Debussy- La soiree dans Grenade Flashcards
(26 cards)
Why was Debussy interested in Spain
Like many other French composers, was interested in the exoticism of the culture
Where is Grenada
Southern Spain, where centuries ago Moorish invaders from Morocco settled,
Their influence remains there to this day in architecture and music,
What is the Habanera
A Cuban dance that spread to southern Spain in the nineteenth century
Does Debussy use any Spanish folk music
No
What are some melodic features used
Conjunct,
Acciaccatura
Ornamentation
Triplets,
Staccato,
Wide octave leaps,
Lots of different melodic ideas,
How does he make the piece feel flowing and free
Ties over the bars,
Rubato,
Moorish lament makes it sound like free time
What happens in the first 6 bars
They are only bare 5ths and octaves wither on G# or C#
What pedal is established
C# and it then becomes an inverted pedal,
It is not technically a tonic pedal
What is the melody at bar 7
Like a Moorish lament,
Starts with extreme dissonance
What is the significance of the augmented second (bar 3)
Typical of flamenco music
What are some other harmonic features used
Parallel chords,
Parallel seventh chords
Chords based on 4ths and 5ths,
False relations
Parallel movement
Pedal note
What scale is used in bars 24-25
Whole tone scale
What is the tonal centre in the second section
A
How is a Spanish feel creates using tonality
Flattened supertonic,
Phrygian mode, this scale was used by Saint-Saens in the opera ‘Samson and Delilah
Is the pentatonic scale used
Yes, for the linking section
What is the main texture used
Melody-dominated homophony
How is the guitar imitated in the music
Spread chords;
Dry sound of rapid staccato spread chords
What are some piano techniques used
Hand-crossing
Extreme ranges
Sustain pedal
What is the time signature
Duple time
What is the habanera rhythm
A dotted quaver, a semiquaver and two quavers
Are there frequent tempo changes
Yes, Rubato, then retenu, then tempo giusto then tres rhythme
What does retenu mimic
The slightly held back nature of the guitar
What is introduced in the introduction
The habanera
What is the structure
Loose ternary form
