Debussy, Estampes Flashcards
Estampes meaning
What style of composer was Debussy?
Prints (pictures, paintings)
Impressionist (new) as didn’t like the norm
French, keen to break away from German romantic song (something diff as all the same)
Padoges meaning
How is a padoges represented?
East Asian house
Image in first 2 bars: bass = stable, higher = unstable
What is Javanese gamelan?
Affect on ‘padoges’
“To hit with a hammer”
Series of percussion instruments
Plodding, dissonant sound throughout
Rubato / improv = free feeling, little sense of pulse
Idea that runs throughout ‘Padoges’
Triplet oscillation
Use of piano
‘Padoges’
Large sonority: uses range to max
Gamelan elements in ‘Padoges’ structure
Gong like (5ths) opening = gamelan spiritual leader, gong always on 8th beat but, here on 1st
Bar 10 gong pedal replaced with G#, remains to end = one tone running throughout
Short 2 bar interval = sets oriental scene
Bar 15 cross rhythms with LH triplets against RH 2 quavers, reappears throughout = element, virtuosic
Form/texture of ‘Padoges’
Loose ternary form (ABA)
Tone of ‘Padoges’
Suggested Bmaj / G#min (relative)
Bass G# suggests G#min
Neither established
Triads
Effect
Describe the harmony
‘Padoges’
Avoids straightforward triads
Lots added notes
Harmonically ambiguous
How are the gongs in the intro played? ‘Padoges’
Cross hands: 2nd chord m.d. = RH, 3rd chord m.g. = LH
Rhythms of ‘Padoges’ (3)
Bar 31: becomes syncopated (offbeat)
From bar 33: swaying up, down theme develops
Bar 78:
Accomp in RH = rippling hemi-demi-semi quavers, high tessitura
Melody in LH = inverted
Last section range
Ending dynamics
‘Padoges’
Bottom octave B
Bar 97: ‘aussigne possible’ = always as quiet as possible
End bar 98: ‘laissez vibrer’ = let sound evaporate
Dynamics throughout
Bar 39
Bar 69 volume
Climax volume, when
How is a sparodic section of dynamics created?
What dynamics aren’t used?
‘Padoges’
Rarely above p (quest allows to hear vibration)
A few crec and dim
P
Ff (climax) bar 73
3 staves ff, bar later p, quest to end aft
No metzo: gamelan element
How is the texture thickened?
(Allowed as verb bit noun)
Movement of texture
Imitative meaning
‘Padoges’
Lots octave doubling
Lots contrary motion
Ideas passed around, used over + over
Melody element
How is there parallel motion?
‘Padoges’
Ostinatosi throughout
Lots parallel 4ths (played going up + down)
Scales used
‘Padoges’
It’s pentatonic
Whole tone scale: inspired by Revel, weird, WL = VW
Slender scale: gamelan element
I II IV VI I
C D F A C = not normal
How is there’s big displacement of the beat?
Caused by?
‘Padoges’
Ideas come back, but on diff beats of the bar
Partly by syncopation
Chords of ‘Padoges’
Added chords
4th and 5ths are what?
‘Padoges’
Weird
Rare in harmony
Statement
Non conventional
La soirée dans Grenadè meaning
Inspiration of No.2
An evening in Grenada
Grenada (Spain) visit
Flamenco influence in No.2
Habanera rhythm throughout
Dotted quaver, semi-quaver, quaver, quaver
Rhythm originally a Cuban dance
Sound of flamenco guitar: bar 109, 115 interjection
How is No.2 expressive + from a far (‘eg lointain’)?
Moorish lament with augmented 2nd: B# -> A
Comes round again + again, south Spain element
Form
No.2
Loose ternary form (ABA)
Range of No.2
Use of pedal
6 octave, uses most of piano, virtuosic
Full use of sus + dampen
Texture form bar 15
3 part texture at bar 51
Bar 19-106
No.2
Hetrophonic: 2 melodies at once, one more intricate
Melody moves to middle
Habanera in bass
Chords in top
Octave melody returns in middle
Pedal E bottom
Habanera in block chords on top
How is guitar made to sound flamenco like?
When?
No.2
Arpeggiated block chords like a strum
Bar 17, 20
Bar 29 = 4th higher
How is the melody close?
What is also close?
No.2
Conjunct
Harmony
What returns bar 61? (Has appeared before)
No.2
Up + down by 3rds
Scotch snap
No.2
Aka lumbaric rhythm
Dotted rhythm replaced
Also displacement in No.1 too
WL = Scottish fantasies by Bruch
Returns:
bar 69
bar 115-6
bar 119 syncopated
When does the main melody start in bar 41?
Describe
For how long?
No.2
Last 1/2 beat Of 41
Triumphant, parallel octaves, falling parallel melody
10 bars
When is there a false relation?
How?
What does this show?
What did this contrast with
No.2
Bar 51 (same time as when melody moves to middle of 3 part texture)
C# and C natural
Shows piece coming to end
Moorish lament
Avec plus d’as andon meaning
When?
No.2
With more abandon, show off + rubato
Bar 67
Bar 128-9
No.2
Recap of flamenco melody elements
En allant se perdant meaning
When
No.2
Small dream/memory
Small recaps = the small memory
Diatonic
Very functional
Bar 130
How is No.2 Ronald ambiguous?
C# maj or F# min
Opening suggests F# min but no determiner
When is the pedal note used?
What acts as the pedal in bar 23?
How is a suspended chord created in the pedal, when?
Always
Bar 17: C# which slightly confirms C# key
But…
Bar 29: F#, ‘are we in C# or F#?’
Bar 59: reprise of C# (inverted pedal)
Bar 98: dominant on E when in A maj
Habanera rhythm as tied
Bar 38: pedal C# + F#, open 5th with 4th on top (no 3rd)
When does the habanera rhythm start?
Bar 1, no real intro
When is No.2 harmonically parallel?
Meaning
Tempo at that time
Bar 17
Moving equally
Tempo gusto
How is the bass harmonically ambiguous?
When?
Adds to what?
No.2
Repeating 5ths
Bar 16
Uncertainty
When is the whole tone scale used?
No.2
Bar 23
What key is hinted later on they isn’t C# maj or F# min?
No.2
A maj (more regular key)
How does No.2 have no conventional harmony?
When?
WL
Lots open 5ths (not 3rds)
1st, 5th, octave above, 4th
From bar 38
VW
Why are there few accidentals?
When from?
No.2
Mainly diatonic
Bar 56-60
Who is No.2 atmospheric bars 78 + 82?
Dense parallel chord movement in pp
What mode is an interjection in?
Léger et lointain meaning
How is the second interjection diff?
No.2
Mixolydian: Bflat = flattened 7th
From a far, light
Harmonic parallelism
Major 6th higher: shows development
Still has parallel chord movement
What chord does No.2 end in?
Why is it unstable?
A major
1st inversion
When is 3 part melody first implied?
Why?
How long is it established for?
When does it return?
When is it properly established?
No.2
Beginning
Bc of pedal
3 bars
Bars 41-52, 67 onwards
Bar 96
Rhythms throughout
No.2
Syncopation
Triplets
Texture of No.2
When is texture most dense?
Texture bars 90-91
When does the homophonic texture return?
Describe towards end
Constantly changing
Mosley homophonic
Bar 78
Monophonic
Bar 109
More simple: 3pt texture has less going in
What is the 3 part texture reminiscent of?
Organ textures (2 hands and feet)
What does the structure have that makes it strong?
How?
No.2
Strong harmonic base
Built in 4ths and 5ths
Bar 130: how is the playing of the pedal diff?
End gives specific playing instructions compared to more free throughout
