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Is Clair de Lune a masterpiece?

Clair de lune, a masterpiece composed by Debussy, is one of my favorite piano piece.

sites.psu.edu - Claude Debussy: Clair de Lune – Cecilia Bao (CC) - Sites at Penn State

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Clair de lune, a masterpiece composed by Debussy, is one of my favorite piano piece. I went into this piece this summer. I liked it very much. So today, I want to share more information about this beautiful piano piece.

Starting with the composer — Debussy

Debussy, a French composer, was born in 1862. He is regarded as the first Impressionist composer though he didn’t like people relate the music with Impression and he rejected the term. Debussy wanted to create a dreamlike world of music. He used many continuous big chords in his music. The beautiful harmony created by the chords bring the audience to a sweet dream. In “Clair De Lune”, the use of the chords, and the story of the name are very interesting.

Unique Style

Debussy is persist in exploring his own style of music, combining the music of Baroque period (from around 1600 to 1750), and Impressionism, a style from visual arts. Some general characteristics of Baroque Music are Melody, Rhythm, and Texture. A single melodic idea, continuous rhythmic drive, and balance of homophobic (melody with chordal harmony) and polyphonic textures are elements from Baroque Music. Debussy used these elements and mixed with his own emotion when he was composing especially the chords using are the key of the whole piece. Impressionism is another important element in Clair De Lune. The word of impressionism was from visual arts. The main idea of Impressionism is “conveying the moods and emotions aroused by the subject rather than a derailed tone-picture”. So impressionism in music focuses on mood and atmosphere. Debussy created his music by letting his emotion go. When asked what rule he followed when he was composing, he scandalized his harmony teachers by answering: “Mon plaisir” (My pleasure). Because of his unique composing method, the unique style of his music was created. The audience can feel the freedom and the emotional advance when they were listening Clair De Lune.

Origin of the name

Another interesting fact was about the name of the piece. The meaning of “Clair De Lune” is moonlight. The name is inspired from Verlaine poems. The poem speaks of “an calme Claire de lune Trieste et beau” (the still moonlight sad and lovely). However, the name of the piece was actually added before it published. Unlike the other composers, Debussy had a habit to write the name of the piece at the end. So people will know the name of the piece after they listened the music. It was like telling people that if you really need a name, I can give you one. It also means that the audience do not need a name to interpret the piece. Their imagination and emotion will give the piece a “name”. In conclusion, Debussy’s unique music style determines that he was an influential composer. His music was a turning point from Romantic music to the music of the 20th century.

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How long does it take to grade 5 piano?

A student who has achieved a good pass, merit or distinction at grade 5 will be an extremely competent pianist able to read music and play a whole variety of pieces from classical through to pop and jazz. This will normally take around 5 to 7 years to achieve.

primoschoolofmusic.com - How long does it take to learn to play the piano? - Primo School of Music

T his will vary enormously depending on the ability and the application of the child. A student who has achieved a good pass, merit or distinction at grade 5 will be an extremely competent pianist able to read music and play a whole variety of pieces from classical through to pop and jazz. This will normally take around 5 to 7 years to achieve. Pianists that start young may ironically take longer to get to this level, but their early start lays extremely solid foundations which ultimately lead to them playing better and achieving higher marks in the examinations. In addition students who already play another instrument often progress a lot faster. After grade 5 it is possible to continue up to grade 8. Students above this level will usually be studying Music in some form of Higher Education with a view to some sort of professional music career. There is a ‘window of opportunity’ within which children make the best progress and in the opinion of The Piano School that usually starts from around five. Tim Riley, the director of Primo Piano, started lessons when he was six and took his grade 8 at sixteen. He returned to his piano studies as an adult and worked towards an Advanced Certificate through the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM). All students at The Piano School are encouraged to work through a regular system of assessment (from A to G) before moving on to the more formal external graded examination (1-8) through the ABRSM.

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