André Caplet at Pytheas ~ Contemporary, Modern, New, Non-Pop Art Music Composers, Ensembles & Resources

André Caplet (1878-1925)

Although remembered mainly as an orchestrator and editor of unfinished works by his close friend Claude Debussy, André Caplet was a solid composer in his own right, working in the Impressionist style of his time and place. Growing up in a poor family pushed Caplet into music early; by age 12 he was working as a rehearsal pianist at the Folies-Bergères in his hometown of Le Havre. This helped him develop sight-reading and improvisation skills and a sense of harmony very quickly, and in 1896 he entered the Paris Conservatory, winning a string of prizes during his time there and simultaneously working as a conductor around Paris. In 1901 he won the Prix de Rome; unlike many other composers, he obtained on his first try. It was mainly as a conductor, however, that Caplet made his living early in his career. He was a meticulous perfectionist, qualities alien to French orchestras of the time. His work attracted international attention, and in 1910 he was recruited to work six months a year at the Boston Opera Company, of which he became artistic director in 1912. He left to volunteer for French military service in 1914. In the trenches he was wounded twice and gassed; his health permanently compromised (he would die prematurely of pleurisy), Caplet largely gave up conducting and turned to composing, editing, and proofreading. He developed an especially close relationship with Debussy, having, among other things, conducted the 1911 Paris premiere of his Le Martyre de St. Sébastien after having orchestrated most of the work. Caplet's own music revolved mainly around the voice. Within Debussy's Impressionistic harmonic manner he developed a personal style, marked especially by wide-ranging, improvisatory-sounding melodies. Even his instrumental works follow these inclinations, but what sets his music apart from Debussy's is a taste for plainchant and a general interest in archaic music, manifested most strongly in Le miroir de Jésus, a work that drew on his musical obsessions as well as his Catholic mysticism.

