Claire de Lune Analysis

Content type

User Generated

Subject

Music

Type

Analytical Review

Uploaded By

qnaavr717y

Pages

Rating

The notes and tones in Clair de Lune create a beautiful piece of music that ranges from

high to low frequencies. It has a romantic melody that flows soothingly on the ears. This allows

the song to be extremely calming, which makes it good to listen to while studying, meditating, or

even sleeping. Two basic elements portrayed in this piece are rhythm and melody. The full

definition of melody is a sequence of single notes that is musically satisfying, which I can see a

lot of in this piece. The song has a slow tempo, and its purposeful unfinished phrases create great

suspense. Although this may leave the listener with a sense of longing, it also leaves them with a

curiosity and want for more. Clair de lune is french for ‘light of the moon’ or moonlight. With

this in mind while listening to the song, it makes the mood slightly melancholy. It is quiet and

slow, but at times speeds up to grab your attention. The song gives the impression, as the name

suggests, of a walk through the moonlight. I would consider this piece to be Dionysian, mainly

due to its rhythm. It flows from slow, to fast, to somewhere in between, then slow again.

Dionysian has been defined as “relating to the sensual, spontaneous and emotional aspects of

human nature”(“Dionysian.”).

I found that impressionism was clearly shown through the emotion of the song, though

there were not any lyrics, there was clearly emotion within the song. While this song is not a

visible art such as painting or drawing, it still manages to paint a clear picture in your mind. “The

Impressionist composers -- Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel in particular, but also Erik Satie

and Gabriel Faure -- took their inspiration from many of the same places that Impressionist

painters did: nature. Debussy was particularly inspired by water”(Walker, Karla). Many people

find physical art such as paintings to have a more clear story or ‘picture’ that the creator wants

you to see. Though it may not be as clear and precise, music can do the same thing. While it is

more difficult to distinguish impressionism in music, it simply makes it more beautiful.

I believe that music and visual art should share an artistic classification such as

impressionism. Both art forms can show a clear story for the viewers. While one clearly shows it

with a visual experience, this does not mean that the auditory experience is any less of an art

form. Both Claude Monet ‘impression sunrise’ painting and the ‘clair de lune’ song can be

classified as impressionism because they represent something outside of simply art or music.

“Symbolist poets of the day also influenced Impressionist composers. Paul Verlaine’s "Clair de

Lune" and Stéphane Mallarmé’s "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun" were beautiful, but

obscure, as is Debussy’s music based on these poems”(Walker, Karla). Both artists and

composers were influenced by these poets. In the end, both are beautiful works of art that make

life more beautiful as a whole.

Works cited:

Unformatted Attachment Preview

The notes and tones in Clair de Lune create a beautiful piece of music that ranges from high to low frequencies. It has a romantic melody that flows soothingly on the ears. This allows the song to be extremely calming, which makes it good to listen to while studying, meditating, or even sleeping. Two basic elements portrayed in this piece are rhythm and melody. The full definition of melody is a sequence of single notes that is musically satisfying, which I can see a lot of in this piece. The song has a slow tempo, and its purposeful unfinished phrases create great suspense. Although this may ...
Purchase document to see full attachment

Tags: Clair De Lune rhythm and melody Definition of Melody Slow tempo Dionysian piece