The works of Claude Debussy (1862-1918) had a major impact on the music of the 20th century, influencing a range of figures from Ravel and Stravinsky to Henri Dutilleux and Toru Takemitsu. Less well known is Debussy's influence on the popular culture of the period. Matthew Brown shows how Debussy's music has surfaced in an array of contexts from the film music of the 1940s to the dance music of the 1990s. It is easy to see how Debussy's impressionist soundscapes for orchestra such as La Mer and Iberia could be perfect models for accompaniments to film scenes, but as Brown makes clear Debussy's music and influence cannot by reduced to dreamy imitations of Clair de Lune. As he traces the trajectory of Debussy's stylistic evolution, Brown shows how facets of this style were reinterpreted in a surprising variety of popular musical contexts.

Debussy's music in the context of pop culture

About the Author

Matthew Brown is Professor of Music Theory at the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester. He is the author of Explaining Tonality, Debussy's Iberia, and articles in Integral, Music Theory Spectrum, Understanding Rock, and Journal of Musicology, among others.

Reviews

Brown . . . has written a fascinating study of Claude Debussy's lifelong interest in popular music, the impact of his music on popular culture, and the migration of musical ideas, materials, and pieces between different cultural domains.

* Choice *

Debussy Redux is a timely and original contribution to both popular music studies and Debussy scholarship, not least for the sheer wealth of examples that Brown has amassed of what he calls 'Debussy kitsch.'

* Music Theory Online *



Book Information
ISBN 9780253357168
Author Matthew G. Brown
Format Hardback
Page Count 240
Imprint Indiana University Press
Publisher Indiana University Press
Weight(grams) 476g