Impressionist Music Style Period

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Impressionist Music Style Period

• By Nikki Miller and
• Peter Magazzu

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Overview

• 1890-1940
• The Impressionist music style was found during
  the ninetieth century to the beginning of the
  twentieth century in France
• The Impressionist style was a reaction to the
  romanticism style
• It wants to make an impression, not clearly
  describe the tone of the music

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Characteristics

• It uses whole tone scales as opposed to major and
  minor scales as the romantic style used in the
  past
• It involves a lot of dissonance- chords werent
  used to relieve tension as they had in the past
• It includes short melodies that have different
  moods throughout each piece

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Important Composers

• The two great impressionists
• Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel
• Others include Paul Dukas, Charles Griffes,
  Alexander Scriabin, and Ralph Vaughan Williams
• The style influenced many composers in the future

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Claude Debussy

• August 22, 1862 March 25, 1918
• French composer
• Music was not centered around one tone or pitch,
  he used symbolism
• Used many parallel chords and unprepared
  modulations
• Music was usually about events that occurred in
  his life
• Clair de Lune was one of his most famous works

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Maurice Ravel

• March 7, 1875 December 28, 1937
• French composer
• Influenced by Claude Debussy
• Known for his melodies, orchestral, and
  instrumental textures and effects
• His music is found a lot in concert repertoire,
  also widely known for his orchestra pieces
• His piece Miroirs (Mirrors) was a five piano
  piece was a harmonic revolution

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Impressionism (18901940)

• The Impressionism period occurred in the 19th
  century in France and was a painting movement as
  well
• It also focused on literature
• Basically, it was a radical movement by all art
  forms- involving topics and styles that had not
  been focused on or brought up before

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The Embarkation for Cythera" by Jean-Antoine
Watteau.

• This painting was made by Jean- Antoine Watteau
  that Claude Debussy based L'îsle Joyeuse" ("The
  Island of Joy") on

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The End