Petite Suite - by Claude Debussy

Petite Suite by Claude Debussy
Performed Sunday, March 19th, 2023 | First Christian Church
Conductor: Thomas Wilson
Audio/Video: Michael Lascuola
Program Notes: Jennifer Carpenter
Many concert goers associate Debussy with his impressionist works - music that focuses on mood, atmosphere, and scenes, most famously Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894) and La Mer (1903-5). We see some foreshadowing of the Impressionist composer Debussy was to become in his Petite Suite.
Debussy’s Petite Suite is probably the least characteristic work of his that found a place in the enduring repertoire. An early work, Debussy originally wrote Petite Suite as a series of pieces for piano for four-hands right after he completed his studies at the Paris Conservatory. He had recently won the Prix de Rome in 1884, which helped seal his status as an emerging French composer; but it would be another year after the completion of Petite Suite until Debussy’s sound and style settled into the soundscapes we associate with his music. However, there are momentary glances toward the later Debussy in this work, particularly in the opening movement, “En Bateau” (In a Boat; from Verlaine’s Fêtes galantes). Debussy hints at his fascination with the sonic depiction of water in his efforts to characterize the text, whose scene is set on a skiff that floats across dreamy, moonlit water.
Based on another poem from Verlaine’s Fêtes galantes collection, “Cortège” manages to be both musically energized and nonchalant. Its melody suggests the genteel lady and her pet monkey and the comedic aspects of their walk as portrayed in Verlaine’s poem. The third and fourth movements have no specific connections to Verlaine. The “Menuet” evokes the same enchanted landscapes that inspired much of the poetry in Fêtes galantes (notably Antoine Watteau’s paintings, which gave name to the artistic genre), while remaining true to the 18th-century galant style of the graceful and elegant dance. The final movement “Ballet” remains lively and energetic and brings the Petite Suite to an optimistic close.
Composer Henri Büsser (1872-1973) is responsible for catapulting Debussy’s Petite Suite to its permanence within the popular orchestral repertoire. The prominent position of the brass and winds help to color the scenes that evoke Debussy’s own use of orchestration. Debussy himself was fond of this orchestration and programmed the work when touring as a conductor.