New Millennium Strings

Concerts | Musicians | Rehearsals | Supporters | Board | Contact Us

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun

Children's Corner Suite

Claude Debussy (1862-1918) was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye on August 22, 1862 and he died in Paris on March 25, 1918. He was born into a poor family. Fortunately, Debussy's father met someone who heard his son play the piano. His father's friend suggested that Debussy should pursue a career in music. This was quite a different direction than his father had planned for his son, because he wanted him to go to sea. Debussy's mother, on the other hand, was severe with her children and frequently slapped them. Debussy's father only began to encourage his son's musical career when he discovered that he might have something to gain from his son's talents. Although Debussy's godfather tried to encourage him, he did not seem to be able to tolerate the youngster's "distant behavior". As a result of the negative adult roles models that Debussy experienced, he grew up timid and mistrustful. Some people labeled his behavior as withdrawn. His familty failed to recognize the strength of his genius, which was outwardly obscured and overwhelmed by the composer's sensitivity and shyness.

At age nine, Debussy began taking piano lessons, and just a year later, he was accepted into the Paris Conservatory. While he was enrolled there, he studied piano with Antoine Francois Marmontel and composition with Ernest Guiraud. Later in 1884 he won first place at the Prix de Rome for his cantata L'enfant prodigue.

Debussy greatly influenced the music of the 20th century. He wanted his music to seem improvised and he believed that "There is no theory. You have only to listen. Pleasure is law." His musical style may have been influenced as much by painters and poets as by musicians. For two years, he attended a weekly poetry workshop hosted by his friend Stephane Mallarme. While attending this soiree, he was introduced to many artists and writers.

The Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (1892-1894) was his first important orchestral work. It was inspired by a poem written by his friend Mallarme. The music was originally intended to be incidental music for a stage production, where sections would be heard interspersed with dialogue. But the project was abandoned and the piece stood on its own. It reflects the mood of the Mallarme poem in a purely instrumental way. Coloristic effects, coupled with musical allusion to nature, create the fleeting naturalism in his music.

In Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, the flute represents the Faun's dreams. (Faunus was the god of nature and the patron of farming and animals.) The flute is highlighted by the use of its low register, and it is heard alone at the beginning of the piece. Later the oboe emerges with a solo in a high range. The use of expanded and unusual placement of instrumental ranges occurs frequently. The use of harp and percussion instruments add color and texture to the musical fabric.

Debussy employed a variety of special techniques which add color and depth to his musical canvas. Rhythm is obscured by syncopation, often heard in the strings as a murmur. Frequently the horns and trumpets are muted. At times, the strings play with a mute and they produce special sound effects by playing close to the bridge (chevalet - producing a scratchy sound) or playing towards the fingerboard (sur la touche - creating a soft sound). The multiple divisi string parts also create textural depth and color. All of these techniques create a new aural vocabulary.

The first performance of the Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun was conducted by Gustave Doret on December 22, 1894. Although this performance gave Debussy some recognition, the musicians were not aware of the profundity of the moment. Pierre Boulez wrote "… in this work, the art of music began to beat a new pulse."

The Children's Corner Suite was originally written for piano and it was later orchestrated by Andre Caplet. The piano version was composed in 1906-1908 and was dedicated to his only child ChouChou. The first movement, Doctor Gardus ad Parnassum, contains a musical pun, which is directed at the composer Clementi. Debussy held out hope that the movement might also inspire ChouChou to practice her piano exercises. The other movements simply celebrate life, and several of the movements represent ChouChou's Favorite toys: her special doll, Jumbo the elephant, and her golliwog. The other movements, The Dancing Snow and the Little Chepherd reflect imaginary scenes.

The Children's Corner was first performed by the American pianist Harold Bauer. He wrote about his first experience performing the piece: "The hall was full. Much to my chagrin, Debussy was not there. I played the suite and went out into the courtyard of the old house … and found the composer walking up and down with a very sour face. He came up to me and said, 'Eh bien! How did they take it?'

I was immediately filled with an immense pity for him. I realized that this great man, who had struggled so long to obtain recognition of the new idiom he was bringing to our art, was nervous, scared to death at the thought that his reputation might be compromised because he had written something humorous. I looked him straight in the eye. 'They laughed,' I said briefly. I saw relief pour through him. He burst into a stentorian roar of glee and shook me warmly by the hand. 'Vous savez? Je vous remercie bien!' he said. It was enough. We were friends." The prior quote refers to a musical joke that Debussy included in the Golliwog's Cake Walk, the final movement of the suite. In the middle section of the movement, a quote from the first measures of Wagner's Tristan is heard. Debussy was delighted with the orchestration of this suite. It was first performed on November 10, 1910, and Caplet, the orchestrator, conducted it.

-- program notes by Laurien Jones

August, 2002