Trois Nocturnes
The Trois Nocturnes (1900), also Les Nocturnes , are an orchestral work by the French composer Claude Debussy . They are considered an important work of musical impressionism and thus form the transition between the music of the romantic and modern .
Emergence
The three movements were inspired by a series of Impressionist paintings by James Abbott McNeill Whistler , also entitled "Nocturnes" . Debussy had the idea for these nocturnes as early as 1892, but did not compose it until between 1897 and 1899. It was premiered on November 9, 1900. Debussy wrote in a foreword:
- “The title Nocturnes should be understood here in a general and, above all, in a more decorative sense. So it is not about the usual form of the nocturno, but about all impressions and special illuminations that can be contained in this word. (...) "
The work aroused the enthusiasm of the audience and brought it little money, but great recognition by the music critics.
sentences
The three sentences are:
- Nuages ("clouds") Modéré - Un peu animé - Tempo I - Plus lent - Encore plus lent.
- Fêtes ("Celebrations") Animé et très rythmé - Un peu plus animé - Modéré (mais toujours très rythmé) - Tempo I - De plus en plus sonore et en serrant le mouvement - Même Mouvement.
- Sirènes (" Sirens ") Modérément animé - Un peu plus lent - En animant, surtout dans l'expression - Revenir progressivement au Tempo I - En augmentant peu à peu - Tempo I - Plus lent et en retenant jusqu'à la fin.
style
The three pieces are different from each other. Nuages is a calm, extremely atmospheric foreplay with an opaque, diffuse mood. The piece ends with a dark double bass tremolo. Fêtes is a fast, symphonic piece that is pervaded by a characteristic trumpet melody. Sirènes is a bit quieter again, but the mood is clearer and more melancholy than Nuages , Debussy uses a textless female choir here. The total duration of the nocturnes is around 26 minutes.
occupation
- 3 flutes ,
- 2 oboes ,
- English horn ,
- 2 clarinets
- 3 bassoons
- 4 horns
- 3 trumpets
- 3 trumpets ,
- tuba
- Timpani ,
- Snare drum ,
- Basin ,
- 2 harps ,
- Women's choir
- String instruments
reception
Later arrangements
- The entire work was transcribed for two pianos by Maurice Ravel .
- Fêtes was transcribed for piano by the English pianist Leonard Borwick (1868–1925), and recorded by Emil Gilels along with other works.
- Fêtes was transcribed for a woodwind orchestra by Merlin Patterson. (2007).
Web links
- Trois Nocturnes (1900) : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from April 15, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from February 19, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
