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The Première rhapsodie (First Rhapsody), L. 116, CD. 124, by Claude Debussy is a piece for accompanied clarinet. Composed between December 1909 and January 1910, it was dedicated to the French clarinet professor Prosper Mimart.^[1]

In 1909, Gabriel Fauré, Director of the Conservatoire de Paris, named Debussy to its board of directors (le Conseil Supérieur). One of Debussy's first duties was to supply two works for the next year's clarinet examinations. The Rhapsodie was first performed as part of the examinations on July 14, 1910.^[1] The original composition was for clarinet and piano; Debussy published his own orchestration of the accompaniment in 1911, after the official premiere with Mimart.^[2]

In 1901, Debussy had been commissioned to write a work for alto saxophone and orchestra by Elise Hall, but never finished the 1903 draft during his lifetime. This "Second Rhapsody" was later completed by Jean Roger-Ducasse as Rapsodie pour orchestre et saxophone.

Excerpts

$<< \new Staff="clar" \relative c'' { \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"clarinet" \transposition bes \clef treble \numericTimeSignature \time 4/4 \key aes \major \mark \markup {\bold \small "Reveusement lent"} R1 | r4 g\p_\markup {\italic \small "doux et expressif"}( bes c) } \new PianoStaff { << \new Staff="one" \relative c'' { \clef treble \key ges \major \numericTimeSignature \time 4/4 r4\pp << { f2( f'4~) | f1 } \\ { f,2.~ | f1 } \\ { s2. | \times 2/3 { e'8\>( ees c~) } c2.\! } >> } \new Staff="two" \relative c' { \clef treble \key ges \major \numericTimeSignature \time 4/4 << { f1--~ | f1 } \\ { s1 | \times 2/3 { e8\>( ees c~) } c2.\! } >> } >> } >>$

$<< \new Staff="clar" \relative c'' { \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"clarinet" \transposition bes \clef treble \numericTimeSignature \time 4/4 \key aes \major \mark \markup { \box "1" } c2~\pp_\markup { \italic \small "doux et penetrant" }( c8 bes4 g8 | f4. g8 a c4 ees8) } \new PianoStaff { << \new Staff="one" \relative c' { \clef treble \key ges \major \numericTimeSignature \time 4/4 \slurUp \override TupletNumber #'stencil = ##f \times 2/3 {<< f8(\pp_\markup { \italic \small "doux et egal" } des >> << ees8~ ces~ >> << ees8 ces f, >> } \repeat unfold 3 \times 2/3 {<< f'8 des >> << ees8~ ces~ >> << ees8 ces f, >> } \repeat unfold 3 \times 2/3 {<< g'8 ees >> << f8~ des~ >> << f8 des g, >> } \times 2/3 {<< g'8 ees >> << f8~ des~ >> << f8) des g, >> } \slurNeutral } \new Staff="two" \relative c, { \clef bass \key ges \major \numericTimeSignature \time 4/4 << { \slurDown des8-.( aes'4-. \clef treble aes''4-. \clef bass aes,-. aes,8-.) | r8 bes'4-.( bes,-. bes'-. bes,8-.) \slurNeutral } \\ { des,1 | des1 } >> } >> } >>$

$<< \new Staff="clar" \relative c'' { \transposition bes \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"clarinet" \clef treble \time 2/4 \key bes \major \mark \markup { \box "7" \bold \small "Scherzando"} d'8-.\p des-. c-. ees-. | ces8-. bes-. a-. aes16( c) } \new PianoStaff { << \new Staff="one" \relative c { \clef treble \key aes \major \time 2/4 r16 ees-.\p^\markup { \italic "leger" } << ees' des-. >> ees,-. \repeat unfold 3 { r16 ees-. << ees' des-. >> ees,-. } } \new Staff="two" \relative c { \clef bass \key aes \major \time 2/4 << { des2--~ | des2 } \\ { r4 ees,-.( | aes,4-. ees'-.) } >> } >> } >>$