- James Reel/AllMusic

COMPOSITIONS                                                            Caplet Links ~ ~ ~   Works by Genre
[under construction]
Rêverie enfantine, violin and piano (1890?)
Adagio, violin and piano (or organ) (c. 1890) [same as "Invocation" from "Feuillets d'album", 1901]
Haïti, valse, piano (1892-96)
Contemplation, voice and piano (1893) [text: N. Clauzes]
Sous la voûte étoilée, voice and piano (1895)
La sérénade de l'écolier, voice and piano (c. 1895) [text: P.-J. Pain, Tourcoing]
La vision de Jeanne d'Arc, cantata, soprano, tenor, female chorus and orchestra (1895) [text: A. Millard]
Trois petites pièces dans le style ancien, piano (1897)
Ave verum, soprano, chorus and orchestra (c. 1897)
Balthazar, [vocal] (sketches 1898)
Pièce, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (1898)
Fjeldrüst, drame lyrique, soloists, male chorus and piano (or orchestra) (1899) [pièce d'essai pour le concours du Prix de Rome]
L'été, soloists, chorus and orchestra (1899) [text: Victor Hugo]
Prélude, piano 4-hands (1899)
Quintette, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and piano (1898) [arr. 1903 for string quartet]
Deux pièces pour flûte et piano (1897-1900) [also appears in "Feuillets d'album", 1897-1901]
Chanson d'automne, voice and piano (1900) [text: A. Silvestre]
Viens! Une flûte invisible soupire, voice and piano, with flute ad lib. (1900) [text: Victor Hugo]
Callirhoé, cantata, soloists and orchestra (1900) [text: E. Adenis] [used as basis of "Myrrha", 1901]
    - Myrrha, cantata, 3 vocal soloists and orchestra (1901) [text: F. Beissier] [winner of the 1901 Prix de Rome]
Pâques citadines, chorus and orchestra (or piano) (1900) [text: B. Crocé Spinelli]
Suite persane, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 horns and 2 bassoons (1900-01) [arr. for orch, 1902]
Do, ré, mi, fa, sol dans tous les tons, 2 pianos (1901)
Feuillets d'album (4 pieces), flute and piano (1890/1897-1901)
Spectacle rassurant, chorus and orchestra (1901)
Le Livre rose (4 songs), voice and piano (1901; rev. 1920) [text: Pierre-Joseph Pain] [?original title: "Nursery"]
Green, voice and piano (or orchestra) (1902) [text: Paul Verlaine]
Poème de mai, voice and piano (1902) [text: A. Silvestre]
Salammbô, poème symphonique, orchestra (1902)
Papillons, voice and piano (or orchestra) (1902-03) [text: P. Gravollet]
Dans la fontaine, voice and piano (or orchestra) (1903) [text: Gravollet]
Marche solenelle pour le centenaire de la Villa Médicis, orchestra (1903)
Allégresse, cello and piano (1903)
Élégie, cello (or violin) and piano (1903)
Il était une fois jadis, voice and piano (or orchestra) (1903) [text: Jean Richepin]
Lon lon la, chanson bretonne, voice and piano (or orchestra) (1903)
Légende, C minor, poème symphonique, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon and string quintet (1903-04) [arr. for orch, 1904]
Tu nous souriais, voice and piano (1906) [text: R. de la Villehervé]
Légende, harp and orchestra (1908) [revised for harp and string quartet as "Conte fantastique", 1923]
    - Conte fantastique, harp and string quartet (1923)
Paroles à l'absente (3 songs), voice and piano (or orchestra) (1908) [text: Georges Jean-Aubry]
Nocturnes (by Claude Debussy), arr. for 2 pianos (1908-13)
La Mer (by Claude Debussy), arr. for 2 pianos (1908-13)
Images (by Claude Debussy), arr. for piano 4 hands (1908-13)
Septet, 3 female voices and string quartet (or piano) (1909)
Chansons populaires (4 pieces), orchestra (1910, unfinished) [esquisses inachevées] - ????
Déchiffrage, harp (1910)
Children's Corner (by Claude Debussy), arr. for orchestra (1910-11)
Le martyre de Saint Sébastien (by Claude Debussy), partial orchestration (1911)
En regardant ces belles fleurs Charles d’Orleans, voice and piano (1914)
Inscriptions champêtres, female voices (1914-18) [text: Rémi de Gourmont]
Le vieux coffret (4 songs), voice and piano (or orchestra) (1914-18) [text: Rémi de Gourmont]
Les prières (3 pcs), voice and piano (or organ; or string quartet & harp; or orch) (1914-25) [text: Bible, or other Sacred Texts]
Nuit d'automne, voice and piano (1915) [text: Henri de Régnier]
Solitude, voice and piano (1915) [text: J. Ochsé]
Prière normande, voice and piano (1916) [text: J. Hérbertot]
Quand reverrai-je, hélas !, voice and piano (1916) [text: Jean du Bellay]
Marche héroïque de la Vème Division, military band/brass ensemble (1917) ["Douaumont"]
La croix douloureuse, voice and piano (or organ; or orchestra) (1916-17) [text: R. Lacordaire]
En regardant ces belles fleurs, voice and piano (1917) [text: Charles d'Orléans]
Détresse !, voice and piano (or orchestra) (1918) [text: H. Charasson]
Sonate, voice, cello and piano (1918-25, unfinished)
La boîte à joujoux (by Claude Debussy), partial orchestration (1919)
Panis angelicus, voice and organ (or piano) (1919) [arr. 1920 for voice, chorus, harp, violin (or flute), cello and organ]
Pater noster, voice and harmonium (or piano) (1919)
Pie Jesu, voice and organ (or piano) (1919)
Trois Fables de Jean de la Fontaine (Three Fables of Jean de La Fontaine), voice and orchestra (1919-20)
Cinq ballades françaises (5 songs), voice and piano (1919-20) [text: Paul Fort]
Messe en 5 mouvements (Mass), 3 voices (1919-20)
Le pain quotidien, intimités vocale (15 pieces), voice (or instrument) and piano (1920)
Tu es sacerdos, baritone, chorus and organ (1920)
Hymne à la naissance du matin, soprano, chorus and orchestra (or piano) (1920-24) [text: Paul Fort]
Ariettes oubliées (by Claude Debussy), arr. for orchestra (1921)
Deux poemes de Charles Baudelaire, voice and piano (1922)
Jet d'eau (by Claude Debussy), arr. for orchestra (1922)
Triomphe de l'amour (by Jean-Baptiste Lully), arranged and edited (1922-24)
Improvisations, cello and piano (1923-24) [after "Le pain quotidien", 1920]
Pagodes, from "Estampes" (by Claude Debussy), arr. for orchestra (1923)
Le miroir de Jésus, Mystères du Rosaire, mezzo-soprano, female chorus, harp and string orchestra (1923-24) [text: Henri Ghéon]
Epiphanie, fresque musicale d'après une légende éthiopienne, cello and orchestra (or piano) (1923-24)
Divertissements, harp (1924)
La part à Dieu, chanson populaire, voice and piano (1924)
Sonnet : Doux fut le trait, voice and harp (or piano) (1924) [text: Pierre de Ronsard]
Deux sonnets (Two Sonnets), voice and harp (or piano) (1916/1924) [2 previous published works]
Corbeille de fruits (3 songs), voice and flute (1924-25) [text: R. Tagore, trans. by Henri du Pasquier]
Sonata di chiesa, violin and piano (1924-25, unfinished)
Un tas de pêtites choses (5 pieces), piano 4-hands (1925)
Clair de lune, from "Suite bergamasque" (by Claude Debussy), arr. for orchestra (????)

