"Great Composers and Color Analysis"

 After reading and listening to the work of Debussy and Mahler, I prefer the work of Debussy ‘Prélude à L'après-midi d'un faune’.  I like the sinuous solo flute and how he represents the poem as an instrument of seduction. The abrupt shifts, the clarinet and the oboe solos among other elements made the presentation amazing and marked the history of the music.   I have noticed that he presents the real music within the music by acting like the faun and more importantly, he presents the poem's nostalgia and light (SCHONBERG, 1997). In the video, Debussy presents the musical impressionism and the things I like in the impressionism are static harmony, melody, surface ornamentation and  I also like the way he avoids the traditional forms of music.  The music is a synthesis of the Mallarme's poem, and it is possible to understand the poem since he goes beyond to include sensuality and richness.  One element that is intriguing is the instrumental timbres or in other words the sound quality (SCHONBERG, 1997).  I like his tonality and structure as they play an important role in the formal structure and they present pictorial images and visual impressionism.  The use timbre is very interesting as it shows color and mood.  Things that inspire me to creativity include poetry, the colors in nature, musical performance and artists.

  One of the color painting that supports the quote by Kandinsky is the Nocturnes by Debussy.   In connecting the color painting with Debussy art, it is worth saying that Debussy did not focus on the realism in art, but he focused on the unity of effect (SCHONBERG, 1997). This means that people achieve satisfaction and delight from the beauty of color and they also feel psychological experience from the superficial impression and the latter produces a spiritual vibration.  Another color painting is the watercolor painting by Mahler.  He also supports that art is communication whereby the viewers see the beauty of the color and experiences a more profound meaning through psychological effects.  In other words, the beauty of the color influences the soul and helps in recognizing the deeper meaning (SCHONBERG, 1997).  

 

Reference

SCHONBERG, H. A. R. O. L. D. C. (1997). THE LIVES OF THE GREAT COMPOSERS. NEW YORK, NY: NORTON & CO.