Roger-Ducasse, Jean

Roger-Ducasse, Jean – Variations plaisantes sur un thème grave for orchestra and obbligato harp

(b. Bordeaux, April 18, 1873 – d. Le-Taillan-Médoc near Bordeaux, September 19, 1954)

Preface
Roger-Ducasse was born in Bordeaux, and there was nothing in his family background that would lead him to a career as a composer. According to his early biographer Laurent Ceillier, it was “quite late in life that he finally gave into his inclination which intensely manifested itself.”1 Once doing so, Roger-Ducasse developed rapidly, coming to Paris in 1892 to perfect his musical education. He studied piano with Charles-Wilfrid de Bériot (1833-1914), harmony with Émile Pessard (1843-1917) as well as advanced harmony and counterpoint studies with André Gédalge (1856-1926). Ultimately, he became one of Gabriel Fauré’s (1845-1924) favorite composition students.2 As a student he tried unsuccessfully on two occasions for the coveted Prix de Rome (1900 and 1901). However, in 1902 he was awarded the first second grand prize for his cantata Alcyone.3 Regarding Fauré’s teaching, Roger-Ducasse is quoted as saying that the master did not “place much importance on the picturesque.” He said that according to Fauré, “it ought to be possible to produce an orchestration, he [Fauré] thought, without resorting to glockenspiels, celestas, xylophones, bells, or certain electric instruments.”(4) …

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