WORKS BY GENRE                                                            Caplet Links ~ top of page ~
[under construction]
Orchestra
Salammbô, poème symphonique, orchestra (1902)
Marche solenelle pour le centenaire de la Villa Médicis, orchestra (1903)
Légende, C minor, poème symphonique, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon and string quintet (1903-04) [arr. for orch, 1904]
Chansons populaires (4 pieces), orchestra (1910, unfinished)
    - Mona
    - Non, le tailleur n'est pas un homme
    - Le sabotier
    - Le semeur
Children's Corner (by Claude Debussy), arr. for orchestra (1910-11)
La boîte à joujoux (by Claude Debussy), partial orchestration (1919)
Ariettes oubliées (by Claude Debussy), arr. for orchestra (1921)
Jet d'eau (by Claude Debussy), arr. for orchestra (1922)
Triomphe de l'amour (by Jean-Baptiste Lully), arranged and edited (1922-24)
Pagodes, from "Estampes" (by Claude Debussy), arr. for orchestra (1923)
Clair de lune, from "Suite bergamasque" (by Claude Debussy), arr. for orchestra (????)

Band
Marche héroïque de la Vème Division, military band/brass ensemble (1917) ["Douaumont"]

Soloist(s) w/Orchestra
Myrrha, cantata, 3 vocal soloists and orchestra (1901) [text: F. Beissier] [winner of the 1901 Prix de Rome]
Légende, harp and orchestra (1908) [revised for harp and string quartet as "Conte fantastique", 1923]
Epiphanie, fresque musicale d'après une légende éthiopienne, cello and orchestra (or piano) (1923-24)

