Debussy- Estampes
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Admitted to the Conservatoire de Paris at the age of 10
He rejected the music of Wagner and other composers of the German musical tradition- he regarded
symphonies as ‘out of date’ and therefore wrote many symphonic sketches
He was influenced by composers such as Bartok and Messiaen
Is viewed as one of the most influential composers of the late 19 th and early 20th century
Seen as the first impressionist composer, though he often rejected this
Impressionism
Was firstly a movement in art in the late 1800s, dominated by Monet, Renoir and others
Impressionism in both art and music is focused on creating an atmosphere
Characteristics of impressionist music include:
o Parallel chords
o Whole tone and pentatonic scales; modes
o Rejection of traditional harmony
o Unusual use of orchestral colours
o Rich textures
o Abrupt modulations
o Atmospheric and dream like pieces
Debussy’s first piece of impressionist music is thought to be ‘Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune’
The other main impressionist composer was Ravel- his Miroirs for piano are a good example
Context
Estamples (Prints) is a set of 3 pieces for solo piano, composed in 1903
Both of the titles are descriptive- this is a starting point for the musical style
Romantic composers tended to compose pieces of great length, however Debussy moved away from this and
wrote short pieces such as the pieces as part of Estampes
It was inspired by different forms of world music that Debussy heard throughout his lifetime- Indonesian
Gamalan, Arabic scales
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Admitted to the Conservatoire de Paris at the age of 10
He rejected the music of Wagner and other composers of the German musical tradition- he regarded
symphonies as ‘out of date’ and therefore wrote many symphonic sketches
He was influenced by composers such as Bartok and Messiaen
Is viewed as one of the most influential composers of the late 19 th and early 20th century
Seen as the first impressionist composer, though he often rejected this
Impressionism
Was firstly a movement in art in the late 1800s, dominated by Monet, Renoir and others
Impressionism in both art and music is focused on creating an atmosphere
Characteristics of impressionist music include:
o Parallel chords
o Whole tone and pentatonic scales; modes
o Rejection of traditional harmony
o Unusual use of orchestral colours
o Rich textures
o Abrupt modulations
o Atmospheric and dream like pieces
Debussy’s first piece of impressionist music is thought to be ‘Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune’
The other main impressionist composer was Ravel- his Miroirs for piano are a good example
Context
Estamples (Prints) is a set of 3 pieces for solo piano, composed in 1903
Both of the titles are descriptive- this is a starting point for the musical style
Romantic composers tended to compose pieces of great length, however Debussy moved away from this and
wrote short pieces such as the pieces as part of Estampes
It was inspired by different forms of world music that Debussy heard throughout his lifetime- Indonesian
Gamalan, Arabic scales
