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