Chorus w/Orchestra
La vision de Jeanne d'Arc, cantata, soprano, tenor, female chorus and orchestra (1895) [text: A. Millard]
Ave verum, soprano, chorus and orchestra (c. 1897)
Balthazar, [vocal] (sketches 1898)
Fjeldrüst, drame lyrique, soloists, male chorus and piano (or orchestra) (1899) [pièce d'essai pour le concours du Prix de Rome]
L'été, soloists, chorus and orchestra (1899) [text: Victor Hugo]
Callirhoé, cantata, soloists and orchestra (1900) [text: E. Adenis] [used as basis of "Myrrha", 1901]
    - Myrrha, cantata, 3 vocal soloists and orchestra (1901) [text: F. Beissier] [winner of the 1901 Prix de Rome]
Pâques citadines, chorus and orchestra (or piano) (1900) [text: B. Crocé Spinelli]
Spectacle rassurant, chorus and orchestra (1901)
Le martyre de Saint Sébastien (by Claude Debussy), partial orchestration (1911)
Hymne à la naissance du matin, soprano, chorus and orchestra (or piano) (1920-24) [text: Paul Fort]
Le miroir de Jésus, Mystères du Rosaire, mezzo-soprano, female chorus, harp and string orchestra (1923-24) [text: Henri Ghéon]
    - I. Miroir de Joie
          - Prélude
          - Annonciation
          - Visitation
          - Nativité
          - Présentation
          - Recouvrement
    - II. Miroir de Peine
             - Prélude
          - Agonie au jardin
          - Flagellation
          - Couronnement d'épines
          - Portement de croix
          - Cruxifixion
    - III. Miroir de Gloire
            - Prélude
          - Résurrection
          - Ascension
          - Pentecôte
          - Assomption
          - Couronnement au Ciel

Choral
Panis angelicus, voice and organ (or piano) (1919) [arr. 1920 for voice, chorus, harp, violin (or flute), cello and organ]
Messe en 5 mouvements (Mass), 3 voices (1919-20)
Tu es sacerdos, baritone, chorus and organ (1920)

Chamber
Pièce, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (1898)
Quintette, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and piano (1898) [arr. 1903 for string quartet]
Suite persane, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 horns and 2 bassoons (1900-01) [arr. for orch, 1902]
    - Scharki
    - Nihawend
    - Iskia Samaïsi
Légende, C minor, poème symphonique, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon and string quintet (1903-04) [arr. for orch, 1904]
Conte fantastique, harp and string quartet (1923) [arr. from "Légende" for harp and orchestra, 1908]
Sonate, voice, cello and piano (1918-1925, unfinished)

Instrument and Piano
Rêverie enfantine, violin and piano (1890?)
Adagio, violin and piano (or organ) (c. 1890) [same as "Invocation" from "Feuillets d'album", 1901]
Deux pièces pour flûte et piano (1897-1900) [also appears in "Feuillets d'album", 1897-1901]
    - Rêverie
    - Petite valse
Feuillets d'album (4 pieces), flute and piano (1890/1897-1901)
    - Rêverie (1897-1900)
    - Babillage (1901)
    - Petite valse (1897-1900) [Arabesque]
    - Invocation [same as "Adagio", violin and piano, c. 1890]
Allégresse, cello and piano (1903)
Élégie, cello (or violin) and piano (1903)
Le pain quotidien, intimités vocale (15 pieces), voice (or instrument) and piano (1920)
    - Improvisations, cello and piano (1923-24) [after "Le pain quotidien", 1920]
            - Nostalgique, Lent
            - Décidé, bien allègre
            - Balancé, Simple
            - Gracieux, sans lenteur
            - Lointain, Tempo du Polacca
            - Vif
Epiphanie, fresque musicale d'après une légende éthiopienne, cello and orchestra (or piano) (1923-24)
Sonata di chiesa, violin and piano (1924-25, unfinished)

Solo Instrument
Déchiffrage, harp (1910)
Divertissements, harp (1924)
    - À la française
    - À l'espagnole

