Monday, March 4, 2013

Debussy - Afternoon of a Faun

What do you hear in the Debussy's Prelude to an afternoon of a Faun? Is there a story associated with this piece (Program Music)?

49 comments:

  1. composed of mostly higher pitch strings, woodwinds and harp. Very soft and smooth

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  2. The piece is played by strings and woodwinds.

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  3. Relatively high pitched noises associated with this piece.

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  4. I hear a lot of different instruments being played and I hear all of the strings being played in a sort of harmony... The stroy that I feel that I am being brought along is through a calm meadow or some sort of empty, yet clean and beautiful European city.

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  5. It is composed of full orchestra. It seems almost like it goes from entirely upbeat to somewhat sad such as something tragic happened but then was resolved by the end

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    1. I felt those same sort of feelings also

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  6. Sounds like a daze or a dream. Very light and smooth

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  7. The flutes and and strings have the melody

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  8. Writer of poem: Stéphane Mallarmé

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  9. Claire Rose VincenziMarch 4, 2013 at 2:00 PM

    there's a lot of crescendos & decrescendos between the wind instruments.

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  10. Piece has a continuous crescendo/decrescendo pattern, rarely any full cadences.

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  11. The faun lives in the woods, near a river surrounded by reedy marshes; he is daydreaming about nymphs who may be real or mere figments of his imagination.The faun's desire is filtered through the vagueness of its object as he recalls past dreams, which emerge from the shadows only to recede into the darkness again.

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    1. My personal favorite description is ABOVE - nice Nicole!

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  12. Sounds very surreal; it's somewhat ominous and dark at some parts but also enlightening and relaxing at others, kind of like a dream.

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  13. Piece expresses dream from reality separation

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  14. There are very few Cadences. The piece included instruments from the wind and string family.

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  15. Inspired by French poem written by Gustave Doret

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    1. Brian - you sure on the name of the poet?

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  16. Instrumental is Woodwinds and strings

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  17. Peice makes me think of nature

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  18. It sounds blurry, fuzzy, and/or dreamy.

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  19. This piece has strings and winds. It sounds soft and smooth and sounds like it could be played in a scene of an old Disney movie.

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  20. The piece has woodwinds and strings, and seems to flow/never end.

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  21. The way the piece is constantly going on crescendos and decrescendos without ever losing its peaceful qualities gives the piece a swirling quality, much like how the Impressionistic art of the time was focused on broad strokes and swirls

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    1. THIS is a tie with Nicole's comment - very nice Tony!

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  22. This piece begins with a Woodwinds introduction which later includes strings. A large section of this piece is piano or mezzo piano. This piece also includes many crescendos and decrescendos without a stopping point.

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  23. The piece is in allegro, which means lively

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    1. I wouldn't describe this as "fast" which is the translation for Allegro. Care to reconsider?

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  24. Considered impressionistic music because it was revolutionary, art at the time of of the Impressionism focused a lot on coloring so in music that would be tone, this piece has a more uplifting tone

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  25. the song was made for three flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two harps, two correlates and strings.

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  26. The song is based on a poem. It based on the poem called Afternoon of Fuan.

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  27. A faun is an imaginary creature that is half man and half goat. According to mythology, fauns played the flute, which is the instrument that plays the melody in the song.

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    1. THIS might be the best one that ties Nicole Allen's!

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  28. The work is scored for three flutes, two oboes, cor anglais, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two harps, two crotales and strings

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  29. 3. Symphonic poem- orchestral music in a continuous section in which contents of a poem is depicted

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  30. The composition was inspired by the poem L'après-midi d'un faune by Stéphane Mallarmé

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  31. Smooth melody matches Impressionistic art from the time

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  32. The piece has a dream-like quality that the strings and winds create.

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  33. invokes images of nature and happiness and is like a poem in the way that it suggests feeling and a mood

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  34. Impressionism was a reaction to the excess of romanticism that proceeded it

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    1. Exactly right Robert - so what is the reaction? What sounds are Debussy and that "school" reacting to in the Romantic Period of those composers such as Strauss, Brahms, etc?

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  35. It sounds light, fluent, and dreamlike like impressionist art. Composed of strings and wood winds.

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  36. Prelude to an afternoon of a faun sounds a lot like Pavane pour une infante défunte by Maurice Ravel.

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  37. The piece is based on a poem, so there is a story behind it. Most music pieces associated with impressionism are based on some sort of a story.

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