Review

Claude Debussy
Music for King Lear:

Arranged by Ralph Sauer

large brass ensemble (4,4,4,0,2,2 perc)

Vancouver, BC, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2013
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

score and parts

Primary Genre: Brass Ensemble - 6+ brass (choir)

In 1904, Claude Debussy sketched incidental music for Shakespeare’s play King Lear, having completed only two short excerpts of the projected suite. These two excerpts make up Music for King Lear and were later orchestrated by Jean Roger-Ducasse for flutes, horns, trumpets, percussion, harps, and strings. Music for King Lear is in ABA form, beginning with a fanfare marked Maestoso that contains a combination of open and complex sonorities. The slow and expressive middle B section is given the title “Lear Asleep” and is followed by a return to the initial A section fanfare. Ralph Sauer’s arrangement is written for a large 16-piece brass ensemble with parts for 4 trumpets, 4 horns, 4 trombones, 2 tubas, and 2 percussion. Sauer’s arrangement retains the original keys, includes the original expression markings, and provides tempo markings for both sections in the piece. When compared to the orchestration by Roger-Ducasse, Sauer makes a few minor changes to the original trumpet and horn parts, including transferring the melodic lines of the original flute and violin parts in the B section to the first and second trumpet. In the fanfare, low brass supply the rhythmic and harmonic foundation, which was originally scored for two harps. The B section is nicely arranged, passing the melodic lines through the horns, trumpets, and low brass, giving the piece nice timbral contrast. All four trumpet parts are for trumpet in C with the first two parts requiring straight mutes. There are two tuba parts as well as an additional “single tuba” part included if the ensemble only has one tuba player. The two percussion parts for timbales (or timpani) and tambourine are active in the fanfare sections and sparse in the middle section. Music for King Lear is a rarely performed and overlooked piece of music that has been given new life by Ralph Sauer and can serve as a stimulating opener to any brass ensemble concert. Sauer has dedicated his arrangement to the memory of Adolph “Bud” Herseth.

-Russell Ballenger
University of Mary