Marche Écossaise

Claude Debussy

Claude Debussy (trans. William A. Schaefer)

Subtitle: Based on the poplar tune The Earl of Ross's March

General Info

Year: 1891 / 1908 / 1964
Duration: c. 6:15
Difficulty: VI (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Piano four-hands
Publisher: Shawnee Press
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $60.00   |   Score Only (print) - $14.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo/Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
Contra-Bassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet (optional)
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet (optional)
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Cornet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Harp (or Piano)
Timpani
Percussion, including:

• Crash Cymbals
• Snare Drum

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

In 1891, Claude Debussy accepted an odd commission of a Scottish general named Meredith Reid, a descendant of the 'Lords of Ross'. He asked him to write a march using a traditional melody associated with the Ross clan. Debussy complied with a piece for piano four-hands. In 1908 he made an orchestral version.

The result is hardly an ordinary march. The main melody fits that description, but Debussy subjects it to constant transformation. The music very gradually reassembles and builds intensity, leading to a rousing conclusion, probably the only part of the composition that met General Reid's expectations.

- Program Note from Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music

The work may also be found under the title Earl of Ross's March, and it may have been mistitled as Earl of Roses March.

- Program Note from March Music Notes

Commercial Discography

None discovered thus far.

State Ratings

• Florida: VI
• Louisiana: V
• Tennessee: VI

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

• Central Michigan University (Mount Pleasant) Wind Symphony (James Batcheller, conductor) – 26 November 2019
• Santa Clara University (Santa Clara, Calif.) Wind Ensemble (Anthony Rivera, conductor) - 12 March 2019

Works for Winds by this Composer

• 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)
• Danses Sacrée et Profane (arr. Odom) (1904/2019
• Debussy: Girl with the Flaxen Hair (arr. Akey) (1910/1995)
• The Engulfed Cathedral (tr. Longfield) (1910/1987)
• The Engulfed Cathedral (tr. Patterson) (1910/1993)
• The Engulfed Cathedral. See also: La Cathédrale Engloutie
• Fêtes from "Three Nocturnes" (tr. Tatebe)
• Four Debussy Songs (trans. Anderson) (2018)
• Golliwog's Cakewalk (arr. Curnow) (1908/1985)
• 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)
• Marche Écossaise (tr. Schaeffer) (1891/1908/1964)
• Marche Écossaise (tr. Scatterday) (1891/1908)
• 'Menuet' from Suite Bergamasque (arr. Keane Southard) (1890/2012)
• Minstrels (tr. Scarbrough) (1910/2016)
• Pagodes from "Estampes" (arr. Grainger) (1996)
• Petite Suite (tr. Winterbottom)
• Petite Suite (arr. Kimura)
• Premiere Arabesque (1891)
• Premiere Rhapsody (arr. Walker; ed. Pappas) (1910/1963/2004)
• Sarabande (tr. Bennefield) (1894/1901/2020)
• Suite Bergamasque Mvt 2 Menuet (arr. Thompson)
• Three Debussy Pieces (arr. Singletary)

Resources

• Debussy, C.; Schaefer, W. (1964) Marche écossaise : based on the popular tune The Earl of Roses march [score]. Shawnee Press: Delaware Water Gap, Penn.
• Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "Claude Debussy." Accessed 26 July 2019
• Smith, Norman E. (1986). March Music Notes. Lake Charles, La.: Program Note Press, pp. 104