Great Artists and Musicians CLAUDE DEBUSSY Claude Debussy was born in 1862 in the ‘small town of St. Jermain-en-Laye, France. His family was a typical middle-class family with no apparent musical interest. Debussy did not begin to show an interest in music untihe was ten years. old, He apparently showed a high level of promise and was sent to the Paris Conservatory the next year. He studied with a number of famous com- posers at the Paris Conservatory from the age of 11 to the age of 22, at which time he won the prestigious Prix de Rome, which entitled him to live and study for three years in Rome. After two years of study, however, he could no longer resist Toturning to Paris and this post in Rome to take up private composition in Paris. Debusay’s freetiowing music seemed to Debussy was the leading Impressionist create fleeting moods and images similar composerandwasintriguednotoniybytheImpres- tothe effects produced by the paintings of sionist paintings of Monet and Renoir, but also by ‘Impressionist artists. the Symbolist pootry of Mallarme and Verlaine. In his music, Debussy sought to capture the same mood through sound that the Impressionist painters caught on their canvases. Through a free-flowing melodic style and relaxed rhythmic structure, Debussy was able to create images similar to those of the Im- pressionist painters. He was also quite taken by Asian music, which he heard at the Paris international Exposition of 1889, and he utilized the compositional techniques of recurring motives and lush orchestration of the late Romantic composers such as Wagner as well His music brought to mind fleeting moods and a misty atmosphere, and the tities often representedthese same images; for example: Reflectionin the Water, Clouds, Sounds and Pertume Swit in the Air, and of course, his most famous composition, Prelude fo the Attarnoon of a Fawn. Debussy also composed an opera, Pelleas and Melisande, which marked a turning point in his career. From that point on, he was recognized as one of the most important French composers living A characteristic of his music was the stress he placed on tone color (the combina- tion of different instruments to achiave a particular sound). Also, he used harmony to his advantage. Rather than feeling it necessary to operate within the strict format of traditional harmony, Debussy often used very chromatic notes and shifting tonal centers throughout his works to achieve the floating and transparent qualities in his music. During his last eight years, Debussy suffered from cancer and became increasinaly miserable and somewhat despondent. Although he continued to compose throughout this period, he abandoned many of hs larger works for lack of physical and mental energy. Debussy died in Paris in 1918 andis recognized as an extremely important composer who functioned as a bridge between nineteenth- and twentieth-century composers. Mark Twain Meda, Ine, Publishers 62Great Artists and Musicians Claude Debs Name Date QUESTIONS 1, Where was Claude Debussy born? 2. At what famous institution did he study between the ages of 11 and 22? 3. What prestigious award did he win at the age of 22? 4. What was the name of the city where he studied as a result of winning this award? 5. Who were the painters with whom Debussy was intrigued? 6. Who were the Symbolist poets Debussy enjoyed? 7. How was Debussy able to create an image similar to those of the Impressionist painters? ‘8 Where did Debussy hear Asian music? ‘9. What was one of the main characteristics of his music? 10. Where did Debussy die? © Mark Twain Meda, no, Publishers 63Great Artists and Musicians wwenteth Century Art and M TWENTIETH CENTURY ART AND MUSIC Ifthe beginning of each new style period that we have looked at in art and music can be viewed as a reaction to or against the styles that preceded i, the beginning of the twentieth century period was no exception. There were numerous style changes, reactions, and revolutions, both in the world of art and in music These changes were partially due to . the enhanced communication and travel Gren cl aneaion erloeemen patwored technologies that existed in the world at with dream and fantasy imagery and the irrational. the time. These technologies enabled it was popular from 1824 until the beginning of composers’ and artists works tobe heard World War I and seen by a much larger audience than had ever been reached in the past. The works of the early twentieth century composers and artists reflect drastic and dramatic shifts within very short spans of time and are often linked to national boundaries. Annumber of different styles present themselves. Some are unique only to one form of art or the other, while some are shared. Two of the shared styles of the early twentieth century in art and music are Expressionism and Neoclassicism. In Expressionism, the ‘composer orartist seeks through his work to expose the inner personal feelings that he has. No attempt is made to hide the true feelings, no matter how ugly or dark they are. In the Neoclassic movement, composers and artists seek to reinstate the forms and techniques of the Classical composers and artists in their own works. In addition, in music we see a new style of composition known as 12-tone composition where a composer uses, at his discretion, all 12 pitches of the chromatic scale rather than staying within the boundaries of traditional harmony and the eight pitches that a major or minor scale would permit him to use. There is also the complete abandonment of tonal structure known as atonaliy In art we also see some specific advances or style changes, such as Cubism, the use of geometric shapes in painting, and Futurism, the attempt to portray aspects of mod- ern mechanized society through images of violently energetic motion. ‘Whereas other style periods have been clearly defined and have lasted at least 25, to 50 years, the twentieth century, so far, has had such a wide variety of styles and ap- proaches that as of yet no one has dared to apply a single term to this period. Because of this, we have an enormous variety of styles from which to choose in order to satisfy our personal tastes, Here is a sample of some styles not mentioned above: ragtime, Dixieland, jazz, bebop, country, bluegrass, rock-n-roll alternative, NeoRomantic, musical theater, and reggae. Just for fun, try listening to one of these styles that you haven't heard before, Mark Twain Medi, re, Pubishers 64Great Artists and Musicians Twentieth Century Art and Music Name Date QUESTIONS 1. Describe the beginnings of the twentieth century in terms of art and music. ] 2. What caused the big changes at the beginning of the twentieth century? 3. How did technology affect composers and artists? 4. What is Expressionism? 5, What is Neoclassicism? 6. What is 12-tone composition? 7. What is Cubism? 8. What is atonality? 9. Why do we not yet have a single term that applies to the twentieth century in terms of art and music styles? 10. What boundaries are twentieth-century composers’ and artists’ works linked to? Mark Twain Meda, nc, Pubsshers 65