After studying composition at the Conservatoire de Paris, Joseph-Édouard Barat (1882–1963) devoted his career to the symphonic wind orchestra, conducting military bands in Lyon and Paris as well as composing numerous pieces written specifically for these ensembles. He also wrote many examination pieces for wind instruments, most destined for the Conservatoire de Paris. Certain titles (like Orientale, À Tunis, Danse soudanaise, or Barcarolle de l’Oubanghi) reflect a yearning for exoticism or orie...