Overview
Les Images, 2nd series (L. 120, composed in 1907) is a fundamental collection for piano by Claude Debussy, often considered a peak of his mature style.
is a general overview of this work in three movements:
Style and context
These three piano pieces fully embody the composer’s impressionist (even if Debussy disliked the term) and symbolist style , aiming to evoke impressions, images, and sensations rather than telling a story or developing themes in a classical manner .
Complexity and innovation: The writing is very elaborate , exploring new sounds and textures of the piano. Debussy often uses a three-staff notation to better convey the superposition of sound planes and the subtlety of the counterpoint.
Influences: As in other works by Debussy, we find here the influence of Far Eastern music , notably Javanese Gamelan, which the composer discovered at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1889.
The three movements
Each of the pieces is a distinct, evocative and technically demanding soundscape:
1. Bells Through the Leaves (Slow)
The image: This piece evokes the sound of church bells heard through dense foliage, notably inspired by the bells of a village in the Jura, Rahon.
The music: It is built on a superposition of autonomous musical layers, with a fragmented bell melody that stands out against a background of subtle trills and arpeggios , creating a misty and dreamlike atmosphere . The influence of Gamelan can be detected in this layering and in the use of certain harmonies.
2. And the moon descends on the temple that was (Slow, gentle and without rigor)
The image: A contemplative nocturnal scene of orientalist inspiration, suggesting an ancient ruin under the light of the moon.
The music: This is the slowest and most meditative of the collection. It is characterized by soft-sounding chords, exotic intervals, and a floating, unresolved harmonic progression. The evocation of the ruined temple suggests the passage of time and a melancholic beauty .
3. Golden Fish (Anime )
The image: The inspiration for this piece is said to come from a motif of golden fish (probably koi carp or goldfish) on a lacquer or Japanese print.
The music: The most virtuoso and dazzling of the series. It is marked by a continuous shimmer and rapid figures of arpeggios , scales and trills that imitate the reflections of light on the scales of fish moving in the water. It is a true piece of bravura, full of energy and vivid colors.
In short, Images, 2nd series is an essential work that marks a step forward in the use of the piano, transforming the instrument into an orchestral palette capable of painting interior and exterior landscapes of great poetic richness.
List of titles
Here is the list of titles of the pieces from Images, 2nd series by Claude Debussy, with their movement indications (which serve as subtitles) and their dedications, where applicable :
No. Title of the piece Subtitle ( Movement indication)
Here is the list:
1. Bells through the leaves
Subtitle (Movement): Slow
Dedication : To Louis Laloy
2. And the moon descends upon the temple that was
Subtitle (Movement): Slow (gentle and without rigor)
Dedication : To Louis Laloy
3. Golden Fish
Subtitle (Motion): Animated
Dedication : To Ricardo Vi ñ es
Important note: The first two pieces , Cloches à travers les feuilles and Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut, both bear the dedication to Louis Laloy, a sinologist and friend of Debussy who was also one of his first biographers. The third piece , Poissons d’or, is dedicated to the pianist Ricardo Viñes , who gave the first performance of the complete cycle.
History
The story of Claude Debussy’s Images, 2nd series is above all that of the composer’s stylistic maturity, seeking to push the limits of piano writing to create sound pictures of extreme delicacy .
This collection of three piano pieces was composed in 1907 , following the success and innovations of the first book of Images, completed two years earlier . At this time, Debussy was at the height of his powers and was increasingly moving away from the Romantic tradition, refining his harmonic language and textures.
Sources of inspiration
Each of the three pieces was born from a specific impression or reference :
1. “Bells through the Leaves”: Debussy was inspired to write this during a stay with his friend Louis Laloy (a musicologist and future biographer of the composer) in the village of Rahon, in the Jura region. The piece evokes the sound of the bells in the church tower, perceived through the subtle filter of the stirring leaves. This piece is also dedicated to Louis Laloy.
2. “And the Moon Descends on the Temple That Was”: The title itself is highly poetic and symbolist. It was Louis Laloy, a sinologist, who is said to have suggested the image of a ruined temple under the moonlight. Musically, this piece is a distant homage to Asia, particularly to the music of the Indonesian Gamelan that Debussy had so admired at the Universal Exhibition of 1889. It is also dedicated to Laloy.
