Impressionist Music

Impressionist
Music
(circa 1875 to 1925)

Impressionism is a late 19th century and
early 20th century artistic movement
that began as a loose association of
Paris-based painters whose independent
exhibitions brought them to prominence
in the 1870s and 1880s.
The name of the Impressionist movement
is derived from the title of an
1872 painting of Claude Monet,
Impression, Sunrise.

Impression, Sunrise (1872)
Claude Monet

In addition to Claude Monet, other
leading Impressionist painters include:
Edouard Manet
Edgar Degas
Pierre Auguste Renoir
Georges Seurat

As with most artistic movements,
the Impressionist movement in music
was a reaction to the previous era of
music, namely the Romantic era,
in which the music of many composers
is heavy and overly dramatic
by comparison.

Musical Impressionism
formed a transition from
late-Romantic music to
20th century Modernist music.

Musical Impressionism was
based in France, and the
French composers
Claude Debussy and
Maurice Ravel are generally
considered to be the two
"great" Impressionists.

Other important
Impressionist composers included:
Ottorino Respighi (Italian - 1879-1936)
known for: The Pines of Rome (orchestral suite)

Frederick Delius (English - 1862-1934)
known for: Summer Night on the River

Manuel DeFalla (Spanish - 1876-1946)
Ritual Fire Dance from the ballet
known for:
El amor brujo (“Love, the Magician”)

Characteristics of Music of the
Impressionist Period:
1. Music that conveys atmosphere
and subtle emotion in contrast to
the strong emotions expressed
in music of the Romantic period

2. A departure from traditional
major/minor harmonies to include
the use of whole tone scales,
advanced chromatic harmony
and dissonance.

3. A departure from traditional musical
forms, such as the symphony,
concerto and sonata, in favor of
shorter musical forms, such as the
prelude, nocturne and the song.

4. Great emphasis on orchestration as
a form of art in itself
(Orchestration is the study or practice
of writing music for an orchestra.)

5. Rhythm: a strict sense of pulse and
time are often absent, making the
music sound much more free and
explorative. Downbeats are no
longer accented as is usual is in
other periods of music, and
accenting as a whole is much more
subtle throughout works of
Impressionist composers.

Important Works By
Impressionist Composers:
Claude Debussy:
Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun

Claire de Lune
from Suite Bergamasque
La Mer (The Sea)

Important Works By
Impressionist Composers:
Maurice Ravel:
Daphnis & Chloe Suites 1 & 2
(ballet suites)

Bolero
La Valse

Impressionist Music

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Impressionist Music