Group Analysis of Debussy's String Quartet

Hey,

I'm curious if anyone would like to partake in a 'group' analysis of Debussy's String Quartet (the only one he wrote).

You can get the full score from:

String Quartet No.1 (Debussy, Claude - IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library: Free Public Domain Sheet Music)

and the piece is performed on youtube... Take your pick:

YouTube - Debussy string quartet

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So if anyone else wants to, we'll start with the first movement and discuss whatever interests you.

For me in particular I am interested in the structural aspects - what goes into to making a piece develop into a living and breathing work which is enjoyable to listen to.

If you want to discuss a particular aspect, feel free.

Chris

I didn't know anyone else cared about this one. I thought it was an incredibly intriguing work. It was one of the first things I saw in my introduction to Debussy. I had been listening to Stravinsky and Erik Satie, and this magically bridged the two in my mind.

I didn't re-watch it yet..., I last saw it a few months ago, I've listened to alot of other music since, but, I remember that parts of it were put together funny, there was this one part towards the middle where it had a weak tonal center that was decreasing, then it built up coherence rapidly, but and did a "flash" of three quarter notes in the key of C, really triumphant sounding, and all in unison. I also remember the part where the Cello starts going solo and then the others accompany. The developements were really unusual to me.

This is a pretty early work of Debussy right? Is this really his only quartet?

This is in G minor right? Op. 10? Okay, now I'm remembering alot as I listen. There is a female Cellist and female lead violinist, male accompanying and viola.

I really just listen to music of all sorts, I'm not big on sheet music, I can't read very well, but I can compose on paper, just very slowly.

I can't really put to words how I think of it though, the best music is composed by thinking in music right? I can only talk general idea, and sometimes that feels like it provides limiting framework. I've never actually written a composition down before, I've copied stuff out of my head by ear on paper, I'm just not confident with harmonies since I haven't worked hard enough and have no formal training.

I also realized that Clair De lune sounded so familiar to me because as a little kid in the 90s, I listened to music of the night from Phantom of the Opera, sounds a bit like claire de lune, very nocturnal sounding, beautifully emotional.

Well, that was a tangent. I'm tired, thats my excuse.

Op 10 is fairly early.

The first thing that strikes me in the opening section of the first movement (mm 1 -12 ) is the foray into Phrygian territory within the first measure. Yes it is in G minor somewhat but the A flat implies the Phyrgian scale on G. Another interesting harmonic trait is how the half diminished chord serves the traditional dominant role (see beat two mm 1). Now this half diminished chord is altered in beat 4 of mm2 - the F becomes an F # - so we get an augmented six chord (French Augmented six?) but note how it wobbles between F# anf F natural. By flattening often the seventh degree and constantly the second degree he weakens the minor tonality commonly used from the late 17th century to most of the 19th century. During the late 17th to 19th century usually it was more a major - minor duality (now this is "common practice" Bach himself as well as other composers still employed occasionally old church modes - for Bach check out the - the Dorian Prelude and Fugue, chorales from the ClavierUbung; later Bruckner employs them in a few of his Motets and Faure began serious exploration of emplying modal scales into the major-minor tonal framework).

So what I think separates Debussy is the degree he blurs modes - is the piece in G minor or G phrygian (G A flat B flat C D Eflat F G)? Also, Debussy does something very old and applies to a contemporary context to a greater degree than his peers. By using half diminished V chord he weakens the pull to G as the leading tone is flattened. By also having the F sharps on the accented (and traditionally) weak beat they act an appoggiatura. Yet they are accented so as to keep the syncopation of the theme constant - I will explain this point further. So Debussy has the F NATURAL be heard on the traditionally strong and weak beats (see beats 3 and 4 of mm 3 and 4 - note how afterwards the F# disappears for 7 measures and how we are brought to the B theme with F NATURAL - G). This lack of a leading tone can be found in much 16th century and earlier polyphony. Something which Debussy may have picked up from the major reevaluation of Gregorian Chant that was going on. This wikipedia link offers a decent overview of Gregorian Chant's history.

Gregorian chant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In these 12 bars note how Debussy inverts strong and weak beats - here he is breaking with tradition -and he does this quite consistently - the 2nd and 4th quarter receive the emphasis with the 2 quarter being strongest. Even WITHIN the half note he maintains this - the rhythm is staccato eighth - normal quarter slurred to eighth. This is in keeping with the strongest emphasis on the 2nd eighth note and less on the 4th and least on the 1st and 3rd eighth notes.

Oh before I stop like to add in measure 13 Debussy employs a very old common technique - fauxbordon - first inversion chords - entirely as accompaniment from mm 13- beat 2 mm 23. Yet he uses it in a novel way so that the top voice of the accompaniment spells a dominant 7th chord, the two lower lines spell two diminished chords - and in mm 13 each of these chords have a harmonic function to G minor - V7/i; diminished vii/iv; dim vii/i -- in fact together they imply the very basic i iv V chord progression!!!! Yet Debussy creates something quite unique using old materials in novel ways.

PS. I am too tired to go into this but someone else could pick this up note how the opening melodic material is derived mostly from the half diminished V chord and i.

Also from IMSLP:

Talk:String Quartet No.1 (Debussy, Claude) - IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library: Free Public Domain Sheet Music

(these are notes from a class of mine back in Athens where we briefly analysed the string quartet)

Cool, thanks this is good.

I've actually just been looking over the second movement (Pizz, Pizz, Pizz lol) which is a particular favorite.

It's amazing how little you notice the repetition when you aren't looking at a score!

He really just states a melody and counter melody and some backing figures and moves them through the parts and then cuts them up and sticks them back together with some sequencing and other stuff.

It's good to listen because it is a very satisfying piece of music and as such one is forced to realize how much they fail to use initial material rather than creating new.

I've learned a lot of stuff just from glancing over it and following where the motives are going.

Chris

Yeah I second the economical use Deb ussy uses motives - I mean you can even see it within the first 16 measures of the first movement

It would be awesome of the collaborating analyzers here could post their findings, thoughts, and deductions on a wiki page about the piece. Putting all this analytical material into one accessible article instead of a bunch of conversational posts could really benefit other composers and teach about and promote the work. You can see of course, Wikipedia's "analysis" on this work leaves much to be desired. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_Quartet_(Debussy)

YC Wiki - [[string Quartet in G minor (Debussy)]]

Of course there's nothing on the page yet, but if anybody is willing to bring material together to start an article, go right ahead. :)

Enigmus - This is a great idea. I pruned my original comments and added it to the wiki page. i hope more people do this - well add useful, cogent comments.

There are already pages for discussing/analysing pieces next to the respective IMSLP pages of each score, but people just keep wanting to re-invent the wheel here on YC wiki...

:whistling:

I think the whole tone scale was being used by Debussy before then.

You could be right though