Images in Full Score, Paperback

Descriere

``I am more and more convinced that music is not, in essence, a thing which can be cast into a traditional fixed form,`` observed Claude Debussy, adding, ``it is made up of colors and rhythms.`` Although the composer disliked the label of Impressionism, his works shared many characteristics with those of his artistic contemporaries. Debussy developed a unique musical language, redefined concepts of harmony and form, and exercised a delicate command of nuance, in his piano music as well as his orchestral creations. Imagery was such a vital component of Debussy's approach that he titled several of his works ``Images,`` including this magnificent orchestral triptych. Written over a period extending from 1905 to 1912, these loosely related movements express the national characters of England, Spain, and France. The biggest, ``Iberia, `` is itself a triptycha medley of Spanish allusions, scored with castanets, flashing tambourines, and bells. It is accompanied by ``Gigues, `` a moody tribute to England, and ``Rondes de printemps, `` a lively celebration of spring in the French countryside.