"General Lavine" - eccentric Claude Debussy

Question 1

Who was Claude Debussy?

Answer 1

A French composer (1862-1918) who was a key figure in the development of 20th-Century European art music.

Question 2

Where did Debussy study music?

Answer 2

He studied at the Paris Conservatoire and in Rome from 1885-1887 after winning the Prix de Rome.

Question 3

What significant influence did Debussy experience in Paris in the late 1880s?

Answer 3

He heard Javanese music, which influenced his style.

Question 4

Name two notable orchestral works by Debussy.

Answer 4

Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune and La mer.

Question 5

What are some of Debussy’s well-known piano works?

Answer 5

Images, Estampes, Children’s Corner, Préludes, Etudes, and Fantasy for piano and orchestra.

Question 6

How did Debussy describe his music style?

Answer 6

As “Musicien Français,” emphasizing a distinctly French style.

Question 7

What artistic movements influenced Debussy’s musical style?

Answer 7

Impressionist painters (like Monet, Manet, and Degas) and symbolist writers (like Verlaine and Mallarmé).

Question 8

What are some characteristics of Debussy’s mature piano style?

Answer 8

Use of modal scales, whole-tone and pentatonic scales, pedal-points, ostinati, parallel 5ths, 7th and 9th chords, bitonality, and supple melodies.

Question 9

What type of dance is “General Lavine” - eccentric based on?

Answer 9

A Cakewalk, a dance of African-American origin with syncopated rhythms and ragtime style.

Question 10

Who was General Lavine?

Answer 10

Edward Lavine, an American comedian whose stage name was “General Lavine, the Eccentric.”

Question 11

What is the key of “General Lavine” - eccentric?

Answer 11

F major.

Question 12

What is the form of “General Lavine” - eccentric?

Answer 12

Ternary form.

Question 13

Describe the introduction of “General Lavine” - eccentric.

Answer 13

Bars 1-10 feature a strident flourish on a dominant pedal point, introducing parallel triads.

Question 14

What happens in bars 11-22 of “General Lavine” - eccentric?

Answer 14

The cakewalk proper is introduced in F major with a pentatonic scale, and the introductory motive intrudes in bars 17-18.

Question 15

How does the music develop in bars 23-34?

Answer 15

The cakewalk continues with increasing chromaticism, using Neapolitan and dominant 7th chords without fully settling in the new key.

Question 16

What key is the B section (bars 46-69) of “General Lavine” - eccentric in?

Answer 16

Db major.

Question 17

What characterizes the B section in “General Lavine” - eccentric?

Answer 17

It features parallel triads played legato, a dominant pedal, and interruptions of unrelated parallel triads.

Question 18

What happens in the coda (bars 94-109) of “General Lavine” - eccentric?

Answer 18

The cakewalk theme returns in Gb major, with parallel triads and the introductory motive, ending with a perfect cadence in F major.

Question 19

describe Debussy’s music

Answer 19

Similar to visual artists, much of Debussy’s music similarly has a vagueness in its harmony, rhythm and formal outline, and an interest in the sensuous aspect of sound.

Question 20

name Debussy’s contemporaries

Answer 20

Maurice ravel, the other great “impressionist” French composer. other contemporaries in different styles include Puccini, Mahler, Bartók, and Stravinsky.

Question 21

Tell me about Debussy’s Preludes

Answer 21

Debussy’s Preludes (consisting of two books that each contain 12 short pieces), were composed between 1909 and 1913. Unlike Chopin’s prelude, they follow no particular key sequence.

Question 22

What order is “Genral Lavine” - eccentric in the prelude book?

Answer 22

General Lavine is the 6th prelude in Book II

Question 23

Tell me about Debussy’s life and training

Answer 23

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

Claude Debussy was born in France in 1862 and died there in 1918. He was one of the most significant figures in the development of 20th-Century European art music. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire, and also in Rome from 1885-1887 after winning the Prix de Rome. Visits to Bayreuth in 1888 and 1889 led to a brief intoxication with the music of Wagner (though this soon developed into an utter rejection of Wagner’s approach to composition). Another significant influence at this time was hearing Javanese music in Paris. Debussy died from cancer at his home in Paris at the age of 55 after a composing career of a little more than 30 years.