by Leonard Garrison, Associate Professor of Flute, The University of
Idaho
Copyright©2014 by Leonard Garrison
Introduction
To view my teaching video of this piece, please visit my YouTube Channel.
Henri Büsser (1872-1973) was a long-lived French composer, organist,
and conductor with important connections to the nineteenth century. He studied
organ with César Franck, was friends with Jules Massenet, and was chosen by
Claude Debussy to conduct numerous performances of the latter’s opera Pelléas et Mélisdande. His orchestration
of Debussy’s Petite Suite is widely
performed. For most of his career, he taught composition at the Paris
Conservatory.
He wrote many operas and much chamber music, fortunately including
several delightful works for flute. Best known is his Prélude et Scherzo, a 1908
Paris Conservatory contest piece included in Louis Moyse’s popular collection
of Flute Music by French Composers. His
flute works include another contest piece for the Conservatory, Andalucia
sur des thèmes Andalous, Op.86 in 1933, and beautiful intermediate-level pieces, Deux morceaux: Les Cygnes et Les Écureuils (“The
Swans and the Squirrels”) and the
Petite suite, Op. 12 for flute and
piano (not the same as Debussy’s Petite suite).
The Petite suite, originally
published by Durand in 1924, functions as a useful stepping stone on a
student’s path to the famous French contest solos, as this little piece introduces
the challenges encountered in more advanced works: beauty and flexibility of
tone in all registers, clarity of articulation, and coordination between tongue
and fingers. The National Flute Association difficulty rating is G.
The work is also available in a version for piano four hands. Its
subtitle is Divertissement Watteau, a
“divertissement” being a lighter and less serious piece. The French painter
Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) set scenes of Fêtes galantes or courtship parties; his paintings depict idyllic
scenes of the nobility at play in the countryside. Büsser’s Suite captures this charming atmosphere.
A.
En Sourdine (“Muted”)
The first movement moves at a relaxed pace: Andante poco adagio (“Walking, a little slow”); a pulse of 63 to
the beat is appropriate. While the flute alternates between common time and
12/8, the piano is consistently in 12/8, so the beat is the same, and the flute
plays in contrast to the piano’s triplets. For instance, in meas. 3, the
flute’s second note (sixteenth-note B) should strike a little later than the
piano’s third triplet. In the second half of meas. 3, the flute plays two notes
against the piano’s three. To prepare for rehearsals with the pianist, practice
with a metronome set on triplet subdivisions.
Büsser intended the piece also for violin and piano, and the violin
puts a mute on for the entire first movement. Thus, the flute should play with
a delicate sound imitating a muted violin, with less vibrato than normal.
Play a bit slower at the tranquillo,
and emphasize the first note of each two-note group. Then, hasten at serrez un peu (“quicken a little”).
Stretch the beat at the next tranquillo and
sing out with a full sound, bien chanté.
To prevent sharpness, add the right-hand ring finger (R3) to the high E-sharps
in the first measure. Finger the G-sharp-to-A-sharp trill by depressing the
lever and moving the left-hand middle and ring fingers (L2 and L3). The second
bar of the tranquillo is an echo, so
do not add R3 on the high E-sharps here. Please very expressively on the
E-naturals in the third bar, as these require a different color than the
previous E-sharps. The courtesy accidental in this third bar leads to
confusion. The trill is actually E-natural to F-sharp; finger E and move the
right-hand middle finger.
Sans
presser means “without hurrying,” so play a little slower, about 56 to the
beat. Subdivide for accurate rhythm. Plan breathing carefully; I breathe after
the E on beat four of the first measure and after the A on beat four of the
second measure.
The most difficult part of this first movement is the high B with a
taper. Start this note mezzoforte to
set up the diminuendo. Maintain
airspeed throughout the B, feel the lower lip supporting the air like a shelf,
keep the lips relaxed.
Enchaînez is the
French equivalent to the more common Italian word attacca. Avoid a large break between movements the first and second
movements and the third and fourth movements.
B.
Valse lente (“Slow
Waltz”)
A good tempo for this movement is 54 to the measure. Follow all of the
subtle dynamic shadings. Büsser uses his favorite directive, bien chanté or “well sung,” three times
here. Note that after the poco
accelerando, a tempo slows down
to the main tempo. Take a little time at
ritenuto poco and even more at cédez un peu.
C.
Vielle Chanson (Old Song)
Büsser has masterfully manipulated simple material to provide a world
of color and contrast, so the perform needs reflect harmonic changes with tone
color, vibrato, and dynamics. As très expressif
is “very expressive,” use a more intense vibrato here. Pace yourself so that
your loudest point is the più forte
four before the Andante poco adagio.
A perfect setting for Andante is
quarter=72. Listen to the piano’s thirty-second notes at Andante poco adagio; the tempo is a little slower here than in the
opening.
D.
Scherzetto
A scherzo is a light and
playful piece, and scherzetto means
“little scherzo.” The tempo should be as brisk as possible without inaccurate
or sloppy playing; I play at 84 to the bar. Même
movement means “the same tempo,” so although the style become more legato, avoid slowing down. Cédez un peu is a little slower, and retenez
un peu requires a little ritardando. At
the end, push the tempo a little more to provide a brilliant finish.
Practice slowly to master the various keys the Büsser explores,
especially on the last page, where the addition of G-sharp, D-sharp, and
A-sharp signals B major, and the further addition of E-sharp signals F-sharp
major.
Good luck, or bonne chance!
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