This is due to debussys use of the whole tone scale which permeates the entire piece with the exception of a. The tonal hues in claude debussy s etude pour les quartes. Im currently in the early stages of posting a series of articles through my music blog on the process of analysis of the debussy piece arabesque no. Some examples are from music in theory and practice by benward and saker. What is the best music software for harmonic progression. Claude debussy, now known for his experimental and influential compositions, was breaking free of traditional methods even at a young age. Claude debussys preludes are 24 pieces for solo piano, divided into two books of 12 preludes each. It is the second piece in a set of twelve preludes published. Heres a musical counterpart of this painting about ships and sails by monet. Debussy, pentatonicism, and the tonal tradition jeremy dayo.
A suite of programs implementing a fast approach to the debye function analysis dfa of powder diffraction data from. Analysis debussy voiles frederic chopin entertainment general. The chromatic aspect of debussys harmonic progressions also adds to the tonal fluidity of the piece and provides magical moments such as the slip from a d majorbased chord in bar 62 into dflat major in the following bar. Parting the veils of debussy s voiles page 47 doesnt feel as it should and by some sense of the poetic penumbra that still. Analysis debussy voiles claude debussy elements of music. A suite of programs implementing a fast approach to the debye function analysis dfa of powder diffraction data from nanocrystalline andor nonordered materials. Other debussian devices include the regarding of the seventh chord e.
Unlike some notable collections of preludes from prior times, such as chopins op. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss the elements of. Canope preludes, book ii, 19 playing debussys piano. Voiles, from debussys first book of preludes, certainly displays some of debussys compositional affinities. My analysis of canope debussy preludes for piano, book. Debussy wrote to a friend in 1916 quote, you do me great honor by calling me a pupil of claude monet. This practice, while often radical, nevertheless also. Harmonic analysis of ravels daphnis and chloe suite no. Tonality in the first book of debussy s preludes jennifier carol stern durban 1978 submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of music performance, in the department of music, university of natal. French impressionism and the music of debussy and ravel is analyzed. Prelude suite bergemasque, 1890 1905 playing debussy. An analysis of debussys sonata for flute, viola, and harp. The tonal hues in claude debussy s etude pour les quartes a short analysis by mehmet okonsar according to c.
Debussys contribution to the genre was a characteristically impressionist one. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss the elements of this later style and represent them graphically. Apr 07, 2018 sibelius has a couple of plugins of limited utility for this sort of thing. I would argue the tonality of this piece as being primarily based in c major. Id add that the other current answers seem to be assuming that this is a student project for the sake of being able to. He not only infused each work with the harmonic language and compositional techniques of the period, but he also made the listener an important partner in the sharing of his most intimate thoughts and feelings. Inspired by the performances of the american dancer loie fuller, whose scarf dances were. An analysis and discussion of the performance of five debussy preludes. The first performance was given on october 15 of that year in paris. Art music in the twentieth century encompasses a wide range of expression, forms, and media. In voiles, debussy uses a slightly different approach to layering his melodies. In this prelude we find examples of harmonic procedures commonly used in claude debussys music like. The score calls for two flutes and piccolo, two oboes and english horn.
A bergamasque is a 16thcentury italian dance, which in 1890s france would evoke an archaic form of music roberts, p. Debussys suite bergamasque is a collection of four pieces. But debussy just did this once in a short piece and i think that we can conclude that the whole tone scale, by itself, is very limiting. Riemanns tonnetz transcribed in a quartal harmonic system released by the author under the terms of the gnu general public licence. In their case it was little more than a matter of combining the harmonic elements so. Claude debussy born august 22, 1862, saintgermainenlaye, france. Its a piece called sails, voiles, sails by debussy. Analysis debussy voiles claude debussy elements of. In his later works, debussy took greater chances, implementing more nonresolving dissonances selfproclaimed floating chords and fragmented forms. It is the second piece in a set of twelve preludes. In the first place, it attempts to oppose static and dynamic harmonic entities, relying. Beginning his magisterial tome on the movement, impressionism, art historian meyer schapiro writes.
He also began a program of composition teaching, where each student would pay what. An analysis and discussion of the performance of five debussy. It provides another interesting perspective by actually looking at the music while also thinking of the imagery inspired by each section. The sonata for flute, viola, and harp, written in 1915, is an excellent example of claude debussys later style. Despite the research i have done regarding the title, the results i have found are still only speculation. Im thinking of voiles from the preludes, bk 1 of claude debussy. Harmonic innovations in historical and musical context by ford fourqurean a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements of the csu honors program for honors in the degree of bachelor of music in music performance college of the arts columbus state university thesis advisor cylx. Melodic line, rhythmic regularity, and the use of standard harmonic progressions are all shattered. Other sources say that debussy was about to dedicate his string quartet to chausson but changed his mind, presumably because of chaussons personal reservations. But rather than taking such wholly understandable dissatisfaction as grounds for dismissal, it is more fruitful to consider whether the analytical categories. I found this piece incredibly interesting to listen to due to the apparent lack for the most part of a tonal centre. My personal journey through the 24 debussy preludes.
