ipl-logo

How Did Richard Wagner Influence Claude Debussy

2299 Words10 Pages

Richard Wagner’s Influence on Claude Debussy The influence of Richard Wagner (1813-1883) in Europe was nearly inescapable, affecting both those musicians and composers who praised his music and those who rejected it. France was a country that tried to resist Wagner’s influence but ultimately failed because his music was so revolutionary. Even some of France’s finest composers were early Wagnerians such as Claude Debussy (1862-1918). Claude Debussy was a stout Wagnerian earlier in his life but he later changed his view to a more anti-Wagnerian one. I argue that while Debussy resisted Wagner’s theory of opera, his use of the orchestra, and his operatic practice, we can still see Wagner’s influence on Pélleas et Mélisande through the similarities of the opera’s plot line, the use of symbolism, and symphonic developments. I will discover the reasons behind these questions by researching various books, journal articles and scores to find out the …show more content…

Tristan und Isolde deals with two lovers that cannot seem to get enough of each other while Pélleas et Mélisande deals with loneliness and despair. Both operas seem to pay little or no attention to the outside world and mainly focus on the story between the lovers. The moment at the end of Act I in Tristan und Isolde where the lovers discover their passion for each other, the sailor’s chorus in the background seems to die down because Wagner put the emphasis of the opera’s storyline between Tristan and Isolde’s passion. Even though this happens within a fictional story, love does have this effect on people in the real world. This is similar to Pélleas et Mélisande because when Mélisande dies, the opera focuses on Pélleas’ loneliness and isolation to convey how lonely he really felt. It is interesting to see that even though both operas have different plot lines, they are still able to be compared relatively

Show More
Related

  • Compare And Contrast What I Ve Learned And Night

    994 Words  | 4 Pages

    A comparison one can draw is that although both characters must live through the dreadful

    Read More

  • Shoe Horn Sonata Analysis

    831 Words  | 4 Pages

    Composers have the ability to influence how we the audience views and responds to characters and issues. Through viewing and analysing ‘The Shoe Horn Sonata’ by John Misto and ‘Saving Private Ryan’ directed by Steven Spielberg, it is obvious that composers have the ability to impact and influence our views on characters and issues that occur. Shoe Horn Sonata and Saving Private Ryan were set in the same context of World War 2. John Misto’s Shoe Horn Sonata takes place during the war against Japan, the play focus on the lives of two women Bridie and Sheila who have been captured by the Japanese to become (POW) prisoners of war. John Misto’s play was based on real accounts from POWs, the play was to commemorate the female POWS who story was unheard of and to give an insight to the audience into what the POWs had to endure while under the japanese rule.

    Read More

  • Aaron Copland How We Listen Summary

    734 Words  | 3 Pages

    “How We Listen” begins by providing us with a detailed description of Aaron Copland’s background and accomplishments, then moves on to briefly describe his views and ideas that are expressed in the rest of the passage. In the introduction, we are presented with Copland’s theory that divides the activity of listening to music (specifically the classical genre) into three categories; sensuous plane, the expressive plane, and the sheerly musical plane. The sensuous plane allows the listener to simply relax, take in, and appreciate the beauty of the music.

    Read More

  • What Of This Goldfish Would You Wish Essay

    812 Words  | 4 Pages

    While the similarities are smaller, like the considerate personalities shared between the main characters of both

    Read More

  • Henry Purcell's Fairy Queen: A Case Study

    1003 Words  | 5 Pages

    Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen: A Case Study The evolution of music can be viewed as a linear timeline of key, innovative composers who have far-reaching influences upon the musical continuum and perhaps epitomises the societal views which are relevant to their time period through their canonical pieces. As a result, in order to conduct a case study into any piece of music one must first realise said piece in regards to the concurrent political climate. Between 1642 and 1651 England was characterised by turmoil through civil war, which was essentially caused over the conduct of British government. This war was between the Parliamentarians and the Royalists, with the Parliamentarians being the victor.

    Read More

  • How Does Shakespeare Use Figurative Language In Romeo And Juliet

    757 Words  | 4 Pages

    Romeo’s comparisons create similar themes as Juliet. In act two, scene two, Romeo and Juliet acknowledge their love for each other and the desire to be married. Once they have discussed their family’s hatred Romeo says that “my life were better ended by your love/than death prorogued lacking your love” (2.2.82-83.) This shows that Romeo would rather die loved by Juliet than die unloved. This carries out a similar theme as stated before, they would rather die than be apart.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Dead Poets Society And A Separate Peace

    532 Words  | 3 Pages

    Even both these were produced during different times, they have a Brobdingnagian amount of similarities and comparisons.