Piano
Haïti, valse, piano (1892-96)
Trois petites pièces dans le style ancien, piano (1897)
    - Menuet d'après Lully
    - Sarabande
    - Toccata
Prélude, piano 4-hands (1899)
Do, ré, mi, fa, sol dans tous les tons, 2 pianos (1901)
Nocturnes (by Claude Debussy), arr. for 2 pianos (1908-13)
La Mer (by Claude Debussy), arr. for 2 pianos (1908-13)
Images (by Claude Debussy), arr. for piano 4 hands (1908-13)
Un tas de pêtites choses (5 pieces), piano 4-hands (1925)
    - Une petite berceuse
    - Une petite danse slovaque
    - Une petite barcarolle
    - Une petite marche bien française
    - Un petit truc embêtant

Vocal
Contemplation, voice and piano (1893) [text: N. Clauzes]
Sous la voûte étoilée, voice and piano (1895)
La sérénade de l'écolier, voice and piano (1895) [text: P.-J. Pain, Tourcoing]
Chanson d'automne, voice and piano (1900) [text: A. Silvestre]
Viens! Une flûte invisible soupire, voice and piano, with flute ad lib. (1900) [text: Victor Hugo]
Myrrha, cantata, 3 vocal soloists and orchestra (1901) [text: F. Beissier] [winner of the 1901 Prix de Rome]
Le Livre rose (4 songs), voice and piano (1901; rev. 1920) [text: Pierre-Joseph Pain] [?original title: "Nursery"]
    - Le livre où je veux lire
    - Bébé premier prix d’innocence
    - Les pleurs de bébé (ou Le maître d'école)
    - Le furet du bois, mesdames
Green, voice and piano (or orchestra) (1902) [text: Paul Verlaine]
Poème de mai, voice and piano (1902) [text: A. Silvestre]
Papillons, voice and piano (or orchestra) (1902-03) [text: P. Gravollet]
Dans la fontaine, voice and piano (or orchestra) (1903) [text: Gravollet]
Il était une fois jadis, voice and piano (or orchestra) (1903) [text: Jean Richepin]
Lon lon la, chanson bretonne, voice and piano (or orchestra) (1903)
Tu nous souriais, voice and piano (1906) [text: R. de la Villehervé]
Paroles à l'absente (3 songs), voice and piano (or orchestra) (1908) [text: Georges Jean-Aubry]
    - Ce sable fin et fuyant
    - Angoisse
    - Préludes
Septet, 3 female voices and string quartet (or piano) (1909)
En regardant ces belles fleurs Charles d’Orleans, voice and piano (1914)
Inscriptions champêtres, female voices (1914-18) [text: Rémi de Gourmont]
Le vieux coffret (4 songs), voice and piano (or orchestra) (1914-18) [text: Rémi de Gourmont]
    - Songe [also arr. w/orch]
    - Berceuse
    - In una selva oscura [also arr. w/orch]
    - Forêt [also arr. w/orch]
Les prières (3 pcs), voice and piano (or organ; or string quartet & harp; or orch) (1914-25) [text: Bible, or other Sacred Texts]
    - Oraison dominicale
    - Salutation angélique
    - Symbole des apôtres
Nuit d'automne, voice and piano (1915) [text: Henri de Régnier]
Solitude, voice and piano (1915) [text: J. Ochsé]
Prière normande, voice and piano (1916) [text: J. Hérbertot]
Quand reverrai-je, hélas !, voice and piano (1916) [text: Jean du Bellay] [also pub. in "Deux sonnets", 1924]
La croix douloureuse, voice and piano (or organ; or orchestra) (1916-17) [text: R. Lacordaire]
En regardant ces belles fleurs, voice and piano (1917) [text: Charles d'Orléans]
Détresse !, voice and piano (or orchestra) (1918) [text: H. Charasson]
Sonate, voice, cello and piano (1918-1925, unfinished)
Panis angelicus, voice and organ (or piano) (1919) [arr. 1920 for voice, chorus, harp, violin (or flute), cello and organ]
Pater noster, voice and harmonium (or piano) (1919)
Pie Jesu, voice and organ (or piano) (1919)
Trois Fables de Jean de la Fontaine (Three Fables of Jean de La Fontaine), voice and orchestra (1919-20)
    - Le corbeau et le renard
    - La cigale et la fourmi
    - Le loup et l'agneau
Cinq ballades françaises (5 songs), voice and piano (1919-20) [text: Paul Fort]
    - Cloche d'aube
    - La ronde
    - Notre chaumière en Yveline
    - Songe d'une nuit d'été
    - L'adieu en barque
Messe en 5 mouvements (Mass), 3 voices (1919-20)
Le pain quotidien, intimités vocale (15 pieces), voice (or instrument) and piano (1920)
Deux poemes de Charles Baudelaire, voice and piano (1922)
    - La cloche fêlée
    - La mort des pauvres
La part à Dieu, chanson populaire, voice and piano (1924)
Sonnet : Doux fut le trait, voice and harp (or piano) (1924) [text: Pierre de Ronsard] [also pub. in "Deux sonnets", 1924]
Deux sonnets (Two Sonnets), voice and harp (or piano) (1916/1924) [2 previous published works]
    - Quand reverrai-je, hélas ! (1916) [text: from Joachim du Bellay/Jean du Bellay]
    - Doux fut le trait (1924) [text: sonnet de Pierre de Ronsard]
Corbeille de fruits (3 songs), voice and flute (1924-25) [text: R. Tagore, trans. by Henri du Pasquier]
    - Écoute, mon cœur
    - Ce qui me viendra de vos mains consentantes
    - Donques la douleur et l'aise de l'amour je chanterai (Doncques la douleur et l'aise de l'amour)

