O LEVEL MUSIC

20th Century: Solo Music from Impressionism, Nationalism and

Minimalism (Set 1)
Syllabus 6085 (2023)

1 Introduction to Impressionistic Music

Impressionistic music is a genre of classical music that emerged in the late 19th and early
20th centuries, primarily in France. This style of music is characterised by its use of non-
traditional scales, harmonies, and tonalities, which create a dream-like, atmospheric quality
that is meant to evoke a specific mood or feeling rather than tell a clear musical story.
Impressionistic composers, such as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, were heavily
influenced by the visual arts and sought to emulate the techniques of Impressionist painters
by using fragmented melodies, colourful harmonies, and rich textures to create a musical
"impression" of a particular scene or emotion. Today, impressionistic music remains a
popular and influential genre that continues to inspire composers and musicians around the
world.

Scales
• The whole-tone and pentatonic scales were introduced by Debussy
• These scales were used to create a hazy and dream-like effect

Example of a Whole-tone scale

Example of a Pentatonic Scale

Natures of the Impressionistic music were:
a. Unclear and dream-like
b. Tone colour was subdued to create a muted effect
c. The orchestra seldom produce loud tone
d. The use of the woodwind was prominent and was in unusual register (either playing
very high or very low notes)

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2 Claude Debussy
Claude Debussy (1862-1918) was a French composer who is widely regarded as one of the
most important figures in the development of impressionistic music. Debussy's innovative
approach to harmony, form, and texture revolutionised classical music, paving the way for
new generations of composers. He was particularly known for his use of non-traditional
scales and harmonies, creating a dreamy, ethereal quality in his music. Some of his most
famous works include "Clair de Lune," "La Mer," and "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun."
In addition to his contributions to classical music, Debussy was also an accomplished pianist
and conductor, and he helped to establish the Société Nationale de Musique, a society
devoted to promoting French music.
Debussy led a life filled with financial and emotional crises, constantly borrowing money (he
had a craving for luxuries) and having tempestuous love affairs. He was not gifted as a
conductor and hated appearing in public, but to maintain his high standard of living he
undertook concert tours and presented his music throughout Europe. He died in Paris 1918.

3 Debussy’s Music
Like the impressionist painters and symbolist poets, Debussy evoked fleeting moods and
misty atmosphere, as the titles of his works suggest: Reflects dans l’eau (Relfections in the
Water), Nuages (Clouds), and Les Sons et les parfums tournent dans l’air du soir (Sounds
and Perfumes Swirl in the Evening Air)
Debussy was often inspired by literary and pictorial ideas and his music sounds free and
spontaneous, almost improvised. His stress on tone colour, atmosphere, and fluidity is
characteristic of impressionism in music.
Tone colour truly gets unprecedented attention in Debussy’s works. They have a sensuous,
beautiful sound and subtle but crucial changes of timbre. The entire orchestra seldom plays
together to produce a massive sound. Instead, there are brief but frequent solos. Woodwinds
are prominent; strings and brasses are often muted.
In his music for piano – which includes some of the finest piano works of the 20th century –
he creates hazy sonorities sounds and uses a rich variety of bell and gonglike sounds.
Debussy’s treatment of harmony was a revoluntionary aspect of musical impressionism. He
tends to use a chord more for its special colour and sensuous quality rather than for its
function in a standard harmonic progression. He uses successions of dissonant chords that do
not resolve. As a young man, Debussy was once asked which harmonic rules he follow; he
replied, simply, “My pleasure”. He freely shifts a dissonant chord up or down the scale; the
resulting parallel chords characteristse his style:

Debussy, La Cathedrale engoloutie (The Sunken Cathedral)

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Debussy’s harmonic vocabulary is large. Along with the traditional 3 and 4 note chords, he
uses 5 note chords with a lush, rich sound. Chord progressions that were highly unorthodox
when Debussy wrote them soon came to seem mild and natural.
“one must drown the sense of tonality”, Debussy wrote. Although he never actually
abandoned tonality, Debussy weakened it by avoiding chord progressions that would strongly
affirm a key and by using scales in which the main tone is not emphasised. He turned to the
medieval church modes and the pentatonic, or five-tone, scales heard in Javanese music. A
pentatonic scale is produced by five successive black keys of the piano – for example, F# -
G# - A# - C# - D#.

Debussy’s most unusual and tonally vague scale is the whole-tone scale, made up of six
different notes each a whole step away from the next (C - D -E -F# -G# -A# -C). Unlike
major or minor, the whole-tone scale has no special pull from ti to do, since its tones are all
the same distance apart. And because no single tone standards out, the whole-tone scale
creates a blurred, indistinct effect.

