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Impressionism and Expressionism in Music

Preprint · May 2018

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.24250.93128

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Almighty C. Tabuena
Philippine Normal University
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Impressionism and Expressionism

in Music
Posted on May 28, 2018 by Almighty Tabuena

Introduction
In the history of music and arts, every period has its own characteristic style and distinct
feature which could be in relation to the society from which it originated, as well as the factor
or other motivations in composing and/or making music. In the early 20th century, many
composers, including Rachmaninoff, Strauss, Puccini, and Elgar, continued to work in forms
and in a musical language that derived from the 19th century. However, modernism in
music became increasingly prominent and important; among the most important modernist
were Scriabin, Debussy, and post-Wagnerian composers such Mahler and Strauss, who
experimented with the form, tonality, and orchestration. As well, Schoenberg was also
recognized before 1914 as a modernist for his challenges to the uses of tonality (Botstein,
2001).

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Music is the window of the soul.

People may express their inner feelings and emotions through music.

Music can lift one’s mood & can boost happiness … Yet, we can learn a lot about our emotional
selves through our musical tastes.

Objectives:

 Describe and explain impressionism and expressionism musical movements in

20th-century music.
 Identify the music of Debussy and the whole tone scale, as well as of Schoenberg and
the twelve-tone scale.
 Draw a picture showing the characteristics of impressionistic and expressionistic
styles.

Learning Competencies

The Learner:

1. listens perceptively to selected 20th-century music;

2. describes distinctive musical elements of given pieces in 20th-century styles;

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3. relates 20th-century music to its historical and cultural background; and

4. sings melodic fragments of given Impressionism period pieces.

Debussy and the Impressionism

Music
According to Taruskin, as early as 1887, the term “Impressionism” was applied to
Debussy’s music, on an analogy with the famous school of French painters that had begun to
flourish somewhat earlier, and which took its name from a painting by Claude Monet
(1840–1926) called Impression: Sunrise, first exhibited in 1872.

Based on DepEd K to 12 Music Curriculum Guide (2016), impressionism is a style or

movement that depicts the visual impression of the moment, especially in terms of the
shifting effect of light and color.

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One of the most important and influential of the 20th-century composers was Claude
Debussy. He was the primary exponent of the impressionist movement and the focal point
for other impressionist composers. He changed the course of musical development by
dissolving traditional rules and conventions into a new language of possibilities in harmony,
rhythm, form, texture, and color.

Listen to Debussy ‘Clair de Lune’ recorded by Paul Barton. (This video contains piano music
by Claude Debussy published in 1890.) Try to feel the music and expound your imagination
as you listen to Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy.

The Whole Tone Scale – a scalar arrangement (scale) of pitches, each separated from the
next by a whole-tone step (or whole step); and has six tones per octave, as shown below:

Pitches of the two whole-tone scales. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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Schoenberg and the Expressionism

Music
Schoenberg’s style was constantly undergoing development. From the early influences of
Wagner, his tonal preference gradually turned to the dissonant and atonal, as he explored
the use of chromatic harmonies. Although full of melodic and lyrical interest, his music is also
extremely complex, creating heavy demands on the listener. His works were met with
extreme reactions, either strong hostility from the general public or enthusiastic acclaim
from his supporters.

The Twelve-tone Scale – The basic order for anyone’s composition came to be known as
its basic set, its 12-tone row, or its 12-tone series, all of which terms are synonymous. The
basic set for Schoenberg’s Wind Quintet (1924) is
E♭–G–A–B–C♯–C–B♭–D–E–F♯–A♭–F; for his String Quartet No. 4 (1936) it is
D–C♯–A–B♭–F–E♭–E–C–A♭–G–F♯–B.

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Listen to Schoenberg – Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night), Op. 4, for string sextet
(1899) and try to figure out the features of expressionism in the music.

1. Impressionism made use of the whole-tone scale. It also applied suggested, rather
than depicted, reality. It created a mood rather than a definite picture. It had a
translucent and hazy texture; lacking a dominant-tonic relationship. It made use of
overlapping chords, resulting in a non-traditional harmonic order and resolution.
2. Expressionism revealed the composer’s mind, instead of presenting an impression of
the environment. It used atonality and the twelve-tone scale, lacking stable and
conventional harmonies. It served as a medium for expressing strong emotions, such
as anxiety, rage, and alienation.
3. Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel were the primary exponents of impressionism,
while Arnold Schoenberg was the primary exponent of expressionism, with the use
of the twelve-tone scale and atonality.

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Bibliography

DeVoto, M. (2017). Whole-tone scale. Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica,

Inc. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/art/whole-tone-scale

Kelly, T. F. (2013). Music then and now. United States of America: W. W. Norton & Company,
Inc.

Perez, V. V. et. al. (2006). Music, arts, physical education, and health – citizenship
advancement training (MAPEH-CAT IV). Quezon City: St. Bernadette Publishing House
Corporation.

Sunico, R. M. (2015). Horizons grade 10 learner’s materials, music and arts appreciation for
young Filipinos. Quezon City: Tawid Publications.

Taruskin, R. (n.d.). Chapter 2 Getting Rid of Glue. In Oxford University Press, Music in the
Early Twentieth Century. New York, USA. Retrieved
from http://www.oxfordwesternmusic.com/view/Volume4/actrade-9780195384840-di
v1-002004.xml

Winold, A. (1966). Elements of musical understanding. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey:

Prentice-Hall, Inc.

To cite this article (APA Style 7th Edition) - from Music Classroom Guide: Asian
and Contemporary Music:

Tabuena, A. C. (2018, May 28). Impressionism and expressionism in music. Music

Classroom Guide: Asian and Contemporary Music.
https://actmusicguide.wordpress.com/2018/05/28/impressionism-and-expressionism-
music/

Instruction to cite this article (APA Style 7th Edition) - from ResearchGate:

Replace the link (from the suggested citation above) with the DOI specified in the
article (located below the article title).

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