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written by Irene Gómez, specially written for the Strings By Mail Articles

Claude Debussy – 100 Years of his Death

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Since the past two years I have brought to this section of Strings By Mail, relevant facts that have been important for the development of artistic, musical or even social thinking in our culture. This is why in 2016 we went through Shakespeare and Cervantes 400 years of passing away and the music of their time. Last year, we spoke about the commemoration of 500 years of Luther’s Reform and its influence in music. During this agitated 2018 we have to join through this space, the numerous celebrations that are being remembered through concert programs and all medias, the passing away of Claude Debussy 100 years ago and the birth of beloved Leonard Bernstein 100 hundred years ago. Many musicians are taking this year to bring up to audiences Bernstein’s important output, that during his life was somehow overshadowed by his genial conducting!

In order to give the deserved space to each one of them we will spread the anniversaries of this year into two articles, starting by Claude Debussy and hoping to bring soon a semblance of Leonard Bernstein in the next delivering. For now I hope you will enjoy refreshing some aspects of French composer Claude Debussy that are exposed below:

Some insights on Claude Debussy

(b. August 22 1862 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, d. March 25, 1918 in Paris)

Debussy lived during the period named “Belle Époque”, the time between the last years of the XIX century and 1914, just before the beginning of First World War. The “Belle Époque” was then the French name to designate a special attitude towards life leaned on certain frivolity, hope and the “joie de vivre”. The looking for freedom and auto-identity and somehow the growing interest for “exotic” cultures, the love for nature, and irreverence marked the spirit of those years. During these years many inventions that we know today were created (phone, movies, cars, the first planes).

It was a time of contrasts and ruptures giving birth to new schools of thinking. In the field of visual arts, The “Impressionists” left their classical practice focused in the form and perfection of shapes to turn into more subtle ways to express their vision of the world, which by the way was deeply enlarged. (Impressions, Soleil levant, by Claude Monet, was the work that by an ironic critic gave birth to the new aesthetic movement). In literature, Proust, and poets like Baudelaire and Mallarme (symbolists) created new ways to express their perception of reality using enigmatic metaphors, not exempt of spirituality. In the field of music the representing names of the French School (contrasting with the German School with Liszt, Wagner, Strauss) included the great melodist Gabriel Faure (the first who made the music on the piece Pelleas and Melisande by Meaterlinck, 1898), Emmanuel Chabrier, Vincent D’Indy and Paul Dukas.

In this rich context Debussy developed a personal language built on impressions and evocations. His music unified music and poetry with a nonpredictable rhythm, but one that follows a natural breath according to the musical idea; melodic lines with pentatonic scales and Greek modes, and the harmony seen as a tool of coloring. This made of him a most inspiring composer who influenced future artists in all fields until present days. He has been designated as one of the most influential composers of the XX century, along with Stravinsky and Schoenberg.
He loved Japanese art (like Monet and some other impressionists did) and he loved Spanish music as well. In fact, his famous “Soiree dans Grenade” (Evening in Granada) from the Suite “Estampes”, was inspired by the habanera rhythm (or tango andaluz). His music, that for our ears may sound so fantastic and evocative, was not so clearly understood by the audiences of his time, being habituated to perfect cadences. His music definitely opened a new way to expression for musicians in the times ahead.

Debussy for Guitar

While Debussy has not written for guitar, his language of arpeggios and clear melodic lines has made it possible to transcribe some of his works, such as La fille aux cheveux de lin or Reveries, in a very idiomatic way to our instrument. It is worth here to mention Eric Satie, Debussy’s counterpart and friend, who wrote music with similar harmonies in short pieces such as Gymnopedies some of them playable on the guitar.

On the Spanish side Manuel de Falla, a big admirer of Debussy, wrote a unique and well respected composition for guitar: Hommage au Tombeau de Debussy, (played for the first time by Emilio Pujol at the Conservatoire of Paris on December 2, 1922). Some parts of his orchestral works have also been transcribed with good results. The piano music of other composers of this era, specifically Isaac Albeniz and Enrique Granados, have also found good means of expression in transcriptions for the guitar. Original works by Federico Mompou with his Suite Compostelana, and Antonio Jose with his Sonata (clearly inspired by Ravel, the other great exponent of Impressionism) both represent on a high level the subtle mind of this French school. Works of Turina, Ponce and Rodrigo were also pervaded with the impressionist style. And in closer decades, Japanese Toru Takemitsu stated his veneration for the Debussy’s style, composing pieces such as Folios, Equinox, All in Twilight, and In the Woods. Thus, the guitar actually enjoyed the creation of new music under the influence of the great Debussy. One of the favorite quotes by Debussy was: “Music is the silence between the notes.”