4 Listening Example 1: Debussy, Clair De Lune

Clair De Lune is the the third movement of Suite bergamasque. in D♭ major. It is written in
9/8 time and marked andante très expressif.[4] Its title, which means "moonlight" in French, is
taken from Verlaine's poem "Clair de lune".[1]
The title of the third movement of Suite bergamasque is taken from Verlaine's poem “Claire
de lune” which refers to bergamasks in the opening stanza:

Votre âme est un paysage choisi
Que vont charmant masques et
bergamasques
Jouant du luth et dansant et quasi
Tristes sous leurs déguisements
fantasques.
Your soul is like a landscape fantasy,
Where masks and bergamasks, in charming
wise,
Strum lutes and dance, just a bit sad to be
Hidden beneath their fanciful disguise.[3

"Clair de Lune" is one of Claude Debussy's most famous compositions and is a prime
example of impressionistic music. The piece features a dreamy, atmospheric quality that is
characteristic of the impressionist style. Rather than adhering to traditional chord
progressions and tonalities, Debussy uses non-traditional scales and harmonies to create a
sense of ambiguity and fluidity. The melody is fragmented and often repeats, creating a sense
of hypnotic trance, and the use of arpeggios and sustained notes gives the piece a sense of
space and openness. The overall effect of "Clair de Lune" is to evoke a mood or feeling,
rather than tell a specific story, which is a hallmark of impressionistic music.

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etc

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5 Maurice Ravel

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) was a French composer, pianist, and conductor who is
considered one of the most important figures in 20th-century classical music. He is often
associated with impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although
both composers rejected the term.

Ravel was known for his skill in orchestration, and his works often featured complex textures
and rich harmonies that were inspired by his interest in jazz and the music of other cultures.
He was also influenced by the Impressionist movement, and his compositions often featured
dreamy, atmospheric qualities. Some of Ravel's most famous works include "Boléro,"
"Daphnis et Chloé," and "Pavane pour une infante défunte." In addition to his work as a
composer, Ravel was also an accomplished pianist and conductor, and he helped to establish
the Société Musicale Indépendante, a society devoted to promoting new and innovative
music.
Today, Ravel's music remains a popular and influential part of the classical repertoire, and his
contributions to the development of modern music continue to be celebrated and studied by
musicians and music lovers around the world.

6 Listening Example 2: Maurice Ravel – Pavane Pour une Infante Défunte

"Pavane pour une infante défunte" is a piano composition by Maurice Ravel that was later
orchestrated in 1910. The title translates to "Pavane for a Dead Princess" and the piece is
characterized by its hauntingly beautiful melody and rich, complex harmonies. The piece
begins with a melancholic melody played on the piano, which is then echoed and embellished
by the orchestra. The use of lush, romantic harmonies creates a dreamy, ethereal quality that
is characteristic of Ravel's Impressionistic style. Despite its mournful title, "Pavane pour une
infante défunte" is not a funeral march, but rather a tender and reflective tribute to a bygone
era. The piece has become one of Ravel's most enduring works and is frequently performed
and recorded in both its original piano version and its orchestrated form.

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7 Sample Exam Questions

The following questions serve as a study guide for some sample questions related to
impressionism. Other variations of questions of similar nature could be possible and this list
should not be treated to be exhaustive.

a. Which period is this work taken from? (20th century)

b. Which of the 20th century substyles is this work taken from? (choose from
impressionism, nationalism and minimalism)
c. Which of the of the following composers most likely wrote this work? (choose an
appropriate composer, usually Debussy or Ravel)
d. Provide three reasons why this work is an impressionistic music
- Use of non-traditional scales such as the whole-tone scale or pentatonic scale [1]
- Melody is unclear and dream-like [1]
- Tone colour was subdued to create a muted effect [1]
8 Conclusion
Impressionistic music has had a profound impact on the world of classical music, pushing the
boundaries of traditional forms and techniques to create works of beauty and emotional
depth. Impressionistic composers such as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel sought to
capture the fleeting, intangible qualities of the natural world and the human experience
through their compositions, using non-traditional scales, rich harmonies, and atmospheric
textures to create a sense of mood and atmosphere. Their works have influenced generations
of composers, from George Gershwin to modern-day musicians such as Radiohead, and
continue to be celebrated for their innovative approaches to melody, harmony, and
orchestration. Impressionistic music remains a testament to the power of art to capture the
essence of the world around us, and to inspire us with its beauty and emotional depth.

©Copyright notice

This study guide has been produced for the personal use of the students of Mr Sebastian Zhang. No part of this publication shall be reproduced,
distributed or sold without the prior permission of the author. To the maximum extent possible, this guide has been produced in accordance with the
latest 2023 GCE O Level 6085 O Level Music Syllabus. This is the first edition and has been produced in Feb 2023. Generative artificial intelligence
has been consulted in the partial production of this set of study guide.

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