Impressionist Music Characteristics
Like most artistic movements nourished in Western Art Music, Impressionism is an organic
innovation from the 19th century. Unlike many artistic movements,
Impressionism did not stem from Germany or France. What distinguished the new
impressionistic artists from their predecessors was a conscious sway from academic expectations,
with the gravity of the movement centered in the great Romantic traditions.
Impressionist Music Characteristics Impressionist paintings by artists such as Manet,
Monet, Degas, and Renoir received global accolades. These paintings harbored loose
brush strokes, and vividly intense color palettes, mostly avoiding the linear concept of pictures.
The pioneers of impressionist paintings focused on redefining what art meant
and questioned the perception of colors. They painted the world with all its imperfections,
not shying away from the ground realities.
This approach is entrenched with a spirit of modernity,
supported by scientific advances. The main idea was to explain what the eye sees is
not always what the mind perceives. Realism became a secondary desire with more focus
on capturing the subtleties of nature with the imperceptible passage of time.
The painting was no longer the only art that began to embrace this fresh approach. Poetry,
dance, theater, and music all had a due influence in parallel with the developments that stemmed
from Paris. Composers like Debussy and Ravel rose to fame through musical composition.
They paved the way for a radically different world in musical history. What gave birth to
this innovation in music was far from what was already performed by Romantic masters.
Similarly, the music from impressionist composers reflected the artistic work
of the painters from that time. Soon music became less confined by traditional harmony.
As Traveling became more affordable, it was through impressionist composers
that we experienced the influence of Asian music for the first time.
As a result, the familiar tonal system that dominated Western Music since the high Renaissance
began to lose its hold. Later, Arnold Schöenberg rejected the tonal system in favor of ‘serialism.’
A unique quality of impressionistic music is the use of different, even unusual,
scales. It is Influenced by Eastern music, including the ‘pentatonic,’ the ‘whole-tone,’
and occasionally, the ‘octatonic’ scale. The striking feature regarding these scales,
particularly the last two, is the lack of tonal key system utility.
A scale is derived from the ascending or descending
movements of tones along with semitones. Impressionist composers utilized the tonal
framework to create a different sound palette that distinguishes this movement from before.
The new scales reformed the musical form.
This was not to reproduce what the Baroque composers wrote but to renew older music forms.
Soon the ‘Sarabande,’ the ‘Minuet,’ and the ‘Prélude’ structures regained
popularity during this period of music. Debussy’s ‘Suite Bergamasque’ is a good
example that explores older musical forms and is a delightful piano piece.
Impressionist harmony explored new directions to create tonal ambiguity and conjure rich,
colorful images. While the tonal system largely remained intact throughout music,
the chromaticism of the Romantic era allowed the impressionists to explore a tonal center.
Many pieces from the impressionist period use key signatures but are not confined to the
conventions that surround music. Chord patterns are no longer directly related to a given key.
In the music of these composers, we hear extended chords that include 7th, 9ths,
11th, and the 13ths augmented chords called ‘quartal .’These harmonies construct chords
from the interval of a 4th, unlike the 3rds and 5ths. This strategy leaves an
open harmonic progression, and even though it alludes to a key, it is not limited to it.
You find revolutionary music with a touch of Renaissance dance rhythms and less
familiar rhythmic patterns from the East. It is important to mention that the rhythms of Black
American music permeated into Impressionism. Early Jazz and Blues music are heard in the
works of many composers of the time. Ravel had a distinct love for American culture.
Jazz harmony and rhythm litter his compositional output bringing a compelling quality work.
In 1928 Ravel toured the USA and met George Gershwin, who influenced Ravel’s Piano Concerto.
Impressionist music remains one of the most popular kinds of classical music.
It hugely influenced many well-known Hollywood films due to the remarkable orchestrations created
in that era. The music stays close enough to tonality to be accessible but without derivative.
Impressionist melodies take the best of the Romantic ideal and sprinkle them with
renewed energy. The combination of all these elements and the
collective genius of the composers and artists makes this movement appealing.