Debussy- Songs from his famous Children's Corner Suite

Children's Corner Suite (via Wikipedia.org)-edited

Dedication

It is dedicated to Debussy's daughter, Claude-Emma (known as "Chou-Chou"), who was three years old at the time.^[1] The pieces are not intended to be played by children; rather they are meant to be evocative of childhood and some of the toys in Claude-Emma's toy collection.
Claude-Emma was born on 30 October 1905 in Paris, and is described as a lively and friendly child who was adored by her father. She died of diphtheria on 14 July 1919, scarcely a year after her father's death.

Structure

There are six pieces in the suite, each with an English-language title. This choice of language is most likely Debussy's nod towards Chou-Chou's English governess. The pieces are:

1. Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum
2. Jimbo's Lullaby
3. Serenade for the Doll
4. The Snow is Dancing
5. The Little Shepherd
6. Golliwogg's Cakewalk

The pieces

Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum

This piece is actually a rather ingenious study in finger independence. In the middle, the pianist slows down and tries his material in other keys for exercise. Debussy's Doctor Gradus Ad Parnassum is of intermediate difficulty and requires experienced fingers. The pianist gets wilder toward the end and finishes the piece with a bang.

Jimbo's Lullaby

This work describes an elephant, Jumbo, who came from the French Sudan and lived briefly in the Jardin des Plantes in Paris around the time of Debussy's birth. It is a beautiful lullaby.

Serenade of the Doll

This piece... is a description of an Oriental porcelain doll and features the Chinese pentatonic scale throughout. Debussy notes that the entire piece should be played with the soft pedal. Some pianists contend that Debussy really meant "Serenade For the Doll".

The Snow is Dancing

Thanks to the composer's remarkable color effects, it manages to describe snow - not rain - and muted objects seen through it.

The Little Shepherd

The Little Shepherd depicts a shepherd with his flute.

Golliwogg's Cakewalk

At the time of its composition, Golliwoggs were in fashion. They were stuffed black dolls with red pants, red bow ties and wild hair, somewhat reminiscent of the black-face minstrels of the time. The cakewalk was a dance or a strut and the dancer with the most elaborate steps won a cake ("took the cake").