Impressionism mapeh

Impressionism

A style that avoids strict form and exact realism, emphasizing suggestion, mood, atmosphere, and color.

Whole-tone scale

A scale made entirely of whole steps, often producing a floating, ambiguous sound.

Parallel Chords

Chords moving together in the same direction and interval pattern for color effect.

Open Fifths

Sonorities using root and fifth without the third, creating a hollow/open sound.

Open Octaves

Notes separated by an octave used to create spacious, transparent texture.

Ninth Chord

A chord extended beyond the 7th by adding the 9th, common in Impressionist color harmony.

Dissonance

A tense or unstable sound combination that may resolve or be used for color.

Freer Harmony

Harmonic writing less tied to strict tonal rules and cadential expectations.

Claude Debussy

Major French early 20th-century composer and key pioneer of Impressionist music (1862–1918).

Maurice Ravel

French post-impressionist composer, conductor, and pianist known for distinct orchestral color and rhythm (1875–1937)

Claude achille debussy

He initiated/defined Impressionist musical language with innovative tone color and harmony.

Ravel’s Style

who’s style More incisive rhythms, broader melodies, added notes, unresolved appoggiaturas, and richer dissonance.

Clair de Lune

Debussy’s famous piece from Suite Bergamasque, known for lyrical, atmospheric piano writing.

Suite Bergamasque

A Debussy piano suite containing Clair de Lune.

La Mer

Debussy composition portraying sea imagery through orchestral color and motion.

Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune

Debussy orchestral work considered a landmark of modern/Impressionist sound.

Bolero

Ravel’s orchestral work built on repetition, crescendo, and changing instrumentation.

Daphnis et Chloé

Ravel’s large-scale ballet score known for vivid orchestration.

Rapsodie Espagnole

Ravel orchestral work with Spanish color and rhythmic vitality.

Appoggiatura

A grace-note ornament before the principal note that creates tension/suspension and borrows part of the main note’s time value.