Classical guitarist Irene Gómez regularly contributes to Strings By Mail through her teaching and performance videos as well as articles. She is a Strings By Mail Sponsored Artist, teaches guitar at the National University in Bogotá, Colombia, and performs worldwide.

Specially written by Irene Gómez for the Strings By Mail Articles.

Browse and shop Leo Brouwer Sheet Music

Browse and shop Heitor Villa-Lobos Sheet Music

In past years, this series celebrated worldwide anniversaries such as the 400 years of passing of Shakespeare and Cervantes and the publishing of the first books for vihuela, 100 years of the death of Scott Joplin and the passing of Claude Debussy, to name just a few.

This current year is a special one for musicians, and guitarist’s in particular to celebrate. The 80th birthday of maestro Leo Brouwer, one of the most creative artists in the recent guitar history, is undoubtedly deserving of celebration. Maestro Leo Brouwer was born in March 1939 in la Havana, Cuba. His tremendous output, where each piece is a challenging but rewarding jewel of deep beauty, is widely known and loved.

In addition to his huge guitar catalogue, his works include chamber music, guitar concertos, music for films, and arrangements of popular songs. His creativity has been relentless, seeing him constantly releasing new works during his active schedule as a conductor and guest professor of multiple faculties around the world. It is quite awesome to witness his existence in our times, and to be able to say Happy Birthday maestro Brouwer! Thank you for what you have done for guitar in this century.

And it would be a fault for this article to not mention that 60 years ago one of our fathers of modern guitar, Heitor Villa-Lobos (1885-1949) left this physical world. His amazing, or I would dare to say “amazonic” heritage, was deeply related to the great forest and diverse environs of Brazil’s vast territory. This Brazilian sense, that was personified in him, persists in his creations, which are among the most valuable for guitarists and their repertoire. This would be a good year to bring us back to review his hearty Preludes, Bachianas, and Choros, among others.

Perhaps some among us will program concerts with the music of these two geniuses of our instrument: Brouwer and Villa-Lobos.

Certainly, this is a special year for guitarists and this is an opportunity to invite you to browse the interesting catalogue Strings By Mail has with music of these wonderful artists that we celebrate this year, artists we celebrated in previous years, and new artists less known, but worthy of exploration.

Classical guitarist Irene Gómez regularly contributes to Strings By Mail through her teaching and performance videos as well as articles. She is a Strings By Mail Sponsored Artist, teaches guitar at the National University in Bogotá, Colombia, and performs worldwide.

Previous Irene Gomez anniversary articles:
2016 2017 2018

written by Irene Gomez, specially written for the Strings By Mail Articles

Browse and shop Sheet Music for pieces referenced in this article

Last year when we commemorated 400 years of the deaths of Shakespeare and Cervantes, the cultural world had a great opportunity to approach with new perspectives the work and lives of these two magnificent writers. Academic and cultural institutions had a terrific occasion to celebrate. For example, my students and I studied the 16th century laud and vihuela repertoire and we created concerts where the music of Pisador, Valderrabano, Milan, and Dowland alternated with the reading of sonnets and excerpts from both writers. This was a very enriching experience for all of us.

Also during 2016, the music world commemorated the death of Enrique Granados (1867-1916), who left an output of subtle Spanish music, mainly for piano and orchestra. Fortunately for guitar players, some music has been transcribed, bringing out even more the essence of the sounds of Spain and providing some of the most respected and memorable pieces in the guitar repertoire.

The year 2017 is already running in quick steps, but we can still give a glance to meaningful facts and amazing people, learning from them and their times.

500 Years of Luther’s Reform

In the middle of the Renaissance era, the Catholic Church was the head of power and the Pope was the representative of God on earth. In October 1517 in Wittenberg, Martin Luther (1483-1546) questioned this extreme power in his “95 Theses.” Luther addressed many topics in this document, but he primarily criticized the practice of selling indulgences to people seeking salvation.

Luther’s writings spread very quickly in Europe, setting in motion a social and cultural revolution known as the Protestant Reformation.

Some of Luther´s ideas influenced the history of music. Besides translating the Bible from Latin to German, Luther also defended the idea that the congregation should participate in the liturgy by singing chorales, some of them based on established Latin melodies, which they could recognize and understand by singing in their own language. Most of the texts therefore were taken from the Bible. These changes became the new traditions and opened a new Church, influencing ways of thinking and functioning. His ideas were implemented, with some variations, in countries such as France, Switzerland, and England.

