Characteristic of Impressionism in Debussy’s, Essay Example

After Monet’s paintings were first mockingly referred to as impressionistic, the transitional ingenuity of Debussy’s Prelude to an Afternoon of a Faun ushered in what would become recognized as the impressionist era in music. All of the characteristics of impressionism in art and music, such as, irregular phrases, unresolved dissonances, whole-tone scales, use of 9^th chords, frequent use of exotic scales and modality, a closeness to nature, with an emphasis on light and the transition from light to dark, are all present in Prelude to The Afternoon of Faun. Even the title implies a connection with nature as the Faun was considered in Roman mythology to be a satyr-like creature, half-man half-wild creature, rural in nature, but more gentle. This song has a gentle natural feel of connecting man with nature, and Debussy implies this intent through his title’s word selection. In art impressionism paintings often depicted casual everyday living and colors were used loosely, but always with a natural intention. This makes on wonder how Debussy’s work would appear as a visual effect.

In this song, tones shift from high to low seamlessly, all the while being supported by a collective blend of chords in the background.  When the New Age Symphony Orchestra performed an rendition of the song applied to visual effects, the translucent color scheme of the song revealed just how connected to the ideals of impressionist art the song truly is, as color chords transitioned with shifts in color texture with a natural feel inciting the emotion of nature itself in both music and visual tone.

Work Cited

New Age Symphony Orchestra, 2012, Claude Debussy,- Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun [Video Online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YazhxBA7oo [Accessed 26 August 2012]