The famous Golliwogg’s Cakewalk is the final piece from Debussy's cycle Children’s Corner which consists of 6 miniatures for piano, written for his daughter in the years 1906-1908.
The style corresponds to that of ragtime, a dance which was in vogue around the turn of the century. In the middle section, he parodies several times the beginning of the opera Tristan and Isolde by Richard Wagner with whom Debussy had a rather ambiguous relationship.
The present arrangement now allows musicians to play the popular movement in a version for melodic instrument with accompaniment.
Instrumentation:
alto saxophone in Eb and piano