André Caplet
André Caplet (November 23, 1878 – April 22, 1925) was a French composer and conductor now known primarily through his orchestrations of works by Claude Debussy.
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Biography
Caplet was born in Le Havre, Normandy.
He was a friend of Debussy and he orchestrated part of Debussy's Le Martyre de Saint-Sébastien (Bernac 1978, p. 221; Orledge 2003). He also collaborated with Debussy in the orchestration of La Boite a Joujoux. In 1911, Caplet prepared an orchestration of Debussy's Children's Corner, which, along with his orchestration of Clair de Lune from the Suite bergamasque is probably the most widely performed and recorded example of his work. Caplet was a composer in his own right, whose very innovative works have been sadly overlooked for the most part. Specially interesting is his instrumental use of the voice, as in his Septet.
In 1901 he won the Prix de Rome ahead of Maurice Ravel.
He wrote two works based on Edgar Allan Poe: Conte fantastique for harp and string quartet, and a symphonic study The Mask of the Red Death.
Caplet served as conductor of the Boston Opera from 1910 to 1914. He was gassed while serving in the military during World War I, which resulted in the pleurisy that killed him at a young age in Neuilly-sur-Seine.
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External links
- Le martyre de Saint-Sébastien: mystère en cinq actes, music by Debussy, transcribed by Caplet Score from Sibley Music Library Digital Scores Collection
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References
- Bernac, Pierre. The Interpretation of French Song. New York: Norton, 1978.
- Orledge, Robert: "Caplet, André (Léon)", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 25 November 2003), http://www.grovemusic.com.
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