The Impressionist period in music marks a change in the European music scene. The major-minor system that worked for centuries past is being questioned. This parallels the movement in art in which painting began to be hazy instead of the clear, descriptive paintings of the past.
Impressionism in music is the start of the breaking away of tradition -- namely the major-minor system. The composers of impressionism began to think that it has been used to its full possibilities, and began to investigate older, Medieval sounds and also the sounds of other cultures. This resulted in many dramatic changes in the basis of harmony, melody, and rhythm.
The major-minor system is based on the pull to the tonic note. This was being rejected during Impressionism as too obvious. In this period, you rarely hear the resolution from dominant to tonic announced triumphantly at the end of the music. Instead they used more subtle harmony with more emphasis on dissonance as an essential part of their music instead of as a brief moment of tension. The whole tone scale, built entirely on whole tones, is prominant in Impressionist music. Parallel chords, such as parallel 5th and 8ths, were forbidden in Classical music but were used commonly during this period. Romantic music used full, lush tones to express emotions, whereas Impressionism depended on floating colors and blending tones. Impressionist rhythm do away with the regular beat of Classical rhythm, and instead used floating rhythms that has no regular beat. Small forms such as preludes and nocturnes prevail.
There were two important composers of this era:
Debussy and Ravel. Debussy (1862-1918) was born near Paris.
He studied at the Paris Conservatory when he was 11. He
always shocked his professors with unusual harmonies that
defied the rules. Soon it became apparent that he was a
genius. The 1890's were his most productive period. During
this time he wrote his opera Pelleas and Melisande, which was
first attacked as lacking melody, form, and substance. But
later its intensity and subtlety of nuance made it and
Debussy famous. The beginning of war in 1914 drained him of
all his enthusiasm in music, and he died 4 years later of
cancer. He is celebrated as one of the more distinguished
representatives of French music.
Debussy's compositions include various orchestral, dramatic, vocal, and chamber works. His contribution to piano music includes Pour le Piano, Estampes, and 2 books of preludes. Debussy created his own style in writing for the piano. He used widely spaced chords in parallel movement, contrast of low and high registers, blending of sounds with the pedal, and clash of overtones. One can see the influence of non-Western elements in many of his works. His most popular piano work is Clair de Lune (moonlight). Others include Evening in Granada, Reflections in the Water, and The Sunken Cathedral.
Ravel
(1875-1937) was born in Ciboure, France. He showed a lot of
artistic talents in his youth. He entered the conservatory at
the age of 14 and stayed for 16 years. His artistic progress
was stimulated by his friendship with a group of young poets,
painters, and musicians who believed in his musical abilitiy
long before he became successful. Ravel's music was
criticized by audiences and critics at first, but eventually
it attained acceptance and made him famous. After the first
World War Ravel became the focus of French music and was in
very much demand. In 1928 he was invited to tour the United
States. Near the end of his life, Ravel was plagued with a
rare brain disease that slowly drained him away. He decided
to undertake a dangerous operation in 1937 and died from it.
Like Debussy, Ravel was fascinated by the impressionist painter's images. He exploited the Spanish dance rhythm and was attracted to foreign and Medieval music. Unlike Debussy, Ravel's music has a brightness that contrasts with Debussy's lightness in music. His rhythm are more incisive, with more sense of key, dissonant harmony, and broader melodies. He was also extending the heritage of Liszt. His main piano works include Pavane pour une infante defunte, Jeux d'eau, Gaspard de le nuit, Ma mere l'oye, and Le tombeau de Couperin.
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