Claude Debussy's Reflets dans l'eau ("Reflections in the Water") is the first of three piano pieces from his first volume of Images, which are frequently performed separately. It was written in 1905. 

As with much of Debussy's work, it is referred to as Impressionistic, meaning that it expresses emotions and senses by making use of non-functional harmony and ambiguous key signatures, its tonality being mainly non-diatonic and usually having a sense of modality. It has similarities to Ravel's earlier piece Jeux d'eau. While in some ways Debussy influenced his younger contemporary, Ravel was arguably the first to adopt impressionism.

Musical analysis

Reflets dans l'eau opens in a slow tempo (andantino molto) (which is repeated through much of the piece) while the right hand is playing a set of chords to accompany the melody. The piece has several brief melody statements and climaxes that are more glimpses of music than full ideas, which is typical of Debussy's middle and late piano works. Writing "images", Debussy was purposely intending not to create linear musical progression, but a sonic representation of water. Reflets dans l'eau is also an example of the new tone colors Debussy discovered for the piano in this part of his life, and although he later refined this style, it is representative of a major breakthrough in piano writing.

Images

Images is a suite of six compositions for solo piano by Claude Debussy. They were published in two books/series, each consisting of three pieces. These works are distinct from Debussy's Images pour orchestre. The first book was composed between 1901 and 1905, and the second book was composed in 1907. The total duration is approximately 30 minutes. With respect to the first series of Images, Debussy wrote to his publisher, Jacques Durand: "Without false pride, I feel that these three pieces hold together well, and that they will find their place in the literature of the piano ... to the left of Schumann, or to the right of Chopin... "

Debussy wrote another collection, Images oubliées (L. 87), in the Winter of 1894 and dedicated it to Yvonne Lerolle, daughter of the painter Henry Lerolle.

Structure

• Book 1 (or "1st series") (L. 110)

1. "Reflets dans l'eau" (Reflections in the water) in D♭ major

2. "Hommage à Rameau" (Tribute to Rameau) in G♯ minor

3. "Mouvement" (Movement) in C major

• Book 2 (or "2nd series") (L. 111)

1. "Cloches à travers les feuilles" (Bells through the leaves) in B whole-tone (the middle section is in E major)

2. "Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut" (And the moon descends on the temple that was) in E minor

3. "Poissons d'or" (Golden fish) in F♯ major

• Images oubliées (L. 87)

1. "Lent (mélancolique et doux)" (Melancholic and sweet) in F♯ minor

2. "Souvenir du Louvre" in C♯ minor

3. "Quelques aspects de 'Nous n'irons plus au bois ' parce qu'il fait un temps insupportable" (We will no longer go to the woods because the weather is unbearable) in D minor

No. 2 is the first version of "Sarabande" from Pour le piano (L. 95, 1901); no. 3 is an early version of "Jardins sous la pluie" from Estampes (L. 100, 1903).

Inspirations and musical analysis

"Reflets dans l'eau" is one of the many pieces Debussy wrote about water; in particular, light reflecting off its surface. The piece creates an image of water being not quite still, then becoming rapid, then decreasing in motion again. "Reflets dans l'eau" is also an example of the new tone colours Debussy discovered for the piano in this part of his life, and it is considered to be one of his greatest works for the instrument. Techniques such as arpeggio, pedal-point, staccato, tremolo and glissando are used to depict moving water.

"Hommage à Rameau" is more subdued. It is a sarabande honouring the memory of Jean-Philippe Rameau.

"Mouvement" is the most abstract designation of the pieces. It is a perpetuum mobile, meaning that it is built around a continuous stream of notes.

"Cloches à travers les feuilles" was inspired by the bells in the church steeple in the village of Rahon in Jura, France. Rahon was the hometown of Louis Laloy, a close friend of Debussy and also his first biographer.

"Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut" (And the moon descends on the temple that was) was dedicated to Laloy. The name of the piece, which evokes images of East Asia, was suggested by Laloy, a sinologist. The piece is evocative of Indonesian gamelan music, which famously influenced Debussy.

"Poissons d'or" was probably inspired by an image of a golden fish in Chinese lacquer artwork or embroidery, or on a Japanese print. Other sources suggest it may have been inspired by actual goldfish swimming in a bowl, though the French for goldfish is 'poisson rouge' (red fish).

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Images_(piano_suite) / License: CC BY-SA 4.0.