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In praise of the Children's Corner by Claude Debussy
which just might be the coolest thing a loving father ever did for his daughter:
Claude-Emma Debussy was only three years old when her father wrote a six-part piano suite starring her favorite toys. Captivated by his daughter's childhood, Claude Debussy composed his tender 1908 work, The Children's Corner, both to entertain her and to explore music through the eyes of a child.
The Children's Corner isn't for children to play, nor is it exclusively about them: it incorporates both the experience of being young and the nostalgia of watching a child grow up. Though it shows his technical prowess, Debussy simplified his playing and even took a stab at humor throughout the piece to amuse his little one.
He called her Chou-Chou and loved being a father. Though in his 50s, Debussy was delighted to have a toddler. He raised her with an English nanny, and the toys in Chou-Chou's playroom took on English names. Taking a cue from these women, the "anglomaniac" composer gave each part of his suite an English title...
https://www.classicalmpr.org/story/2015/07/01/debussy-childrens-corner
The Children's Corner isn't for children to play, nor is it exclusively about them: it incorporates both the experience of being young and the nostalgia of watching a child grow up. Though it shows his technical prowess, Debussy simplified his playing and even took a stab at humor throughout the piece to amuse his little one.
He called her Chou-Chou and loved being a father. Though in his 50s, Debussy was delighted to have a toddler. He raised her with an English nanny, and the toys in Chou-Chou's playroom took on English names. Taking a cue from these women, the "anglomaniac" composer gave each part of his suite an English title...
https://www.classicalmpr.org/story/2015/07/01/debussy-childrens-corner
The six constituent parts are:
-Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum
-Jimbo's Lullaby
-Serenade for the Doll
-The Snow is Dancing
-The Little Shepherd
-Golliwog’s Cakewalk
Two of these, Doctor Gradus and The Snow is Dancing, are IMHO among the most gorgeous and compelling things any sentient biped has ever composed. No one can take you from ethereal to dark as quickly as Debussy.
The suite was composed for piano, but the orchestrated version might be even more beautiful. Here are a couple of clips, plus Isao Tomita’s superb and cool synth version of Snowflakes from the 70s:
