Michael C. Santayana
September 28, 2015

Claude Debussy

Achilles-Claude Debussy, France 1862-1918, added dimension to music through his originality, he created a new style that compliments American culture while glorifying French culture.

This artist achieved success, despite doubts from the critics, because the public loved him. He was trying to make his own movement. “Debussy’s incredible original approach to timbre, rhythm, melody, harmony, and musical form created a music the likes of which no one had ever heard before. In this, he is one of the great originals in the history of western music and, along with Igor Stravinsky and Arnold Schoenberg, one of the most influential composers of the twentieth century (283-4).” How to Listen to Great Music by Robert Greenberg. Beethoven mastered conventional forms before he innovated. In contrast, almost from the start, Claude Debussy is one of the most original musicians in history. Debussy is influenced by his French surroundings but was also marked by originality. Helping to create the field of impressionist music, he also painted and wrote poetry. Despite this, he denied and hated the idea of just being a part of any movement, including impressionism. He wanted his artistic view to be as important as Marx or Darwin’s.

Claude Debussy’s view affected our cultural views of the arts in the United States today by adding a new feature that would become important to modern America. Traditionally, program music was used and if it was not, then the musical piece will describe some ideal or emotion (i.e. Eroica). “Instead of dealing with human emotion, Debussy evokes the atmosphere of nature (349).” from Culture & Value, vol. II, Lawrence S. Cunningham and John J. Reich. Debussy was focused on the delivery of his floaty symphonies. His symphony was not symphonic and his content was not a reflection of human emotion. In the Parisian mind, it is not focused on the self, but what is around the self in the environment; unlike the Italian rooted musical genres that were all about human emotion. However his respect for nature and nationalism was very relatable to the American Romantics who had same preocuppations. He spoke to the Franco-American composer Edgard Varèse in his of painting as much as music. Once tried to create The House of Usher by Edger Allan Poe into an opera. Edward Lockspeiser suggest that Robert Usher was also much like Debussy in his expression.

Impressionism painting grew in strength and color when Debussy works went public, however, they were sometimes critiqued as an anarchist form of music. He is completely original and is as atmospheric as the impressionist paintings which at the time, were strong in movements like the American Hudson River School. Both of these compliment the transcendental authors like Emerson and Thoreau. He also knew tone color very well “Similarly, he saw that woodwinds need not be employed for fireworks displays; they provide, like the human voice, wide varieties of colour.” by Edward Lockspeiser from http://www.britannica.com/biography/Claude-Debussy. Think of the idea of describing a new thing using music, which was not the word painting of the renaissance, program music of the baroque or just human emotion, but something almost more objective. Claude Debussy may have helped unleashed some of the modern era approaches and devices latter used in Jazz and Ambient music.

Claude Debussy pioneered impressionist music and helped the progress of the modern era music possible. His music was angelical and new, yet had not developed into its own school or style. However, the impact his music had and its idea that it was worth experimenting makes it a classic and makes it stand out from millions of other musicians. He really was an artist; painter, poet, and musician who created something immortal. 

Presentation aid

Play French language and explain its history of isolation after the Prussian war.  This inwardness caused French culture to become more French. How the way something was said was just as important as what was said. This was witnessed in French music in its timbre becoming as important as pitch and rhythm, which was particularly useful in drama.  “Finally, Debussy applied an exploratory approach to the piano, the evocative instrument par excellence since notes struck at the keyboard are, by the nature of the piano mechanism, neither eighth notes, quarter notes, nor half notes, but merely illusions of these notes.” by Edward Lockspeiser from http://www.britannica.com/biography/Claude-Debussy

Pick interpretive impressionist painting and play the piece of music that which is being interpreted.

Self-Reflection

What was your thesis sentence?

Achilles-Claude Debussy, France 1862-1918, added dimension to music through his originality, he created a new style that compliments American culture while glorifying French culture.

List the major steps you followed to complete this project?

1.      Read: read the study guide. Circle the absolute necessaries and know the rest as to get a rough idea of what I’m going to do.

2.      Plane: To avoid small mistakes, my weakness, I lay out the basic structure like MLA format, the basic questions, and the outline. I also go right ahead and do anything easy, something that doesn’t need any research.

3.      Act: I gather textual evidence relevant to the basics, and writing down comments and thoughts.

4.      Keep at it: Every day, I add more to the interpretation and do a little re-organizing and rewriting. Rechecking mistakes.

5.      Self-Reflect: Answer all the Self-Reflect.

6.      Proof read.     

What is the most important thing you learned in this project?

·         That Britannica is hands down, the greatest source of paper information. Having material that could embarrass the 3 other Textbook I analyzed.

·         That not only Claude had anything to do with the U.S. today, but that he even wished to write an opera on the House Of Usher.

·          He also painted and wrote poetry.

What do you wish you had spent more time on or done differently?

I Wished I could of found more ways on how Musical influence spread. As well as using Britannica to find it.

What part of the the project did you do your best work on?

      Finding how Claude Debussy was recognized in his field.

What was the most enjoyable part of this project?

      Actually using all of my real books at home to find the information, They got to pay for themselves some how, and discovering Britannica.

How could your teacher change this project to make it better next time?

      The American specific question is not very applicable to all artist, as well as it being to different to the second question, which meant providing creative transitionals.

Works Cited

Greenberg, Robert, “How to Listen to Great Music. A Guide To Its History, Culture, And Heart” The Great Course Edition, LLC, The Teacher Company © 2011

Cunningham, Lawrence S., and Reich, John J., “Culture & Value. A Survey of the Humanities”, 6^th edition, vol. II, Thomas Wadsworth © 2006

Lockspeiser, Edward “Britannica”, http://www.britannica.com/biography/Claude-Debussy, Last Updated 5-6-2015.