Gerard Billaudot Premiere Rhapsodie - Debussy/Dangain - Clarinet and Piano

• Composer/Author: DEBUSSY/DANGAIN (ED.)
• Instrumentation: CLARINET
• Model # GB9128

Composer: Claude Debussy
Arranger: Guy Dangain

About his Rhapsodie for clarinet, Claude Debussy once said: "This is certainly one of the most pleasant pieces I have written."
The piece is dedicated to Prosper Mimart (1859-1928), then clarinet professor at Paris Conservatoire National de Musique.

This edition is based on the two existing manuscripts of the Rhapsodie, kept at the Bibliothdque Nationale:
- a version for clarinet and piano (MS 1002) written between December 1909 and early January 1910, and intended for use in a Conservatoire examination that same year
- a version for clarinet and orchestra (MS 1003A), published by Editions Durand in 1911

Differences between the two manuscripts may be explained by:
- the composer and Mimart working together on specific technical problems
- Debussy's own corrections (although some changes are hard to justify)

The aim of the present edition is to provide clarinetists with a new light on this most accomplished and attractive piece of the French clarinet repertoire.