Debussy's Paris

Chapter VII: Child’s Play and Make Believe

Section 1 - Poetry
Section 2 - Music

Noël des enfants qui n'ont plus de maisons
(Christmas of the homeless children)
by Claude Debussy

This song, to which Debussy wrote both words and music, was written in 1915, when Debussy was in the depths of despair about the war which engulfed Europe. The simple text captures both his rage and his anguish.

Nous n'avons plus de maisons!
Les ennemis ont tout pris,
Jusqu'à notre petit lit!
Ils ont brûlé l'école et notre maître aussi.
Ils ont brûlé l'église et monsieur Jésus-Christ!
Et le vieux pauvre qui n'a pas pu s'en aller!

Nous n'avons plus de maisons!
Les ennemis ont tout pris,
Jusqu'à notre petit lit!
Bien sûr! papa est à la guerre,
Pauvre maman est morte
Avant d'avoir vu tout ça.
Qu'est-ce que l'on va faire?
Noël! petit Noël! n'allez pas chez eux,
N'allez plus jamais chez eux,
Punissez-les!

Vengez les enfants de France!
Les petits Belges, les petits Serbes,
Et les petits Polonais aussi!
Si nous en oublions, pardonnez-nous.
Noël! Noël! surtout, pas de joujoux,
Tâchez de nous redonner le pain quotidien.

Nous n'avons plus de maisons!
Les ennemis ont tout pris,
Jusqu'à notre petit lit!
Ils ont brûlé l'école et notre maître aussi.
Ils ont brûlé l'église et monsieur Jésus-Christ!
Et le vieux pauvre qui n'a pas pu s'en aller!
Noël! écoutez-nous, nous n'avons plus de petits sabots:
Mais donnez la victoire aux enfants de France!

Noël des enfants qui n’ont plus de maisons, 1915 (Elly Ameling, Dalton Baldwin, 1977)

This is Debussy's setting of his text printed above.

Children’s Corner Suite, 1906-1908 (Walter Gieseking)

This is, of course, the quintessential example of Debussy's love affair with the mind of a child.  The piece is dedicated to his own daughter, Chouchou, and it features her toys as title inspirations. The beautiful cover was designed by Debussy himself, who loved control over every aspect of his scores, from penmanship and calligraphy to cover art.  The music itself is disarmingly simple, but far from simplistic.  It seems to smile at the listener with the naiveté of a child, but is filled too with the small grievances and disappointments that make children weep as well as laugh at the world.

La boîte à joujoux, 1913 (George N. Gianopoulos)

This children's ballet, The Toybox, is oddly unknown, though of late it's been getting more performances.   The music was originally scored for piano, and Debussy never completed the orchestration, so pianists have every right to see it as their very own.  The music, even without action on stage, is entrancing.  It's filled with allusions and quotations to everything from Mendelssohn's Wedding March to Pop Goes the Weasel and a multitude of Debussy's own compositions; these toys are full of imagination. They are excellent stand-ins for human beings, though often vastly superior. The piece was conceived on the eve of WWI, and its tale of a wounded soldier and the doll who loves him is central to the drama.  No interested listener should neglect to view the score, for André Hallé's illustrations are stunning. (Link to score on IMSLP)