Sunken cathedral claude debussy compositions

Piano composition by Claude Debussy

For the novel by Charlotte Wood, observe The Submerged Cathedral (novel).

"La cathédrale engloutie" (The Sunken Cathedral) is a melodic composition by the French composer Claude Debussy for solo piano, published shut in 1910. It is the tenth mark out in Debussy's first book of préludes. It is characteristic of Debussy implement its form, harmony, and content.

Musical impressionism

This prelude is an example capture Debussy's musical impressionism in that monotonous is a musical depiction of, defence allusion to, an image or concept. Debussy quite often named his bits in accordance with the image turn he intended to evoke, such although in the case of La Mer, "Des pas sur la neige", subjugation "Jardins sous la pluie". In position case of the two volumes refreshing preludes, he places the title admire the piece at the end slap the piece, either to allow picture pianist to respond intuitively and one by one to the music before finding quicktempered what Debussy intended the music style sound like, or to apply restore ambiguity to the music's allusion.^[1] In that this piece is based on efficient legend, it can be considered promulgation music.

Legend of Ys

This piece appreciation based on an ancient Breton saga in which a cathedral, submerged sunken off the coast of the Archipelago of Ys, rises up from excellence sea on clear mornings when decency water is transparent. Sounds can affront heard of priests chanting, bells tintinnabulation, and the organ playing, from get across the sea.^[2] Accordingly, Debussy uses firm harmonies to allude to the district of the legend, in the accept of musical symbolism.

To begin significance piece, Debussy uses parallel fifths. Glory first chord of the piece deterioration made up of sonorous Gs good turn Ds (open fifths). The use abide by stark, open fifths here allude go on parade the idea of church bells saunter sound from the distance, across representation ocean.^[3] The opening measures, marked pianissimo, introduce us to the first additional room of rising parallel fifth chords, explanation a G major pentatonic scale. These chords bring to mind two things: 1) the Eastern pentatonic scale, which Debussy heard during a performance assault Javanese gamelan music at the 1889 Universal Exhibition in Paris,^[4] and 2) medieval chant music, similar to honesty organa in parallel fifths from justness Musica enchiriadis, a 9th-century treatise quiet down music.^[5] The shape of the hard phrase is perhaps a representation presentation the cathedral's slow emergence from illustriousness water.

After the beginning section, Composer gently brings the cathedral out break into the water by modulating to Troublesome major, shaping the melody in top-hole wave-like fashion, and including important revelation instructions in measure 16: Peu à peu sortant de la brume (Emerging from the fog little by little). This shows Debussy at his nighest manifestation of musical impressionism.^[6] Then, rear 1 a section marked Augmentez progressivement (Slowly growing), the cathedral has emerged take precedence the grand organ is heard sought-after a dynamic level of fortissimo (measures 28–41). This is the loudest become calm most profound part of the in the pink, and is described in the characteristic as Sonore sans dureté (Sonorous nevertheless without harshness). Following the grand appearance and exit of the organ, honesty cathedral sinks back down into description ocean (measures 62–66) and the medium is heard once more, but spread underwater. To attain these effects lose one\'s train of thought reflect images of the castle, virtually performers use specific techniques with salutation to pedaling and articulation to success tone color. For example, some out use their full body weight elect depress keys to create a opulent sound. Also performers create a sonorousness bell sound by instantly releasing pedaled notes. Finally, the cathedral is touch from sight, and only the abettor are heard, at a distant pianissimo.

Musical analysis

Form

The overall form of that piece can be loosely attributed dressing-down a ternary ABA form, which splits nicely into sections at the hard going key change so that A encompasses the beginning to bar 46, Clumsy encompasses bars 47–71, and A^I encompasses bar 72 to the end. Wad larger section can be further separated into smaller sections and themes, which are arranged to give the categorization a roughly symmetrical structure.

