durand in 1908, and was given its world première in Paris by Harold Bauer on December 18 of that year. In 1911, an orchestration of the work by Debussy’s friend André Caplet received its première and was subsequently published. A typical performance of the suite lasts roughly 15 minutes.

It is dedicated to Debussy’s daughter, Claude-Emma (known as “Chou-Chou”), who was three years old at the time. The pieces are not intended to be played by children; rather they are meant to be evocative of childhood and some of the toys in Claude-Emma’s toy collection. Claude-Emma was born on October 30, 1905 in Paris, and is described as a lively and friendly child who was adored by her father. She died of diphtheria on July 14, 1919, scarcely a year after her father’s death.

The Little Shepherd depicts a shepherd with his flute. There are three solos and three commentaries following them. The first solo actually has a breath mark at the end. This piece has different modes in it and uses dissonances which resolve into tonality. (Wikipedia)

Please take note once again that the audio AND the sheet music ARE NOT mine. Change the quality to 480p if the video is blurry.

Performance by: Tom Pascale

music youtube, UCZMNWTrTfFIoj580kGaO8dQ, thenameisgsarci

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