Roger-Ducasse wrote music in nearly all classical forms, and was particularly known for his operatic stage works and orchestral compositions. These include: •
Au Jardin de Marguerite, 1901–05 Based on an episode in
Goethe's Faust •
Sarabande, 1907 Symphonic poem with chorus. •
Suite française, Concerts Calonne, Paris, 1907 •
Pastorale pour orgue, 1909 •
Marche française, 1914 •
Nocturne de printemps, 1920 • ''Nocturne d'hiver'', 1921 •
Epithalame for orchestra, 1923 •
Orphée mimodrame lyrique,
Opéra Garnier, 1912–13, staged in June 1926. Based on his own libretto, closely following the
Greek myth. The production was mounted by
Ida Rubinstein. •
Cantegril,
comédie lyrique, Paris Opéra-Comique, 6 February 1931. His most ambitious work, with thirty-two demanding roles, was directed by Masson and Ricou with Roger Bourdin as Cantegril. •
Petite Suite •
Variations plaisantes sur un thème grave ("Pleasant Variations on a Serious Theme") for harp and orchestra. •
Ulysse et les sirènes ("Odysseus and the Sirens"), 1937 His piano pieces and chamber music are also noteworthy. He composed a piano quartet, a
Romance for cello and piano, and two string quartets; the second, his swan song, debuted 24 May 1953, at the
Château de la Brède. Piano pieces include etudes, barcarolles and arabesques. Roger-Ducasse wrote only one work for organ, entitled
Pastorale, a masterpiece that has remained popular with performers in the United States, although it is rarely played in France. Written in 1909 and published by
Éditions Durand, it is a challenging virtuoso showpiece. The work has been eclipsed by more recent compositional styles. A
Romance for organ and string orchestra was performed by Marie Schumacher in New York City in 1947; it's possible this is an arrangement of the piano Romance or the cello Romance. Like
Paul Dukas and
Maurice Duruflé, Roger-Ducasse was severely self-critical, destroying music that did not meet his exacting standards. ==Orchestrations==