I heard this on the radio yesterday, and I think it’s terrific.
Fernande Decruck, born on Christmas Day, 1896, is best-known, if at all, for her works for the saxophone. She composed over 40 pieces for the instrument. Playing piano from the age of 8, she attended the Toulouse Conservatory. She was then accepted into the Paris Conservatory, beginning in 1918. There, she studied organ and composition. Her mastery of the instrument led to a concert tour of the U.S.
In 1928, Decruck and her husband, Maurice, moved to the United States with their young family. Maurice played clarinet and saxophone and was appointed principal bassist with the New York Philharmonic. He would return to France in 1932 to become a music publisher. At home, he established Les Editions de Paris. Fernande rejoined him there in 1933. She then found work as a professor at the Toulouse Conservatory. She lived in Toulouse with her three children, while Maurice remained in Paris.
In 1942, she returned to the capital, where many of her works were performed. After years of separation, the Decrucks finally divorced in 1950. Fernande died of a stroke in 1954. She was 57 years-old.
Her Harp Concerto was given its first performance on a program of the Concerts Colonne in 1946. Pierre Jamet was the soloist (and its dedicatee), and the orchestra was conducted by Paul Paray. Also on the program was Schumann’s “Manfred Overture” and Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fantastique.”
The concerto received favorable notices, then promptly faded into obscurity. It was recorded this year and released on Claves Records, thanks to the Jackson Symphony Orchestra, of Jackson, Michigan, as part of the organization’s Equal Billing Project. The project supports and records works by composers who weren’t equally billed or adequately recognized in their lifetimes. A laudable endeavor. You can learn more about it here:
I’ll be placing my order for Fernande Decruck’s concertante works today!
Enjoy the first movement of the Harp Concerto at the link: