Impressionist Paintings and their effects on Debussys Music

Michael Hipwell Music History 2

Though Debussy very much hated being called an impressionist, he was one of the most prominent impressionist composers that have ever lived. He was a very crucial figure in the transition to the modern style of music, because he rejected the Wagnerian way of writing music. Many of his works, including La Mer, have been influenced greatly by paintings by Monet, and by the Japanese artist Hokusai. Claude Debussy was born in France and was the oldest of five children. He began to play piano by the age of seven, but his talents werent evident until around the age of ten when he entered the Paris Conservatoire where he spent eleven years. From his start there, Debussy was very experimental; he favored dissonances and intervals that were not used very often in the kind of music they Conservatoire favored. Debussys music often had uses of parallel chords, the use of whole-tone and pentatonic scales, and unprepared modulations. However, it wasnt until 1887 that he was first called an impressionist. The term impressionism was first used by Louis Leroy in the French paper Charivari in application to the now famous painter Monet in a derogatory way over the vague nature of his work, Impressions: Sunrise. (Shown on the right.) The aim of impressionists was to suggest rather than to depict; to mirror not the object but the emotional reaction to the object; to interpret a fugitive impression rather than to seize upon and fix the permanent reality. It is an art of abstraction, in which mystery and vagueness are to be desired, and not avoided. There are no absolutes; impressionism is the antithesis of realism. Impressionism differs greatly from the expressionism. "Formal concern, intellectuality and concise expression have now been augmented by sentiment, imagination and effect." (Tsai)

Debussy himself didnt want to be called an impressionist, and thought that his music was anything but. However, at the base of Debussys work we can see very distinct influence from the impressionist paintings and artists of the time. The impressionist movement was first present in art, specifically the art of Joseph Turner. Turner's major work, Rain, Steam, and Speed (see picture on left), 1844, was considered the forerunner of Impressionist painting. They have a mysterious luminescent quality, with "vaguely suggested shapes that became the hallmarks of the French painters. Critics called Turner's work "pictures of nothing," and "tinted steam." Although Turner actually proceeded what are now considered to be pure impressionist painters (Monet, Renoir, and Cezanne), his underlying ideas and style were very similar. The influence of Turner upon Debussy is unquestionable. In 1891, when Turner was almost unknown in France, he was mentioned twice in Debussy's letters, once superlatively as the "finest creator of mystery in art." Both became drawn to the qualities of illusion and dreams over reality. This vagueness reflected in the blending of colors, shades, shadows in the works of Turner are passed onto the trademark tonal ambiguity in Debussy. (Tsai) As the years progressed, studies showed the parallels between color and sound which reflected the connection between music and artespecially impressionistic art and impressionistic music. Famous critic Camille Mauclair suggests that "light is used in Impressionist painting in the manner that a theme in music is symphonically developed. He writes, `The landscapes of Claude Monet are in fact symphonies of luminous waves, and the

music of Monsieur Debussy, based not on a succession of themes but on the relative values of sounds in themselves, bears a remarkable resemblance to these pictures. It is Impressionism consisting of sonorous patches." (Tsai) Other than Turner, a Japanese artist names Hokusai was probably the greatest influence on Debussy. Hokusai was known to experiment with light, patterns, shapes, and silhouettes. Debussys appreciation for Hokusais work was extremely evident on his cover for his famous work La Mer, which is actually a reproduction of Hokusais print called, The Hollow of the Wave of Konogawa. Hokusai's painting shows a wave breaking over into spray, foam, and smaller waves. It is an image of terror, elegance, and awesome power, simultaneously through Hokusai's usage of perspective. (Tsai) Because of Debussys exposure to impressionism, he started to attempt to recreate the subtle ways that light and shadow made the new art form technique. The first piece that his true impressionist style showed up in is his piece Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. Written when Debussy was 30 years old, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun was intended to be a threemovement symphony in free form. The orchestration of this piece was revolutionary in terms of lines and harmony. It's very opening is unique, with a beautiful, elegant, yet haunting flute solo. The tonal modulations of the opening line shatter the familiar order of traditional tonality. (Harder 125) Debussy exploits the blend of chromaticism to achieve a unique sound which is intended to sustain, and intermix, yet almost paradoxically to retain a sense of clarity. (Tsai) It is interesting to note Debussy's usage of intervals of three, known as tri-tones as opposed to traditional fifths and sixths. The piece has an overall sense of unity, yet entirely different from the Wagnerian sense. Wagner developed the idea of themes (leitmotifs) which

