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Impressionism
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Genre
Impressionism · In Paris, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel searched for music that sounds like light, water and clouds. Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894) begins with a free, floating flute melody. At the world fair of 1889, Debussy heard a Javanese gamelan orchestra, and in Pagodes (1903) that echoes in pentatonic melodies and gong-like basses. Chords no longer had to resolve, but were allowed simply to sound as colour.
Listening
Listening tip. Listen to how the flute in the Prélude seems to wander without a fixed beat, and how harp and horns lay colour around it.
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (Cleveland Orchestra, Pierre Boulez) · Claude Debussy, 1894
Estampes: Pagodes (Walter Gieseking) · Claude Debussy, 1903
Jeux d'eau (Alexandre Tharaud) · Maurice Ravel, 1901
See also
Categories: Genres