Chapter 51. Mythical Impressions: Program Music at the End of the Nineteenth Century; Listening Guide 42: Debussy: Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun"

Match the meter description to the piece it describes.

-7:38 Avaz of Bayate Esfahan (Iran) rhapsodic, free meter -1:10 Gota (Ghana) polymetric(multiple simultaneous patterns) -0:34 Gankino horo (Bulgaria) dancelike, shifting meter

Which of the following is not featured in Debussy's Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun"?

Accented Rhythmic drive

Impressionist composers often made use of a strongly accented meter.

FALSE

Impressionist composers often made use of a strongly accented meter.

False

Debussy's Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun" was later choreographed by the great - dancer Vaslav Nijinksy.

Russian

Here is the opening chromatic melody in the flute: (Debussy, Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun, 0:16) Here is the clarinet's animated melody from the beginning of the B section: (Debussy, Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun, 0:21) And here is the lyrical woodwind and strings theme from the end of the B section: (Debussy, Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun, 1:14) Which describes the music near the end of the piece, heard in this excerpt? (Debussy, Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun, 0:25)

it features the opening flute melody

Which of the following is false of Impressionism?

it is mainly an Italian art form

Listen to the following music excerpts and drag them to the chart below.

lyrical melody 1:14 (Blue): 3rd chromatic melody 0:16 (Red): 1st animated melody 0:21 (Green): 2nd

Match each instrumental and vocal timbre that was heard at the 1889 Exhibition to the example it describes.

--1:58 In a Mountain Path (China) chordophones, both bowed and struck -5:53 Story of the Red Lantern (China) nasal operatic voice -2:44 Los Jilicatas (Peru) folklike aerophones -4:17 Tabuh Kenilu Sawik (Indonesia) metallophones

These two examples are by composers who heard world and traditional music at the Exhibition and were influenced by these new-to-them sounds. Match the Debussy and Ravel work with the traits that fit each.

-1:00 Debussy: Jeux de vagues, from La mer Correct label: -evocative of waves in the sea -floating movement with vague meter -0:56 Ravel: Boléro Correct label: -snare drum evokesSpanish dancer's castanets -regular triple meter

Drag the correct words to complete the sentence.

Debussy was influenced by the non- Western scales and instruments he encountered at the -Paris World Exhibition of 1889.

Drag the correct name to complete the sentence.

The most important French Impressionist composer was Claude Debussy

The program of Debussy's Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun" concerns which?

mythological faun in a dream-like state

Which French Symbolist poets were highly influenced by Edgar Allan Poe, a poet from the United States, and which were not?

Correct Answer(s) -Paul Verlaine -Stéphane Mallarmé

Programmatic forms were not used by the Impressionists.

False

Match the name with the most relevant designation

dance - Vaslav Nijinsky poet/writer - Paul Verlaine Maurice Maeterlinck painter - Claude Monet

Which of the following is not a typical characteristic of Impressionist music?

strong triumphant cadences

Which genre describes the Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun"?

symphonic poem

Here is the opening chromatic melody in the flute: (Debussy, Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun, 0:16) And here is the clarinet's B section animated melody: (Debussy, Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun, 0:21) Which describes the music in this excerpt? (Debussy, Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun, 1:14)

this is a new, lyrical melody played by woodwinds and then strings

Match each new instrumental and vocal timbre that was heard at the 1889 Exhibition to the example it describes.

Story of Red Lantern = nasal operatic voice In a Mountain Path = chordophones, both bowed and struck Tabuh Kenilu Sawik = metallophones Los Jilicates = folklike aerophones

Impressionist composers explored the whole-tone scale.

TRUE

Impressionist composers used various non-Western scale patterns in their works.

TRUE

Debussy was influenced by the non-- scales and instruments he encountered at the - World Exhibition of 1889.

Western Paris

Here is the opening chromatic melody in the flute: (Debussy, Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun, 0:16) And here is the clarinet's B section animated melody: (Debussy, Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun, 0:21) Which describes the music heard in this excerpt? (Debussy, Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun, 0:23)

animated clarinet melody

Which describes the character of the opening theme of Debussy's Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun"?

chromatic and free rhythm

Match the descriptive words or phrases with the different elements of music as found in Debussy's Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun."

expression = evocative and sensual texture = mostly homophonic performing forces = strings, woodwinds, french horns

The following excerpt from Debussy's Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun" has a strong sense of pulse. T/F

false

Which instrument plays accompaniment in this excerpt from Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun"?

harp

We can hear the profound changes in musical style between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries using several different genres. Listen to the three examples below and then match the musical trait to the work it describes.

-7:38 Avaz of Bayate Esfahan (Iran) six-note scale with microtonal -1:58 In a Mountain Path (China) pentatonic (five-note) scale -1:10 Gota (Ghana) tritonic (three-note) scale

Impressionist composers often made use of strong tonal centers

False

Which of the following instruments opens the B section with an animated melody, heard in the following excerpt?

clarinet

Match the descriptive words or phrases with the different elements of music as found in Debussy's Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun."

expression- evocative and sensual performing forces- strings, woodwinds, French horns, and antique cymbals texture- mostly homophonic

The following excerpt from Debussy's Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun" has a strong sense of pulse.

false

What instrument plays the opening of Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun", heard in this excerpt?

solo flute

The most important French Impressionist composer was -.

Claude Debussy

Which of the following are characteristics of Impressionist music?

Correct Answer(s) -unresolved dissonances -modal scales -rich orchestral color

Impressionist composers explored the whole-tone scale.

True

Drag the correct word to complete the sentence.

Debussy's Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun" draws its program from a Symbolist poem

Which performing ensemble plays Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun"?

orchestra

Put the excerpts in the order in which the appear in Debussy's Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun." BE VERY CAREFUL to click only on the white triangle to play the excerpt; clicking anywhere else in the card will select it as an answer.

1. chromatic melody 0:16 2. animated melody 0:21 3. lyrical melody 1:14

Programmatic forms were not used by the Impressionists.

F

Which French painter is credited with starting the Impressionistic movement with his painting Impression: Sunrise?

Monet

Drag and drop the appropriate words to describe Debussy's Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun."

Inspired by a Symbolist poem by Stéphane Mallarmé, Debussy's symphonic poem depicts the sensual yearnings of a faun, a mythological creature who is half man and half goat. The opening chromatic melody initiates the languorous musical environment, rich in woodwind timbres and free-flowing rhythms without a strong sense of pulse.

Which of the following are true of Impressionism?

Correct Answer(s) -It was initially a term denoting scorn of the new style. -It was rebuffed by the academic salons of Paris. -It developed in parallel with the Symbolist movement in poetry.

Here is the opening chromatic melody in the flute: (Debussy, Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun, 0:16) And here is the clarinet's B section animated melody: (Debussy, Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun, 0:21) Which describes the music heard in this excerpt? (Debussy, Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun, 0:17)

opening flute melody

Which of the following were French Symbolist poets who were highly influenced by Edgar Allan Poe, a poet from the United States?

Paul Verlaine Stéphane Mallarmé

The Paris World Exhibition of 1889 had political motivations in expressing empire-building and colonialist power through a display of "exotic" music.

TRUE

The Paris World Exposition of 1889 provided French composers the opportunity to hear various musical ensembles from around the world.

True

Here is the opening chromatic melody in the flute: (Debussy, Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun, 0:16) And here is the clarinet's B section animated melody: (Debussy, Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun, 0:21) Which describes the music in this excerpt? (Debussy, Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun, 0:21)

animated clarinet melody