CLAUDE DEBUSSYS Clair De Lune Arabesques I 11

CLAUDE DEBUSSY’S “Clair De Lune” & “Arabesques I &11” William Empey

Claude Debussy -Born in Saint-Germain-en-layem France on August 22, 1862. - Showed early on his significant interest and excellence with the piano -Enrolled in the Paris Conservatory in 1873 at the young age of ten - Had a unique sensitivity in his early style

-Received the Grand Prix De Rome, then was granted a three-year stay at the Villa Medici in Rome, Italy -Had an 8 year long affair at the age of 18 with a married woman named Blanche Casnier. -Debussy’s first wife Rosalie Texier attempted suicide but failed- Divorced -Remarried to Emma Bardac. -Had their first daughter in 1905, Claude-Emma, but their marriage soon failed. -Died on March 25 th, 1918 in Paris, France from rectal cancer.

INFLUENCES & IMPRESSIONS -Influenced by his family and his relationships, the music of Russian and Asia, and the ideas of writers and poets -Gathered musical and cultural experiences in Russia during his travels -Tested the boundaries of impressionism, -Avoided his creating concrete images in his music -Considered to be the main influence in the transition from the late romantic style to the style of the twentieth century.

Clair De Lune • Segment of the third movement of his piano suite “Bergamasque” • Began writing in 1890 and finally published in 1905 • Was finally published in 1905 after Claude’s developed fame caught Publisher’s interest. • “Clair De Lune” means moonlight in French, and the song depicts soft moonlight

Clair De Lune • Uses both chromatic and whole-tone scales • Ternary Form • Homophonic texture • Conjunct Melody

Clair De Lune • Harmony is D Flat Major • Rhythm throughout is compound meter at 9/8 th time • Light Timbre, transitions to heavier and darker • ABA Form

Clair De Lune: Listening Guide 0: 01 0: 35 Introduction. Soft and slow rhythm. Major mode. Begins scaling the piano, at this particular moment, the scale starts high and becomes lower. Song begins to run and scale the piano further. Low to high, and swiftly. Increased tempo, but still slow. 1: 00 Timbre becomes darker and more dramatic, Low notes on major mode accompany higher notes playing the melody. Variation in tempos. 1: 20 Tempo continues to increase 1: 45 Tempo dramatically increases, large runs begin. Thicker texture. 2: 15 Both The melody and the harmony player higher, giving lighter timbre.

Clair De Lune: Listening Guide 2: 30 2: 50 3: 00 Tempo increases, Timbre becomes more dramatic Harmony and Melody return lower with increased tempo Only harmony plays, higher notes. Mix of slow and fast tempos. 3: 30 Returns to low notes. Section A plays again as long scaled runs being again. Slower tempo resumes. Lighter timbre. 4: 15 Tempo increases, new runs introduced. Begin low, and finish high. 5: 00 Song ends with final runs and completes with higher notes, slower tempo, and thinner texture

Arabesques: No 1 & 2 -Première Arabesque & Deuxième Arabesque -Both composed between 1888 and 1891 -Two of Debussy’s earliest works -Arabesque defined as “a short piece of music featuring various melodic, contrapuntal, or harmonic decorations”

Arabesques: No 1 & 2 • First has a Andantino con moto tempo and is played in E major • Second has a Allegretoo Scherzando tempo and is played in G major. • Have wide scale range through modes and keys • Both make several transpositions and are played in the lower range of the piano

Arabesque 1: Première Listening Guide • Section A. Harmony begins with quick tempo. Begins ascending and descending the piano. Melody played E minor, accompanying the harmony. 0: 13 • Tempo increase. Run begins from high to low. Returns to high and repeats run. 0: 23 • Begins running back up the piano scale, with a gradual fading of tempo. Simple right hand plays the harmony. • Scales back down, with an increase of tempo and louder, more aggressive timbre. • Melody and Harmony come together in E major with medium tempo, and light timbre again. Texture becomes thicker, as chords are added. 0: 00 0: 45 1: 10

Arabesque 1: Première Listening Guide • Large scale climb of the piano low to high, both melody and harmony. Harmony begins to play high, accompanied by low melody notes. Dramatic but light timbre and thicker texture. • Theme B. Both melody and harmony come together. Slow tempo, thicker texture. • Long run from low to high, both melody and harmony together. Very fast tempo, then fades to slower, and back to fast. • Melody and Harmony come together in minor. Slow Tempo, and a thin texture. Has a more dramatic timbre. • Theme A repeats with long runs scaling down the piano with a fast tempo. Melody and harmony begins to slowly scale back up, then back down. 4: 00 • Harmony alone plays high with a fast tempo, as melody plays simple low notes at a slow and calm tempo. Low to high, then reverse. 4: 40 • Quick tempoed run from low to high. Song ends with a thin texture, and dramatic timbre as soft and long notes are played in both the melody and harmony 1: 25 1: 35 2: 00 3: 20

Arabesque 2: Deuxième Listening Guide • Section A. Extremely Fast tempo, thicker texture, and happy and loud timbre. Minor Mode. • Section B introduced at a slower tempo, and heavier timbre. Right hand quickly playing harmony. Right hand simply playing melody. • Section A begins again, Extremely Fast tempo, thicker texture, and happy and loud timbre. • Tempo dramatically decreases. Softer and light timbre. Left hand playing the deep melody and right hand plays high melody. 2: 45 • Tempo increases again. Melody and Harmony in higher range of the piano. Quick and light timbre. Large scales made up and down. 3: 00 • Song ends with a lower and longer notes, giving it a heavier more calm timbre and thinner texture 0: 00 1: 45 2: 25

Bibliography "An Analysis of Clair De Lune from Suite Bergamasque. " Thomas Stones Blog. N. p. , 21 Feb. 2010. Web. 09 Nov. 2015. "Arabesque No. 1. " Arabesque No 1. N. p. , n. d. Web. 09 Nov. 2015. "Clair De Lune by Claude Debussy Songfacts. " Clair De Lune by Claude Debussy Songfacts. N. p. , n. d. Web. 09 Nov. 2015. "Claude Debussy - Bruyères. " You. Tube, n. d. Web. 09 Nov. 2015. "Debussy, Arabesque #1, Piano Solo (animation Ver. 2). " You. Tube, n. d. Web. 09 Nov. 2015. "IB Musical Investigation. " IB Musical Investigation. N. p. , n. d. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.