Villa-Lobos and Debussy: comparisons in analytical aspects

Maria Lúcia Pascoal

Abstract
This paper presents an analytical study, which aims to investigate the surface
and structural materials in Villa-Lobos Prole do Bebê n.1 and 2. These piano pieces are
dated from the early decades of the twentieth century and demonstrate the historical
period in which the research for new technical processes could get the compositions
out of boundaries of the tonality and create other structural perspectives. It discusses
these techniques comparing aspects of the ones created by Debussy in his 24
Préludes for piano. This observation includes compositional aspects, such as: chords
structures, polyphony, pedal points, scales and piano idiom. Although Villa-Lobos has
been a reference in Brazilian music, the analytical aspects of his music are not yet well
known and must be an object of consideration under various points of view. This work
has been developed by steps, such as the choices of representative examples, the
techniques of analysis and comparisons. One concludes that Villa-Lobos has taken advantage
of the processes created by Debussy which reveals his link to Europe, but in a different
elaboration that includes Brazilian aspects of rhythm and melodic lines, creating a way
of a special synthesis. Therefore, Villa-Lobos may be considered a man of his time and
his music may be as much Brazilian as universal.

Introduction
In the years of the beginning twentieth century, the artistic
world searched for new forms of expression and development of
languages which in music was represented mainly in an expansion of
the triadic tonality, the common- practice of the three earlier centuries.
The use of new materials brought out searches of new composition
techniques, which have changed the forms of comprehension about this
music beyond new theories and analysis formats.
Considering the variety of ideas developed in the composition
techniques since then, Arthur Wenk analyses many of them, among
which the search of substitutes for functional harmony including non and
neo-tonal solutions; the determination of the structure by the sound
elevated as a primordial element; the redefinition of sound in terms
borrowed from the plastic arts, like blocks, layers, bands, strands, and
new conceptions of time and musical space. He finishes by observing
how these techniques are present in the music of a composer that
represents this new thought: Claude Debussy1.
The forum of the young avant-garde composers joined in the
fifties in Darmstadt, Germany, made a reevaluation of Debussy’s music,
especially in works by Boulez, Barraqué, Messiaen, Stockhausen and a
few others. Analyzing a lot of pieces, they had concluded that the music
of Debussy developed a new thought, a new form of discourse, and had
some keys to the twentieth century music. In the article “Debussy:
prophet and seducer” Claudia Zenck comments about these points of
view and what she calls ‘sound composition’ comparing Debussy’s
music, in particular, between Messiaen piano pieces, aspects of Boulez
(Marteau sans maître) and Lygeti (Atmospheres) 2. Considering

1 WENK, Arthur. « Claude Debussy and twentieth-century music ». Cahiers Debussy. Nouvelle Série (6). Genève :
1982, p. 43.
2 ZENCK, Claudia. « Debussy : prophet and seducer ». Cahier Debussy. Nouvelle Série (6). Genève : 1982, p. 16-17.
Debussy’s musical language as one of the pillars of French modernism,
confirm this idea among others, Roy Howat and François Lesure 3.
The observation of the compositional techniques created by
Debussy brings to us aspects of the knowledge of this new sound
searched by him, and the elements that contribute to the comprehension
of his language. Stefan Jarocinski, musicologist who has been studying
this music, observes that the deep revolution of Debussy is in the sound
technique and it is there that he had impassioned a new thought in
composition4.
Debussy’s Préludes- whole of twentieth-four pieces- are in a
special place in the piano literature, and his friend Émile de Vuillérmoz
testifies that, like an index, they represent a kind of abstract of the main
ideas that had dominated the composer during his life5.
Why Debussy and Villa-Lobos?
Since the earliest decades of the twentieth century the composer
Heitor Villa-Lobos is internationally considered as a reference to
Brazilian music, and his music has been known as nationalist. However,
we agree with the musicologist Gerard Béhague, when he affirms: Villa-
Lobos nationalism was multifaceted and non exclusive, since his
nationalism concerns and treatment tended to be integrated with his
numerous stylistic experiments, resulting in a complex and varied
musical language6.
The new Brazilian musical historical studies that have been done
by the just cited Gérard Béhague, as well as José Maria Neves and
Vasco Mariz consider the twenties and the few years before, the more
plentiful of the innovative experiences of Villa-Lobos composition’s
language. They also point out the pianistic literature, and there, the two
collections called Prole do Bebê n. 1 and 2. subtitled “A família do Bebê”
and “Os Bichinhos”, respectively 7.
The first series of eight pieces had been first presented in 1922 at
the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro by Arthur Rubinstein and the
second, formed by nine pieces, in 1927 at the Salle Gaveau, Paris, by
Aline von Barentzen8.
In the special number in homage to Villa-Lobos, the Brazilian
Music Academy published a survey of his bibliography, and there we find
that there are many examples of analysis of his music, especially about
aesthetics and musical criticism, where in this later aspect we find works
by Eduardo Storni, Eero Tarasti and Simon Wright 9.

