Transcript ImpressionismDebussy

Our Composer of the Month:
Claude Debussy
1862-1918
“Sunrise – Impression”
Monet
Impressionism & Art
• Critics used “Impressionism”
as an insult. Artists liked the
term, and used it to describe
their new revolutionary way
of painting.
• Music, art, and literature
were very connected during
this time, and were all
influenced by Impressionism.
• Poems, art, and music gave
you an “impression” of an
idea, feeling, or thing.
-Claude Monet
Claude Debussy’s Life: 1862-1918
• Born in France in 1862, in a
•
•
•
•
small town just outside of Paris.
His parents owned a china shop.
He started piano lessons when
he was 9 years old.
At 10 years old, he started
studying music at the Paris
Conservatory.
At 23, he won a scholarship to
study at the French Academy in
Rome. He didn’t compose very
much music at that time…
The few pieces he did compose
were made fun of for being
“bizarre”.
Paris
• Paris was considered the
center of culture for the
Western world for art and
music.
• Claude Debussy lived in Paris
for most of his life, and was
friends with many Parisian
musicians and writers.
• He loved poetry written by
his friends, and was inspired
to compose music based on
that poetry.
Debussy hangs out with his friends.
An impressionist painting of Paris.
Impressionism
1860 - 1890
• The word “impression” simply
means a feeling, or an image,
that someone has in their
mind.
• In the mid to late 1800s, in
France, composers began to
experiment with sounds that
they felt could create in
impression in the listener’s
mind.
• Let’s listen to an example of
impressionist music by Claude
Debussy. While listening, try
to keep track of the images in
your mind.
• What kinds of things does this
music make you think of?
La Mer
• This composition is
designed to give the
listener the impression of
the sea. It has 3
sections, which are
named below.
– Section 1 – “From dawn to
noon on the sea”
– Section 2 – “Play of the
waves”
– Section 3 – “Dialogue of
the wind and the sea”
J.M.W. Turner
Debussy loved the sea, but had never taken a long sea voyage!
He loved this painting so much, he asked that it be printed on
the cover of his music score for “La Mer”.
He also had this picture hanging in his study.
Impressionism – Something New
• Music critics and the general
public hated the new
“impressionist”-style of music
at first.
• Many new, revolutionary styles
of art are not well-liked at first!
• Generally, people don’t like
new, different-sounding music
at first.
• Impressionism – a second
French revolution!
The French Revolution – 1789-1799 –
The people revolted against the
aristocrats – nobles and monarchs.
The World’s Fair - 1889
• Debussy visited the World’s Fair
in 1889, (he was 27) - the
entrance to which was the
brand new Eiffel Tower!
• Some thought the plans for the
Eiffel Tower were hideous, but
it soon grew in popularity and
became a national icon. (Just
like Debussy and his music.)
• Native cultures from all around
the world were showcased.
• Debussy heard Javanese
Gamelan music for the first
time. This influenced the
tonality of his music.
(Pentatonic Scale – C D E G A )
Estampes (Woodcuts)-1903
A piano piece with three
parts, giving impressions
of exotic places:
• I. Pagodas (China)
Listen to Pagodas - Link
• II. An Evening in Grenada
(Caribbean)
• III. A Rainy Day (France)
Can you hear the pentatonic
scale?
Debussy & Tonality
• He was the first major
composer to use the wholetone scale in his music.
• Whole Tone Scale:
C D E F# G# A# C
(whole steps between every note!)
• This scale creates a dreamy,
floating sound, like the dream
sequence in a movie.
• Many people hated Debussy’s
music at first, because of its
“weird” tonality.
(What is tonality?)
Sheet music from a piano prelude by Debussy.
Does it look difficult to play?
Do you see any tied notes?
Compare the Debussy sheet music to this music from a
piano sonata by Beethoven:
•How does the sheet music look different from Debussy’s?
In what ways would the two pieces sound different?
Debussy – The Later Years
• His music became even more
avant-garde.
• Avant-garde - music or art that
is new and different,
experimental or innovative.
(Something that has never been
done before!)
• He prominently used many
dissonant chords in his music.
• Dissonant chords are tensesounding, consonant chords
sound more pleasing to the ear!
Debussy and his daughter,
Claude-Emma, 1916.
World War I
• As the war raged in Europe,
Debussy lost interest in
composing for one year.
• He said, “I can neither laugh nor
weep while so many of our men
heroically face death."
• After a year, he realized that he
needed to compose music, to
create “a little of that beauty
which the enemy is attacking
with such fury”.
(Who was the enemy?)
• At least 20 million people died
during World War I.
The End of Debussy’s Life
• Debussy died at the
age of 56, of cancer,
in Paris (1918).
• His funeral
procession marched
through the streets
as German bombs
ripped through Paris.
• He died only 8
months before the
end of the war.
(World War I lasted
from 1914-1918.)
Debussy’s Impact on Music
• Debussy’s music had a huge
impact on all 20th Century
composers.
• He broke the old rules of
tonality, and paved the way
for others to break the
rules, too!
• He threw out the heavy,
serious style of music from
Germany, for a lighter style
that emphasized musical
color, moods, and
atmosphere.
One of the most famous French composers
of all time!