Module 5 analysis of piano repertoire lessons 1 and 2 debussy preludes the student must look for the book the piano works of claude debsusy, by e. Debussy, pentatonicism, and the tonal tradition jeremy dayoconnell this article presents a historical and analytical assessment of one of the important components of debussys musical style. For a more in depth analysis of the harmonic and formulaic structure of the piece, click here. When we say nontraditional scales we refer to scales other than the major and minor scales used in baroque, classical and romantic music. Debussy, pentatonicism, and the tonal tradition jeremy day.
A contribution by example to recent debates about the promises and pitfalls of performative or drastic analysis to use the term carolyn abbate adopted from vladimir jankelevitch, the article ultimately adumbrates, against the background of writings by dukas and laloy, a new sense of debussys pianistic engagement with the pressing. A stylistic analysis of the piano works of debussy and ravel thesis presented to the graduate council of the north texas state teachers college in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of music by elizabeth rose jameson, b. A pupil at the paris conservatory for 12 years beginning at the age of 11, debussy was a little backward in the rudiments that were taught. Voiles, captures the sensation of fluttering sails in the setting sun. Scale networks and debussy dmitri tymoczko it is frequently observed that over the course of the nineteenth century the chromatic scale gradually supplanted the diatonic. The twentiethcentury musical language of claude debussy. Impressionism has become a vaguer term as the works of.
The effect of a program of music education on the tonal and rhythmic. Prelude suite bergemasque, 1890 1905 playing debussys. Sibelius has a couple of plugins of limited utility for this sort of thing. Nontraditional scales extended harmony traditional chords used in nontraditional context harmonic color tonal ambiguity. Voiles sails, from the first book of preludes for pianocan be said to exist without harmonic resolution and, therefore, without traditional tonality. Debussy reverie, practicing routines, blocking, harmonic analysis youtube piano instruction part 1. The melody comes from whole tones though in that middle section he uses the pentatonic scale as well, the harmonies come from the same scale and he creates a kind of modal cadence at the end. Voiles, for solo piano, is the second prelude from his premier livre. In some casessuch as voilesa single scale provides the pitch material for an entire musical section. With such puzzling questions in mind, i began my doctoral program of musical. Voiles for not being as he elsewhere describes lisle joyeuse a satisfying subject for detailed harmonic analysis p. A different approach to analysis of claude debussys music. As seen in figure l, while maintaining the same right hand melody, debussy adds not just one, but two melodic lines under.
The reason i ask is that this would be be much more etherial at double tempo really lightening up on the fastest notes. French composer claude debussy, 18621918 by paris nadar. Debussys early phase 18881890 consisted of small conventional style pieces, but a ravel performance in 1898 may have influenced his change to a new style. On both an harmonic and melodic level, debussy made use of a variety of scales such as the wholetone, octatonic and pentatonic see, for example, the use of wholetone scales in voiles from the first book of preludes. But for this piece, to make sense, weve got to meet a new scale that debussy employs here. It is the second piece in a set of twelve preludes published in 1910. The title of the piece may be translated to english as either veils or sails. Harmonic tonality 4 chapter ii scales, modes and chords. On both an harmonic and melodic level, debussy made use of a variety of scales such as the wholetone, octatonic and pentatonic see, for example, the use of wholetone scales in. The choice of compound triple meter for this movement shows the. Voiles is a composition by claude debussy for solo piano from 1909.
Their relationship to melody and harmony in the preludes of debussy. Used pentatonic and whole tone scales in his works did not follow typical harmonic progressions was very interested in color and timbre conclusion passepied is the fourth movement of suite bergamasque a passepied is a french court. Dissonance after wagner, voiles sails, from the first book of preludes for pianocan be said to exist without harmonic resolution and, therefore, without traditional tonality. While canope has superficially very simple melodies and structure, this masks a very subtle harmonic structure and a complex exploration of sonorities. My analysis of canope debussy preludes for piano, book ii. Edexcel a level syllabus analysis claude debussy 18621918. Aural reception as a tool of analysis, andrea malvano. Preludes and an indepth analysis of brouillards and voiles are included. Claude debussy 27 free piano sheet to download debussy premiere serie, l. Restricted to wholetone and pentatonic scales, debussys second piano prelude, voiles, often serves merely to exemplify both his early modernist musical language and his musical impressionism. Particularly important in the realm of painting, where artists focused more on sensations, perceptions, and light than on the direct representation of objects.
Sep 29, 2006 debussys suite bergamasque is a collection of four pieces. Ive not played this piece, but it is it possible to play the thirds with two hands one for top line and other for bottom. Im looking very specifically at the in depth functionality of the music through a variety of analytic methods. Licensed to youtube by umg on behalf of decca music group ltd. Apr 28, 2010 voiles, for solo piano, is the second prelude from his premier livre. As you listen to the piece, it may help to also reference the piano score if you have experience reading music. Please add your thoughts in the comments at the bottom. Analysis debussy voiles frederic chopin entertainment. In some casessuch as voilesa single scale provides the pitch material. In the original program booklet from 190001 debussy cited the entire pieces affinity. Claudio arrau considered it to be one of debussys greatest preludes and said its miraculous that he created, in so few notes, this kind of depth.