CRITICAL COMMENTARY
D G P
1
2–3
3
4
5
7–10
7, 9
9
11
11–12
21
22
24
24 – 5
31
32
33
43
48
55 – 6
57
61– 4
65, 66
67
68
A gives c as time signature instead of 4 ⁄4.
l.h.: tie missing in A.
r.h.: final ‰ in upper voice missing in E.
l.h.: A and E give c’ h ; however, see m. 48.
r.h.: A gives note 2 as a; the b in E is an engraver’s
error; see also m. 49.
A lacks pp at the beginning of these bars.
l.h.: A lacks < >.
r.h.: A gives notes 11–12 as b and a instead of a and f.
r.h.: A gives crescendo with broken line to //.
Owing to page break in E, the slur from m. 11 is
discontinued in m. 12. Engraver’s error.
The first “f” in ff is slightly too short in A and may
indicate sf.
l.h.: dot beneath grace-note in A was wrongly
construed as staccato dot in E.
r.h.: A lacks m.g. above note 5.
r.h.: A notates upper voice arbitrarily with and
without ≈ .
A has dim. with broken line to end of bar.
A lacks // at end of bar.
A lacks 1o Tempo and expressif.
A has Retenu with broken line to end of m. 44.
r.h.: A and E extend slur to end of bar; see m. 4.
A has crescendo to end of m. 56.
A lacks En animant peu à peu.
r.h.: A lacks all slurs.
l.h.: A lacks tenuto strokes on F and f.
A lacks Très animé.
l.h.: In addition to tenuto dash, A has a slightly offcenter dot on chord 1; apparently unintentional.
J’ L
1
9
10
19
20 – 21
29
30
34
36 – 7
37
39
43
44
48
56
57– 8
58
59
24
A reads 4 ⁄4 and lacks Assez modéré.
A lacks les 2 Ped. and * in m. 14. l.h.: slur and staccato
dots missing on notes 2– 3.
l.h.: A lacks staccato dot on note 2.
A lacks > .
A lacks all dynamic marks.
A lacks pp.
A gives ≈ at end of bar, as in l.h.
A lacks marqué.
A lacks > and pp.
l.h.: A has staccato dot on note 3.
A lacks tempo mark.
A lacks pp.
A lacks marqué.
r.h.: A gives note 1 with staccato dot instead of
tenuto dash.
A lacks p and > .
r.h.: A lacks all staccato dotes and tenuto dashes.
A lacks < .
A lacks p at beginning of bar.
61
62
63
66
68 – 9
70
71
72
73
74
76 – 7
81
A lacks Retenu und più p.
A lacks > .
A lacks 1o Tempo.
r.h.: A lacks tenuto dashes and staccato dots as well
as slur in lower voice until m. 67.
A lacks < > .
A lacks pp.
A lacks > < .
l.h.: A lacks pp.
A lacks > .
A lacks Sempre … retarder.
l.h.: A lacks morendo.
l.h.: A has staccato dot instead of accent.
S D
Title
M gives title as Sérénade à la poupée. Debussy refers
to movement as Sérénade for the Doll in A. The piece
is headed Serenade of the Doll in E, whereas the title
page, which was probably prepared last, reads
Serenade for the Doll.
1
Expression mark léger et gracieux in E is preceded by
Très in M and E1.
8
l.h.: M mistakenly places g on note 1.
9
M places p and pp at same level.
12, 13
in M > begins in m. 12 on beat 3 and ends in m. 13
at beat 2.
14
r.h.: M omits staccato dot on note 2.
15
l.h.: M gives staccato dot instead of tenuto dash.
17, 20, 22 r.h.: M starts slur on chord 1.
22 – 3
M lacks staccato dots.
28
M gives dim. with broken line to end of bar.
30
l.h.: M adds staccato dot.
31
r.h.: last eighth in M and E g ’+c ’’, in R however
g ’+d ’’. In R Debussy stresses the parallel octaves in
both hands and as a result of this and in analogy
with m. 34 the reading g ’+d ’’ is also conceivable.
35
l.h.: M places staccato dot on note 1.
42
M and E give Cédez with broken line to end of bar.
43
r.h.: E omits staccato dot on note 2.
49
p missing in E but present in M.
51
in M > ends at end of bar.
76
l.h.: M has accent and staccato dot on note 3, E has
accent only; staccato dot added to agree with m. 72.
80
l.h.: M lacks staccato dot on note 1.
81
l.h.: E lacks staccato dot on note 1.
83
M lacks > .
91
M has f at beginning of bar.
92
l.h.: Staccato dots missing in M and E.
100
r.h.: M lacks g on chord 2. l.h.: E lacks tenuto dash
on note 1; however, see m. 96.
102
l.h.: M lacks on note 2.
104
in M > begins at end of m. 104 and ends in m. 105
at beat 2.
105
r.h.: ff in M, sf in E.
111–14
119
124
r.h.: M lacks < > .
r.h.: E lacks staccato dot.
M places * beneath m. 124 and omits fermatas.
T
1
10 –12
12 –13
13
15
18 –19
20, 21
22
23
25
28
35
37
43
46 – 7
47
48, 52
48
49–51
53, 55
57– 63
66
67– 8
A has incomplete metronome mark: M. e – .
A lacks all staccato dots (incl. mm. 60–62).
r.h.: A places on note 2 that is canceled by a in
m. 13 (same in mm. 62 – 3).
