Impressionism Music Era

1870-1930

The Impressionism art movement and Monet's painting Impressionism, Sunrise

Impressionism was a reaction against the build and majestic music of the Romantic era. As a result, the Impressionist music is more subtle, with an emphasis on mood and atmosphere.

Nature, especially light, water, and clouds

Impressionism composers used music like paintbrushes, to create visual images

• All 3 were from France
• Debussy and Boulanger were from Paris
• Ravel was from Ciboure

• Debussy was the composer most associated with the music of the French Impressionism movement.
• Born in Paris, France
• Lived from 1862 to 1918
• His most well-known compositions were often scored for either solo piano or orchestra.

Piano: Suite Bergamasque, The Children's Corner Suite and Preludes Books I and II

Orchestral: La Mer (the Sea) and Prelude to an Afternoon of a Faun

A piece of music that explores a particular mood, idea, or image.

and

A short introductory piece of music that is performed before a larger piece of music.

• A form of music dating back hundreds of years to the Medieval Era of Western music history.
• Originally, a suite served as a collection of dances.
• The definition expanded to mean a collection of short pieces coming one after the other.
• The word “suite” in French can be translated to “a series of items.”
• Suites can be written for solo instruments or ensembles, and suites are often composed to encompass a particular theme.

• A composer born in Ciboure, in south France near the border with Spain who lived from 1875-1937.
• Ravel's compositions were influenced by traditional Spanish folk music tradition.
• Ravel was a meticulous composer whose compositions were stylistically and technically challenging to perform.
• Sometimes he composed in a neoclassical style.

A suite - a collection of smaller compositions each inspired by a fairytale - composed for a piano duet in 1910 and then transcribed for orchestra in 1911.

accelerando/ritardando - increasing/decreasing speed in music

• crescendo/descrecendo - music getting louder/quieter
• music getting higher/lower in register

• A half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family
• Sometimes called a "baby flute" or piccolo flute
• It has the same fingering but plays an octave higher

• Neoclassical means "new classical."
• Neoclassicism emerged during the early 20th century.
• It used many traits common among Classical Era works, like clear melodies, organized musical forms, and emotional restraint.

• A form like a musical story in which the two main characters are two different melodies.
• In the exposition, the two melodies (called “subjects”) are introduced.
• During the development, the two melodies become mixed-up, creating the most musical tension within the piece.
• During the recapitulation, the two subjects are presented a final time and tension is resolved.

• Lili Boulanger was French composer born in Paris, France who lived from 1893-1918.
• Her musical skill was recognized early.
• She was the first woman to win the Prix de Rome (an important French composing competition) when she was 19 years old.
• She died at age 24 due to chronic poor health.
• She composed more than 50 compositions in her short life.

Nadia Boulanger was Lili Boulanger's sister.

She was also a skilled musician and composer.

She taught many important composers of the 20th century, including Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein.