The Little Shepherd is a transcription from Claude Debussy’s Children’s Corner, a collection of piano pieces written in 1908. It is dedicated to Debussy’s daughter, Claude-Emma, who was three years old at the time. The Little Shepherd depicts a shepherd with his flute. Three solos have three commentaries following them. The first solo actually has a breath mark at the end. This piece has different modes in it and uses dissonances which resolve into tonality. Color is the primary factor from this time period. Chords are used in a non-functional manner and are not used to create tension and release or to create harmonic motion. This is an opportunity to present music of the early 20th century Impressionist.
This selection is performed by the Wings of the Wind Flute Choir, Indianapolis, Indiana.
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