MUSIC 120 Lecture 14: Music 120A Debussy Spring 2018
MODERNISM:
CLAUDE DEBUSSY
(1862-1918)
THE MODERNIST REVOLUTION:
1) Changes in both musical vocabulary & materials
2) A revolt against the emotionalism & self-
consciousness of Romantic composers
3) (But) in many ways, the modernism is continuous
with Romanticism
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2
Q. How successful has 20th-century “Modern” music
been?
20th-century music transformed the way we hear but it
has eluded popular success
Prelude to ‘the Afternoon of a Faun’
was written in 1894,
but 20th-century music arguably begins here, with
Debussy,
the first modernist composer
Debussy is generally regarded as the greatest French
composer
Debussy: “Richard Wagner is a beautiful sunset that
has been mistaken for a sunrise”
After Wagner &
Tristan
, could — or should — some new
system be found to replace common practice tonality?
Claude Debussy stated that rather than fulfilling
any
requirements based on rules or
a priori
forms, he was
interested in pleasing his own ear
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3
“The disassociation of the individual sound event”
In such a self-referential work, sounds are not conceived
of in relation to any pre-existing system, but rather in
terms of a set of relationships posited by the work itself
Debussy’s musical language elevates other musical
parameters besides harmony & melody to unprecedented
importance
“Prelude to ‘The Afternoon of a Faun’”
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Document Summary
20th-century music transformed the way we hear but it has eluded popular success. Prelude to the afternoon of a faun" was written in 1894, but 20th-century music arguably begins here, with. Debussy is generally regarded as the greatest french composer. Debussy: richard wagner is a beautiful sunset that has been mistaken for a sunrise . Claude debussy stated that rather than fulfilling any requirements based on rules or a priori forms, he was interested in pleasing his own ear. In such a self-referential work, sounds are not conceived of in relation to any pre-existing system, but rather in terms of a set of relationships posited by the work itself. Debussy"s musical language elevates other musical parameters besides harmony & melody to unprecedented importance. Literary artists were moving away from strict representation. Symbolism (symbolist poetry) - what is stated in a poem is no longer literal meaning but represents something larger than the poem.
