Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun"

Teacher's Score: 9/10

Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun" is a symphonic poem (tone poem) by Claude Debussy. It is written in 1894. It has a form of loose ternary (ABA'). It is performed by strings (violins, violas, cellos, double basses, harps), woodwinds (flutes, oboes, clarinets, English horns), brass (French horns) and percussion (antique cymbals, which is the only percussion in the piece). It is inspired by a Symbolist poem by Stephane Mallarme. In this poem, a faun (a mythological creature half man, half goat) awakes in the woods and tries to remember if he was visited by by 3 lovely nymphs or is it all a dream, but he falls asleep again before he can remember. It is Debussy's first orchestral work. It sounds relaxed and dreamlike which is a result from a lack of accent and Inpressionism.

A is very moderate (tres modere) and in 9/8 time. The key is four sharps-it suggests E+ but doesn't settle in any key. It opens with a lyrical melody in the flute which is accompanied by muted strings. A glissando (a rapid slide through the notes of a scale) on the harp is followed by a dialogue in the horns.

B is growing lively (en animant) in 3/4 time. The key in this section is 5 flats-suggests D flat major. Clarinets play a more animated leading to a rhythmic figure in the cello. This is followed by another part, which is the same tempo and very sustained (meme mouvement et tres soutenu).  A solo oboe introduces an impassioned, contrasting theme in woodwinds and strings with syncopated rhythms that lead to an ff climax. The first section (A) returns, this time altered-antique cymbals are heard, and muted horns and violins play blue chords. The work dissolves into silence, having used under 10 minutes to play.

Teacher's Comments:
- Define symbolic poem
- What era?