Debussy, C :: Prelude a l'Apres-Midi d'un Faune [Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun]

Prelude a l'Apres-Midi d'un Faune [Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun]

Debussy, C

International Music Company presents Claud Debussy's 'Prelude a l'Apres-Midi d'un Faune' [Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun] arranged and edited for flute, clarinet, and piano by Michael Webster.

Notes from the editor: 'One hundred years after its creation, Claude Debussy's 'Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune' continues to fascinate listeners everywhere. It stands alongside works such as Wagner's 'Tristan und Isolde' as a proclamation of a new tonal language that profoundly influenced music that followed. Since the original orchestration is so perfect, so colorful, what justification is there for offering a transcription, especially after so many others have already been made?
For one thing, the 'Faune' has become the world's most beloved flute solo and audiences look forward to hearing it in a recital setting. Adaptations for flute and piano have not been very successful because there is simply too much music for two instruments to handle convincingly. Adding a clarinet to the sonority affords both the overlapping of lines and the contrasts of color that distinguish the original. The 'Faune' is, after all, more than just a flute solo; it is a dialogue between the flute and other instruments. The clarinet illuminates that dialogue by playing passages originally scored for oboe, English horn, and French horn (and even clarinet).
A more surprising quality of this instrumentation is that one hears Debussy's extraordinary harmonies with a fresh ear, perhaps more clearly than in the original. They are more sharply etched, rather like one of Money's sunnier views of the Rouen cathedral compared to the darker ones. The transcription also serves, hopefully, as a significant addition to the relatively sparse repertoire for flute, clarinet, and piano.
My primary source was the standard orchestral score, to which I've been as faithful as is practicable. I also consulted a facsimile of the composer's 'particelle', a four-and-five-staved working score. The dynamics and phrasings of the original have been retained even where there are questions about consistency, and editorial additions have been made only in the few cases of obvious omissions. In his orchestration Debussy alternated between A and B-flat clarinets. In this edition, separate parts for both instruments are provided. The A clarinet part is slightly preferable because of the low concert c-sharps and fewer accidentals, but the B-flat part can be substituted with little noticeable difference in effect.'