Composed in the middle of Debussy’s mature period, the second volume of Images represents the epitome of his usage of imagery in music. This work, along with his Children’s Corner, are his last major works to include visual imagery in their titles. The Preludes use postscripts rather than titles, and the Etudes are labeled with practical description.
Like Images Book I, Book II begins with two slow movements: Cloches à travers les feuilles (“Bells heard through the leaves”) and Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut (“And the moon descends on the temple that was”). The first movement begins with a section constructed out of a whole-tone scale, which is gradually transformed into a diatonic scale, perhaps signifying the bells in the title. The second movement is a mystical hymn, slow moving, and follows a gentle and never-ending melodic line.
The third movement, Poisson d’or (“Gold fish”) was inspired by a panel of Japanese lacquer, illustrating one goldfish and its reflection in the water. This movement was written for the Spanish pianist Ricardo Viñes, the dedicatee of the piece. Debussy had become disillusioned with Viñes’s playing, feeling that it was too technical and harsh, unsuitable for the more nuanced murmurs in much of his music, and as a result created one of his most scintillating and sparkly jewels for the pianist.Mei-Ting Sun
Classical Music | Piano Music
Claude Debussy
Cloches à travers les feuilles, from Images, Book II Play
Recorded on 01/16/2013, uploaded on 07/02/2013
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Composed in the middle of Debussy’s mature period, the second volume of Images represents the epitome of his usage of imagery in music. This work, along with his Children’s Corner, are his last major works to include visual imagery in their titles. The Preludes use postscripts rather than titles, and the Etudes are labeled with practical description.
Like Images Book I, Book II begins with two slow movements: Cloches à travers les feuilles (“Bells heard through the leaves”) and Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut (“And the moon descends on the temple that was”). The first movement begins with a section constructed out of a whole-tone scale, which is gradually transformed into a diatonic scale, perhaps signifying the bells in the title. The second movement is a mystical hymn, slow moving, and follows a gentle and never-ending melodic line.
The third movement, Poisson d’or (“Gold fish”) was inspired by a panel of Japanese lacquer, illustrating one goldfish and its reflection in the water. This movement was written for the Spanish pianist Ricardo Viñes, the dedicatee of the piece. Debussy had become disillusioned with Viñes’s playing, feeling that it was too technical and harsh, unsuitable for the more nuanced murmurs in much of his music, and as a result created one of his most scintillating and sparkly jewels for the pianist. Mei-Ting Sun
More music by Claude Debussy
La Puerta del Vino, from Préludes Book II
Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir, from Préludes, Book I
Soiree dans Grenade, from Estampes
Rapsodie (arr. Rousseau)
Arabesque in C sharp major
Beau Soir
Ondine, from Préludes Book II
La Cathédrale engloutie, from Preludes, Books 1, No.10
Estampes
Apparition, from Quatre chansons de jeunesse
Performances by same musician(s)
Sonata in D Major, K. 492
La Valse
Sonata in D Major, K. 490
Sonata in D Major, K. 491
Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut, from Images, Book II
Poissons d’or, from Images, Book II
Images, Book II
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