Impressionism in Music and its Impact on Contemporary Compositions

1. Bell Ringer • M.Socrative.com – Room #38178 • Questions: • 1. What building is introduced? • 2. What was the new style of architectural decoration?

2. Impressionism －－ Music Part 1

3. Impressionism in Music • The anti-Romantic spirit also produced a style of music similar to that of the impressionist painters • Several characteristics are still apart of contemporary music • Some composers made free use of chromatic harmony and key shifts (but stayed within the parameters of traditional harmony.) Others rejected traditional tonality completely • A new atonal harmonic expression was invented

4. Nontraditional Transitions • As painting diverged from its heritage, music did too. Its new directions parted with past traditions in 3 ways. • Rhythmic complexity • Focus on dissonant harmonies • Rejection of traditional tonality

5. Nontraditional Transitions • Rhythmic complexity: • the characteristic accents of double and triple meters helped to unify and clarify compositions, but modern composers did away with these patterns and regular accents • Instead, they choose to employ complex, changing rhythms in which it is often virtually impossible to determine meter, or even the actual beat (you can’t quite tap your foot)

6. Nontraditional Transitions • Focus on Dissonant Harmonies: • Before consonance was the norm and dissonances were expected to be brief and passing, just for emotional impact • By the 20th century, composers were using more and more dissonance and not resolving it. • You will hear things that sound WRONG to your ears – like wrong notes

7. Nontraditional Transitions • Rejection of Traditional Harmonies: • Traditional idea was that one note, the “doh” or tonic of a scale was the most important • Now, composers choose different paths – one was to get rid of any tonal center at all • No one tone was more important than any other, all twelve pitches are now equal at all times

8. Impressionism in Music • Claude Debussy – 1862-1918 – the primary champion of Impressionist Music • He was French (like all the painters) • Debussy maintained that he as “an old Romantic who has thrown the worries of success out the window.” • His use of tone color has been described as “wedges of color” much like those the painters provided with brushstrokes

9. Debussy • He wished, above all, to return French music to fundamental sources in nature and move it away from the “heaviness” of the German tradition • He delighted in natural scenes, as did the impressionist painters, and he sought to capture the effects of shimmering light in music • The Girl with the Flaxen Hair

10. Debussy • Unlike his predecessors, Debussy reduced melodic development to limited short motifs and moved away from traditional progressions of harmony • Debussy considered a chord strictly on the merits of its expressive capabilities, not to follow any rules • He created the ‘gliding chord’ – the repetition of a chord up and down the scale avoiding tonality • Playing a C Major chord, then a D Major chord, then an E Major chord, on up (or down.) The key center is unclear

11. Debussy • Debussy uses dissonance and irregular rhythm • Form and content are subordinate to expressive intent • His works suggest rather than state, leaving the listener only with an impression, even it’s an ambiguous one • It makes an impression on you and its up to your interpretation what it means

12. Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun • Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun • A faun in a mythological creature with the body of a man and the horns, ears, tails, and sometimes the legs, of a goat • Uses a large orchestra, with emphasis on the woodwinds • Has virtually no tonal center • All notes on all the instruments are equally important

13. Stravinsky • Igor Stravinksy (1882-1971) • Russian • The Firebird Suite was his first major work, but The Rite of Spring created greater impact • Both were ballets as well • We’ll look at them when we talk about dance. Today we’ll focus on what they sound like • The Rite of Spring created a riot because of its revolutionary orchestrations and driving, primitive rhythms • More on this when we talk about dance

14. The Firebird Suite • Written in 1910 for the French Ballet in Paris • Based on Russian folk tales of the magical glowing bird of the same name (that is both a blessing and a curse to its captor) • Critics were very enthusiastic • Stravinksy’s first big break

15. The Firebird Suite • Written for a nearly 100 piece orchestra (HUGE) • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlCzpkpQ3qs

16. Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring • CONTROVERSY – a riot at the premiere! • It is subtitled “Pictures of Pagan Russia” • Stravinsky explained it as “representing pagan Russia unified by a single idea: the mystery and great surge of the creative power of Spring.” • It depicts the cruel rites of spring that culminate in the sacrifice of a virgin, who dances herself to death accompanied by frenetic music

17. Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring • The compelling rhythms give the work its impressive character • Rapid, irregular mixtures of very short note values create an almost intolerable tension (or at least to the public of that day) • The melodic treatment is unconventional – short driving motifs stop short of thematic fulfillment

18. Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring • First performed in 1913 in Paris (French dancers and choreographers) • Although designed as a work for the stage, the music achieved growing success on its own • Recognized as one of the most influential musical works of the 20th century • Lots of experimentation – in rhythm, meter, tonality, and dissonance • Honestly, you’re probably not going to like it • Its harsh and uncomfortable

19. Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring The Rite of Spring (Full Suite) • Beginning sounds very similar to Debussy • (22 minutes) – intense rhythms, short motifs, aggressive timbres

20. Rite of Spring • Disney’s Interpretation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3VqcTDf6l4

21. About 10 minutes short… • Olympic ceremony version?