Debussy, Claude: Suite bergamasque for Piano (urtext)

Claude Debussy’s Suite bergamasque was first published in 1905 by the French publisher Fromont , but the suite’s origins go back to the early 1890s when it was first under contract with the publisher Choudens . By the time of the suite’s publication nearly 15 years had transpired and the originally three-movement suite had evolved into one with four-movements with different titles and the work was issued by a publisher to whom Debussy had difficult relations.

The extant 1st proofs to the first edition, corrected by Debussy, clearly show his excision of dozens of bars as well as revealing numerous textural alterations. In 1909 at the earliest, Fromont re-engraved the suite and added many accidentals – in particular in the Passepied – thus altering the harmony. This later engraving has been the basis for all modern editions although no justification for the re-engraving or the resulting modifications can be traced back to Debussy.

Regina Back’s Urtext edition clearly lays out the development of the suite, documents the various reprints and the changes to them, and she offers unique insights into the title of the suite and the individual movements.

Bärenreiter’s new edition is based on the first edition corrected by Debussy – with its original harmony – and offers the later alterations as small print in the volume.