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Estampes
The study of fusional music
Question | Answer |
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What is the context of "Estampes"? (Who-What-Where-How-Why-When) | WHO: Claude Debussy WHAT: A set of three pieces for solo piano that explores elements of Impressionism WHERE: Japan HOW: Solo acoustic piano WHY: Motivated by poems and artwork WHEN: 1903 |
Describe the melody of "Pagodes" [5] | Main ostinato uses four different notes (bar 3 to bar 4) Gong like pitches in intro (bars 1 to bar 2) Undulating scalic countermelody (bar 7) Idea related to main ostinato but played in octaves (bar 11) Demisemiquaver figures (bar 78) |
Describe the harmony of "Pagodes" [3] | Flat seventh chord on A above a B bass note (bar 5) Chords consisting of fourths and fifths avoid tonal thirds (bar 28 to bar 32) Two note chords in major seconds (bar 33) |
Describe the tonality of "Pagodes" [2] | Neither B major nor G# minor is properly established at the beginning Tunes are influenced by the pentatonic scale such as the Javanese slendro scale throughout |
Describe the rhythm of "Pagodes" [5] | Two against three cross rhythms in the left hand (bar 16) Little faster in tempo (bar 19) Contrary motion between the two hands of the piano (bar 23) Syncopated two note chords (bar 31) Rapid demisemiquavers (bar 78) |
Describe the texture of "Pagodes" [4] | Gong sounds act as a thick pedal note beneath (bar 1 to bar 10) Triplet octaves with a descending bassline (bar 19) Fortissimo climax two octaves apart (bar 41) Accompaniment in the left hand in the middle of the texture (bar 80) |
Describe the instrumentation of "Pagodes" [3] | Pianist is instructed to cross over the hands to play the notes with the left hand rising above the right hand Ebony keys explore pentatonic possibilities (bar 3 to bar 4) Notes are vibrated when the sustaining pedal is depressed at the end |
Describe the melody of "La Soirée Dans Grenade" [4] | Moorish lament includes triplet figures (bar 7) Stepwise idea with a whole tone scale (bar 23 to bar 25) New tonal melody begins in octaves (bar 41) Disjunct wide ranging syncopated theme (bar 67) |
Describe the harmony of "La Soirée Dans Grenade" [3] | Parallel seventh chord idea with each two bar phrase ending on a spread chord (bar 17) Chromatic appoggiatura to the third of the tonic chord (bar 67) Parallel continuous triadic chords build on third intervals without added notes (bar 78) |
Describe the tonality of "La Soirée Dans Grenade" [3] | Tonal centre is now A major (bar 38 to bar 60) Key signature change to F# major (bar 67) |
Describe the rhythm of "La Soirée Dans Grenade" [5] | Habanera dance with a unique rhythm of dotted quaver, semiquaver and two quavers (bar 67) Triplets often create cross rhythms (bar 7) Syncopated triplets (bar 33) Extensive use of rubato (bar 61) Distant murmuring idea (bar 109) |
Describe the texture of "La Soirée Dans Grenade" [4] | Extreme ranges of the piano with low octaves (bar 1 to bar 5) Sudden pianissimo causes the texture to fade slightly (bar 78) Moves into three staves since the range is so extreme (bar 96 to bar 109) Gradually dies away at the end |
Describe the instrumentation of "La Soirée Dans Grenade" [2] | Spread chords of the piano are reminiscent of the Spanish guitar spreading technique (bar 38) Cross hand technique is applied as the tempo gets faster (bar 92) |