The Sonate Champêtre for Oboe, Clarinet in Bb, Bassoon and Piano by Germaine Tailleferre

The Sonate Champêtre was written by Germaine Tailleferre in 1974 in honor of her longtime friend and colleague, the French composer Henri Sauget. The subtitle of "Champêtre" is a reference to the Chateau of Rondon, in Brittany where Sauget had arranged for Tailleferre to spend her Summer vacation, with her granddaughter, her cat and her dog. The work was a means of showing to her old friend how much she enjoyed her stay where she composed this very amusing work.

The work is written in three movements, Allegro Moderato, Andantino and Allegro Vivace: Gaiement for a total duration of around 12 minutes. The first and second movements use themes from the 1951 Opera-bouffe "Il était un Petit Navire". Scored for Oboe, Clarinet in Bb, Bassoon and Piano, the style of this work is that of an outdoor classical serenade, hence the comic title "Sonate Champêtre" or "Rustic Sonata". An arrangement of this work for Violin (Oboe), Viola, Violoncello and Piano has been performed by the Ambache ensemble of London to great success.