La Cathedrale Engloutie

Claude Debussy

Claude Debussy (arr. John Glenesk Mortimer)

Subtitle: The Sunken Cathedral / Die versunkene Kathedrale

The full title in French is Préludes, Book 1: X. La cathédrale engloutie.

General Info

Year: 1910 / 2016
Duration: c. 6:50
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Editions Marc Reift
Cost: Score and Parts - $125.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
Flute I-II
Oboe (optional)
Bassoon (optional)
E-flat Soprano Clarinet (optional)
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Saxophone (optional)
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone I-II
E-flat Baritone Saxophone (optional)
E-flat Trumpet/Cornet (optional)
B-flat Trumpet/Cornet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III
Trombone I-II
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass (optional)
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III, including:

Bass Drum
Chimes
Glockenspiel
Tam-Tam
Vibraphone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

The Engulfed Cathedral is the tenth prelude in the first volume of Debussy's Preludes. It depicts an old legend from Brittany that states, “To punish the people for their sins, the cathedral in the mighty city of Ys is engulfed by the sea. Each sunrise, the townspeople watch as the sunken cathedral rises from the water, and then sinks slowly into the ocean."

- Program Note from Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music

Media

Audio CD: Philharmonic Wind Orchestra (Marc Reift conductor)

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Minnesota State University (Mankato) Wind Ensemble (Amy K Roisum Foley, conductor) - 1 March 2022

Works for Winds by This Composer

This composer primarily wrote orchestral music. Transcriptions of his works include:

Adaptable Music

Danse (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Kurokawa)
Golliwog's Cakewalk (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Kano) (1908)

All Wind Works

The Afternoon of a Faun (arr. Walters) (1894/1950/1999?)
The Afternoon of a Faun. See also: Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune
Beau Soir (arr. Warner) (1880/1971)
Children's Corner Suite (arr. Winterbottom) (1908)
Clair de Lune (orch. Blair) (1890/1905/2021)
Clair de Lune (arr. Hautvast) (1890/1905/2011)
Clair de lune (arr. De Meij) (1890/1905/2017)
Clair de Lune (arr. Wallace) (1890/1905/1995)
Danse (arr. Boyd) (1890/1983)
Danse (arr. Scheiwiller) (1890/2019)
Danse (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Kurokawa)
Danses Sacrée et Profane (arr. Odom) (1904/2019)
Danses Sacrée et Profane (tr. J. Lloyd) (1904)
Debussy: Girl with the Flaxen Hair (arr. Akey) (1910/1995)
The Engulfed Cathedral (tr. Longfield) (1910/1987)
The Engulfed Cathedral (arr. Miller) (1910/1986)
The Engulfed Cathedral (tr. Patterson) (1910/1993)
The Engulfed Cathedral. See also: La Cathédrale Engloutie
Fêtes from "Nocturnes" (arr. Patterson) (c. 1899/2007)
Fêtes from "Three Nocturnes" (arr. Schaefer) (c.1899/1959)
Fêtes from "Three Nocturnes" (tr. Tatebe) (c.1899/1999)
Four Debussy Songs (trans. Anderson) (2018)
The Girl with the Flaxen Hair (tr. Beyrent) (1910/2013)
The Girl with the Flaxen Hair (tr. Brand) (1910)
The Girl with the Flaxen Hair (tr. Bernotas) (1910)
The Girl with the Flaxen Hair (arr. Moss) (1910/2007)
The Girl with the Flaxen Hair (arr. Sparke) (1910/2007)
Golliwogg's Cakewalk (arr. Lewis) (1908/2004)
Golliwog's Cakewalk (arr. Curnow) (1908/1985)
Golliwog's Cakewalk (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Kano) (1908)
Hommage à Rameau (arr. Hunsberger) (1905/2009)
La Cathédrale Engloutie (arr. Mortimer) (1910/2016)
La Cathédrale Engloutie. See also: The Engulfed Cathedral
La Mer (trans. Odom) (1905/)
Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien (1911)
L’isle joyeuse (arr. Mashima) (1904/2005)
L'isle joyeuse (arr. Volans) (1904/1995)
Marche Écossaise (tr. Onodera) (1891/1908/2015(?))
Marche Écossaise (tr. Onodera) (Octet) (1891/1908/2015(?))
Marche Écossaise (tr. Schaefer) (1891/1908/1964)
Marche Écossaise (tr. Scatterday) (1891/1908)
'Menuet' from Suite Bergamasque (arr. Southard) (1890/2012)
Minstrels (tr. Scarbrough) (1910/2016)
Pagodes from "Estampes" (arr. Grainger) (1996)
Petite Suite (arr. Brakkee) (1889/1999?)
Petite Suite (tr. Winterbottom) (1889/1927)
Petite Suite (arr. Kimura) (1889/1998)
Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune (tr. Sousa) (1894)
Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune. See also: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun and The Afternoon of a Faun
Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune (arr. Stalmeieir) (1894/1992)
Prelude from "Suite Bergamasque" (arr. St. Louis)
Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (tr. Hindsley) (1894/1973)
Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. See also: Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune
Premiere Arabesque (1891)
Première Rhapsodie (arr. Yodo)
Première Rhapsody (tr. Baars) (1910/12016)
Première Rhapsody (arr. Walker; ed. Pappas) (1910/1963/2004)
Reverie (arr. Boo) (1890/)
Rêverie (tr. Thompson) (1890/2011)
Sarabande (tr. Bennefield) (1894/1901/2020)
Sarabande (tr. Erickson) (1894/1967)
Sarabande (arr. Howland; ed. Gregory) (1894/2018)
Suite Bergamasque Mvt 2 Menuet (arr. Thompson)
Three Debussy Pieces (arr. Singletary)
Three Pieces from "Children's Corner" (orch. Sheen) (1908/1988)

Resources

Debussy, C. (trans. Mortimer) (2016). La Cathédral Engloutie [full score]. Editions Marc Reift: Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
Editions Marc Reift. "La Cathédrale Engloutie." Accessed 29 January 2020
La cathédrale engloutie. Wikipedia. Accessed 31 July 2023
Perusal score