Paul Dukas was a composer who had little self-confidence and was very self-critical. He spent his entire life in Paris as a greatly respected teacher and composer. He studied at the Paris Conservatory and was a close friend of fellow student Claude Debussy, whose influence is heard in much of Dukas’ music. He was extremely critical of his own music to the point of destroying his manuscripts of all but seven large and five small works. Luckily he kept what is now his best know composition, the symphonic scherzo L'apprenti Sorcier (The Sorcerer's Apprentice). He also came very close to destroying the manuscript of his ballet music La Peri (The Fairy). This was however rescued by his friends. Thus we can still enjoy this magnificent fanfare which was originally used as an opener for the ballet. Later in his life, Dikas was appointed professor of composition at the Paris Conservatoire where he had significant influence on many young students who eventually became famous French composers, including Yvonne Desportes and Olivier Messiaen. Dukas was considered one of the most insightful and sensitive critics of his time and held the respect and admiration of many fellow composers; he even worked collaboratively with Camille Saint-Saens to complete an unfinished opera by Guiraud. In 1912, as a means to give the typically noisy audiences of the day time to settle into their seats, Dukas wrote The Fanfare from La Perí as a last-minute addition, a prelude, for the premier performance of the ballet La Perí. This was the last of his works that he allowed to be published. This new edition have substitute parts for Bb trumpets and the trombone parts are written in bass clef. This famous brass piece will make a great opening item for any concert.