Lucien Caillet was born in Dijon, France on May 22, 1891. After
attending the Dijon Conservatory he came to the United States in 1918
and settled first in Pennsylvania, and later in California. He has
distinguished himself by his skilful symphonic transcriptions of
compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach, Mussorgsky, and others. In his
own works he frequently makes skilful use, and astute adaptations, of
some famous pieces of popular music.
The _Fantasia and Fugue on Oh, Susanna!_ (1942) for orchestra has for
its point of departure the famous song of Stephen Foster, “Oh, Susanna!”
Caillet’s composition begins with a preface: a tutti for orchestra which
quotes the melody only partly. This leads into a fantasia section
featuring the solo string quartet and presenting a quiet version of the
melody. A fugue follows, the germ of the “Susanna” melody found in first
and second violins in unison.
In _Pop Goes the Weasel_ for orchestra (1938) Caillet brings the full
resources of his harmonic and instrumental skill to a famous American
folk tune. “Pop Goes the Weasel” is a Western two-part melody, long a
favorite of country fiddlers since before the Civil War. After
presenting this melody, Caillet subjects it to intriguing variations,
sometimes with comic effect.