“In Both Art and Music”

Impressionism Originated in Paris, France during the late 19 th century-early 20 th century. Impressionism was a rejection of the Romantic style in which composers wrote music that portrayed emotions. The goal of Impressionism was to create a mood.

Impressionism in Art Impressionism was first used in art. Artists used dots, dabs, and swirls as they applied their brushstrokes. Paintings were blurry and looked unfinished. They created an impression of an object, rather than something that was clearly defined. It hints rather than states. At first, Impressionist artists’ paintings were NOT accepted by art critics, nor were they allowed to be displayed in the art galleries.

Impressionism in Art The most common natural element found in Impressionist paintings is water. Impressionist artists would rather paint outside than in a studio. Two important elements of Impressionist art are light and color. Two Impressionist painters are Monet and Renoir. Impressionist artists painted for enjoyment, not to make a living.

Impressionist Art The following slides are examples of Impressionist art. Notice who the artist was in each. You will need to know this later.

Monet “Water Lilies”

Monet “Sunrise”

Renoir “ Two Young Girls at the Piano ”

Activity-Create an “Impressionist Painting” Go to Start/Programs/Paint Using the tools in this program, create a “painting” the would be considered in the Impressionist style. Be sure to think about the following as you work: What are the elements that are considered impressionist? Be able to explain why your work is an impressionist masterpiece.

Directions to Save: When finished click the following: File, Save as Open the G: drive Courses Pennbrook files DiValentino Name your file: Your name.painting Save

Impressionism in Music The composer regarded as the leader of Impressionism was Debussy. Two Impressionist composers were Debussy and Ravel. Sounds were “painted” in Impressionist music by using richly colored harmonies. Two types of scales Debussy commonly used to do this were whole-tone and pentatonic. Impressionist music has a weakened sense of tonality. Impressionist music does NOT have a clear rhythmic beat. Impressionist music experiments with different types of sound. This is called timbre or tone color.

Impressionism in Music Music in horror movies is an example of Impressionist music because it creates a mood. It adds to the tension and suspense of the movie. It also adds an element of surprise. For example, think of a loud cymbal crash at an unexpected time in the movie. Some examples of Debussy’s Impressionist music are Jeax d’Eau (Water fountain) and Clair de Lune (Moonlight).

Activity-Tone Color Turn on the keyboard and set it to the MULTI mode. Using the list of GENERAL MIDI sounds, play, listen to, and experiment with as many of the 108 as you can. Pick five that you find interesting, unique, or different. What mood or impression would you associate with each?

Activity-Scales To hear what a pentatonic scale sounds like, turn on your keyboard and play the black keys one at a time in a row. To hear a whole-tone scale, play the following: C, D, E, F#, G#, A#, C.

Activity-”You’re the composer.” CONGRATULATIONS! You have been hired to compose the music for a new movie. Using your keyboard and your GMIDI sounds, set the mood for the following scenes:

Scene One The opening scene of the next blockbuster horror film.

Scene Two Entrance of Darth Vader in the next installment of the Star Wars saga.

Scene Three The opening scene of a documentary about a the beauty of our natural parks.

Scene Four The moment when aliens from outer space land on earth.

Impressionism This style was called Impressionism because artists and composers created an impression of a subject. Impressionism was a technique used to capture a moment of life and nature. Impressionism in music and art both create a mood or impression. They hint rather than state.