3. “Golden Fish”: This is the most famous and virtuoso of the series. It originates from a concrete object: a Japanese lacquer or decorative print depicting carp or golden fish, which hung in Debussy’s study. The composer sought to translate into music the brilliant reflections on the scales and the lively, fluid movements of the fish.
Creation and reception
As in other works of this period, Debussy innovates by often notating the score on three staves, an arrangement necessary to clarify the complex layering of melodic lines and sound textures.
The cycle was premiered by the celebrated Spanish pianist Ricardo Viñes — to whom the final piece , Poissons d’or, is dedicated — at a concert in Paris in 1908. The work was immediately recognized as an example of Debussy’s greatest pianistic and poetic mastery . With these Images, the composer confirmed his place as a master of sound evocation and color on the piano, paving the way for his final masterpieces for the instrument.
Impacts & Influences
Claude Debussy’s Images, 2nd series (composed in 1907) had a major impact on piano literature, marking a high point in the development of his mature musical language and profoundly influencing the way piano was composed and performed in the 20th century.
th century.
1. Evolution of piano texture and color
The most direct influence of this series lies in the expansion of the piano’s sonic possibilities.
Use of three staves: For the first time systematically in a cycle of this scope, Debussy uses three staves (instead of two) to notate the music. This editorial choice is not insignificant: it aims to clarify the extreme interlacing of voices and the stratification of registers, forcing the performer to think of the music as superimposed sound planes rather than a simple accompanied melody .
The piano as a “percussion instrument ” and timbre : Debussy definitively moved away from Romantic rhetoric (Chopin, Liszt) to treat the piano as an instrument of unprecedented timbral richness. The subtle use of the pedal (often compared to the role of light in painting) and isolated notes create a misty and reverberating atmosphere , where sound is not a simple note, but a “color ” in itself.
2. The refinement of extra-European influences
Images, 2nd series anchors cultural influences that will become commonplace among modern composers.
Influence of Gamelan: The piece “Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut” is a striking example of the lasting impact of Indonesian Gamelan , discovered by Debussy at the 1889 World’s Fair. The use of pentatonic scales, static modal harmonies, and a sound texture that mimics the shimmer of oriental percussion (in a slow, gentle, and unrigorous rhythm) paved the way for refined musical exoticism in Europe.
Japanese Art in Music: “Golden Fish” reflects the impact of Ukiyo-e and Japanese lacquer on Western aesthetics. Debussy successfully transcribes the rapid, lively, and shimmering movements of the golden fish through kal eidoscopic virtuosity and brilliant piano figures, inspiring other composers to draw on non-Western visual art.
3. The consolidation of Debussy’s ” late style ”
These pieces are considered by musicologists to be a milestone in Debussy’s fully mature style, just before the Preludes. They display a structural and harmonic complexity that prefigures the modernity of the 20th century.
th century.
Concentration and Evocation: Unlike the broad forms of tradition, each piece is a concentrated miniature that manages to evoke deep scenes and emotions with remarkable economy of means. The “program ” is not a narrative, but an impression or suggestion (Symbolism).
Technical and poetic demands: The Images require not only a digital and virtuoso technique (notably in Poissons d’or), but above all an absolute mastery of touch and pedal to manage the superimposed lines independently , making these pieces essential parts of the concert repertoire.
These innovations influenced generations of composers, notably Maurice Ravel, Olivier Messiaen, and much of post-impressionist French music , by legitimizing the search for color, timbre, and sound atmospheres as fundamental structural elements .
Characteristics of Music
The second series of Images by Claude Debussy (1907) is considered one of the peaks of his piano writing, marking an extreme refinement of his musical language.
This collection is a triptych that explores color, atmosphere , and sonic texture rather than classical thematic development. The ensemble is characterized by a bold use of non-functional harmonies, exotic or modal scales, and a textural complexity that often requires notation on three staves .
I. “Bells through the Leaves”
This piece is a fascinating study in timbre and the superposition of sound planes.
the whole-tone scale at the beginning to create a veil of sound and an ethereal ambiance , preventing the establishment of a strong tonal center.
Texture: Debussy distinctly superimposes several layers: the sounds of bells (sustained notes and subtle tinkling), the rustling of leaves (rapid passages, arpeggios and delicate trills) and deep basses.
Rhythm: The movement is slow and fluid, seeking to imitate the oscillation and fluctuation of sounds carried by the breeze, with a sense of underlying polymetry.