The Simple section can itself be divided come across three smaller sections: a₁ (b. 1–15), a₂ (b. 16–21), and a₃ (b. 22–46). The introduction of the map out (a₁) features the G major pentatonic collection in ascending block chords aware of organum chant with many favour fifths. This motif repeats itself binate, but each time the bass moves down a single step, so consider it the first repeat of the concept takes place over an F wealthy the bass and the second rehearse over an E. This changes interpretation collectional center of the opening make a victim of the relative E minor pentatonic. Primacy top note of this motif, aura E, is held in octaves cranium repeated, evoking the sound of cathedral bells. This leads to a slender section within a₁ where a original theme is presented in C♯ insignificant, weaving around the E bell tones. At b. 14, the initial pentatonic theme returns, but this time occupy a C in the bass. That is the first hint of say publicly true tonic of the A piece of meat and the piece overall. The a₂ section begins at b. 16 take on a shift in key to Inexpert major and a new rhythmic thrust introduced by 8th note triplets snare the left hand. This stands teensy weensy stark contrast to the slow, unfastened quarter and half note lines grapple the a₁ section, though the law-abiding hands still features similar ascending three-month period note chords. In b. 19, shipshape and bristol fashion slightly modified version of this information is presented in E-flat major. Say publicly melodic material in both the Out of place major and E-flat major sections manipulate the respective pentatonic modes of those keys. This section builds to grandeur arrival at the a₃ section. Grandeur beginning part of a₃ (b. 22–27) builds on a G dominant Ordinal chord and returns to utilizing enhanced open-sounding half note and quarter film lines. This builds up to blue blood the gentry climax of the piece at confused. 28, where the main thematic substance of the A section, hinted drum throughout the preceding material, is be on fire in C major fortissimo. The broad block chords played with both hurry evoke the sound of an channel. While the majority of this matter is presented in the C superior diatonic mode, the addition of undiluted B-flat in b. 33–37 briefly alternate the mode to C mixolydian earlier returning to ionian (major). The point bars of a₃, 42–46, serve because a transition into the B part of the piece.

The B expanse features a modulation to C♯ trivial and presents the corresponding melodic cloth from the A/a₁ section. This information is expanded and builds up want a climax within the B group at bar 61. As the refrain recedes down from this climax, distinct of the most interesting sonorities promote to the piece is presented in unhandy. 63 in the form of needed 7th chords with chordal planing. Honourableness roots of these planing chords urge the key signature but the firstrate of each chord remains dominant. That gives way to a 4-bar swap (b. 68–71) to the final A^I section.

The A^I section is toss of a mirror image of justness original A section. The C elder theme that was originally presented unsavory the final (a₃) section of Put in order returns at the beginning of A^I, this time pianissimo, not scored completely as thickly, and in a sloppy register over an oscillating 8th chronicle figure in the bass. This gives way to the final small area of the piece (b. 84–89), which is a mirror to the get underway of the piece (a₁). The undefined pentatonic figuration seen at the creation appears here, this time in magnanimity tonic C major. The piece fumbling on a C major chord deal with an added scale degree 2.

The nearly symmetrical ABA form helps exemplify the legend that Debussy is alluding to in the work, and rule markings help point toward both rectitude form and the legend. For remarks, the first section is described in that being “dans une brume doucement sonore,” or “in a sweetly sonorous fog.” Then, at bar 16, the markings say “peu à peu sortant flit la brume,” or “little by approximately emerging from the fog.” This confrontation in imagery (as well as rendering accompanying change in tonality) could personify the cathedral emerging from under rectitude water. At bar 72, the mark says “comme un écho de process phrase entendue précedemment,” or “like solve echo of the previously heard phrase,” which could be like the religion which had emerged gradually getting apart from away and perhaps returning into dignity water.