A duplicates beat 2, thereby producing a 5 ⁄4 bar. The
repeat is crossed out with the non-autograph comment “un temps en trop”.
A gives this bar as repeat of m. 14.
These bars are missing in A. When proofreading E,
Debussy evidently inserted two additional bars after
m. 17 (the intermediate source [K] is lost, but see
Debussy’s letter to Durand, S. IV / p. XI / p. XVIII ),
hence the subsequent redivision of the page in E.
Debussy indicated m. 21 (in A m. 19) as a repetition
of m. 20 (in A m. 18), see facsimile p. XXVI.
l.h.: A places staccato dot on g’ (note 5); omitted in E,
probably for technical reasons, there being no room left.
l.h.: Staccato dot on note 1 has slipped upwards
in A and is missing in E for the same reason as in
mm. 20 – 21. A lacks doux et triste.
r.h.: A and E place tenuto dash and staccato dot on
note 1.
A and E lack tenuto stroke on first note in both r.h.
and. l.h.; however, see m. 29.
l.h.: see slur in m. 24.
r.h.: A covers tenuto dashes on notes 1– 2 with heavy
staccato dot; E prints tenuto dashes over staccato dots.
r.h.: A lacks on final note.
l.h.: A leaves h undotted, followed by ‰ . E gives h . ,
contradicting ‰ at end of bar.
A lacks > .
l.h.: A lacks on e (note 5).
A gives new time signature 2 ⁄4 in parentheses above
top staff to indicate that it only applies for one bar. E
gives new time signature 2 ⁄4 in both staves and
returns to 4 ⁄4 in adjoining bar.
r.h.: A lacks on a’.
l.h.: A lacks rests in first half of m. 49 and mm. 51–2.
E lacks rests in mm. 51–2; however, see r.h.
l.h.: A postpones repeat of to note 8 in each bar
rather than note 6 (as in E).
Debussy indicates repeat of mm. 7–13 in A by
labeling these bars from “A” to “G” and adding a
cross-reference.
r.h.: A lacks on note 7.
l.h.: A ends slur from m. 67 at end of staff and begins
new slur in m. 68. Slur undivided in E.
T
1
3
4
A gives c as time signature.
A lacks mf.
r.h.: Breathing mark beneath fermata reinforces effect
of caesura.
5
8, 12
9
14
16 –19
21
23
25
29
A lacks tempo mark.
A lacks au Mouvt.
E lacks > at beginning of bar. A lacks Cédez - - - //.
A lacks p. l.h.: A and E lack augmentation dots on h .
A lacks Cédez - - - // and au Mouvt.
A lacks Plus mouvementé.
l.h.: A and E lack on d’’ in chord 2.
A lacks > in first half of bar and gives p instead of
più p in second half.
A lacks Cédez - - - //.
G’ 1
16
20
23
24
25
26
28 – 9
30 – 32
34
35
36
38
40
41
61
69
71
72–3
73
73–5
75
78
80
82– 3
83– 4
87– 91
90
92–109
114 –24
121
125
A has incomplete metronome mark: M. M. q – .
l.h.: A and E lack staccato dot on note 2, unlike E in
m. 96; however, see r.h.
r.h.: A lacks on note 3.
A gives cresc. with broken line to end of bar.
r.h.: A has staccato dot on note 1 but not on note 2
(same in m. 104). A lacks g ; E lacks g only in m. 104.
r.h.: E lacks accent on chord 1, though present in A.
r.h.: A has staccato dot on chord 3 (same in m. 106).
l.h.: E adds b’ to g’ + b’ probably for consistency with
mm. 36 – 37. R contradicts this reading.
l.h.: A has staccato dot on note 3 in each bar.
A lacks < at beginning of bar.
r.h.: A gives h d’ + f’ with tenuto dash (same in m. 115).
A lacks p and < > .
r.h.: A places staccato dot on note 3.
A has f and < at beginning of bar.
l.h.: A lacks staccato dots on chords 1 and 3.
l.h.: A gives note 1 as q instead of e and omits rests.
A gives ‰ instead of Œ .
r.h.: A distinctly has additional slur covering four
notes in upper voice but overwritten by underscoring
of a Tempo.
r.h.: Owing to page break, A and E fail to specify
whether the final b in m. 73 should be slurred or
tied. Tie added from R.
l.h.: A crosses out on G.
l.h.: A gives tie from G in mm. 73–5 and tie from d in mm. 74 –5.
A gives additional p on beat 1.
r.h.: A fails to repeat accidental on d’ in chord 3;
however, see preceding on grace-note d’ of chord 2.
A gives staccato dots on note 1 of r.h. and l.h.
A ends slur between a in r.h. and g in l.h.; E ends
slur on a.
A has dim. with broken line to end of m. 84.
A has Retenu with broken line to end of m. 91.
r.h.: A has staccato dot on note 3.
Debussy indicates repeat of mm. 12– 29 in A by
labeling them “I. à 18.” and adding a cross-reference,
with an additional 1o Tempo above m. 92. E lacks <
and sff in m. 92 and f in m. 96.
Debussy indicates repeat of mm. 34 – 44 in A by
labeling them “19 à 29.” and adding a cross-reference.
E lacks < at beginning of m. 114.
l.h.: E omits staccato dot on chord 2.
A lacks >.
25