    Read More

  • Mozart Marriage Of Figaro Analysis

    2001 Words  | 9 Pages

    6. Take a single act from the Marriage of Figaro and, using particular examples, show how Mozart structures the act in terms key, form and texture. How does the opera critique the social order of the time? This essay looks at the first act of Mozart’s opera buffa ‘Marriage of Figaro’ in detail, specifically focussing on the key, form and texture used within this act.

    Read More

  • Romeo And Juliet Bad Decisions

    804 Words  | 4 Pages

    William Shakespeare's “Romeo and Juliet” is about, two young people falling in love  two different rivaling households. Having faced the utmost odds, Romeo and Juliet fall in love upon first sight, and pursue each other. However, while trying to be together, they make some unfortunate decisions that ultimately lead to the tragic end. In the story

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Beethoven And Brahms

    844 Words  | 4 Pages

    Their works changed through their careers and they used many different techniques to keep their compositions up to their standards and interests. Beethoven and Brahms influenced many composers years after their deaths and their works continue to be studied to this day. Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer during the classical period. He wrote 9 symphonies, 1 opera, 32 piano sonatas, 5 piano concertos and many other works.

    Read More

  • Tobias Wolff Bullet In The Brain Analysis

    1716 Words  | 7 Pages

    Although, they have similarity, the two stories has major differences also. First, both author differs the way they introduce and develop their lead characters to the reader. Second, they also differ in perspective from which their stories are being told. Third, they differs on the choice of settings and how it impact to the stories.

    Read More

  • How Is Tristan And Iseult Similar To Romeo And Juliet

    708 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are operas and symphonies based off the story. Many operas include some type of betrayal, usually adultery. There is a symphony called, “Tristan und Isolde” which is presumably about the story but it is told in German. Wilhelm Richard Wagner, a German composer, wrote the opera for this. Apparently the story broke his musical ground.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast: The Tragedy Of Romeo And Juliet

    726 Words  | 3 Pages

    Romeo and Juliet Compare and Contrast Although Romeo and Juliet grew up in two different households meant to hate each other from the day of their birth, these two star crossed lovers find each other in a different light. In the play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet By William Shakespeare, Romeo being a Montague and Juliet being a Capulet were born into this family feud. The two of them fall in love at a party where Romeo was out looking for the original girl he was in love with, Rosaline, and Juliet was there to meet her future husband Paris. With love playing a huge part in this play, it's concluded that Romeo and Juliet are both a Eros kind of lover.

    Read More

  • Beowulf And Aladdin Analysis

    1067 Words  | 5 Pages

    For example, there are more differences between Aladdin and Beowulf, yet the similarities are more pivotal in their respective ways. This can easily been seen by the kind of plot used in the pieces, Hero’s Quest. Without using this kind of plot or storyline, there would be nearly no similarities between the two, however, since Hero’s Quest was utilized by both the director and the author, it creates many more similarities beyond the plot. Yet, the number of differences is far greater than that of the similarities. For instance, Aladdin is motivated by love compared to Beowulf being driven by ego and pride.

    Read More

  • Debussy Beethoven Cathedral Essay

    1193 Words  | 5 Pages

    Debussy broke the mold so to speak in the 20th century of music by breaking away from the typical German style laid out by composers such as Beethoven as he often explored dreamy and distant sound worlds in an effort to stand out amongst his earlier peers of the classical period. He began to be drawn to the sounds of the pentatonic scales, whole tone scale, and sounds otherwise known in Asia as his music in comparison often contained a rather circular motion which broke away from the formers heroic cadential style of resolution. This breaks his music away as his was more of an ambient and distant much like the impressionist art movement happening at the same time being led by the likes of Monet and Van Gough. The Sunken Cathedral by Debussy exhibits many traits of the new impressionistic forum of 20th century composers as he exhibits many methods to place the listener into a dream-like state using melodic variation and connectivity amongst voice leading in order to achieve a watery type effect. This effect makes the listener feel as if they are floating along with the piece itself as he adds complexities to the music with the slow harmonic variation throughout the piece.

    Read More

More about How Did Richard Wagner Influence Claude Debussy

Open Document