Estampes (Prints) by Debussy No.1 Pagodes

Instrumentation

Use of sustained pedal to create shimmering and atmospheric effects (27-31)

Use of cross hands to allow the pianist of achieve the widely spaces textures

Wide range of pitch (5-6)

Detailed dynamics and performance directions

Structure/form

Pieces are short compared to other Romantic composers.

Made up of short melodies (3-4)

Loose ternary form - Debussy wanted to move away from traditional structures and harmonic plans. - Section B contains elements of Section A

Gamelan music uses cycles, reflects Eastern ideas that things come back around.

Uses textural and timbre contrasts rather than melodic development or harmonic changes.

Tonality

Use of tonal scheme avoids sense of tonic and dominant chords and traditional modulation.

More diatonic than other 20th century styles (Schoenberg)

Tonal center of B

Moments of the piece are in A major (41-). However, there are E# from 45.

Harmony

Absence of functional harmony

Open bare 5ths - allude of Gamelan

Added note chords (added 6th in bar) creates colour and reflects Gamelan music

Long pedal notes create a feeling of stillness - relates back to Gamelan music.

Parallel chords (4ths and 5ths (27-30))

Texture

Open bare 5ths - gong like

Layers are similar to Gamelan music (1-16)

Melody over ostinato accompaniment (15-18)

Parallel chord movement (41-43)

Rippling effect - demisemiquavers high in register over a pedal note (80-)

Melody

Pentatonic scale emulates the slendro scale used in Gamelan music. (3-4)

Whole tone scale (33-36)

Modal melodies - flattened 7th (5)

Rhythm, metre & tempo

Freer rhythmic sections (rubato and retenu) and stricter passages ( tempo giusto and tres rhythme)

Ties across bar lines eliminates the strong 1st beat. (3-4)

Oriental style melody - simple rhythms, cross rhythms (15-16) - 2v3