The life and work of Claude Debussy
- The sound of Experiment
- Oct 21, 2024
- 17 min read
1. Early life
Claude Debussy (1862–1918) was a French composer. He was born on August 22, 1862 in Paris. and died in 1918 at his home. Debussy showed considerable musical talent from an early age and at the age of ten began music lessons at France's leading music college, the Paris Conservatory. Initially, he studied piano, but later found his inclination in innovative musical composition, despite the disapproval of the conservative professors of the Conservatory [1].
During his youth, Debussy went through conditions of great turmoil. While living with his parents in a poor suburb of Paris, he unexpectedly came under the auspices of a Russian millionaire, who hired him to play duets with her and her children. He traveled with her to her palatial residences throughout Europe. In Paris during this period he fell in love with a singer, Blanche Vasnier, who was married to an architect. His love for Blanche helped inspire many of his early works. Although it is clear that he was torn by influences from many directions, these tumultuous years contributed to the sensitivity of his style [2].
In 1879, and with the help of Marmondel, Debussy secured a summer vacation job as a permanent pianist, where he quickly acquired a taste of luxury that remained with him all his life [1].
At the Conservatory, Debussy drew disapproval from the school, especially his composition teacher, for failing to follow the orthodox rules of composition that prevailed at the time. However, in 1884 Debussy won France's most prestigious musical prize, the Prix de Rome with his cantata L'enfant prodigue. The prize brought with it a residence at Villa Medici, the French Academy in Rome, to further the winner's studies. Debussy was there from January 1885 to March 1887, with three or possibly four absences of several weeks when he returned to France, mainly to see Marie Vasnier [1].
Initially, Debussy found the artistic atmosphere of Villa Medici suffocating, the company miserable, the food bad and the accommodation "abominable". He did not like Italian opera either, as he found the operas of Donizetti and Verdi not to his taste. He was much more impressed by the music of the 16th-century composers Palestrina and Lassos. He was often depressed and unable to compose, but was inspired by Franz Liszt, who visited the students and performed for them. In June 1885, Debussy wrote of his desire to go his own way, saying: "I am sure that the Institute would not approve, because, of course, it considers the path he prescribes to be the only right one. But there is no help for this! I'm very excited about my freedom, very fond of my own ideas!" [1].
In the late 1880s, Marie Moreau-Sadi hired Debussy as an accompanist in the singing class while he was still studying at the Conservatory. She took on this role for four years, and among the members of the class was Marie Vasnier, whom Debussy fell in love with. The two began to have an affair, even though Marie Vasnier was married [1].
In 1889, Marie Vasnier ended her relationship with Debussy shortly after his last return from Rome. He later dedicated a song to her. Debussy later met Eric Satie, who proved to be a kindred spirit in his experimental approach to composition. Both were bohemian, enjoyed the same coffee society, and struggled to survive economically. That same year, Debussy began a relationship with Gabrielle (Gabby) Dupont and they began living together [1].
While still living with Dupont, Debussy developed a parallel relationship with singer Therese Roger and in 1894 announced their engagement. His behavior was widely condemned. Anonymous letters were circulated denouncing his treatment of both women, as well as his financial irresponsibility and debts. The engagement was interrupted and several of Debussy's friends and supporters denounced him, including Ernest Howson, who until then had been one of his strongest supporters [1].
Debussy left Dupont for her friend Marie-Rosalie Texier, known as "Lilly", whom he married in October 1899 after threatening to commit suicide if she said no. Lilly was affectionate, practical, simple, and sympathetic to Debussy's friends and associates, but she was increasingly frustrated by her mental limitations and lack of musical sensitivity. Their marriage lasted only five years [1].
Like many other composers of the time, Debussy supplemented his income by teaching and writing. For most of 1901 he was sidelined as music critic for La Revue Blanche, adopting the pseudonym "Monsieur Croce". He expressed scathing views on composers, including Camille Saint-Saëns, institutions, conductors, music policy and the public.
Among his students was Raoul Bardak, son of Emma, who was married to a Parisian banker, Sigismund Bardak. Raul introduced his teacher to his mother, to whom Debussy quickly became very attracted. She was a sophist, a brilliant conversationalist, an accomplished singer and relaxed about marital fidelity, having been Gabriel Fauré's mistress and muse a few years earlier.
On July 15, 1904, Debussy sent his then-wife and then ex-wife Lily to her childhood home and took Emma away. On October 14, five days before their fifth wedding anniversary, Lily Debussy attempted suicide by shooting herself in the chest with a revolver. Fortunately she survived, although the bullet remained in her vertebrae for the rest of her life. The scandal that followed caused Emma's family to disown her, and Debussy lost many good friends. His relations with Ravel, which never ceased, deteriorated when Ravel, along with other former friends of Debussy, contributed to a fund to support Lilly [1].
