Debussy - Aos5: Fusions Flashcards
What is Pan-diatonicism?
When a composer will create unusual chords in a piece by freely adding random notes from anywhere in the scale to a chord, regardless of dissonance.
What are two harmonic scales that Debussy often uses?
The whole tone scale and the pentatonic scale.m
What are 4 harmonic techniques typical of Debussy’s style?
+ Non- functional harmony
+ Pan-diatonicism
+Alternation between the relative major and minor of a piece
+ Pedal use
Name two piano techniques that one may have to use in order to accommodate the wide tessitura used in Debussy’s music?
The player will often have to cross hands when playing Debussy’s music, and use different hands/unexpected fingerings to reach all the required notes. The pedal, though usually a harmonic/structural element, it can be used to create a “Three Part Texture”, where there appears to be the part of a high right hand, middle-ish melody part and a bass part (often pedal), all played by two hands.
How is the short, two bar melody at the beginning of “Pagodes” remeniscent of the romantic era?
It shows features of brevity which were very anachronistic to the time, as classical pieces often were deliberately long and had extended, drawn out phrasing, whereas Debussy oten used short repeating phrasing.
What is a chordal piano technique that Debussy often features in his music?
Parallel chords. These are chords where the pattern you are playing (the fingering and intervals between the notes) does not change, but the pitch and actual notes change by moving parallel up or own the piano.
What other style of music influenced Debussy’s “Pagodes”?
Javanese Gamelan music. This meant he had to incorporate several idiosyncratic and oriental styles.
What three ways does Pagodes reflect Javanese Gamelan music through harmony?
Heavy use of the pentatonic scale (emulates the Javanese slendro scale), extended chords - created using pan diatonicism- used to emulate the complex harmonies in gamelan music and gong like open fifth intervals played emphatically in the piano, to emulate a gong sound.
How does the harmony used in “Pagodes” reflect that of the classical style?
Though debussy uses extended and unusual variations, he often relies heavily on the tonic and dominant chords, which is often seen in classical piano music.
What is one structural evaluation of PAgodes?
It is in ternary form. This involves a musical melody or idea being established in the first section, the second section contrasting this with new ideas, and the third section returning to the ideas in the first section in a related key.
Why is bar 11 unusual and seemingly separate to the rest of Pagodes?
It triggers the narrowing of the tessitura, as well as introducing the relative minor key. It also only features the note with G# in octaves (and one b that we ignore).
In what bar does the melody of Pagodes feature the whole tone scale?
Bar 33
In what bar, in Pagodes, does the melody return to the “A” section?
bar 53
How does Debussy use Tessitura towards the end of Pagodes? How is this typical of romantic piano music?
The tessitura towards the end is ridiculously wide. Running up to the final bar, the tessitura is quite wide, using fast running quaver ostinatos. The final chord is marked to “let ring”, and uses nearly the entire range of the piano. This shows how romantic music incorporated a larger range in the piano after the piano’s new model during the romantic period.
What is a rhythmic feature debussy frequently uses in his style?
Cross rhythms, such as triplets over quavers or minims.
