| dc.description.abstract | Debussy has been known for integrating different subjects into his music such as pictures, scenes of nature, poems, and elements from other cultures that leave the listener with the impression that Debussy tries to capture in his music. This paper focuses on multicultural influences on Debussy’s Estampes, a suite published in 1903 that contains references to three different cultures: Javanese, Spanish, and French cultures. The first piece, Pagodes, evokes the musical culture of the Javanese Gamelan of Indonesia, which Debussy first encountered in a performance he saw at the Paris Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair) in 1889. Debussy uses pentatonic, pedal-tone, and polyphonic texture to imitate the sound of the Javanese gamelan instruments. Besides Pagodes, Debussy uses similar techniques in Prelude from Pour Le Piano and Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut from Images Book 2. La soirée dans Grenade evokes the musical character of Granada in Andalusia, Spain by using the habanera dance rhythm, melodies inspired by the Moorish heritage of Spain, and the rolled chords that imitate the strumming gesture of the Spanish guitar. Jardins sous la pluie is a composition from Debussy’s native French culture. Debussy uses different modes–major, minor, whole-tone, and chromatics–to present different shades of moods. He also quotes melodies from two French children’s songs in this piece, which serve as reference for the child-like scene and enrich the expressiveness of the piece. This document is based on historical and cultural research, musical analysis, and performance practice. | |