II. “And the moon descended upon the temple that was”
It is the most meditative and static movement of the cycle, imbued with an ancient and oriental atmosphere .
remove Western tonal attraction and give the music a sense of calm and temporal suspension.
Technique: The use of harmonic parallelism is notable, where chords (often triads or fourth/fifth chords) move parallel without respecting the rules of cadence and classical harmonic function.
Atmosphere : The dynamics are almost exclusively soft (p to pp), and the playing requires great economy of movement and prolonged use of the pedal to link the sonorities in a mysterious halo, evoking lunar light on the ruins .
III. “Golden Fish”
This piece is the virtuoso movement of the series, lively and descriptive, inspired by a Japanese lacquer.
Rhythm and Technique: This is a lively toccata characterized by perpetual movement and great agility. It requires brilliant technique to depict the lively movements and reflections of the goldfish.
Color: Debussy uses rapid figurations, brilliant arpeggios and glissandi in the upper register of the keyboard to imitate the glitter, sparkle and shimmering light on the water.
Harmony: Although anchored in a key of F sharp major, the piece is constantly crossed by chromaticisms and color effects, blurring the distinction between melody and accompaniment, which often exchange roles .
In short, Images, 2nd Series fully exploits the piano as an instrument of color and timbre, using refined writing techniques to create sensory impressions and poetic evocations.
Style(s), movement(s) and period of composition
The style of Claude Debussy’s Images, 2nd series (1907) is primarily musical Impressionism and is part of the great Modernism movement of the early 20th century . 🎨
Style and Position
The music of Images, 2nd series was decidedly new and innovative at the time of its composition. It stands out clearly from past styles:
Impressionist: This is the dominant style. Debussy focuses on sound color (timbre), atmosphere , and poetic evocation rather than thematic development and rigid formal structure. He seeks to dissolve clear melodic and harmonic lines into a subtle play of light and shadow , as evidenced by the mists of “Bells Through the Leaves” or the brilliance of “Golden Fish.” Debussy himself preferred the label Symbolism, as his music aimed to suggest inner ideas and sensations.
Modernist: The work is a crucial step in musical modernism. It is non-traditional in its approach to harmony. It rejects the principles of functional tonality (the system of dominants and subdominants that governs Classical and Romantic music) in favor of:
The use of non-Western or artificial scales (pentatonic scales, whole-tone scales, ancient modes).
parallel chords and complex chords (ninths , elevenths ) for their color alone and not their tension/resolution function .
Period and Classification
The period is the beginning of the 20th century.
Romantic / Post-Romantic: The music moves away from the emotional lyricism and dramatic expressiveness of Romanticism and Post-Romanticism (such as Mahler or Richard Strauss). Debussy’s style is purer , more subtle, and less emphatic.
Baroque / Classical: The work is a complete break with the principles of the Classical (structural clarity, motivic development) and Baroque (rigorous counterpoint) periods.
Neoclassical : The Images are not Neoclassical either (a movement that would see Ravel and Stravinsky return to classical forms after 1918 ), because they retain a formal freedom and a primacy of color.
Avant-Garde: Although extremely advanced, it is not considered pure Avant-Garde (like the atonality of the Vienna School), but it is an essential precursor that made these later developments possible.
Analysis: Form, Technique(s), Texture, Harmony, Rhythm
Analysis of Claude Debussy’s Images, 2nd series (1907) reveals a radically innovative compositional approach that prioritizes color and mood over traditional formal structures.
Compositional Methods and Techniques
Debussy, moving away from Romanticism, uses methods that dilute the harmonic function and emphasize the pianistic timbre:
Parallelism (method): This is a key technique. The chords (often triads, seventh or ninth chords ) move in parallel motions ( like blocks) instead of following the classical rules of harmonic progression (tension/resolution). The chord is used for its intrinsic color (its sound ), not for its tonal function.
Non-Diatonic Scales (scales): The use of exotic or artificial scales is fundamental:
The whole-tone scale (six equidistant notes, without semitones) creates a floating, ethereal atmosphere without a tonal center. It is very present in “Bells Through the Leaves”.
Pentatonic scales (five notes) create an archaic or oriental sound ( influenced by Javanese Gamelan), particularly in “And the Moon Descends on the Temple That Was”.
Ancient modes (or ecclesiastical modes) are also used for their specific tonal color.