3 HOWAT, Roy. LESURE, François. « Debussy » In : The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 2. ed. Vol. 7.
London : Macmillan, 2001. p. 96-113.
4 JAROCINSKI, Stefan. Debussy, impressionism and symbolisme. Paris: Seuil, 1970. p. 154.
5 VUILLERMOZ, Émile. Claude Debussy. Genève: Rister, 1957. p. 125.
6 BÉHAGUE, Gerard. Hector Villa-Lobos: the Search of Brazil‘s Musical Soul. Austin: ILAS, 1994. p. 43.
7 BÉHAGUE, Gerard. “Villa-Lobos, Heitor”. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 2 ed. v. 26. London:
Macmillan, 2001. p. 614. NEVES, José Maria. Depoimento. In : Vida e obra de Heitor Villa-Lobos. Rio de Janeiro :
CD-ROM. CD’Arte, 2000. MARIZ, Vasco. História da Música no Brasil. 5 ed. Rio de Janeiro : Nova Fronteira, 2000. p.
143.
8 Villa-Lobos, sua obra. Catálogo. 3 ed. Rio de Janeiro : Museu Villa-Lobos, 1989. p. 142.
O catálogo da obra de Villa-Lobos indica ainda a Prole do Bebê n. 3, subtítulo “Esportes”, como não editada e partitura
não localizada.
9 BITTENCOURT, Maria Cristina Futuro. « Panorama da Bibliografia Villalobiana ». Brasiliana.. n. 3. Set/1999. p. 39.
 This work investigates the surface elements and the structural
implications in DEBUSSY’s Préludes and VILLA-LOBOS’ Prole do Bebê.
It takes as a starting point the ideas of the researcher Andrew Mead in
the essay where he synthesizes very clearly the main streams of the
compositional theory in Twentieth Century music. The first of it is the
surface of musical grammar and the basic processes to aggregate
events like intelligible entities10.
The study of the organization of constitutive elements, the relationships among sections of a
piece and also the treatment of the texture and the timbre are all aspects that may be resumed in the
question: what is the surface material, what associations can it create and how is its relationship in the
structure?
The first part of the method developed the analysis of composition
theory used by DEBUSSY regarding his twenty-four Préludes. The
second part treats the projection of these techniques in the twentieth
century music, comparing aspects such as: chord structures, polyphony,
pedal points, scales and piano idiom. Then it inserts VILLA-LOBOS’
Prole do Bebê. To achieve this we procceded to the reading and
selection of the more significative musical examples, the choices of
analysis techniques, and finally, the comparisons.

Aspects of compositions techniques of Debussy and Villa-

Lobos
Debussy wrote the Préludes about 1909/1912 and these pieces
represent the time of his best artistic development. Beyond the new way
of treatment of the instrument and composition, it is possible for us to
consider his main musical language points as:
- the non-relation with tonality;
- the economy of resources;
- the exploration of the timbre;
- the rhythmic freedom;
- the fragmentation of the musical discourse;
- the revival of regional languages;
- the new melodic conception11.
Although Debussy did not think of having students nor developing a
compositional school, composers like Stravinsky, Varèse and others, testify his
influence in their music and among theirs contemporaries12. Today, we may say
it also happened in latter generations.
Next, we will consider how Debussy’s techniques are projected in
Villa-Lobos’ compositions, considering aspects of texture and timbre with
musical excerpts presented in examples applying voice-leading
graphics .13

