Reflets dans l'eau
Encyclopedia
Claude Debussy
's piece Reflets dans l'eau ("Reflections in the Water") is the first of three pieces for the piano from his first volume of Images, which are frequently performed separately. It was written in 1905. As much of Debussy's work, it is referred to as Impressionistic, meaning that it expresses emotions and senses by making use of dysfunctional harmony and ambiguous key signatures usually the pieces mainly atonal and usually have some sort of sense of modality.
Reflets dans l'eau opens in a slow tempo (andantino molto) with a melody of A flat, F, E flat (which is repeated through much of the piece) while the right hand is playing a set of chords to accommodate the melody. It shares the main characteristics of French music of this period. For instance, the piece is characterized by ambiguous and fast changing harmonies.
The piece has several brief melody statements and climaxes that are more glimpses of music than full ideas, which is typical of Debussy's middle and late piano works. This is one of the many pieces Debussy wrote about water; in particular, light reflecting off of its surface. The piece creates an image of water being not quite still, then becoming rapid, then decreasing in motion again. Reflets dans l'eau is also an example of the new tone colors Debussy discovered for the piano in this part of his life, and although he later refined this style, this piece is part of the greater achievements Debussy reached with the instrument.
Claude Debussy
Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
's piece Reflets dans l'eau ("Reflections in the Water") is the first of three pieces for the piano from his first volume of Images, which are frequently performed separately. It was written in 1905. As much of Debussy's work, it is referred to as Impressionistic, meaning that it expresses emotions and senses by making use of dysfunctional harmony and ambiguous key signatures usually the pieces mainly atonal and usually have some sort of sense of modality.
Reflets dans l'eau opens in a slow tempo (andantino molto) with a melody of A flat, F, E flat (which is repeated through much of the piece) while the right hand is playing a set of chords to accommodate the melody. It shares the main characteristics of French music of this period. For instance, the piece is characterized by ambiguous and fast changing harmonies.
The piece has several brief melody statements and climaxes that are more glimpses of music than full ideas, which is typical of Debussy's middle and late piano works. This is one of the many pieces Debussy wrote about water; in particular, light reflecting off of its surface. The piece creates an image of water being not quite still, then becoming rapid, then decreasing in motion again. Reflets dans l'eau is also an example of the new tone colors Debussy discovered for the piano in this part of his life, and although he later refined this style, this piece is part of the greater achievements Debussy reached with the instrument.
External links
- PDF copy of Reflets dans l'eau http://www.free-scores.com/PDF_EN/debussy-claude-images-book-6993.pdf