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Claude Debussy's La Mer and Three Paintings by Claude Monet. Intro To The Works. Artwork: “Arm of the Seine near Giverny,” “Regatta at Sainte-Andresse,” and “Rough Seas at Etretat” by Claude Monet Musical work: “La Mer” by Claude Debussy
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Intro To The Works • Artwork: “Arm of the Seine near Giverny,” “Regatta at Sainte-Andresse,” and “Rough Seas at Etretat” by Claude Monet • Musical work: “La Mer” by Claude Debussy • Era = impressionist (musical & visual), late 1800's-1900's • Focused on suggestion & atmosphere more than strong emotion or the presentation of a story5 • Music made use of dissonance and unusual scales5 • Artwork focused on lighting effects and capturing the essence of the subject rather than details4
Claude Monet (1840-1926)1 • Born November 14, 1840 in Paris, later moved to Normandy1 • Father wanted him to become a grocer, but he wanted to be an artist1 • Took drawing lessons from Jacques-Francois Ochard1 • Eugène Boudin taught him to use oil paints1 • Studied under Charles Gleyre in Paris starting 18621 • met Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Frederic Bazille, and Alfred Sisley1 • These fellow artists helped shape his style and impressionism as a whole1 • Style= visible brush strokes, emphasis on lighting effects1 • Painted “series” paintings: multiple paintings of one subject under different weather/light conditions1
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)2 • Born August 22, 1862 in St. Germain-en-Laye, Germany2 • Began studying piano at the age of 92 • At 10 studied with Ernest Guiraud, César Franck and others at the Paris Conservatoire (1872–84)2 • Initially influenced by Wagner2 • Developed own style independent of Wagner's romantic & emotional style in 1880's2 • Shorter works, daring harmonic experimentation2 • Whole tone scale, phrygian mode2 • Uses dissonance w/out formal resolution2 • Used music to evoke images or impressions of places, ideas, or occurrences2
La Mer (The Sea) • Composed 1903-05; Consists of 3 movements3: • "De l'aube à midi sur la mer" - très lent (si mineur) • "Jeux de vagues" - allegro (do dièse mineur) • "Dialogue du vent et de la mer" - animé et tumultueux (do dièse mineur) • These are usually translated as3: • "From dawn to midday on the sea" - very slowly (B minor) • "Play of the waves" or - allegro (C sharp minor) • "Dialogue of the wind and the sea" - animated and tumultuous (C sharp minor)
From Dawn to Midday on the Sea • Initial dynamic building/ whole tone ascension suggest rising of the sun • Gives way to a calm, ethereal tone, with flowing style • Light, airy tone, as if floating blissfully in a calm sea • Ends with majestic buildup and resolution, which evokes images of the vast expanse of the sea, with the noon sun shining gloriously down
Arm of the Seine near Giverny • Still water reflects calm, blissful tone of the main section of the movement • Soft colors reiterate calm • Even though this is a river, it still has the qualities of water that Debussy captured in this movement
Play of the Waves • This piece imitates the many different types of waves that can occur: • Quick, lively runs and trills evoke images of little ripples or small waves breaking lightly • Harp and flute create flowing images • Building crescendos followed by decrescendos imitates swell of the waves • Crash symbols imitate crash of waves
Regatta at Sainte-Andresse • Waves breaking lightly on the shore • Small, ripple-like waves • Sailboats and cloude create sense of peace • Green water reflects intermittent eerie tone of the song
Dialogue of the wind and the sea • Dissonance, sudden dynamic changes, and building/layering of voices create dark, foreboding tone, suggesting agitation or a storm • Gives way to more calm, consonant sound, but dissonance and dynamic building are intermittent until it builds back up to a dissonant climax • Majestic tone at the end evokes images of tall, powerful swells, while the crash symbols suggest the wind forcing these waves into collision
Rough Seas at Etretat • Brownish grey of water reflects the dissonance of the music • Large waves and crashes as suggested by movement • General stormy sky/atmosphere
Conclusion • Claude Monet and Claude Debussy lived in the same time period and were both impressionists • Both sought to capture the essence of the subject matter instead of focusing on the tiny details • Both artists captured the many different temperaments of the sea, Debussy through his three contrasting movements of La Mer, and Monet through countless different paintings of the sea
Works Cited • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_monet • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debussy • http://www.answers.com/topic/la-mer • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressionism • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressionist_music • http://dariogalimberti.interfree.it/htm/mp3eng.htm#debussy%20la%20mer