Debussy Nuages

What’s the general rule for harmony in the Impressionist style?

harmony - makes less use of the modal system and relations of keys choosing harmony simply for sonority rather than functionality

where is whole tone scale used

prominent from bar 33 has no clear sense of tonic due to all intervals being the same of one tone

where is the pentatonic scale used

section starting bar 64

where is the acoustic scale used

from bar 21

rotation 1 bar numbers

1-10

rotation 2 bar numbers

11-28

rotation 3 bar numbers

29-56

rotation 4 bar numbers

57-93

rotation 5 bar numbers

94-102

x material in rotation 1

1-4 B octatonic scale with hints of minor in top part (F#s indicate such)

A natural scale is also chromatic to B octatonic which establishes B as a centre but only weakly

x material in rotation 2

11-16 starts same as R1 but with strings rather than woodwind

Parallel dominant 9ths in bar 14 w/ melody based on overlapping E flat and G min pentatonic scales

Notes falling in fiths in bar 15 becoming increasingly important

x material rotation 3

29-32 most contrasting presentation of x with slightly different melodic profile and pure triads ending unexpectedly on a Cmaj chord at bar 31

x material ln rotation 4

57-63 more like R1 but w/ new melody against main x idea in viola.

Parallel dominant 7ths in bar 61 and 63 with a whole tone idea in between in bar 62 (echoed in bar 66)

x material rotation 5

94-97 much more darker and fragmented orchestration of x trails over G pedal initially but moves up to B in bar 96 where the idea mumbles out in vague rumbling

which motif is the octatonic scale used

y material majority octatonic

y material rotation 1

5-10 cor anglais melody and harmony is pure B octatonic G7 in first inversion (B drone in bass) is main sonority cor anglais melody is in 4/4 against the prevailing 6/4

y material rotation 2

21-28 dominant G9 harmony continues as an accompaniment to cor anglais melody

From R1 Octatonic apart from the 9th (A) itself which makes it a G acoustic scale

Falling tritone idea in bar 23 represents the span of the melody from F to B and becomes an increasingly important idea

No drone

y material rotation 3

43-56 cor anglais melody now accompanied by G7 chords alternating with dissonant chords suggesting bar 13

B drone is back at bar 51 the cor anglais

goes back into 6/4 and expands two note horn idea from bar 50 (B2)

bass descends by step from B to F (same span as melody) ending very ambiguously

y material rotation 4

cor anglais melody exactly the same as R3 but with darker orchestration of accompanying G7 sonority also different chords from B octatonic change colour (C\#7 at bar 82 and E7 at b 86 - both have chromatic appoggiaturas of D\# and F\# respectively) falling tritone at bar 82 and B2 at 88 as before

y material rotation 5

99-end skeleton version of Y with just G7 sonority and falling tritone remaining (main melody has disappeared) ends on B (same centre as opening) but G7 sonority just before helps to make this ending very tonally understandable

interpolation rotation 3

33-42 crotchet motion reminiscent of X in strings in sparse two part counterpoint with octave unison in wind together create a C whole tone feel but with chromatic passing notes in woodwind. more octatonic at 40 to link into Y

interpolation rotation 4

64-79 (b section) melody is d# pentatonic expanding on the idea from the middle of R1 and also includes the falling fifth idea from bar 1)

D# drone but moves to G# (IV?) in the middle of the section

bar 77 repeats a pentatonic fragment (B2 from R3)

one feature of interest in metre of bars 14-20

ambiguous note groupings of 2 or 3 crotchet beats within 6/4 time sig

give two ways in which the accompaniment to the cor anglais melody in 21-28 relates to previous material -

repeated rocking crotchet configuration from opening bars in woodwind persists here

static harmony also similar (essentially based on single chord)

where is acoustic scale used in 14-32

21-28

where is dorian mode used bars 14-32

19-20

describe harmony in bars 21-28

series of parallel dominant 9th chords

how does harmony change in bars 29-32

switches to parallel triad

how does harmony change in 33-42

alternating whole tone harmony (33-36) and octatonic harmony (35-36)(40-42)

use of texture in 33-41

essentially in two parts only but texture is filled out by orchestral doublings in triple 8ves

discuss Debussy's use of the orchestra beginning bar 14

becomes less static (harmonic rhythm increased) also introduces octatonic element

describe one way in which debussy creates a sense of structure in the extract

repetition of both x and y material (opening piano phrase ,triplet based melody)

comment on the writing for string instruments after bar 21

some tremolando strings in accompaniment pizzicato double bass statements of extended version of 2 note motif