Analysis of Debussy Trois Nocturnes Sirnes

Authors Avatar

Analysis of Debussy Trois Nocturnes Sirènes

Charles Koechlin, in his book on Debussy, commented that “Sirènes has a subtle charm, and an irresistible and fatal sensuality that emerges from the slow vocalises. If its construction appears a little uncertain – especially after the precision of Fêtes – this uncertainness is surely intentional.” The apparent “uncertainness” of construction that Koechlin wrote with regards to Sirènes most probably arises from the absence of a clear tonality which matches Debussy’s intentions. This is compensated by skilful organisation of phrase structure and orchestral texture.

Harmony

Typical of Debussy, this movement of Nocturnes has a sense of movement without direction and this can be illustrated clearly from bars 42 to 55. The lack of clear harmonic progression results in this extract’s ambiguous tonality. In bars 41 to 42, the parallel chords moving in cycle of fifths (D – A – E – B) beginning on D at bar 38 (see fig. 1) are replaced by a III – I progression establishing the tonic of B as shown in fig. 2.

The III – I progression is a harmonic progression is not typical of the common-practice era and this cadential arrival is largely implied as a Debussy tries to blur the harmonic progression by adding non-chord tones such as F# and D to the E major chord. In fact, only the central chord is tonally conceived in its own structure. The central chord is interpreted here in bar 41 as a dominant chord with a raised fifth (F# – A# – D – E – G#), which resolves in bar 42 to a second inversion tonic harmony in B with an added G# shown clearly by the harp (fig. 3), oscillating between major and minor through sharpening and neutralising of third with a F# pedal.

Join now!

Debussy also uses notes from whole tone scale extensively to further enrich the harmonic colour. A tetrachord of D – E – F# – G#, which has a whole-tone scale relationship between its notes, appears in the melodic line of the mezzos at bar 43 to 44. At the start of bar 44, the music finally arrives to E as a tonal centre which can be implied from the E chord seen in the cello, double bass and 2nd harp part (fig. 4).

Here Debussy decorates the harmony by ...

This is a preview of the whole essay