Dissolution of Tonality : Tonality is often ambiguous or modal. Rather than being clearly tonal (such as the F-seventh major of “Goldfish”), the harmony is often chromatic or dominated by the cited modes/scales, making the identification of a tonic difficult. The harmony is therefore coloristic and modal rather than functional.
Texture, Shape and Rhythm
Texture: Polyphony of Sound Planes
The music of Images, 2nd Series is primarily polyphony or layered texture, though often free of the contrapuntal complexity of the Baroque:
Debussy Polyphony/Counterpoint: This is not monophony. The texture is often written on three staves (a visual indication of complexity), allowing for the layering of distinct elements :
Melody : The main theme .
Harmony/Color: A layer of chords in parallel movement .
repeating motif (ostinato), a rapid arpeggio, or a sound pedal that creates an ambiance (e.g., the movement of bells or the shimmering of water).
In “Bells Through the Leaves,” there is a subtle counterpoint between the sounds of bells and rustling.
In “Golden Fish”, the line between melody and accompaniment is often blurred, the virtuoso figures acting both as a rhythmic engine and as a colorist element .
Form and Structure
The form is generally free and evocative, following the structure of a triptych of program pieces ( character pieces ) :
Sequence/Tableaux Structure: The pieces do not follow classical forms (sonata, rondo) but are rather assemblages of juxtaposed sound sequences or tableaux , dictated by the poetic or visual subject. The structure is often loosely tripartite (ABA) or a modified strophic form) but without the rigidity of Romantic development.
Development by Transformation: Musical development occurs through the transformation of motifs and the constant variation of texture and timbre, rather than through thematic elaboration .
Pace
The rhythm is extremely flexible and delicate:
Fluctuating Rhythm: It is often characterized by great flexibility, a lot of rubato (freedom of expression of time) and very descriptive tempo indications (soft and without rigor, slow, lively ).
Ostinato Motifs: Frequent repetitive rhythmic figures (ostinatos) are found in the accompaniment (particularly in “Bells Through the Leaves”) that anchor the texture and create a hypnotic or stable impression beneath the fluctuating textures.
Tutorial, performance tips and important playing points
Interpreting Claude Debussy’s Images, 2nd series on the piano requires not only great technique, but above all a mastery of timbre and pedaling. The goal is not force, but suggestion and color.
Here is a tutorial and performance tips for each piece , as well as important technical points.
General performance advice for Debussy
Touch: Forget percussive playing. Adopt a light, supple, and “deep” touch (as if you were pressing into clay). The wrist must remain elastic to allow the fingers to caress the keys, especially in soft nuances (p, pp).
The Pedal: This is Debussy’s “breath.” It must be used not only to link, but to blend harmonies and create sonic halos. The pedal change must be precise and often offset ( change on the weak beat or after the attack) to maintain the atmosphere without disturbing it.
Listening: Always listen to the sound result. The volume should be appropriate for the image you are portraying (a whisper, a shimmer, a reverberation ) . Look for balance between the different voices (especially in three -staff scores ).
Rubato: The rhythm should be fluid and breathing (rubato). Do not count mechanically ; let the phrases develop naturally, like a wave.
I. “Bells Through the Leaves” (Slow)
The image is of distant bells carried by the wind, mixed with the rustling of leaves. The texture is in three distinct layers.
Technical and Interpretive Points
Sound Insulation Plans:
Bells (Middle and High Voices ) : These notes (often held chords and triplet/sixteenth note patterns) should be played softly and sonorously (soft and sonorous). They should be the most audible. Use precise fingering to strike them clearly, then sustain them without stiffness.
Rustling (Fast Figurations): Trills, sixteenth notes and arpeggios should be light and vaporous (very light and tapered ). Concentrate on the flexibility of the wrist so as never to let them dominate the bells .
Bass (Tonic Pedal): The bass line (often a held note) is the foundation of the harmony. It should be deep and constant, but played very discreetly .
Whole-tone Harmony: Understand the effect of the whole-tone scale: it creates a feeling of stillness and dreaminess . The sound should be without tension.
Pedal Management: Change the pedal carefully, often to maintain echo and blending of sounds, but avoiding “noise” due to excessive harmonic buildup.
II. “And the moon descends upon the temple that was” (Slow, gentle and without rigor)
The image is that of an ancient ruin, bathed in a still and mysterious moonlight. It is the room of stillness .
