Dans la Foret for English Horn & Piano - EH/PN

Dans la Foret 
for English horn and piano
by Emile Pierre Ratez (1851-1934) French composer, administrator, and violist.

This is the printed music.  To buy the PDF download, click HERE.

edited by Trevor Cramer

Émile (sic René) Pierre Ratez was born in Besançon and became a pupil of Pierre De Mol and later a pupil of Bazin and of Jules Massenet at the Conservatoire de Paris in the 1870s. In 1891, he became director of the Lille branch of the Paris Conservatory.

His compositions include chamber music, including at least three piano trios, a piano quintet, a cello sonata, at least two violin sonatas, a string trio, a suite for violin and piano, two operas: Lydéric (premiered 1895, Lille) and Paula (premiered 1904, Besançon) and many songs, choral, and piano works.

Born in the heart of France during the 19th century, details about his childhood and initial music training remain scarce. His time at both the Paris and Lille Conservatories laid the foundation for his illustrious career.

Emile Pierre Ratez’s musical compositions have a unique charm that transcends time. His oeuvre is vast, encompassing various genres. His work for double bass stands out due to its intricacy and depth, showcasing his versatility and profound understanding of music. Apart from double bass, Ratez also composed music for various other instruments, including piano, violin, viola, and even the somewhat more obscure such as saxophone and Cor Anglais. The Dans la Forêt is such a piece, published here in a new modern edition.

Ratez’s compositions provide a rich learning resource for aspiring musicians. Many of his pieces offer a balance of technical challenges and expressive possibilities, while others, such as Dans la Forêt offer an insight into a more leisurely and somewhat melancholy time.

Ratez died in Lille on 19 May 1934.