Debussy composed the cello sonata as the first in a project,
Six sonatas for various instruments, to compose six sonatas for different instruments. It was prompted by a performance of the
Septet by
Saint-Saëns, inspiring Debussy to write chamber music again which he had neglected since
his string quartet of 1893. Diagnosed with
colorectal cancer in 1910, he had not composed at all. Debussy's publisher
Durand encouraged the project, planned as an homage to 18th-century composers
Couperin and
Rameau. Throughout his career, he preferred the French keyboard music of the 18th century over German romanticism. Remaining in the French tradition was also a political statement during the World War. He described himself as a French musician on the title pages of project pieces. Debussy planned three
movements, as in French traditional sonatas. He had written many works in three movements such as
Pour le piano,
En blanc et noir, and
Iberia. Debussy composed the Cello Sonata as the first of the set within a few weeks in July at the Normandy seaside town of
Pourville. He wrote to his publisher Durand on 5 August that he would send the
manuscript of what he described as a sonata in "almost classical form in the best sense of the word". It was printed in December 1915. Despite other information, the sonata was premiered in London's
Aeolian Hall by cellist C. Warwick Evans and
Ethel Hobday on 4 March 1916. It was played at the Casino Saint-Pierre in
Geneva, performed by cellist Léonce Allard and
Marie Panthès. It took until 24 March 1917 for the French premiere which was given in Paris by cellist
Joseph Salmon and Debussy. The cellist
Louis Rosoor claimed in program notes that Debussy related the music to the character
Pierrot of the
commedia dell'arte, and wanted to name the sonata
Pierrot Angry at the Moon. The cellist seems to have invented this, writing: "Pierrot wakes up with a start and shakes off his stupor. He rushes off to sing a serenade to his beloved [the moon] who, despite his supplications, remains unmoved. To comfort himself in his failure he sings a song of liberty." Debussy confirmed in a letter to Durand dated 16 October 1916 that the cellist had visited him the previous night, and seemed to have misunderstood him and the music. Debussy dedicated the sonata, and actually the complete project, to his wife
Emma, writing "" (The six sonatas for various instruments are offered to honour Emma-Claude Debussy. Her husband.). He completed only three of the six planned sonatas, a second for viola, flute and harp in October 1915, and the third, a violin sonata, in the winter of 1916–17. In 2008
Bärenreiter published a critical edition of the sonata, edited by Regina Back. She used Debussy's sketches from a private collection for the first time, dealing with the balance of the instruments and attempting to clarify ambiguities in the
autograph and the first edition, many of which remain unresolvable. The cello sonata became a staple of the modern cello repertoire and is commonly regarded as one of the finest masterpieces written for the instrument. == Music ==