Technical and Interpretive Points
Static and Atmosphere : The tempo is extremely slow (indicated as Slow), but must still “breathe.” The performance should convey a sense of temporal suspension and contemplative silence.
Parallel Chords : Chords in parallel motion should never be heavy. Strike them with the weight of your arm, then immediately release the weight, letting your fingers support the note. The sound should be like a chorale or a very soft ringing .
Scales and Orientalism: Emphasize pentatonic passages (often in the melodic part) to emphasize the oriental and archaic influence , but always in a soft, echo-like nuance .
Mastering the pp: The dynamics are almost exclusively pianissimo (pp). The challenge is to maintain absolute clarity and a rich timbre even at the lowest volumes.
III. “Golden Fish” (Animated )
This is the most brilliant and virtuoso piece , describing the reflections and lively movements of the goldfish.
Technical and Interpretive Points
Lightness and Scintillation : Despite the lively tempo and technical complexity, the execution must remain light and non – percussive. The accompanying figures (often in sixteenth notes) must be scintillations, achieved with a very flexible wrist and minimal finger attack.
Virtuosity for Color: Virtuosity ( arpeggios , repeated notes , leaps) is used for color (the brightness of the scales, the movement of the water) rather than for the demonstration of force. Fast passages must be clear and articulate, but always powerful.
Jumps and Accents: Rapid jumps and isolated notes (often sudden accents sf) must be executed with great precision, like the sudden leap of a fish out of water.
The Final Cadenza: The cadenza (the fast passage before the coda) should begin slowly and gradually accelerate (poco a poco accelerando), culminating in a burst of black and white notes before dying away in the final murmur (slower and more soft), reproducing the effect of an explosion of light that fades.
Pedal in Animation: Even in this fast piece , the pedal is essential for linking the colors, but it must be changed quickly to avoid harmonic confusion due to chromatic movement.
Famous Recordings
famous , historical, traditional and modern recordings of Claude Debussy’s Images, 2nd series for solo piano:
Historical and Great Tradition Recordings
These recordings offer an insight into 20th- century interpretative approaches and are often praised for their authority :
A key figure in the repertoire of Debussy and Ravel, his recordings of Images (often from the 1950s) are considered benchmarks for their crystal clarity, their mastery of soft nuances and their keen sense of color. His playing is very airy and “impressionistic”.
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli: His recording is celebrated for its legendary technical perfection, surgical precision, and an almost supernatural sense of sound. His performance is often colder and more sculptural than others, but of incomparable beauty and mastery .
Samson François : Typical of the French school , his playing is full of charm, improvisation and rhythmic freedom. He offers a very colorful and poetic interpretation , sometimes unconventional, but always evocative.
Standard and Recommended Recordings
These pianists have often defined the modern interpretation of the cycle and are considered benchmarks for their balance:
Claudio Arrau: Although more associated with the Romantic repertoire, his approach to Debussy is characterized by great depth, harmonic density and intellectual seriousness, exploring the more structural and contemplative dimension of the cycle.
Pascal Rog é: Often praised as an heir to the French tradition , his recordings are distinguished by their natural elegance , melodic clarity and a beautiful handling of light and shadow typical of Impressionism.
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet: In his more recent recordings, he offers a lively, very detailed and very respectful reading of the text , offering excellent clarity of complex textures.
Modern and Contemporary Interpretations
These pianists offer more recent perspectives, often with an emphasis on acoustic clarity and new approaches to timbre:
Krystian Zimerman: His recording is remarkable for its rich and powerful sound as well as for its extreme rhythmic and dynamic precision . It brings a modernity and intensity that highlight the structure of the work .
Pierre-Laurent Aimard: Known for his analytical clarity, Aimard offers a performance where each line is distinct and intentional. His approach is intellectually rigorous, emphasizing contrapuntal textures.
Javier Perianes: A more lyrical and meditative approach, particularly successful in the poetic nuances of the second piece , “And the moon descends on the temple that was.”
Episodes and anecdotes
Of course, the creation of Claude Debussy’s Images, 2nd series (1907) is surrounded by some fascinating anecdotes that shed light on his compositional process and sources of inspiration.
