Debussy

Recording: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Score: From IMSLP

Poem: Stéphane Mallarmé – L’Après-midi d’un faune

Lecture points

young virtuoso pianist, went to Paris Conservatoire at 10, won Prix de Rome at 22
visited Bayreuth, Wagner’s music made a deep (but conflicting) impression (compare the Prelude to Tristan und Isolde and the middle of Golliwogg’s Cakewalk)
saw a Javanese gamelan ensemble at Paris exposition of 1889 (Eiffel Tower)
Pelléas et Mélisande was first major operatic success (1902), also based on a play, some Wagnerian influence
friends with Erik Satie, Stravinsky (both produced ballets for Sergei Diaghilev), Ravel
was appointed to Paris Conservatoire, wrote Première Rhapsodie for clarinet

impressionism in music: from impressionism in painting, tone and texture over melody and form
Debussy rejected the impressionist label, preferring…
Symbolism: a literary movement (including Stéphane Mallarmé), using images (or symbols) to suggest meaning
symbolism avoids direct and traditional narrative, using mystical elements and metaphor instead

Debussy’s prelude is based on Stéphane Mallarmé poem of the same name
the poem depicts the dreamlike trance of a faun thinking about nymphs
faun – half human, half goat, animalistic and lustful, instrument is the panpipes
whole-tone scale: scale composed of 6 notes a whole tone apart
- lack of half steps makes it sound identical no matter what note you begin with
modal scales: scales with a different pattern of half and whole steps
- in a given key signature, start scale on a note other than the tonic to get a mode
- diverse modes existed in medieval music
chromatic scales combined with parallel fourths/fifths result in an absence of harmonic function
antique cymbals: a new instrument for orchestra, small finger cymbals
glissando: harp technique, creates unique timbre