Debussy's chamber music output was not large, consisting of about ten works. Two of them involve the clarinet, the first being the Rhapsodie for clarinet and piano (1909—1910), the other is this work, the Petite pièce, originally given the cumbersome title Morceau à déchiffrer pour le concours de clarinette de 1910. It is a charming piece whose style augurs at least certain elements of jazz composition, both in the clarinet and piano writing. The work opens with the catchy clarinet theme, whose sensuous lilt exudes a subtle, jazzy manner as the music seems to slowly sashay along with confident nonchalance. The piano accompaniment, although easily recognizable as Debussyian, has a bluesy sound in its somewhat nocturnal character. The piece typically has a duration of slightly under two minutes and while it is musically masterful in every respect, some listeners will come away wishing the composer would have carried on longer with his utterly charming melodic and rhythmic materials. While this may be the shortest of Debussy's chamber works, it is easily among his more memorable.

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