TEXTURE
1. Block chords

10 MEAD, Andrew. “The State of Research in Twelve-tone and Atonal Theory”. Music Theory Spectrum. 11: (1), Spring
1989p. 40.
11 PASCOAL, Maria Lúcia.Prelúdios de Debussy : reflexo e projeção. Tese de doutorado. Campinas :Unicamp, 1990.
p. 278-9.
12 STRAVINSKY, Igor. CRAFT. Robert. Conversations with Igor Stravinsky. São Paulo : Perspectiva , 1984. p. 36.
VIVIER, Odile. Varèse. Paris : Seuil, 1973. p. 20.
13 SALZER, Felix. Structural Hearing. New York : Dover, 1982.
 Studying aspects of Debussy’s composition the Brazilian composer
Gilberto Mendes observes how his musical ideas were not melodic ones
anymore. All the sound elements, like register, dynamic or harmony, are
inseparable parts that work together14.
Debussy’s use of chords integrates all the elements that form the
texture in a structure that includes from the thirds and fifths to of
thirteenths in parallel movements. This treatment has become known as
block chords and is one of the bases of jazz harmony15.
Among many examples of this treatment we may hear block chords
and a diatonic line in
DEBUSSY – Prélude I, 10 (m. 31-34)
VILLA-LOBOS – Prole do Bebê II, 8 O ursinho de algodão (m. 76-
79)16
76 77 78 79

Ex. 1. Parallel chords

2. Chord Structures
One of the points that result in an expansion of the tonality is that
the chords do not have a relationship of hierarchy anymore and needn’t
to converge to a center. This brought out other intervals beyond the
tertian ones to form the chord structures that give priority to the timbre.

2.1. Added seconds chords

Intervals of seconds are added to notes of tertian chords, and by
this technique, it is possible to development of qualities of timbre and
independent structures17.
We may hear this in

14 MENDES, Gilberto. « Debussy ». Invenção. São Paulo n.3:13, jun.1963.

15 PISTON, Walter. Harmony. New York : Norton, 1987. P. 487-496.
16 The Roman algarisms are refered to the volumes and the arabic to each ones of Debussy and Villa-Lobos pieces.
17 PERSICHETTI, Vincent. Twentirth Century Harmony. New York : Norton, 1961. p. 109-120.
 DEBUSSY – Prélude I, 1 (m. 16-17); I, 7 (m. 35-42)
VILLA-LOBOS – (a) Prole do Bebê I, 1 Branquinha (m. 39-41)
VILLA-LOBOS - (b) Prole do Bebê II, 3 O camundongo de massa
(m. 84-88)
39 40 41

Ex. 2(a) Chords of added seconds

84-5 86 87 88

Ex. 2(b) Chords of added seconds

2.2. Chords formed by fourths

We can observe many uses of fourth chords. In parallel motion,
like the following examples
DEBUSSY – Prélude II, 8 (m. 4-7)
VILLA-LOBOS – Prole do Bebê II, 5 O cavalinho de pau (m. 49-
53)
49-50 51 52 53

Ex. 3. Chords by fourths

2.3. Chords by fourths and fifths

DEBUSSY – Prélude I, 10 (m. 84-85)
VILLA-LOBOS – Prole do Bebê II, 7 O passarinho de pano (m.
81)

Ex. 4. Chords by fourths and fifths in parallel motion

3. Scales
The new sounds searched by Debussy sometimes are jointed in
many scales, but as he has said, c’est sans respect pour le ton!18
Although many of Préludes present the key signature like the
conventional tonality pieces, none of them are tonal. They are in church
modes, pentatonic, whole-tone and octatonic scales, procedures that
today are known by the denomination of reference collections as the
basic material for the composition 19.
3.1. Pentatonic scale
We can observe the pentatonic scale in
DEBUSSY – Prélude I, 10 (m. 22-24)
VILLA-LOBOS – Prole do Bebê I, 4 Mulatinha (m. 23-29)

Ex. 5. Pentatonic scale

3.2. Whole-tone scale

Using the whole-tone scale, like Debussy in the Prélude I, 2 Villa-
Lobos also makes a division of five sounds in two sets. We may hear
this process in the piece Branquinha, in a counterpoint to a tonal song.
DEBUSSY – Prélude I, 2 (m. 1-41; 46-64)
VILLA-LOBOS – Prole do Bebê I, 1Branquinha (m. 60-74)

