Claude Debussy's La Mer and

Three Paintings by Claude Monet

Intro To The Works Artwork: “Arm of the Seine near Giverny,” “Regatta at

Sainte-Andresse,” and “Rough Seas at Etretat” by

Claude Monet

Musical work: “La Mer” by Claude Debussy

Era = impressionist (musical & visual), late 1800's-

1900's

Focused on suggestion & atmosphere more than strong

emotion or the presentation of a story5

Music made use of dissonance and unusual scales5

Artwork focused on lighting effects and capturing the

essence of the subject rather than details4

Claude Monet (1840-1926)1

Born November 14, 1840 in Paris, later moved to Normandy1

Father wanted him to become a grocer, but he wanted to be an

artist1

Took drawing lessons from Jacques-Francois Ochard1

Eugène Boudin taught him to use oil paints1

Studied under Charles Gleyre in Paris starting 18621

met Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Frederic Bazille, and Alfred Sisley1

These fellow artists helped shape his style and impressionism as a

whole1

Style= visible brush strokes, emphasis on lighting effects1

Painted “series” paintings: multiple paintings of one subject

under different weather/light conditions1

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)2

Born August 22, 1862 in St. Germain-en-Laye, Germany2

Began studying piano at the age of 92

At 10 studied with Ernest Guiraud, César Franck and others at

the Paris Conservatoire (1872–84)2

Initially influenced by Wagner2

Developed own style independent of Wagner's romantic &

emotional style in 1880's2

Shorter works, daring harmonic experimentation2

Whole tone scale, phrygian mode2

Uses dissonance w/out formal resolution2

Used music to evoke images or impressions of places, ideas, or

occurrences2

La Mer (The Sea)

Composed 1903-05; Consists of 3 movements3: "De l'aube à midi sur la mer" - très lent (si mineur)

"Jeux de vagues" - allegro (do dièse mineur)

"Dialogue du vent et de la mer" - animé et tumultueux (do dièse

mineur)

These are usually translated as3: "From dawn to midday on the sea" - very slowly (B minor)

"Play of the waves" or - allegro (C sharp minor)

"Dialogue of the wind and the sea" - animated and

tumultuous (C sharp minor)

From Dawn to Midday on the Sea Initial dynamic building/ whole tone ascension

suggest rising of the sun

Gives way to a calm, ethereal tone, with flowing

style

Light, airy tone, as if floating blissfully in a calm

sea

Ends with majestic buildup and resolution,

which evokes images of the vast expanse of the

sea, with the noon sun shining gloriously down

Arm of the Seine near Giverny

Still water reflects calm,

blissful tone of the main

section of the movement

Soft colors reiterate calm

Even though this is a

river, it still has the

qualities of water that

Debussy captured in this

movement

Play of the Waves

This piece imitates the many different types of

waves that can occur:

Quick, lively runs and trills evoke images of little

ripples or small waves breaking lightly

Harp and flute create flowing images

Building crescendos followed by decrescendos

imitates swell of the waves

Crash symbols imitate crash of waves

Regatta at Sainte-Andresse

Waves breaking lightly

on the shore

Small, ripple-like waves

Sailboats and cloude

create sense of peace

Green water reflects

intermittent eerie tone of

the song

Dialogue of the wind and the sea

Dissonance, sudden dynamic changes, and

building/layering of voices create dark, foreboding

tone, suggesting agitation or a storm

Gives way to more calm, consonant sound, but

dissonance and dynamic building are intermittent until

it builds back up to a dissonant climax

Majestic tone at the end evokes images of tall,

powerful swells, while the crash symbols suggest the

wind forcing these waves into collision

Rough Seas at Etretat

Brownish grey of

water reflects the

dissonance of the

music

Large waves and

crashes as suggested

by movement

General stormy

sky/atmosphere

Conclusion Claude Monet and Claude Debussy lived in the

same time period and were both impressionists

Both sought to capture the essence of the subject

matter instead of focusing on the tiny details

Both artists captured the many different

temperaments of the sea, Debussy through his

three contrasting movements of La Mer, and Monet

through countless different paintings of the sea

Works Cited

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_monet

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debussy

3. http://www.answers.com/topic/la-mer

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressionism

5.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressionist_music

6.http://dariogalimberti.interfree.it/htm/

mp3eng.htm#debussy%20la%20mer