Karl Kubizek: 5 Studies on Claude Debussy’s Première rhapsodie

Introducing a new weekly segment: "What's On My Stand," where I let you know what I've enjoyed playing after a recent dig through the shelves.

2023/01/18

On my stand this week are "5 Studies on Debussy's Première rhapsodie," by Karl Kubizek.

He intended for these to help acquaint students with the dynamic nuances, harmony, and technique of the standard French work; they essentially chop up and remix fragments of the piece, often expanding them into various chromatic transpositions.

In my opinion, it might "overprepare" a student through its 10 pages of material which surpass the source material's 4 pages. Granted, Kubizek does sometimes intersperse condensed portions of the piano/tutti line which build more understanding of the whole ensemble (like the 32nd-notes at Rehearsal No. 3).

For anyone who has already learned the Rhapsodie, this could be more tricky to learn, as one might get tripped up by the unexpected twists and turns of this mashup...but it's a fun test, in any case!