Claude Debussy (1862-1918) is my favorite composer. That's no secret.
All semester at the University of Houston, I've been working on Debussy-related things: a 15-page analysis of motifs in Pelleas et Melisande, program notes for one of his song cycles, and performance of the first three songs from his Ariettes oubliees. In all of this work, I've been learning more about how he worked hard to establish a distinct French aesthetic for art music, and how he was largely successful. We all mostly understand that aesthetic, so I'm not going to describe it in great detail.
I WILL go into some detail, though, about the piece I'm nominating for this week/month/half-year...his Images pour orchestre. This is a three-movement orchestral work that he originally intended for dual pianos, but changed his mind while composing them. Debussy was notoriously particular about his music, though, and this work took him a full seven years (1905-1912) to complete. Its wikipedia page can tell you more, but here's the basic breakdown of when he composed each movement:
Gigues (1909-1912)
Iberia (1905-1908)
Rondes de printemps (1905-1909)
These come close to the end of Debussy's career, and yet one thing I like about them is that they sort of sound like every part of his career rolled into one piece. Certain moments, particularly in Gigues and the first movement of the triptych-within-a-triptych, Iberia, feel like early, less crazy Debussy...and then other moments feel different.
The last, most interesting thing about these pieces is that, except for the final movement (which is based on French folk-music), they're all based on the music of other countries. Gigues uses two English folk tunes and Debussy's memories of England as inspiration, and Iberia is inspired by Spain, with Debussy aiming to evoke its visual arts through music. Despite all of this, they still sound clearly French to me...and also, occasionally, perhaps a little offensive (the castanets at the beginning of Iberia, for example). So...with that said...have at it! Get Frenching...preferably not with each other.
All semester at the University of Houston, I've been working on Debussy-related things: a 15-page analysis of motifs in Pelleas et Melisande, program notes for one of his song cycles, and performance of the first three songs from his Ariettes oubliees. In all of this work, I've been learning more about how he worked hard to establish a distinct French aesthetic for art music, and how he was largely successful. We all mostly understand that aesthetic, so I'm not going to describe it in great detail.
I WILL go into some detail, though, about the piece I'm nominating for this week/month/half-year...his Images pour orchestre. This is a three-movement orchestral work that he originally intended for dual pianos, but changed his mind while composing them. Debussy was notoriously particular about his music, though, and this work took him a full seven years (1905-1912) to complete. Its wikipedia page can tell you more, but here's the basic breakdown of when he composed each movement:
Gigues (1909-1912)
Iberia (1905-1908)
Rondes de printemps (1905-1909)
These come close to the end of Debussy's career, and yet one thing I like about them is that they sort of sound like every part of his career rolled into one piece. Certain moments, particularly in Gigues and the first movement of the triptych-within-a-triptych, Iberia, feel like early, less crazy Debussy...and then other moments feel different.
The last, most interesting thing about these pieces is that, except for the final movement (which is based on French folk-music), they're all based on the music of other countries. Gigues uses two English folk tunes and Debussy's memories of England as inspiration, and Iberia is inspired by Spain, with Debussy aiming to evoke its visual arts through music. Despite all of this, they still sound clearly French to me...and also, occasionally, perhaps a little offensive (the castanets at the beginning of Iberia, for example). So...with that said...have at it! Get Frenching...preferably not with each other.
RSS Feed