CAPLET LINKS                                                            Works by Genre    ~ top of page ~
[under construction]

Composer website (in French) . . . inquire about André Caplet: here
    Sortable works list  here

Caplet @ Wikipedia
Caplet @ Answers.com
Caplet @ Association Musiciens entre Guerre et Paix
Caplet @ Audiophile Audition (via Google Advanced Search)
Caplet @ BBC Music
Caplet @ Classical Archives
Caplet @ Classical Composers Database
Caplet @ Classical Net
Caplet @ ClassicsToday
Caplet @ Dr. Estrella's Incredibly Abridged Dictionary of Composers
Caplet @ Facebook
Caplet @ Find a Grave
Caplet @ Flutepage.de
Caplet @ Four Hands Plus
Caplet @ IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
Caplet @ InstantEncore
Caplet @ Karadar Classical Music
Caplet @ Klassika
Caplet @ Modern Classical
Caplet @ MSN Music
Caplet @ MusicWeb International
Caplet @ Naxos
Caplet @ The New York Times
Caplet @ REC Music Foundation /The Lied and Art Song Texts Page
Caplet @ The Unknown Impressionistic Composers

Publisher
Caplet @ Carus-Verlag
Caplet @ Edition Compusic
Caplet @ Durand
Caplet @ Éditions J.M. Fuzeau
Caplet @ J. Hamelle
Caplet @ P. Hurstel
Caplet @ Edition Kemel
Caplet @ Edition Kunzelmann
Caplet @ Éditions de la Nouvelle revue française
Caplet @ Henry Lemoine
Caplet @ Masters Music Publications
Caplet @ Recital Publications
Caplet @ Southern Music Co.
Caplet @ Verlag Gebr. Schottstädt
Caplet @ Universal Edition

Streaming Audio
Caplet @ Classical Archives
Caplet @ last.fm
Caplet @ MySpaceMusic (via Google Advanced Search)
Caplet @ Rhapsody.com
Caplet @ SoundCloud

Recordings
Caplet @ Amazon.com
Caplet @ ArkivMusic
Caplet @ CD Universe
Caplet @ ClassicsOnline
Caplet @ Discogs
Caplet @ itunes

Video
Caplet @ YouTube
Caplet @ Google Video
Caplet @ Vimeo (via Google Advanced Search)

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Pytheas Center for Contemporary Music

André Caplet (1878-1925)