Ex. 6. Sets in whole-tone scale

3.3. Pentatonic and diatonic together

Developing the resources of piano writing, Debussy makes use of
alternating hand movements between the white and black keys of the
keyboard in diatonic and octatonic collections.
Villa-Lobos attains clusters effects when he puts together the
pentatonic and diatonic scales in a very fast movements of a toccata
piece.
DEBUSSY – Prélude II, 1 (m. 1-17)
VILLA-LOBOS – Prole do Bebê I, 7 Polichinelo (m. 1-49)

Ex. 7. Pentatonic/diatonic scales

18 LESURE, François. (Org.). Debussy, Claude : Letters 1884-1918. Paris : Hermann, 1980. p. 79.
19 STRAUS, Joseph. Introduction to Post-tonal Theory. Upper Saddle River : Prentice-Hall, 2000. p. 116-123.
3. Pedal points and Ostinatos
In Debussy’s music we may observe a wide use of pedal points and
ostinatos both in the whole or in part of pieces. They appear formed by
a single sound up to more than four, which we may call sound bands20.
Villa-Lobos also utilizes this technique in Prole do Bebê for texture
and on top of this material he adds chords and melodic song lines. There
are pieces presenting pedal point of one sound during the entire piece,
while in others of two or more, as we will demonstrate.

4.1. Pedal point of one sound

Above a sound repeated in the bass voice, fourth chords in a
continuous movement.
VILLA-LOBOS – Prole do Bebê II, 4 O cachorrinho de borracha
(m. 1-5)

Ex. 8. Pedal point of one sound

(Copyright by Max Eschig. Used by permission).

4.2. Pedal point of two sounds

In repeated cells of two sounds during great sections or the entire
piece, treated here as imitations.
DEBUSSY – Prélude I, 6
VILLA-LOBOS – Prole do Bebê II, 2 O gatinho de papelão (m. 1-
23)

Ex. 9. Pedal point of two sounds

4.2.1. Two sounds in transpositions

Ostinato of thirds formed of the whole-tone scale is transposed
during the piece.
VILLA-LOBOS – Prole do Bebê I, 2 Moreninha (m. 1-50)

Ex. 10. Ostinato of two sounds in transpositions

20 WIDMER,Ernst.« Bordão e bordadura ». ART.4 :16, jan.mar/1982.

4.3. Ostinato of four sounds
A four sounds cell in ascending/descending movements and two
chords are repeated during the entire piece.
VILLA-LOBOS – Prole do Bebê I, 6. A pobresinha (m. 2-28)

Ex. 11. Ostinato of four sounds

4.3.1. Ostinato of four sounds in transpositions
Melodic cells of four sounds are treated in transpositions during
the entire piece.
VILLA-LOBOS – Prole do Bebê II, 3 O camundongo de massa

Ex. 12. Ostinato of four sounds in transpositions

4.4. Sound band
Many sounds are involved in very fast movement. In Villa-Lobos’
example an accumulation process treats them, articulating the different
sections of the piece.
DEBUSSY – Prélude II, 12 (m. 1-7)
VILLA-LOBOS – Prole do Bebê II, 9 (m. 1-10)

1-3 4-5 6-7 8-9 10

Ex. 13. Sound band

5. Polyphony
One of the more remarkable techniques created by Debussy is
the way the polyphony develops itself in layers of different kind of timbre
and space. The musicologist Jarocinski observes that the essential trace
of his polyphony construction is that it does not consider the harmony
but independent bands of materials and sounds21.

21 JAROCINSKI, Stefan. Op. cit. 1970. p. 164.

5.1. Polyphony in independent layers
In the two next examples Villa-Lobos adds a pedal point at the
bass, to the sound of bands and melodic lines, all in an independent
way.
DEBUSSY – Prélude II, 7 (m. 1-2)
VILLA-LOBOS – Prole do Bebê II, 7 O passarinho de pano (m.
70-77)
VILLA-LOBOS – Prole do Bebê II, 3 O camundongo de massa
(m. 138-173)
Ex. 14 (a) e (b). Polyphony in independent strands

6. Rhythm
The rhythm constituted as a structure started from a basic cell is
one of the techniques presented by Villa-Lobos in Prole do Bebê. We
can hear the “Habanera” rhythm in Debussy – Prélude II, 3 where he
makes a revival of Spanish music (La puerta del viño). But Villa-Lobos
treats the alterations of this rhythm as it is practiced in Brazil in many
dances, like tango, maxixe, samba and choro. He makes a combination
of 3+3+2.

