Review (PDF) The Piano Works Of Claude Debussy (Dover Books On Music)
This book is a firsthand report of a great composer's intentions in regard to the performance of his music. These intentions have been digested and interpreted for us by the composer's friend Robert Schmitz (1889–1949), who was himself a distinguished pianist, an articulate musician, and a well-known teacher. The product is an authoritative commentary on the entire body of Debussy's work for piano solo.Written for both performers and listeners, the book's purpose is to increase enjoyment of and insight into these works. The book's shorter opening section comprises notes on many general aspects of the composer's life and work; a biographical sketch; a discussion of Debussy's place in relation to the concepts of impressionism and romanticism; his use of classical forms, tonality and modality, melody, counterpoint, etc. Section two, the heart of the book, examines in detail the whole of Debussy's music for solo piano, two hands. Seventy-one pieces in all are included: The Arabesques, the Suite Bergmasque, the Estampes, Images, Children's Corner, Préludes and Études. Each in its chronological place, the pieces are first described as a whole as to mood, source of programmatic inspiration, structure, tonality, and other characteristics. Then follows specific suggestions dealing with technical and expressive problems of particular measures and phrases.The book is not meant as a substitute for Debussy's piano works; on the contrary, it will cause both listeners and performers to turn to this superb corpus of music with new interest and insight. "Complete, thorough, authoritative and important." — San Francisco Chronicle. "It is a thoughtful and mature reference book and though I am at variance with certain of its premises and conclusions, there is much to provoke the intelligent music lover and the inquiring musician." — Abram Chasins, The New York Times. "There is no doubt that he had closely identified himself with the great French composer, and his love and belief in the music shine through every page of this book." — H. C. Schonbert, The Saturday Review.
Series: Dover Books on Music
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Dover Publications; First Edition edition (1966)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0486215679
ISBN-13: 978-0486215679
Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #255,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #10 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Composers > Debussy #767 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > History & Criticism #814 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Musical Genres > Classical
This book is a must have for any serious pianist. I am a piano teacher and find the information invaluable to pass on to my advanced students. All the piano works of Debussy are included. The remarks are insightful and helpful to both understanding the intent of the compostion and the performance of the piece. I've been looking for a copy of this book for several years and was happy to have finally found it.
This is a very interesting book with in depth information about the piano composition process by C. Debussy. This is a book that must be read with the piano scores in front of you (and if possible, in front of the piano). It's not a book that you can just read like a novel, unless you know all scores by memory. My suggestion is to use it as a reference when you are starting to practice a piano piece. For example, I'm now starting to study the piano 'Etudes'. The book has very precise instructions about how they should be played, measure by measure, note by note.This is not a book for the casual Debussy fan. You must have at least basic knowledge of music theory (counterpoint, harmony, rhythm) to fully understand it. It contains a few references about Debussy's life and extract from his letters, but the core of the book is the technical aspects you need to play these piano pieces. If you're a piano player and are starting to discover Debussy, this book is a must have.
I love this book. Schmitz writes very poetically as well as his words "INSPIRE" one with new visions and feelings for Debussy's marvelous keyboard creations. I actually have written many of Schmitz's insights into the margins of my scores of the Preludes B1&2. I find that today we become at times so enamored to the "written" score we loose the magic of imagination and freedom that these works are about. PLEASURE and JOY!I perform his ... La cathedrale engloute on my youtube site. I loved the book.
This book helped me gain a new perspective on Debussy's works and really helped prompt and inspire me as a Composition Major to emulate some of the devices and inspirations discussed in this book. Excellent read for anyone who knows and loves this great composer and the contributions he made to music.
The Piano Works of Claude Debussy (Dover Books on Music) Claude Debussy Piano Music 1888-1905 (Dover Music for Piano) Claude Debussy: Piano Music (1888-1905) Images: The Piano Music of Claude Debussy Great Piano Adagios: 60 Works from Bach to Debussy (Dover Music for Piano) Great Piano Etudes: Masterpieces by Chopin, Scriabin, Debussy, Rachmaninoff and Others (Dover Music for Piano) Songs of Claude Debussy, Vol. 1: High Voice- The Vocal Library (Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics) Songs of Claude Debussy - Volume II: The Vocal Library (Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics) Debussy: Images - Books 1 and 2 for Solo Piano (L.110 & L. 111) (Samwise Music For Piano II) (Volume 13) Complete Piano Transcriptions from Wagner's Operas (Dover Music for Piano) by Liszt, Franz, Classical Piano Sheet Music (1981) Paperback Debussy: Complete Estampes for the Piano L. 100 (Samwise Music For Piano II) (Volume 8) Debussy: Intermediate to Advanced Piano Masterpieces (Sheet Music for Piano) Debussy: Children's Corner for Piano Solo L. 113 (Samwise Music For Piano II) (Volume 14) Debussy: Berceuse Heroique - Piano Solo L. 132 (Samwise Music For Piano II) (Volume 4) Iberia and España: Two Complete Works for Solo Piano (Dover Music for Piano) Beethoven Masterpieces for Solo Piano: 25 Works (Dover Music for Piano) Complete Shorter Works for Solo Piano (Dover Music for Piano) Complete Piano Works for Four Hands (Dover Music for Piano) Humoresques and Other Works for Solo Piano (Dover Music for Piano) Liszt Masterpieces for Solo Piano: 13 Works (Dover Music for Piano)