Johann Sebastian Bach is perhaps the most prominent example of a composer who related his own life and music to the principles of the Protestant Church. His vocal works (sacred and secular) and instrumental music are pervaded by the chorales and hymns from his faith. To discover the sources of his music is an interesting challenge for any musician who wishes to interpret Bach’s music.

Gioseffo Zarlino Birth Anniversary (1517-1590)

The 500th anniversary of the birth of Gioseffo Zarlino, a Venetian theoretician, composer, and organist known mainly for his book “Le Institutioni Harmoniche,” can help to personify a musician contemporary of the Reformist movement who remained on the Catholic side.

For the Catholic Church, music remained a critical aspect of devotion. Flemish composers such as Adrian Willaert (1490-1562) and Cypriano de Rore (1515-1565), both musicians at the Basilica of Saint Mark in Venice, became representatives of this religious esthetic. Together with Palestrina (1525-1595) in Rome, they created magnificent masses and motets. In Italy the inclusion of splendid paintings and sculptures by artists such as Michelangelo became a powerful distinctive trait. In Spain, Cristobal de Morales (1500-1553), Francisco Guerrero (1528-1599), and Tomas Luis de Victoria (1548-1611) also expressed in their music the highly devotional religious spirit of their time.

Scott Joplin 100th Anniversary (1868-1917)

On the 100th anniversary of his death, it’s very special to remember Scott Joplin, the great African-American composer who was pivotal in the history of American music and passed away on April 1, 1917, in New York.

Born in Texas just after the Civil War, he showed great musical talent at a very early age, studying and composing for the piano. Named “The King of Ragtime,” he created a new style of playing and through his hundreds of piano compositions (“Maple Leaf Rag” and “The Entertainer” among many others) he created a new American authentic identity. He was interested as well in “big formats” of music, composing the opera Treemonisha (1910) that was not fully staged until 1972. Joplin’s original orchestration for the opera was lost, and composers such as Gunther Schuller and Rick Benjamin have produced orchestrations.

To conclude this summary of anniversaries for this year, we must include the 200th anniversary of the death of writer Jane Austin (1775-1817), whose novels depict the English society of the so called Georgian period, including the music and dances of those years. She grew up in a very supportive family, and started to write in childhood. She obtained recognition during her lifetime and her novels (especially “Pride and Prejudice”) continue to be printed and have been represented in TV and movie productions. Musically this was a time of great composers for the guitar, including Mauro Giuliani and Fernando Sor, who spent some of his most successful years in England. He arrived during the latter years of Jane Austin’s life, becoming a prominent member of English society of the time.

I hope that noting these anniversaries will motivate you to learn more about these thrilling people and events that left indelible marks on our cultural life.

Classical guitarist Irene Gómez regularly contributes to Strings By Mail through her teaching and performance videos as well as articles. She is a Strings By Mail Sponsored Artist, teaches guitar at the National University in Bogotá, Colombia, and performs worldwide.

written by Irene Gomez, specially written for the Strings By Mail Blog

2016 promises to be a great year for those who love literature and theater. The commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra should be a wonderful opportunity to re-familiarize oneself with, or to discover for the first time, the work of these magnificent writers.

Browse and shop Sheet Music for pieces referenced in this article

Check out these latest Strings By Mail Repertoire Series Videos by Gohar Vardanyan of music from this era:
Coranto: Heigh Ho Holiday by Antony Holborne
Lady Hammond’s Alman by John Dowland

While deeply immersed in constant conflicts and intrigues due to religion, economic, and political power in Europe during those times, art occupied an important place. Both artists arrived to represent the highest expression in the Renaissance era, expressing the particular richness of the English and Spanish cultures.

In regard to William Shakespeare (1564-1616), there has been a curtain of mystery around his existence and works. Philosopher Francis Bacon, or writer-poet Christopher Marlowe, have been some of the supposed writers to whom Shakespeare’s works have been attributed. Despite these presumptions, Shakespeare has been considered the most important English writer of all times. Some of Shakespeare’s characters were politicians or rulers, who despite their power, expressed regrets, doubts, and fears in self-dialogues, thus exploring a wider scope of human expression. Hamlet’s famous soliloquy “To be or not to be” (act 3, scene 1), has been one of the most popular phrases in the history of theater, remaining in the popular culture even to the present day. His Sonnets are of the most exquisite beauty, and they speak equally on subjects about the meaning of life, nature, youth, love, and death.

