This week we are
exploring Impressionism in both art and music. Yesterday we looked at Claude
Monet as an example of an Impressionist painter. How do characteristics of
Impressionism find their way into music?
Claude Debussy is
one example of an Impressionist composer. Like Monet’s paintings, Debussy
attempted to create a sense of detached observation in his music. Rather than
creating clear stories or emotions as in much music of the Romantic period,
Debussy evokes images or moods that aren’t necessarily clear. These images are
created through the use of motives that do not necessarily develop but may
change slightly throughout the work, as if looking at the scene at various
perspectives. Debussy also used exotic scales such as the pentatonic (5 note)
scale as well as unresolved dissonances amongst other techniques in his
compositions.
One example of
Debussy’s Impressionist output includes La
Mer. This is an orchestral work that is meant to depict the movement of the
sea through the use of rapidly alternating musical images. Debussy wrote this
piece with inspiration from his childhood memories of the sea. Listen to La Mer and let me know if you think
Debussy effectively evokes the movement of the sea.
