André Caplet (Le Havre, November 23, 1878 – April 22, 1925 in Neuilly-sur-Seine) was a French composer and conductor now known primarily through his orchestrations of works by Claude Debussy.

Caplet was a friend of Debussy and he orchestrated part of Debussy's Le Martyre de Saint-Sébastien (Bernac 1978, p. 221; Orledge 2003). He also collaborated with Debussy in the orchestration of La Boite a Joujoux. In 1911, Caplet prepared an orchestration of Debussy's Children's Corner, which, along with his orchestration of "Clair de Lune" from the Suite Bergamasque is probably the most widely performed and recorded example of his work. Caplet was a composer in his own right, whose very innovative works have been sadly overlooked for the most part. His original compositions include:

• Myrrha, cantata for the Prix de Rome (1901)
• Septet, three women's voices and string quartet (1909)
• Inscriptions Champetres, chorus (1914)
• Douaumont, military band (1917)
• Conte Fantatastique, harp and string quartet (1919)
• Epiphanie, cello and orchestra (1923)

Caplet served as conductor of the Boston Opera from 1910 to 1914. He was gassed while serving in the military during World War I, which resulted in the pleurisy that killed him at a young age. (Orledge, 2003)

References

• Bernac, Pierre. The Interpretation of French Song. New York: Norton, 1978.
• Orledge, Robert: "Caplet, André (Léon)", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 25 November 2003), http://www.grovemusic.com.