A comprehensive revision resource for the Edexcel Music A-Level set work Debussy, Estampes.
Packed with ALL the content you need to know about the set work and comes with detailed wider listening examples to help you write top essays! Very well-formatted - the perfect revision resource.
Written b...
Estampes No. 1 – Pagodes (Debussy) – Estampes No. 2 – La soiree dans Grenade
1903
Context Impressionism: movement began in contemporary paintings with blurred lines, blended colours + a focus on
light (e.g. Monet), term began to be applied to Debussy (despite his dislike for the term)
Music impressionist features: evoking atmospheres by blending colours in harmony/instrumentation,
traditional pull of tonality weakened in favour of parallel + extended chords and pedal notes, melodies
developed fragmentally, whole tones/chromaticism, abrupt modulations to unrelated keys, fluid forms often
based on the transformation of an initial theme, rich/transparent textures
Debussy: French fascination with music of other cultures, he saw a musical ensemble from Java + was
fascinated by their Gamelan music, aimed to remove the functionality of harmony + concentrate on its colour
Sounds of Javanese Gamelan Music of Spain (Debussy only visited once), evening in
Pagoda: tiered tower found in many East Asian Granada evoked
countries Granada: the last seat in Spain of Moorish invaders
Core melody (balungan) played by metallophone with from Morocco + still has many reminders of its Moorish
gongs punctuating the important parts of the phrases past, has a rich history/culture
+ smaller instruments playing a faster ornate version Habanera: Cuban dance, became very popular in
of the melody – free form France as an evocation of Spanish culture
Textural/timbral contrast more important than Guitar: essential instrument to southern Spain/flamenco
melodic development dance
Perform Piano sustained pedal – misty effect of blurring Frequent imitation of guitar strumming – spreading
ing harmonies (e.g. the 4ths + 5ths at the end of the A chords, acciaccaturas
section – resonant wash of colour) Range: extremely large (e.g. opening C#s range over 6
Forces
Begins with low pitched gong-like sounds (pianist has octaves)
+ to cross hands) Sustain pedal: only marked at the end, but would play
Sonority Gong sounds continue as pedals throughout an important role in sustaining/blurring harmonic
First melody = metallophone (‘delicately + almost colours
without nuances’) Full tone/dynamic range – e.g. ‘distant’ with staccatos,
Range: extremely large from C#0 gong-like pedals to ‘expressive’ legato Moorish lament
the high tessitura demisemiquavers in the coda Crossing hands allows complex/virtuosic textures to be
built (3 staves)
Structur Intro ABA coda (B contains elements of A, all contain Very sectionalised – determined by the repetition of the
e subsections) various themes/ ideas + divided into four loose sections
A subsections: intro setting harmonic colour, first A: Habanera rhythm set up (intro), Moorish lament,
idea (countermelody later added), then two new Phrygian + whole tone ideas
ideas (LH pentatonic scale in octaves + RH triplet B: ‘very rhythmic’, presents Amj theme
motif related to opening melody), then a new idea of C: return of the whole tone idea + more disjunct idea
, a slow triplet trill with chords, the chords then D: return of the Phrygian + Amj ideas, appearance of a
change to the counter-melody from the opening, then ‘distant’ new idea + return of the Moorish lament
this melody is explored in triplets for both hands,
ends with the harmony from the beginning
Coda: uses first, slow trill triplet, countermelody + a
B section idea
Texture Three-part texture: e.g. first idea (melody, chords + Chordal elements (e.g. strumming + 7 note chords at
pedal more contrapuntal when countermelody the end), but always other parts to the texture
added) or coda (melody, pedal + demisemiquaver Moorish lament: melody + simple accomp (thin)
broken chords) Pedal textures – habanera rhythm, often on a pedal
Pedal textures (tonic/dominant at beginning, G# note
under new idea) 3-part textures: e.g. Amj melody, habanera rhythm +
Homophonic: climax of B section = simple rhythm in 3rds, always a clear melody present
homophonic/homorhythmic/in octaves/parallel
Tonality Key signature suggests Bmj or G#m, but neither are Mostly tonal, but tonal centres used more than keys
properly established (pedals of both in beginning (C# at the beginning despite a key signature of
section) – black notes chosen for pentatonic Amj/F#m – does not sound in either of these – and
possibilities shifts to F# when the strumming Phrygian idea
B is a tonal centre at the beginning – obscured by flat repeated)
7th chord I, Emj triads under countermelody + moves Dissonance + whole tone + Phrygian mode
away when G# pedal (cadences never used to ‘Very rhythmical’ – tonal centre of A + feels much more
establish keys) like Amj
C section modulates to F#mj with an F# tonal centre
(much dissonance)
Harmon Opens with a B/F# pedal (open 5th), which changes to Pedal notes (usually in the habanera rhythm) heard
y G# later throughout most of the piece + establish tonal centres
Parallel harmonies in B section climax (e.g. inverted C# over Moorish lament, A + F# later on)
Harmony of opening: warm B6 then gentle dissonant Music built on 4ths + 5ths (e.g. ‘very rhythmical’
B6/7 and B section begins with the same F#/G# suggests open quartal harmonies), cadences very
cluster with an E# in melody uncommon, whole tone
Pentatonic first melody + LH octave 2nd idea Chains of parallel added note chords (e.g. arpeggiated
(Javanese 5-note slendro scale) 7th chords – e.g. F#7 + parallel triads in the C/D
Whole tone melody begins/ends B section sections)
(impressionism) Disjunct melody includes chromatic appoggiaturas +
flattened 3rds
Melody First melody: two bar, pentatonic style, contains four North-African Moorish lament: deliberately dissonant
pitches (C#, D#, F#, G#), ostinato: rises a 4th then first note creating a semitone dissonance with the C#
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