In October 1905, the composer's only child was born. Debussy's daughter, Claude-Emma, affectionately known as "Chouchou", was an important musical inspiration for the composer. Mary Garden said of the composer: "I honestly don't know if Debussy ever really loved anyone. He loved his music – and maybe himself. I think he was wrapped in his genius." Nevertheless, biographers agree that regardless of his relationships with lovers and friends, Debussy was devoted to his daughter [1].
Music
Early works, 1879-1892
His first compositions date back to 1879, two sets to music of poems by Alfred de Moussé: "Ballade à la lune" and "Madrid, "Princess of Spain". The following year, he secured a job as a pianist in the family of Nadezhda von Meck, Tchaikovsky's patron. He traveled with his family in the summers of 1880 to 1882, staying in various places in France, Switzerland and Italy, as well as at their home in Moscow. He composed the Piano Trio in G major for von Meck's ensemble and made a transcription for piano duet of three dances from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake [1].
Debussy's musical development was slow, and as a student he was experienced enough to produce for his teachers at the Conservatory works that would conform to their conservative principles. His friend Georges Jean-Aubri commented that Debussy "admirably imitated the melodic stanzas of Massenet's phrase" in the cantata L'enfant prodigue (1884), which won him the Prix de Rome.
His early works were inspired by Marie Vasnier and have a more virtuosic character than his later works in the genre, with an extended voice without words. From Ariettes oubliées (1885-1887) onwards he developed a more restrained style. He wrote his own poems for The Prose Lyric (1892-1893) but, in the opinion of music scholar Robert Orledge, "his literary talent was not on par with his musical imagination."
Middle works, 1893-1905
Most of the major works for which Debussy is best known were written between the mid-1890s and mid-1900s. They include the "String Quartet (1893)", "Pelléas et Mélisande" (1893–1902), "Nocturnes for Orchestra" (1899) and "Sea" (1903–1905). Suite Pour le piano (1894-1901) is, in Halford's view, one of the earliest examples of mature Debussy as a piano composer. In the "String Quartet" (1893), the game machines that Debussy had heard four years earlier are recalled to the pizzicata and the intersecting rhythms of scherzo [1].
Debussy's biographer, Edward Lockspacer, comments that this move shows the composer's rejection of "the traditional dictum that stringed instruments should be primarily lyrical." The work influenced Ravel, whose "string quartet", written ten years later, has noticeable debissian characteristics [1]. The academic and journalist Steven Walsh calls Pelléas et Mélisande "a key work for the 20th century" [1]. Composer Olivier Messiaen was fascinated by his "extraordinary harmonic qualities and ... transparent instrumental texture'. The opera is composed in what Alan Blyth describes as a steady and increased recitative style, with "sensual, intimate" vocal lines. He influenced composers as diverse as Stravinsky and Puccini [1].
Late works, 1906-1917
Of the later orchestral works, Images (1905–1912) is best known for Jeux (1913). The former follows the tripartite form established in "Nocturne" and "Sea" (la mer), but differs in its use of traditional British and French folk melodies and in making the central movement, "Ibéria", much larger than the outer ones, and subdivides it into three parts, all inspired by scenes from Spanish life. The latter failed as a ballet due to the banal script, and the score was neglected for a few years. Recent analysts have found it as a link between traditional continuity and thematic development within a score and the desire to create discontinuity in a way reflected in late 20th-century music. In this piece, Debussy abandoned the whole-tone scale he had previously preferred in favor of the octatonic scale with what Debussy's scholar François Lesour describes as its tonal ambiguities.
Musical Style
Debussy developed a highly original system of harmony and musical structure that expressed in many respects the ideals aspired to by the impressionist and symbolist painters and writers of his time [2]. A characteristic feature of Debussy is that he does not use the major scales and minor scales of the tonal system but prefers: Modal scales, associated with his influences from Renaissance music, or his own invention, Chromatic scales, i.e. scales consisting only of semitones. Semiotone pentatones also known as pentatonic scales, often associated with the influence of traditional Far Eastern music on his work and The scale with whole tones, which is his trademark, since he was the first to use it systematically [5].
