Island of Joy ( fr. L'Isle joyeuse ), L. 106 - piano piece by French composer Claude Debussy , written in 1903-1904. The play was first performed on February 10, 1905 by the Spanish pianist Ricardo Vinyes [1] . In the same concert, he first played another Debussy play - “ Masks ”. Both plays have some autobiographical background and were written under the impression of paintings by French artist Antoine Watteau (originally the composer, both plays were conceived as the first and last parts of a kind of musical triptych ) [1] .
| Island of joy | |
|---|---|
| Composer | Claude Debussy |
| The form | |
| The writing | L. 106 |
| Time and place of composition | 1903-1904 |
| First performance | February 10, 1905 |
| First publication | 1905 |
| Dedication | Emma Bardak |
| Duration | 5 minutes. |
| Instruments | |
| piano | |
Content
Creation History
The creation of this play is attributed by musicologists to the beginning of the period of musical maturity of the composer, when many of his significant works were created and received the name in musicology - the “great sixth anniversary” (1903-1908).
It is believed that the musical composition was inspired by Antoine Watteau’s painting Pilgrimage to Cythere Island ( fr. Embarquement pour Cythère ), located in the Louvre . The plot of the picture depicts the allegorical pilgrimage of modern Watteau characters to the Mediterranean island of Kiefer , located south of the Peloponnese , which in the European cultural tradition was associated with the “island of happiness”, love and pleasure. It should be noted that the composer has repeatedly addressed in his work the themes of the “ gallant century ”, to which his works “Bergamas Suite”, vocal cycles “The Collection of Wannier” and both notebooks of “Gallant Celebrations” can be attributed.
Also, when creating this work a significant place is occupied by autobiographical motifs from the composer’s life during this period. In July 1904, Debussy, married to the fashion model Rosalie (Lily) Texier, and amateur singer Emma Bardak , who was married to Parisian financier Sigismund Bardak, abandoned their spouses, fleeing from Paris. They spend summer and autumn together in the north of France and some time in England ( Jersey , Eastbourne ). In these tense and dramatic months of their life, Debussy's piano pieces appeared, personifying the two poles of his spiritual state: tragic despair and drama in the play “Masks” and a cheerful delight in “The Island of Joy”.
Feature
The main theme of the play, which has a dancing character and combines in its presentation joyful dotted rhythm with elements of tarantella , sounds in different keys, most often in the main one ( A-dur ) [2] . The play is performed in a modified sonata form , which transmits the unfolding of musical material with an increase in sonority and “more and more animated” movement with a final apotheosis, built on the theme of the secondary part [1] [3] . By the nature of the piano letter “Island of Joy”, more than any other Debussy play, it approaches the romantic tradition of the bravura pianism of the so-called “grand style”, which is associated primarily with the pianistic style of Franz Liszt [2] . In the fall of 1904, Debussy wrote to his regular publisher, Georges Durand, about this work:
| But oh god How: it's hard to play ... It seems to me that in this play all the ways of playing the piano are connected, because there power is combined with grace ... if I dare say so. |
According to the memoirs of Marguerite Long , a pianist and musical figure, a close friend of the composer, whom he gave valuable instructions on understanding his music and its performance, he attached particular importance to this play, which stands somewhat apart in his work [3] :
| I also loved this wonderful work, bright, difficult, where harmony is decorated with festoons by virtuosity, prompted by the great works of the XVIII century. Commemorates Watteau, Departure to Kiefer, which was a desirable role model for Debussy. |
Yu. A. Kremlev, noting that the play " was perhaps the strongest statement of delight and light in all of Debussy's pianistic heritage " wrote [4] :
| The connection of this radiant music with the personal experiences of 1904 is undoubted; and it is impossible not to notice that the elegant and exquisitely colorful, but the ceremonial images of the painting of Watteau are completely overcome in the "Island of Joy". |
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 Akopyan L. O. Isle of Joy // Music of the Twentieth Century. Encyclopedic Dictionary. - M .: Praktika, 2010. - p. 402-403. - 856 s. - ISBN 978-5-89816-092-0 .
- ↑ 1 2 Pechersky P. About Debussy's Piano Music // Debussy and Music of the XX Century. Digest of articles. - L .: Music, 1983. - pp. 119-121. - 249 s.
- ↑ 1 2 Long M. At the piano with Debussy / Trans. with fr. J. Grushanska. - M .: Soviet composer, 1985. - p. 61-66. - 163 s.
- ↑ Kremlin Yu. A. Claude Debussy. - M .: Music, 1965. - p. 473-476. - 792 s.
Literature
- Debussy K. Selected Letters. - L .: Music, 1986. - 315 p.
- Debussy and music of the XX century. Digest of articles. - L .: Music, 1983. - 249 p.
- Kremlin Yu. A. Claude Debussy. - M .: Music, 1965, - 792 p.
- Long M At the piano with Debussy / Trans. with fr. J. Grushanskaya.- M .: Soviet composer , 1985. - 163 p.
Links
- Island of Joy: Sheet Music at the International Music Score Library Project