Jean Roger-Ducasse

Jean Jules Amable Roger-Ducasse (Bordeaux, 18 April 1873—Taillan-Médoc (Gironde) 19 July 1954) was a French composer, the star pupil and close friend of Gabriel Fauré at the Paris Conservatoire,^[1] where he succeeded Fauré as professor of composition; in 1935 he succeeded Paul Dukas as professor of orchestration. His personal style was firmly rooted in the French school of orchestration, in an unbroken tradition from Hector Berlioz through Camille Saint-Saëns.

• Au Jardin de Marguerite, 1901-1905 Based on an episode in Goethe's Faust
• Sarabande, 1907 Symphonic poem with chorus.
• Suite française, Concerts Calonne, Paris, 1907
• Marche française, 1914
• Nocturne de printemps, 1920
• Nocturne d’hiver, 1921
• Epithalame for orchestra, 1923
• Orphée mimodrame lyrique, Opéra Garnier, June 1936 Based on his own libretto, closely following the Greek myth. The production was mounted by Ida Rubinstein.
• Cantegril, comédie lyrique, Paris Opéra-Comique, 6 February 1931. His most ambitious work, with thirty-two demanding roles, was directed by Masson and Ricou with Roger Bourdin as Cantegril.
• Petite Suite
• Variations sur un thème grave ("Pleasant Variations on a serious theme") for harp and orchestra.
• Ulysse et les sirènes ("Odysseus and the Sirens"), 1937

His piano pieces should be noted; his chamber music includes two string quartets^[2], a piano quartet and a Romance for cello and piano.

We must not forget that he only wrote one work for organ, Pastorale, a masterpiece rarely played in France nowadays on account of its difficulty for one reason. Written in 1909, it is one of the virtuoso pieces of the early 20th century. The second reason is that it has been eclipsed by more recent compositional styles. This work still is nevertheless very popular in the United States and it is published by Editions Durand.

Like Dukas, he was severely self-critical, destroying music that did not meet his exacting standards.

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