would be changed and repeated depending on characters, mood, etc. Debussy's changes of theme, character are set through an "equilibrium of feelings and textures, fluid, transparent, scattered in multiple nuances, the most delicate blending of light and shade." Mirroring the impressionist style of painting, images, themes are blended seamlessly so that the transitions are as fluid and undetectable as possible. Debussy's use of "instrumental color" has been likened to the theories on pointillist technique in painting. Note that it is true that the term impressionism in music, although very useful, can be misinterpreted. While the overall effect is an aura of vagueness, mystery, suggestion, the actual music is not. One of Debussy's greatest demands of his students was a strict attention to notations in the score, and making them follow them faithfullyto quote the words of Verlaine, "In Debussy's piece, imprecision meets precision." (Tsai) The last piece we will look at is possible one of Debussys most famous works, La Mer. Its an orchestra composition that Debussy started in 1903 and completed in 1905. Initially, the piece was not received well, partly because of poor rehearsal time and partly because Debussy had recently left his first wife which left the people of Paris in outrage. Soon enough however, it became one of Debussys most frequently performed pieces. As stated above, he used a reproduction of Hokusais famous Great Wave painting.

(The cover of the original manuscript)

(The original print of The Great Wave of Konogawa)

Finally, perhaps the greatest symphonic impressionist work of all time is Debussy's La Mer. Cox in fact claims it is the "best symphony ever written by a Frenchman." La Mer is great for its unity in form, with all important structural elements of a symphonic work (melody, harmony, rhythm, etc.) In La Mer, all of the greatest influences of Debussy's life are manifest. As a child, the son of a sailor, he was told wondrous stories of his father's expeditions. Later on, Turner's sea pictures would also inspire Debussy, with their powers of suggestion. Debussy most likely saw Turner's pictures in Paris or at London's National Gallery in his travels of 1902 and 1903, around the time when he began composing La Mer. The resulting symphonic work is one of Debussy's greatest, a landmark work. It manages to be suggestive, yet with technical precision and clarity, a true masterpiece. The three movements are entitled "De l'aube a midi sur la mer" (From dawn to midday at sea), "Jeu de vagues" (Play of the waves), and "Dialogue du vent et de la mer" (Dialogue of the wind and the sea.). The indelible mark of impressionism upon Debussy is evident in this remark which he made concerning his life away from the see. "But I have an endless store of memories, and to my mind, they are worth more than the reality, whose beauty often deadens thought." (Tsai) Like stated above, La Mer was not well received. Debussy was very revolutionary and he took a radical approach to harmony, melody, rhythm, and form. In this piece, Debussy began his impressionist use of harmonies. Chord modulations and progressions became more fluid and more subtle than before. Because of Debussys extended tonality, rapid shifting and movement while retaining musical and technical basis, was enabled. His rhythmic patterns were irregular, and it almost sounded to be in free form. He also used sharp fourths and flat sevenths, which brought out interesting modulations and very fluid key changes.

The influence of Hokusai upon Debussy in the last movement is particularly obvious. The chromatic opening begins with an interesting harmonic pattern, very mysterious of tension. The power and terror of Hokusai's work is reflected in the last movement, a dialogue. While the first movements are more gentle, and are a display of Debussy's subtle and skillful interweaving of harmonies, the third is ominous and dark, rising in what could almost be considered waves of sound. It climaxes at the end in an awesome burst of sound, which lingers long after the sound itself has died away. (Tsai) Debussy's revolutionary new harmonies marked the beginning of true "impressionism" in music, which is preferably known as Debussyism, the terms being essentially equivalent. It is the "apotheosis of sensation." It is music considered sole for the sake of sensation, and none other. It is a "kind of music free from themes and motives, or formed on a single continuous theme, which nothing interrupts, and which never returns upon itself...." Debussy had created a music which would define the basis of French musical style for years to come. He had revolutionized harmony, freeing music from the formal rules always so carefully observed. In fact Thompson argues that, "Debussy has been the determining factor in the music of the 20th century because of the doors he opened and the restraints he cast aside." Myers reminds us of "how much contemporary western music owes to this pioneer who undoubtedly laid the foundations of that new harmonic language, which, with variations, is universally spoken today." (Tsai) Debussy himself embodied all things impressionism in all of his worksespecially La Mer and his Prelude to the Afternoon of the Faun. His revolutionary uses of tonality, dissonance, chord styles, and chromaticism all support the idea that Claude Debussy is one of the greatest composersand impressionistsof all time; even though he didnt want to be.

Works Cited
Franois Lesure and Roy Howat. "Debussy, Claude." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 10 May. 2012 <http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.navigatoredinboro.passhe.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/07353>.

Tsai, S.. "Impressionistic Influences in the Music of Claude Debussy." Trinity college dublin. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2012. <http://www.tcd.ie/Music/JF History/debussy.html>.