Bizet, G :: Jeux d'Enfants [Children's Games]

Jeux d'Enfants [Children's Games]

Bizet, G

International Music Company presents George Bizet's 'Jeux d'Enfants', op. 22 arranged for flute, clarinet, and piano by Michael Webster.

Notes from the editor: 'The discovery of Bizet's Symphony in C major, written at the age of seventeen, confirmed that Bizet was one of the great musical prodigies. We ten to forget that he lived only one year longer than the greatest of all musical prodigies, Mozart, dying of a heart attack at the age of 36. Thus his Jeux d'enfants (Children's Games), written in 1871 at the age of 33, is a mature work, composed two years after his marriage and a year before the birth of his only child. Unlike his operas, his works for piano two-hands are of questionable quality, but Jeux d'enfants, his only work for piano four-hands, is a masterpiece of small forms - at once simple and sophisticated, poignant and playful. Bizet himself orchestrated five of the pieces (The Top; The Doll; Trumpet and Drum; Little Husband; Little Wife; The Ball), but the others remain relatively unknown. The twelve movements are repleate with surprisingly original compositional touches, including the explicit casting, spinning, and slowing of 'The Top'; the 'Soap Bubbles' landing on non-chordal tones nearly every beat; the two-note 'chasing' theme of 'Puss in the Corner' developing into an elegant fugato; and 'Little Husband, Little Wife' erupting into a very adult burst of passion.

For the most part, Bizet's original notes fall idiomatically within reach of the flute, clarinet, and piano trio. Only the impressionistic 'Swing' and the rowdy 'Ball' contain significant editorial changes to suit the new instrumentation. Otherwise, Bizet's dynamic and articulation indications have been carefully retained, with very few exceptions. The metronome marks are from the original edition; for trio, faster tempos may be appropriate for 'The Top', 'The Merry-Go-Round', 'The Shuttlecock', and 'Blindman's Buff'.'

- Michael Webster