Interpreting and Developing Musical Imagery in Debussy’s Piano Music

Abstract

Pianistic challenges are some of the varying issues in performing Claude Debussy’s piano music. These include tempo and rubato, pedaling, dynamic control, articulation and touch, musicality and phrasing, and interpreting of musical imagery. Each pianist must strive to overcome these challenges, requiring dedicated practice and taking a closer examination of his piano style. “La cathédrale engloutie,” from Préludes (1909–1910), will be the first topic on exploring his departure from tonality and venturing away from traditional harmonic structures. In addition, “Prélude,” from Pour le piano (1902), will be examined from the same perspective of the influences from the baroque composers Couperin, Rameau, and Bach, stretching to Chopin’s pianistic style in technique and pedaling. Estampes (1903) will be looked at in depth regarding the gamelan influences Debussy experienced while taking in the 1889 Exposition in the first piece “Pagodes.” We will also observe the influences from Maurice Ravel through compositions from his two-piano, four-hands works that may have directly influenced “La soirée dans Grenade.” Furthermore, this dissertation discusses the topic of how “impressionism” was dismissed by the composer, as he often referred to himself as a Symbolist. “Reflets dans l’eau,” from the first book of Images (1901–1905), will be examined which relates mathematics to the Golden Section, organizing the structure of the entire piece. The late solo piano works nod to stereotypical racism, including “Golliwog’s Cakewalk” and “Minstrels,” venturing into American jazz and how Scott Joplin’s ragtime influenced and expanded Debussy’s stylistic grasp. From 1900, Debussy’s piano output was considerably more demanding in pianistic technique and more difficult to interpret than his earlier works. This dissertation will also give suggestions on how to successfully navigate challenges on the issues of performance. Moreover, issues in executing and understanding pedaling in Debussy’s piano works will be analyzed.