Claude Debussy Janel Herde

Biography

 Born August 22, 1862 in St. Germain en Laye, France.  Oldest of 5 children.  Family owned china shop.  Closed and the family relocated to Clichy, France.  Claude’s grandmother takes them in.

 First piano lesson – 7 years old.  Teacher – Jean Cerutti (Jean)  1871 Antionette Maute as piano teacher.  Paris Conservatory School of Fine Arts – Age 10  1876 – First appearance at a public concert.  Accompanied Leontine Mendes (Singer)  1879 – Leans the attractions of a life of luxury – stays with Marguerite Wilson- Pelouze.  Decides to become a composer.

 1880 – Hired by Nadezhda Von Meck  Teaches her children to play piano  1884 – Enters “The Prodigal Son”  Won the Prix de Rome

Influences  Not influenced by Russian composer  Richard Wagner’s opera Tristan und Isolde.  Javanese Gamelan  First saw at Paris World Exposition 1889  Brass percussion, strings, bamboo flutes

 Opera – Pelleas et Melisande  Based on play by Marice Maeterlinck  Only finished opera  Controversy around first performance  Music was either hated or loved  His music was impressionist  Rejected traditional rules  Pieces were dissonant  Lacked tonal quality

Later Years  Changes in style  Not readily accepted  Other composers weakened popularity  Composed music until death  Diagnosed – rectal cancer 1915  Unsuccessful surgery to cure cancer  Passed away March 25, 1918  3 unfinished pieces for “Six Pieces for Various Instruments”

Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun)

History  Written in 1892, completed in October 1894  Symphonic poem for orchestra  First performance  Paris – December 1894  Concerts of the Society Nationale de Musique  Conductor – Gustave Doret

 Inspired by poem “L”après-midi d’un faune” by Stephane Mallarme  Also basis for ballet “Afternoon of a Faun”  Choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky  One of best known compositions  Performed again the next day  Society’s doors were opened to the public for the first time.  First performance – conductor and Debussy made changes up until the start

 Orchestration  3 flutes  2 oboes  2 clarinets  4 horns  2 harps  2 violins  Violas  Chellos  Contrabasses

 One of Debussy’s most famous works  Turning point in music  Flutes and soft must added new depth

Listening Guide  Section A  0:00 Part A – flute solo, harps glissando, horns extend theme  0:45 Part A – horns and harp repeat. Horns background, harp is more prominent  1:06 Part A – Flute reappears, oboes take melody at times  1:31 Part B – Horns return, flute and oboe resume these, crescendos, theme repeated. Harps glissando  2:46 Part C – Flutes continue theme, clarinet extends the theme, flutes at the end of theme

 Section B  3:16 Part D – Oboe leads new theme. Strings – plucking methods – which accompany clarinet. Violins take over the melody  3:44 Part D – French horns return. Clarinet plays melody. Similar to first theme  4:01 Part E – oboe returns with melody. Quicker and shorter notes. Strings added – screscendo take melody  4:19 Part E – Dynamics soften – violins play togther. Chang tempo and rhythm. Crescendo with climax and diminishes  4:48 Part E – Soften with horns flutes and oboes. Crescendos and decrescendos. Twinkling sound.

 Section B  5;50 Part A Flute has main melody, accompaniment of harp. Obo plast staccato notes  6:23 Part A Horns accmpany with crisp melody. Theme reiterates Theme A  6:55 Part A Flutes play melody, violini pianissimo. Flute, cello take melody. Harp in backgorund. Oboe Brings melody. Flute and harp fade to a close.

Clair de Lune

History  Third movement in Suite begamasque  Famous piano suite, with four movements  Prelude, Menuet, Clair de Lune, Passepied  Composed in 1890  When it came time to publish, Debussy hated the style.  Major modification  Revised version published in 1905

Inspiration  Poem “Clair de Lune” by Paul Verlaine  All four movements written from works of Paul Verlaine.  Written for piano solo  First performance  Debussy performed it himself firs time ever performed.

Listening Guide  Section A  0:00 Opens in D flat. Pianissimo. Warm sound. Chords and scales – both hands. Expressive, andante  1:00 Dissonant low notes. More chords than scales. Repeated with minor changes.  1:39 Dissonance resolved with arpeggio.

 Section B  1:49 More movement. Arpeggios. Pianissimo. Crescendos and decrescendos throughout piece. Melody – right hand.  2:25 Key changes, melody move up an octave.  2:35 Melody back down in lower octaves

 Section A’  3:04 Melody from beginning restated  3:38 Coda, arpeggios from second section. Contour same as theme A  4:19 Arpeggios brought together. End slowly with diminuendo.

Bibliography  Claude Debussy June  Dumesnil, Maurice. "Claude-Achille, Young Musician." Claude Debussy, Master of Dreams. Westport: Greenwood Press,  Mandel, Marc. Claude Debussy “Prélude à l’Après-midi d’un faune”. n.d. June  Nichols, Roger. "The Life of Debussy." New York: Cambridge University Press,  Notable Biographies. n.d. June  Vallas, Leon. "Claude Debussy - His Life and Works." Lightning Source Inc., 2007.