Rapsodie for Saxophone and Orchestra, L. 98 Cover Image

Rapsodie for Saxophone and Orchestra, L. 98: Full Orchestra, Solo Woodwind(s) with Ensemble, Solo Alto Saxophone Part

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Rapsodie for Saxophone and Orchestra, L. 98 Cover Image
Rapsodie for Saxophone and Orchestra, L. 98: Full Orchestra, Solo Woodwind(s) with Ensemble, Solo Alto Saxophone Part

Rapsodie for Saxophone and Orchestra, L. 98: Full Orchestra, Solo Woodwind(s) with Ensemble, Solo Alto Saxophone Part

By Claude Debussy, arr. Jean Roger-Ducasse; ed. Clinton Nieweg

Item: 36-A804048
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Description
In 1901, American saxophonist Elise Hall commissioned works from numerous composers for her instrument, and among those composers was Claude Debussy (1862-1918). While Debussy took the money at the time, he was so focused on his opera PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE that he gave little thought to writing Hall's work. When suddenly Hall (whom Debussy referred to as "the saxophone lady") and her teacher, French oboist Georges Longy, appeared in Paris unannounced and asked after the commission, the reluctant composer was prompted to finish most of the work in a rough score, at least. He followed this with a contract with his publisher to purchase the work, which resulted in his being paid twice for a work he had not yet fully completed yet. At this point, Debussy turned his attention to LA MER and never fully returned to this solo work which was eventually titled RAPSODIE POUR ORCHESTRE ET SAXOPHONE, L. 98, although other titles were considered prior to this: Rapsodie Arabe; Rapsodie Mauresque pour Orchestre et Saxophone Obligé; Rapsodie Orientale; Esquisse d'une'Rhapsodie Mauresque' pour Orchestre et Saxophone Principal. Debussy died in 1918 before he could put the finishing touches on the work or orchestrate it, so composer Jean Roger-Ducasse was given the RAPSODIE by Debussy's second wife, Emma, to complete, along with all of her late husband's other remaining incomplete works. Roger-Ducasse completed the orchestration and the final piano reduction in 1918, and it is these versions with which everyone is now familiar. At this point, Elise Hall had gone completely deaf, so the premiere of the work fell to saxophonist Pierre Mayeur with the Société nationale de musique at Salle Gaveau in Paris on May 14, 1919, André Caplet conducting. Instrumentation: 3 (3rd d. Picc).2+EH.2.2: 4.2.3.1: Timp.Perc(3): Hp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set): Solo Alto Sax in set. Part of the Nieweg Performance Editions series.

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Additional Details
Series: Nieweg Performance Editions - Kalmus
Publisher: Keiser Productions, Inc.
ISBN10: 8-88-852962-4
ISBN13: 979-8-88-852962-1
UPC: 659359681899
SKU: 36-A804048
Instrumentation: 3 (3rd d. Picc).2+EH.2.2: 4.2.3.1: Timp.Perc(3): Hp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set): Solo Alto Sax in set

More about this title

About the Creator: Claude Debussy

Claude Debussy (1862-1918) shaped modern music through his rejection of rigid harmonic convention and his obsession with timbre and orchestral color. His late works often left sketches and unfinished scores, a testament to his relentless revision process and his tendency to move quickly between compositional projects. The Rapsodie represents a fascinating intersection: Debussy's invention in the solo line paired with Jean Roger-Ducasse's orchestration completed after the composer's death in 1918.

The commission itself tells a remarkable story. Elise Hall, a wealthy American saxophonist and patron, approached Debussy with a substantial fee, but the composer was preoccupied with PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE and deprioritized the work. Only when Hall and her teacher Georges Longy traveled to Paris unannounced did Debussy feel pressure to deliver. He sketched most of the work but never orchestrated it fully, and never returned to it once his attention turned to LA MER. Roger-Ducasse, a composer and conductor in his own right, inherited the task of completion from Debussy's widow, Emma, and finished both the orchestration and the final version in 1918.

Why we love this

Few saxophone concertos sit at this level of sophistication and orchestral ambition. The work demands serious musicianship from your soloist while offering the orchestra rich, colorful writing that feels entirely natural despite Roger-Ducasse's completion work. Programming a Debussy work signals to your audience that the saxophone belongs in the concert hall as a primary voice, not a secondary texture.

What to expect

Ornate and wandering, like walking through a Parisian concert hall at dusk. The saxophone emerges from hazy orchestral colors with improvisatory, almost vocal phrases before dissolving back into the ensemble's impressionistic wash. There's a restless energy beneath the surface, despite the overall floating quality.

Who it's for

Orchestras with an advanced alto saxophonist ready to anchor a substantial chamber-orchestra work. This belongs in the repertoire of school and community orchestras that want to showcase both the saxophone's lyrical range and their ensemble's orchestral depth.

How to get the most out of it

  • Balance the solo line's lyrical passages against the orchestra's impressionistic textures by rehearsing the saxophone with only the relevant orchestral voices before full ensemble runthrough.
  • The orchestration reflects turn-of-the-century instrumental doublings; clarifying who doubles whom will help the soloist find their register and prevent the saxophone from disappearing into the ensemble.
  • Treat the harp part as essential to the harmonic color, not decorative. Its rhythmic placement often sits slightly ahead or behind the main beat in Debussy's style, which requires separate rehearsal with the soloist.

How to use it

Pair this with other early 20th-century French orchestral works or position it as an intermission centerpiece that demonstrates your ensemble's range beyond standard repertoire. It works especially well on a concert celebrating the saxophone's classical heritage alongside composers who took the instrument seriously.

Skills your students will build

  • Sustaining lyrical lines over extended phrases without relying on vibrato alone
  • Balancing solo sound against mixed orchestral textures (woodwinds, brass, strings simultaneously)
  • Responding to rubato and atmospheric phrasing in Impressionist orchestration
  • Navigating register changes and extended range within a single phrase arc

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