Vincent d' Indy

Fantaisie sur des Thèmes Populaires Français

As many French composers in those days, Vincent d'Indy (1851-1931) had a passion for ancestral lands and many of his compositions reflect this rural heritage. One of these is the 'Fantaisie sur des thèmes populaires Francais' which he composed in 1888 for Oboe and Orchestra. The 'Fantaisie' was premiered in 1888 with the Belgian oboist Guillaume Guidé, professor at the Brussels Conservatory and the work's dedicatee, as soloist. In his discussion of the 'Fantaisie' in the 'Cours de composition musicale', d'Indy describes the work as a 'rhapsody' on four themes. Dutch arranger Marcel Baars transcribed the Fantaisie for Oboe with accompaniment of a Symphonic Band.