6.1. Rhythmic cell

We may hear in the Example 15. how this cell is present during
the entire piece using only two sounds.
VILLA-LOBOS – Prole do Bebê I, 3 Caboclinha

Ex. 15. Rhythmic cell

6.2. Rhythmic cell in a pitch variation

The same rhythmic cell presented above forms here polyphony
and develops the first section of the piece.
VILLA-LOBOS – Prole do Bebê II, 1 A baratinha de papel (m. 1-
60)

Ex. 16. Rhythmic cell in a pitch variation

6.3. Rhythmic cell in chords
One more example of the rhythmic cell is presented here in
chords and in an amplification of its structure (1+3+3+3+2).
VILLA-LOBOS – Prole do Bebê II, 6 O boisinho de chumbo

Ex. 17. Chords in the developing of the rhythmic cell

TIMBRE
The piano resonances are well explored by Debussy throughout
the Préludes through the use of pedal points that sustain and make a
mixture of sounds several times. Thus, the pitches are not
comprehended individually but in an amalgama of resultant timbres.
Villa-Lobos also uses the piano sounds in combinations that may
characterize his sound language. Beyond the examples of chord timbres
here presented we can also hear the following

DEBUSSY – Prélude II, 12 (m. 57-66)

VILLA-LOBOS – (a) Prole do Bebê II, 4 O cachorrinho de
borracha (m. 26-29)
VILLA-LOBOS – (b) Prole do Bebê II, 7 O passarinho de pano (m.
7-14; 37-44)
26-29

Ex. 18(a) Timbre sound

Conclusion
The observation of the composition techniques present in Villa-
Lobos’ Prole do Bebê, compared to those of Debussy’s Préludes, in
especially regard about texture and timbre, points out that the material
may be resumed as:
- the non-relation with the tonality through the use of a variety of
reference collections, chords of new structure formations,
independent and in parallel motions;
- the pedal points and ostinatos serves as basic structures above
which are added melodic lines, rhythms and chords to form the
textures;
- the polyphonic lines are developed in independent layers;
- the treatment of the piano in search and exploration of timbres.

Starting from this material Villa-Lobos develops the principal

aspects of his musical language, that may be characterized as:
- the use of rhythmic cells practiced in Brazil as structural elements of
the composition;
- the construction of the polyphony, making use or not of folk songs,
many times as an ornament of the texture;
- the timbre treatment, one of the characteristic devices of his
composition.
Villa-Lobos has worked with some techniques that are present in
Debussy’s Préludes which reveals his link with Europe in composition
theory but to our understanding, in this process he includes Brazilian
musical mood beyond rhythms and special melodic lines. In this sense
he represents perfectly the great mixture of cultures and races that form
Brazil’s culture and therefore, he can be considered a man of his time,
creative so much as Brazilian as well as universal.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
BÉHAGUE, Gerard. Hector Villa-Lobos: the Search for Brazil’s Musical Soul. Austin:
Institute of Latin American Studies / University of Texas at Austin, 1994.
BITTENCOURT, Maria Cristina Futuro. « Panorama da Bibliografia Villalobiana ».
Brasiliana. n. 3. Set/1999. pp. 38-47.
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1980.
MARIZ, Vasco. História da Música no Brasil. 5 ed. Rio de Janeiro : Nova Fronteira,
2000. pp. 135-194.
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Theory Spectrum.11: (1), Spring 1989 pp. 40-48.
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doutorado. Campinas : Unicamp, 1990.
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SALZER, Felix. Structural Hearing. New York: Dover, 1982.
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Janeiro : Museu Villa-Lobos, 1989.
VUILLERMOZ, Emile. Claude Debussy.Genève: Rister, 1957.
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ZENCK, Claudia. « Debussy : prophet and seducer ». Cahier Debussy. Nouvelle Série
(6). Genève: 1982, p. 16-17.

Maria Lúcia Pascoal – Professor at University of Sao Paulo State at

Campinas (UNICAMP), Institute of Arts, Music Department.
<alux@rcm.org.br>