Girl with the Flaxen Hair, The (Brand)

Claude Debussy

General Info

Year: 1910 / 1986
Duration: c. 2:30
Difficulty: III 1/2 (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Piano
Publisher: G & M Brand
Cost: Score and Parts - $55.00 | Score Only - $7.50

Instrumentation

Full Score
Flute I-II (I doubles piccolo)
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
Cornets/Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

"La fille aux cheveux de lin" is the original French title for this piano prelude, written in 1910 and published as one of a set of 12.

It is one of the composer's most famous works and Michael Brand's excellent transcription is firmly established in the repertoire.

- Program Note from publisher

One of the most frequently excerpted preludes, La fille aux cheveux de lin (The Girl with the Flaxen Hair) is a return to the simple harmonies found in earlier works of Debussy. The work comes from the first of two books of piano preludes. Inspired by the poem of the same title by Leconte de Lisle from the collection Poèmes Antiques: Chansons Ecossaises, it is calm and lyrical, a stark contrast to mighty winds of the previous prelude in the set. The image is that of a young girl simply and softly singing of her daydreams, the opening motif reminiscent of the famous spinning wheel of the Gretchen tradition of the romantic period, recalling Schubert’s similar characterization of the young girl. The harmony presents an interesting combination of Impressionist techniques: the melody is pentatonic, however it is harmonized with diatonic chords. This very cleverly masks the oriental flavor of the pentatonic scale, and when combined with modal cadences, gives the prelude a folk-song like presence.

- Program Note from Michigan State University Wind Symphony concert program, 27 October 2016

Media

Audio: Reference recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown

State Ratings

Georgia: IV
Louisiana: III
Oklahoma: III-A
Texas: III. Complete
West Virginia: III

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Stephen F. Austin University (Nacogdoches, Tx.) Wind Ensemble (David Campo, conductor) - 25 April 2021
Parkland College (Champaign, Ill.) Wind Ensemble (Jonathan Beckett, conductor) - 8 December 2019
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Wind Orchestra (Christopher J. Woodruff, conductor) – 10 March 2019
Michigan State University (East Lansing) Wind Symphony (unconducted) – 27 October 2016
San Luis Obispo (Calif.) Wind Orchestra (William V. Johnson, conductor) - 13 May 2006

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

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

All Wind Works

Afternoon of a Faun, The (arr. Walters) (1894/1950/1999?)
Beau Soir (arr. Warner) (1880/1971)
Children’s Corner Suite (arr. Winterbottom) (1908)
Clair de lune (arr. de Meij) (1890/1905/2017)
Clair de Lune (arr. Wallace) (1890/1905/1995)
Danse (arr. Boyd) (1890/1983)
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 (arr. Schaefer) (c. 1899/1959)
Fêtes from "Nocturnes" (arr. Patterson) (c. 1899/2007)
Fêtes from "Three Nocturnes" (tr. Tatebe) (c.1899/1999)
Four Debussy Songs (trans. Anderson) (2018)
Golliwog's Cakewalk (arr. Curnow) (1908/1985)
Golliwog's Cakewalk (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Kano) (1908)
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)
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/)
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)
Petite Suite (arr. Kimura) (1889/1998)
Premiere Arabesque (1891)
Première Rhapsodie (arr. Yodo)
Première Rhapsody (tr. Baars) (1910/12016)
Première Rhapsody (arr. Walker; ed. Pappas) (1910/1963/2004)
Rêverie (tr. Thompson) (1890/2011)
Sarabande (tr. Bennefield) (1894/1901/2020)
Sarabande (tr. Erickson) (1894/1967)
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.; Brand, M. (1986). The Girl with the Flaxen Hair [score]. R. Smith: Watford, Herts., Britain.
La fille aux cheveux de lin, Wikipedia Accessed 6 August 2018