Debussy's Late Style [Hardcover]

Debussy's Late Styleexplores Claude Debussy's musical responses to World War I. This period of composition encompasses the duration of the war and the last four years of Debussy's life. The works that emerged during this time reflect both wartime events and the composer's self-conscious desire to define his own musical legacy as he felt his life nearing its end. Debussy's complete wartime compositions comprise a small but significant body of works, some little known and some now acknowledged to be among the masterpieces of his career. These include theBerceuse h?ro?que,En Blanc et noir,theDouze ?tudes,the No?l des enfants qui n'ont plus de maisons, and the three instrumental sonatas (the Cello Sonata; the Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp; and the Violin Sonata). Through music analysis, musicology, and cultural history, this study offers interpretive readings of Debussy's late works, focusing in particular on how they reflect the unique cultural milieu of wartime Paris.

This is a thorough review of Claude Debussy's later works (1914-18), which today's performers and audiences often overlook. In examining these pieces, Wheeldon (Univ. of Texas, Austin) draws from many resources, including writings by Debussy himself and by various critics and composers (both contemporaneous and later). She reveals how recognition of his own mortality and of the cultural and political crisis in France during this period, i.e., WW I, affected Debussy's musical intentions. The author's background in music theory is evident in her insightful analyses of several compositions, e.g., Debussy's later piano ?tudes and chamber music song cycles. She provides music notation and helpful tables and figures explaining the basic elements of the music. Chapter conclusions offer clear summaries of the author's perspective. Readers with a sincere interest in Debussy and his music will most appreciate this study, but even moderate enthusiasts will find Wheeldon'lW