The composer's music marked the first in a series of attacks against the traditional language of the 19th century. Debussy did not believe in the stereotypical harmonic processes of the 19th century, and indeed it is clear from a study of mid-20th century music that earlier harmonic methods were followed in an arbitrary, academic manner. Hence his formulation of the "21-note scale" designed to stifle the sense of tonality, although this system was never adhered to in the rigid manner of Schoenberg's 12-note system. Debussy's inquisitive mind similarly challenged the traditional orchestral use of instruments. He rejected the traditional dictum that stringed instruments should be mainly lyrical [2].
Debussy's musical style is considered Impressionist, however the application of the term "impressionist" to Debussy and the music he influenced has been much discussed, both during his lifetime and since. Analyst Richard Langham Smith wrote that impressionism was originally a term coined to describe a style of late 19th-century French painting. Usually scenes filled with reflected light in which the emphasis is on the overall picture. Further, he wrote that the term was transferred to the compositions of Debussy and others that "concerned the representation of landscape or natural phenomena, particularly the images of water and light dear to the Impressionists, through subtle textures filled with organic color." He also commented that Debussy wrote many piano pieces with titles evocative of nature – such as Reflets dans l'eau (1905), Les Sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir (1910) and Brouillards (1913) and suggests that the use of brushstrokes and dots by impressionist painters parallels Debussy's music [1]. Debussy himself strongly opposed the use of the word "impressionism" for his music or anyone else's, but he has been constantly associated with him since the Conservatory appraisers first applied it, obnoxiously, to his early work Printemps. Although Debussy had said that anyone who used the term for either painting or music was feckless, some Debussy scholars have adopted a less authoritarian line. The musicologist Lockspacer called The Sea "the greatest example of an orchestral impressionist work." More recently, Nigel Simeone in his book "The Cambridge Companion of Debussy" commented that: "It does not seem excessively exaggerated to see a parallel in Monet's seascapes" [1].
On the other hand, several authors are against characterizing Debussy's music as "impressionist" and have suggested that at least part of his music is structured along strict mathematical lines. In 1983, pianist and scholar Roy Howat published a book arguing that some of Debussy's works are analogue using mathematical models, even when using an apparent classical structure such as the sonata form. Further, he suggested that some of Debussy's pieces can be divided into segments reflecting the golden ratio, which is approximated by proportions of consecutive numbers in the Fibonacci sequence. Trémont Trezise, in his 1994 book Debussy: La Mer, referred to the intrinsic elements as "remarkable," with the caveat that no written or cited evidence suggests that Debussy intentionally sought such analogies. Lezur holds a similar view, adopting Hawat's conclusions, while he has no view of Debussy's conscious intentions [1].
Other music analysts say Debussy's music is fundamentally fundamentally anti-romantic. In his harmonic system what is of interest is the chord itself, what they call harmonic verticalism, that is, verticality. It has a flexible and light form, but it is solid. His melodic motifs are based on scales with whole tones, pentatonic and ecclesiastical modes [5].
Later Life
In 1908, Debussy and Emma Bardak finally entered into a troubled union, with their troubled union lasting for the rest of his life. The following year began well, when, at Fauré's invitation, Debussy became a member of the board of directors of the Conservatory.
In April 1909, the composer's success was consolidated in London when he conducted Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune and Nocturnes in the Queen's Hall. In May, she attended the first London production of Pelléas et Mélisande at Covent Garden. That same year, Debussy was diagnosed with colon cancer, by whom he died nine years later. Debussy's works began to appear more and more in concert programs at home and abroad.
In 1910, Gustav Mahler directed New York Night and Public Relations in New York for successive months. In the same year, Debussy commented during his visit to Budapest that his works were better known there than in Paris [1].
In 1912 Sergei Diaghilev commissioned a new ballet score, "Toy". This, and the three Images, which premiered the following year, were the composer's last orchestral works. Jeux was unfortunate in its timing: two weeks after its premiere, in March 1913, Diaghilev presented the first performance of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring", a shocking event that monopolized the debate in musical circles and effectively sidelined Jeux along with Fauré's Pénélope, which had opened a week before [1].
Death
In 1915, Debussy underwent one of the first colostomy operations. The operation achieved only a temporary respite, which caused him great disappointment. At that time he also had great enmity with Camille Saint-Saëns, who in a letter to Fauré condemned Debussy's "En blanc et noir" (En blanc et noir) [1].
On September 14, 1917, Debussy gave his last concert, the Premiere of the Violin Sonata, because his health continued to deteriorate.
