Paper Example on Music of the 20th Century: Claude Debussy

Introduction

Inspired by the history and politics of the 20th century, a diverse range of musical styles came into existence and further developed between 1900 and 1999. The emergence of technology-enabled pioneers like Elgar and Britten, Stravinsky and Gershwin to compose and record jazz and classical music led to the rise of other prominent artists. The beginning of the 20th-century era saw a shift from conventions of earlier classical music to distinct musical styles. The classical style carried the virtue of patriotism particularly towards the end of the 19th century and early 20th century. The newly introduced forms portrayed elements of impressionism, Avant-garde music, neo-classicism, expressionism, and modern nationalism.

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How the Music of the 20th Century Reflected the Times

The twentieth-century styles were a revival of a classical style, literature, music, and architecture. A method like neo-classicism, which became popular between the two world wars, was inspired by preceding styles of music from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (Kamien, 2010). Neoclassicism was presented in a way that would portray music as a moderating factor between the violent impulses of the soul in expressionism and the emotional excesses of a romantic period (Simeone, 2005). This style showed elements of earlier writing styles but had a slightly different taste from the classical one. It was a tight-knit form of classical music combined with some slight dissonances and tonal harmonies.

The 20th-century music composers tried their best to hold on to the preceding music generations that were quickly fading away. They resisted the established new music trends thus coming up with exciting new forms and styles. Music in the mid-20th-century era was significantly impacted by political events that took place across continents. Shostakovich, for instance, was persecuted because the Soviet regime saw his music as too modern or elitist (Kamien, 2010). He was therefore forced to write in only two styles including, symphonies for authorities and smaller works lie string quartets. Composers, particularly those in the post-war era, were convinced by the Holocaust, World War 2 and Hiroshima that they needed to put their past behind them and create a progressive method to develop the desired music styles.

American composers drew their type of native music called jazz. Ravel and Stravinsky envied the move and responded with the same style. Modernism in the music of that era was characterized by being radical and sounding different (Kamien, 2010). Folk music also became a source of inspiration for various artists including Messiaen, Bartok, and Vaughan Williams. Later, a looser form of 20th-century music emerged and focused on music innovators and nationalist composers who combined folk materials with modern techniques.

In the mid-20th century, musicians and audience realized that music was no longer supposed to be confined to tradition, but by the early 1960s, this idea had to change. A new generation of composers emerged, who were relaxed and had a broader range of music colors (Kamien, 2010). Their kind of music had influences from other popular music, ancient music, different cultures and experiments of modernism. The new style came with new freedom and allowed experimentation with numerous forms, which challenged the already established rule of the earlier music (Simeone, 2005). Notably, this style was quickly gaining popularity thanks to the invention of electronic instruments and synthesizers, which revolutionized and accelerated its development. The emergence of a faster mode of transport gave musicians an edge as it allowed them to travel more to reach their growing numbers of fans. Holding giant concerts was made possible by use of new technology, which permitted amplification to reach all who attended.

How Claude Debussy Best Represented the 20th Century and Why?

An impressionist like Claude Debussy, a prominent French figure, followed the same route by adopting new texture and turning his back on traditional forms but retained a bit of conventional harmonic progression. His music career started sluggishly in the 1880s but slowly picked up as he matured. According to Tchaikovsky, a Russian composer, Debussy's early works were impressive; however, they were short (Lockspeiser, 1936). His old music was good but shriveled, lacked unity and failed to express his ideas fully. It was until 1894 when he was aged 32 that he composed a complete first piece that genuinely gave a clear perspective of mature and independent thought. His music was characterized by frequent use of atonality and sensitive content. The typical style of music during his era was known as symbolism, a technique that inspires him as both a composer and a cultural participant.

After tasting his first successes, Debussy launched a series of severe works on his three orchestral Nocturnes in 1899 and opera Pelleas et Melisande in 1902. He then progressed to another creative phase with La Mer, inspired by his observance of the sea which he thought behaved with British politeness. A registrar of the Paris conservator challenged his on his rules of composing and responded disarmingly by saying "Mon Plaisir!"(Sullivan, 1977)His music developed organically from a range of textures, rhythms, harmonies, and colors. He presented a different type of style from the didactic revolutionary composers Schoenberg and Stravinsky. His works appeared to originate from a flash of inspiration. However, many of his pieces took extended periods to complete. His later sections had similar characteristics with the works of other impressionist's like Painters and Monet. It was easy to identify similarities and correspondence in their music despite the lack of approval from these different composers. The impressionist's design had tendencies towards softening basic outlines and their passion with color and light.

Debussy won Conservatoire's prestigious Prix de Rome when he was 22 years of age, which gave him a chance to study in the Italian capital. At that moment, the whole of Italy was obsessed with opera to the extent of ditching other genres (Kamien, 2010). The likes of Donizetti, Verdi, and Bellini built on the 'tune-and-accompaniment' style, which corresponded with opera was considered the ultimate form of musical expression. For Debussy, the experience in Italy felt more like a prison, no wonder he returned to Paris feeling like he had learned nothing (Simeone, 2005). The artistic atmosphere in Italy was stifling as he never found delight in the famous opera. His depression rendered incapable of performing until he got a fresh inspiration from Franz Liszt whose prowess on the keyboard was admirable. His music had features that introduced and established a new idea of tonality in European music (Simeone 2005). They expressed a distraction from the general lack of tonality using webs of figuration and glittering passages. Rudolph Reti pointed out that Debussy's achievement was a combination of harmonies with monophonic based melodic tonality.

Conclusion

Overall, the twentieth-century foresaw the introduction of classical and modern music. The music drew its themes from politics and war that dominated the era. Claude Debussy is one example of musicians who dominated the era by producing interesting tunes. However, using of the term "impressionist" to refer to Debussy's music appears as a topic of debate within academic circles. The term is improperly used by critics to refer to the finest creators of mysterious effects in the world of art. It is incumbent on the public to appreciate his work of art and give credit to his imaginations.

References

Kamien, R. (2010). Music: An appreciation, 7th brief edition. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Lockspeiser, E. (1936). Debussy, Tchaikovsky, and Madame von Meck. The Musical Quarterly, 22(1), 38-44.

Simeone, N. (2005). Claude Debussy: piano works, Roy Howat (piano). Nineteenth-Century Music Review,2(02), 196-201

Sullivan, J. (June 26, 1977). If it sounds good, play it. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/1977/06/26/archives/if-it-sounds-good-play-it-play-it.html