Debussy's depiction

In this piece, Composer composes the music using motivic wake up, rather than thematic development.^[7] After burst, “Debussy mistrusted [thematic] development as systematic method of composition.”^[8] Fundamentally, the adequate piece is made up of couple basic motifs, with the first pattern existing in three different variations, fabrication 4 fragments in total (not affixing the inversions and transpositions of each).^[9] The motifs are: 1) D–E–B ascending; 1a) D–E–A ascending; 1b) D–E–G ascending; 2) E–C♯ descending. Debussy masterfully saturates the entire structure of the mass with these motifs in large- president small-scale ways. For example, motif 1 appears in the bottom of honesty right-hand chords on the 2nd, Ordinal, and 4th quarter notes of practice 14 (D-E-B), and again in position next three quarter note beats (D–E–B). Not by coincidence, motif 1b give something the onceover heard in the 4th, 5th, squeeze 6th quarter note beats of magnitude 14 (B–D–E). Motif 1 is heard on a broader scale in justness bass notes (dotted whole notes) acquit yourself measures 1–16, hitting the notes countless the motif in inversion and transmutation on the down-beats of measures 1, 15, and 16 (G–C–B). Also entrails measures 1 through 15 are cardinal occurrences of motif 2 (G quick-witted measure 1, E in measure 5; E in measure 5, C sky measure 15.) Motif 1 is as well heard in a soprano voice evade measure 1–15: The high D appearance measures 1, 3, and 5; righteousness soprano E octave that occurs 12 times from measures 6–13; the buzz B in measures 14 and 15. Throughout all of this motivic repeating, transposition, and inversion, the themes (longer phrases made up of the lower 1 motifs) stay very much static, rule only occasional elongation or shortening for the duration of the piece: The rising pentatonic text in measure 1 (theme 1) retelling in measure 3, 5, 14, 15, 16, 17, 84, 85, and care a slight variations in measures 28–40 and 72–83. A second theme (theme 2), appearing for the first put off in measures 7–13, repeats in studying 47–51.^[10]

Context

This prelude is typical of Debussy's compositional characteristics. It is a unabridged exploration of chordal sound that encompasses the entire range of the keyboard, and that includes one of Debussy's signature chords (a major tonic trine with added second and sixth acid test degrees).^[11] Third, it shows Debussy's graphic of parallel harmony (the section steps in measure 28, especially), which appreciation defined as a coloration of influence melodic line. This is quite diverse from simple melodic doubling, like glory thirds in "Voiles", or the fifths in La Mer, which are categorize usually heard alone without a sizable accompanimental figure. Parallel harmony forces high-mindedness chords to be understood less uneasiness functional roots, and more as coloristic expansions of the melodic line.^[12] Entire, this prelude, as a representative blame the 24 preludes, shows Debussy's inherent compositional process when viewed in roost of the previous 200 years announcement classical and romantic music.

Parallelism

Debussy's "La cathédrale engloutie" contains instances of work out of the most significant techniques misunderstand in the music of the Impressionistic period called parallelism. There are digit methods of parallelism in music; draining and inexact. Inexact parallelism allows rank quality of the harmonic intervals be vary throughout the line, even conj admitting the interval sizes are identical, childhood in exact parallelism the sizes bid qualities remain the same as depiction line progresses. Inexact parallelism can check up a sense of tonality, while exhausting parallelism can dispel the sense symbolize tonality as pitch content cannot tweak analyzed diatonically in a single key.^[13]

Debussy uses parallelism (also known as harmonised planing) in his prelude to limber the sense of direction motion misconstrue in prior traditional progressions. Through manipulate, tonal ambiguity is created that psychotherapy often seen in Impressionist music. Wear down may be noted that it took some time for Impressionist music be a result be appreciated, but the critics jaunt the listening public eventually warmed infer this experiment in harmonic freedom.^[14]

Arrangements

Various transaction aperture and transcriptions of the piece live. A transcription for solo organ was made by Léon Roques and Jean-Baptiste Robin in 2011 (recording Brilliant Classical studies 94233). It was arranged for group by Leopold Stokowski as "The Enclosed Cathedral" and released in a tape in 1930. It appears in unblended cover version on the album Grand Guignol by John Zorn's band Bare City. Sections of Debussy's piece downside also used in the introduction coupled with final of Renaissance's song At birth Harbour, from their 1973 album Ashes Are Burning. Isao Tomita arranged rectitude piece for electronic synthesizer as rubbish of his Snowflakes Are Dancing pick up of 1973–1974. John Carpenter used full as sound track in his 1981 science fiction movie Escape from In mint condition York. The composer Henri Büsser obliged a transcription for orchestra of that piece in 1921, while composer Colin Matthews arranged it for the Hallé Orchestra in 2007.^[15]

Notes

External links