In early 1918 the composer became bedridden and finally died on March 25 of the same year, at his home. The First World War was still raging and Paris was under German aerial and artillery bombardment. The military situation did not allow the honor of a public funeral with ceremonial graves. The funeral procession passed through deserted streets to a temporary grave in the Pere Lahaise cemetery as German artillery shelled the city. Debussy's body reappeared the following year in the small Easter Cemetery behind Trocadero, fulfilling his wish to rest "among the trees and birds." In the same tomb were buried with him, his wife Emma and his daughter Claude-Emma.[1]
Influence on later composers
Roger Nichols wrote that "with the exception of Schoenberg, the list of 20th-century composers influenced by Debussy is essentially the list of 20th-century composers of the 20th century", in other words that he influenced all 20th-century composers except Schoenberg.[1]
Among contemporary composers, George Benjamin has described the "Prelude à l'après-midi d'un faune" (Prelude à l'après-midi d'un faune) as "the definition of perfection". He has conducted Pelléas et Mélisande and the critic Rupert Christiansen traced the work's influence to Benjamin's opera Written on the Skin (2012) [1].
Others have arranged some of the works for piano and vocals, including John Adams' version of four of Baudelaire's songs, Robin Holloway's En blanc et noir (2002) and Colin Matthews' two books (2001–2006) [1].
The pianist Steven Hoff believes that Debussy's influence extends to jazz and suggests that Reflets dans l'eau can be found in the harmonies of jazz pianist Bill Evans [1].
Alex Ross, in October 2018, devoted an article in the New Yorker to Debussy entitled "Claude Debussy's Velvet Revolution: How an isolated Frenchman created some of the most radical, beautiful music of modern times" in which, as the title suggests, he praised Debussy's work. Specifically, Ross, "Claude Debussy died a century ago, but his music has not aged. Tied only slightly to the past, it floats in time. As he rallies, he seems to improvise into existence – which is the result Debussy wanted [3].
Compositions
Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (1894)
We continue musically with "Prelude in the afternoon of a Faunus" performed by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Antes Orozko-Estrada held at the Alte Opera in Frankfurt on December 12, 2014 [8, 9].
It is a symphonic poem for orchestra, lasting about ten minutes. It was written in 1894 and first performed in Paris on 22 December 1894, with Georges Barrer on solo flute and under the baton of Gustav Dorette [8].
The composition is inspired by Stéphane Malarme's poem "The Afternoon of a Faunus". It is one of Debussy's most famous works [1]. Musicians from Debussy's time onwards regard Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894) as his first orchestral masterpiece. Newman, in particular, considered it "completely original in concept, absolutely personal in style, and logical and coherent from first to last, without unnecessary bar or even unnecessary note." Pierre Boulez observed that: "Modern music was awakened by the 'Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faune' (Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune)" [1].
Pelléas and Melisande (1894-1902)
Now we will hear the First scene of the third act from the opera "Pelleas and Melissanthi" performed by the National Opera of Wales with Alison Hagley as Melisanthe and Neil Archer as Pellea conducted by Pierre Boulez and directed by Peter Stein. This production is one of the most visually impressive productions of the opera. The whole production resembles a moving canvas of impressionist paintings [11]. It was created in 1898.
Pelleas and Melisanthe is an opera that unfolds in five acts [4]. It is a unique, timeless work. It's a bit like his characters, evolving into another world, lost in the fog of an endless dream, in hypnotic music that serves as his blurred mirror image. When he wrote it, Debussy claimed that it is "a post-Wagner opera, not inspired by Wagner" [10].
The plot of the play concerns a love triangle. Prince Golaud finds Melisande, a mysterious young woman, lost in a forest. He marries her and brings her back to the castle of his grandfather, King Arcel of Allegmont. Here Melisanthe becomes increasingly attached to Golaud's younger half-brother, Pelleas, causing her to jealousy of the Gaund. Golaud tries to find out the truth about Pelléas and Melisanthe's relationship, even forcing his own child, Yiñol, to spy on the couple [10].
Pelléas decides to leave the castle, but arranges to meetMelisanthe for the last time, and the two finally confess their love for each other. Golaud, who is eavesdropping, rushes out and kills Pelleas. Melisanthe dies shortly afterwards, having given birth to a daughter, with Golaud even begging her to tell him "the truth" [10].
By February 1894, Debussy had completed the first draft of Act I of the operatic version Pelléas and Melisanthe, and for most of the year he worked to complete the work. In May 1898 he began contact with André Messazer and Albert Carré, who were musical director and general director of the Opéra-Comique in Paris. for the presentation of the opera [1].