In the field of music during Shakespeare´s time, the consolidation of ‘consorts’ or ensembles, in which people reunited for playing together (playing in the same group of instruments like viols, ensembles, or in ‘mixed’ or ‘broken’ ensembles, using viols and lute for example), ingrained a unique feature in English musical life. There was also good interrelation with popular or folk music. The lute was the national instrument, and John Dowland was its greatest composer. Dowland, through his more than 80 pieces including songs, lute-songs, ayrs, ‘pavans’, ‘galiards’, and ‘Almands’, climbed to a high point of expression, with a personal touch of ‘melancholy’, a mood which was rather a trendy topic at that time. Perhaps, his most recognized work is ‘Lacrimae Pavane’, taken from the song ‘Flow my tears’ of his Second book of Airs. Dowland has become a constant source of inspiration for musicians including composers of our time. Alongside Dowland, other great composers, such as Francis Cutting, Antony Holborne, or Francis Pilkington, left wonderful collections of pieces for lute that we can utilize to enlarge our guitar repertoire.

On the other hand, the Renaissance Era in Spain had a different perspective, and Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, (1547-1616) revealed aspects of his cosmopolitan country and its people through amazingly witty long and short novels. His descriptions and dialogues are lively portraits that, with constant humor and naivety, expressed the political and social situation during the ‘Spanish Golden Era.’ His classic work, ‘Don Quixote de la Mancha’ (1605), had immediate success. And while waiting for a second part, some apocryphal editions appeared, until the Second Part was at last published by Cervantes in 1615.

The most important musician contemporary to Cervantes was Tomas Luis de Victoria (1548-1611). However, Spain gave to the world an impressive number of important musicians, mainly during the first half of XVI century. The vihuela (vihuela de mano), became the favorite instrument for composers who worked under different courts in Spain and Europe. And certainly, the still new printing possibilities helped to spread important collections of original pieces and transcriptions. This fact helped to develop the instrumental technique of following the polyphonic vocal style of the time, but also adding specific aspects creating variations, or ‘diferencias’, on well known songs.

In this form of composition, it was possible to concentrate on the technique, allowing players to develop virtuosity using chords (consonancias) and scales (redobles), and indications on the speed of music specifying the ‘tempo’. One of the first books of vihuela was published in 1536 by Luis Milan, printed in Valencia and named “Libro de musica de vihuela de mano intitulado ‘El maestro’”. This book was followed by Luys de Narváez´s book, ‘Los seis libros del Delphin de música de cifras para tañer la vihuela’ (1538), and by ‘Tres libros de música en cifra para vihuela’, published in Sevilla in 1546 by Alonso Mudarra. In 1547, Enríquez de Valderrábano published in Valladolid, his “Libro de Música de vihuela intitulado ‘Silva de Sirenas’”. Diego Pisador published ‘Libro de Música de vihuela’ en Salamanca in 1552, and Miguel de Fuenllana wrote “Libro de Música para vihuela ‘Orphenica Lyra’” in Sevilla. Finally, Esteban Daza and Antonio de Cabezón (keyboard composer) published respectively: ‘Libro de Música en cifras para vihuela intitulado ‘El Parnaso’” (1576) and ‘Obras de música para tecla, arpa y vihuela, Madrid, 1578.

With all of this in mind, 2016 could be an inspiring year to enjoy Shakespeare and Cervantes heritage while playing more music of their era!

——-

Sources

Feros, Antonio. Gelabert Gonzalez, Juan Eloy, España en tiempos del Quijote. Madrid, Taurus, c 2004
Sache William L. English history in the making. Readings from the sources to 1680. Xerox College Publishing, 1967
Trevesyan, George Macaulay. A shortened history of England. A Penguin Book, 1988
Burton, Robert. The essential anatomy of Melancholy. Dover Publications Inc. Mineola, New York
Price, D.C. Patrons and musicians of the English Renaissance. Cambridge University Press, 1981.
Wainwright, Jonathan and Holman, Peter. From Renaissance to Baroque: change in instruments and instrumental music. Ashgate Pub. Ltd, 2005
Bloom Harold, Shakespeare, The Invention of the Human, Riverhead Book, 1999 or Shakespeare, La Invención de lo Humano (traductor: Tomás Segovia) Grupo Editorial Norma, 2008
The Lute Society of America

Classical guitarist Irene Gómez regularly contributes to Strings By Mail through her teaching and performance videos as well as articles. She is a Strings By Mail Sponsored Artist, teaches guitar at the National University in Bogotá, Colombia, and performs worldwide.