Visual and Literary Inspiration
The very title of Images underlines Debussy’s sensory approach. For the second series , the inspiration is particularly concrete and personal:
The Echo of Real Bells: The first piece , “Bells Through the Leaves,” is directly inspired by Debussy’s environment. He composed it at the home of his friend Louis Laloy, in the village of Rahon. The sound of the church bells, heard in the distance through the trees, served as the starting point for this study of timbre and distance, in which the harmonics of the whole-tone scale mimic reverberation and acoustic haze.
Oriental Influence and the Chinese Poem: The poetic title of the second piece , “And the Moon Descends upon the Temple That Was,” is not Debussy’s, but was suggested to him by the dedicatee and friend , Louis Laloy, who was a knowledgeable sinologist (specialist in Chinese culture). The idea is said to have come from a Chinese poem describing an ancient ruin under the moonlight. The music itself reflects this influence through its use of pentatonic scales and its contemplative, static atmosphere , reminiscent of the meditative sound of the Javanese Gamelan that Debussy had discovered at the 1889 World’s Fair.
Japanese Lacquer and Virtuosity : The final piece, “Golden Fish,” was inspired by a Japanese lacquer painting that Debussy owned and which hung in his study. This lacquer painting depicted one or more goldfish. The idea of light playing on the water and the agitation of the fish resulted in one of his most brilliant and virtuoso pieces, filled with chromatic scintillations and glissandi that mimic golden reflections .
The Dedication and the First
The second series of Images was dedicated to three close friends of Debussy, each associated with a movement:
1. “Bells through the Leaves” was dedicated to the artist Alexandre Charpentier.
2. “And the moon descends on the temple that was” was dedicated to his biographer and sinologist, Louis Laloy.
3/ “Golden Fish” was dedicated to the Chilean pianist Ricardo Vi ñ es.
It was Ricardo Viñes who created the work in public. He played it on February 21, 1908 in Paris , just a few months after the first private performance of the three pieces by Debussy himself in his own salon, in front of Laloy and Viñes . The dedication to Viñes is particularly logical for “Poissons d’ or”, given the incredible virtuosity required to perform this piece .
These anecdotes illustrate Debussy’s creative process, where sources of inspiration – whether visual (lacquer), literary (the Chinese poem ) or acoustic (bells) – are transformed into music of pure suggestion and color.
Similar compositions
Here is a selection of compositions, suites or collections for piano which share stylistic, harmonic or interpretative characteristics similar to Claude Debussy’s Images, 2nd series (impressionism, sound color, modernism and virtuosity ).
Works by Claude Debussy himself
The best point of comparison is often found in the composer’s contemporary or immediately adjacent works:
Images, 1st series (1905): Naturally the sister collection, which presents the same harmonic research, notably in “Reflections in the Water” (virtuosity and water) and “Homage to Rameau” (more meditative style ).
Prints (1903): Another essential trilogy by Debussy, notably “Pagodes” (oriental influence and pentatonic scales) and “Gardens in the Rain” (aquatic virtuosity).
Preludes (Books I and II, 1910-1913): These 24 pieces are the apogee of his piano writing. Pieces such as “Voiles” (whole-tone scale) or “La Cathédrale engloutie” (modal harmonies and resonance) explore themes and techniques very close to the Images.
Works by Maurice Ravel
Ravel, a contemporary and sometimes rival of Debussy, shared the same sonic refinement:
Mirrors (1905): Particularly “ A boat on the ocean” (aquatic figures in arpeggios ) and “Alborada del gracioso” ( brilliant virtuosity and bright color).
Gaspard de la nuit (1908): A work of extreme virtuosity , contemporary with Images, 2nd series. “Ondine” is a study similar to Debussy’s aquatic pieces , focusing on murmurs and reflections.
Jeux d’eau (1901): Often considered the work that truly opened the Impressionist era for the piano, it is based on the sound evocation of water and fountains.
Works by other composers
Other composers have explored comparable harmonic and coloristic territories:
Alexander Scriabin: His last Piano Sonatas (such as the 5th Sonata, 1907) or his Preludes also explore a non-functional harmonic language and a very rich quest for timbre , although his mysticism is absent in Debussy.
Gabriel Fauré : His Nocturnes (especially the later ones) and his Barcarolles share the same elegance , the same harmonic refinement (frequent use of ninth chords and modal progressions) and the same art of poetic suggestion.
(This article was generated by Gemini. And it’s just a reference document for discovering music you don’t know yet.)
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