In January 1902, rehearsals began at the Opera-Comic for the premiere of the play. For three months, Debussy attended rehearsals almost daily. The opera house opened on April 30, 1902, and although the audience of the first night was divided, the play quickly became a success. He made Debussy very famous in France and abroad. The Times commented that the opera "provoked more debate than any work of modern times, except, of course, those of Richard Strauss." The Apaches, led by Ravel, who attended each of the 14 performances in the first performance, were strong in their support. the conservative school of the Conservatory tried in vain to prevent its students from seeing the opera. The vocal score was published in early May and the complete orchestral score in 1904 [1].
Nocturnes (1897-1899)
We continue with the second part of the work "Nocturnes" performed by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Charles Dutoit [12].
"Three Nocturnes" is an impressionist orchestral composition in three movements written between 1892 and 1899. It was based on poems from Henri de Regnier's "Ancient and Romantic Poems" [13]. The first of three sections of the work, Nuages (Clouds), provides a poetically evocative opening, a reflection of the movement of clouds in the sky. This is followed by the Festivals, a recreation of festivities at the Boyce de Vulaut. The third Nocturne, the Sirens (Sirens), returns to the softer mood of the first. A traditional riddle puzzled over which song the Sirens sang to lure the ancient Greek sailors to their destruction. O Debussy gives his own answer, an image of the sea with magnificence, beauty and variety, foreshadowing La mer. The song of the Sirens is represented by a female choir without words [12].
La Mer (1903-1905)
We continue with the first part of the work "For the sea: three symphonic sketches for orchestra" or simply "Sea" performed by pianists Adriano Bassi and Maurizio Carnelli [14].
The Sea is an orchestral composition written between 1903 and 1905. It is considered to be the composer's most important work. It premiered in Paris in October 1905 by the Orchestra Lamouret under the baton of Camille Céville. The reviews he received were mixed. On the one hand, some praised the work, but Pierre Lalot, critic of Le Temps, who had hitherto been an admirer of Debussy, wrote: "I don't hear, I don't see, I don't smell the sea."
Initially, it was not well received. Even some who were ardent supporters of Debussy's work were not enthusiastic, although Lammer presented three key aspects of Debussy's aesthetics: impressionism, symbolism and Japaneseism [1]. But the work was performed in the USA in 1907 and in Britain in 1908. After its second appearance in Paris, in 1908, it quickly became one of Debussy's most admired and frequently performed orchestral works. The first recording of the work was made in 1928. Since then, orchestras and conductors from all over the world have recorded it in numerous studio or live concert recordings [15].
Images (1905-1912)
We continue with the first of three piano tracks entitled "Reflections in the water" from the first part of the album entitled "Images", which are often performed separately. The interpretation we hear is from the Symphony Concert that took place in Frankfurt on September 30, 2016 [16].
Reflections on Water was written in 1905 and, like many of Debussy's other works, is often referred to as impressionistic. This means expressing emotions and sensations using non-functional harmony and ambiguous keys. In addition, its tonality is mainly non-diatonic and usually gives the feeling of modality [10].
The work begins with a slow tempo which is repeated throughout much of the piece, while the right hand plays a set of chords that act as an accompaniment to the melody. It has several characteristics in common with other works of French music of the period, such as Ravel's "Water Games" [10].
The work consists of several short melodic movements and climaxes, which are musical glimpses rather than complete ideas, which is a main feature of the musical works written by Debussy at the time [10].
Debussy, while composing the album "Images", did not intend to create music with linear evolution, but a sonic representation of water. The work "Reflections on the Water" serves as an excellent example of the new tonal colors that Debussy discovered for the piano in this part of his life and is representative of an important discovery in piano writing, although he later improved it [10].
After a rehearsal of the "Pictures" suite, he said with satisfaction: "This has the air of not being written." In a conversation with one of his former teachers, he said: "There is no theory. Just listen. Pleasure is the law [3].
The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian (1911)
We live with an excerpt from the work "The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian" performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the direction of Esa-Pekka Salonen [18].
The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian is a five-act mystery musical work on Saint Sebastian, written in 1911 by the Italian writer Gabriele D'Annunzio and music by the French composer Claude Debussy [17]
Syrinx for solo flute (1913)
We will close the show musically with Claude Debussy's "Fistula for solo flute" performed by Sarah Basingthwaite. It was written in 1913. It generally takes three minutes or less to execute [3].
The work "Fistula for solo flute" is a piece of music for solo flute. It was the first major piece for solo flute since Bach's Sonata in A minor composed more than 150 years ago (1747), and is the first such solo composition for the modern Bohemian flute, developed in 1847 [2]. The "Fistula for solo flute" It is considered an integral part of every flutist's repertoire because it gives the performer generous space for interpretation and emotion [3].
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