Debussy’s “Claire de Lune” has been one of my favorite piano
songs for a long time. It seems to be
extremely popular among young piano students.
That’s probably due mostly to its beauty. Studying the piece in light of impressionist
art enhances my ability to understand the piece.
“Claire de Lune” seems to be the epitome of impressionist
music. The song inspires pictures in the
listener’s mind, but the images are not strictly defined. Much is left up to the listener’s
imagination. Debussy provides us with a
general description but lets us figure out the details.
The first chord of the song calls our attention to what is
about to be played, but does so with out being alarming, or startling in any
way. The gentle flow of chords that
follow seems to set a scene. I picture a
gently-moving, remote stream. Night has
just fallen. The soft, high chords are
interrupted by a single, deep, yet still tender note. This signals the start of action within the
scene. Steadily, the volume builds, but
never bursts the song’s soft limits. The
tempo seems to quicken, then slow slightly as though restraining the smooth
pace of a silent horse, never allowing it to break into full gallop.
As the chords climax, rolling to the top of the keyboard, I
picture the light of the full moon break over the hilltop, and reflect across
the slowly-moving water. The action was
never more than the steady turn of the earth, exposing the world below to the
light of the moon.
The rest of the song describes the scene, now more visible
than before. I picture small waterfalls,
cascading from one pool to another.
Silhouetted birds cross the moon’s face and land carefully at their
nests for the night.
As the song draws to a close, the night itself seems to
end. The moon fades, giving way to the
faint orange glow of the patiently waiting sun.