741965

Musical Impressionism: The Early History of the Term Author(s): Ronald L. Byrnside Source: The Musical Quarterly, Vol.
66, No. 4 (Oct., 1980), pp. 522-537 Published by: Oxford University Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/741965 . Accessed: 26/05/2013 04:43
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Musical Impressionism: The Early History of the Term

RONALD L. BYRNSIDE I
peintres, sculpteurs et graveurs, and, on April 15 of the following year, the new society offereda public show. One of the works displayed was Claude Monet's Impression: Sunrise (painted in 1872). There is some evidence to suggest that a few critics and painters in this group had used the term "impression" or "impressions" in their private discussions of painting for several years prior to this show; indeed the title of Monet's painting supports such a thesis. Nevertheless, it was almost by the whim of a Parisian art critic, Jules Antoine Castagnary, that the Monet painting was to give a name to the collective works of this group of artists. In an article in Le Sihcle, on April 29, 1874, "Exposition du boulevard des Caif one wants to pucines - les impressionnistes" he wrote: "... one characterize them with a single word that explains their efforts, would have to create the new termimpressionists."1 It appears that the only earlier use of the term "impressionism" was in connection with the philosophical system of David Hume (1711-1776), but there it had no association with painting or any of the otherarts. This term,so casually and somewhat pejoratively introduced to painting, eventually found its way into the field of music, but there its historyhas been troubled and confused, and its elucidatory value has been questionable. Precisely what it means and to what music
1 John Rewald, The History of Impressionism (New York, 1961), I, 330.
their signatures 27, 1873, a group of artistsaffixed ONtoDecember the founding charter of Le Soci~td anonyme des artistes,
522
Musical Impressionism
523
(if any) it should be applied are complicated matters, and an examination of the literature dealing with musical Impressionism reveals that there is no consensus on these issues. An inquiry into these matterswill form the basis of a future study, but the present essay is concerned only with the emergence of this problematical termin musical discussions. It is probably true that for most people the firstname (and for some, the only name) associated with musical Impressionism is Claude Debussy. There is only one documented use of it in a musical context before its use in discussions of Debussy's music. Edward Lockspeiser calls attention to a letter written by Renoir in 1882, in which he describes his meeting with Richard Wagner. He says: "We spoke of the Impressionistsof music."2 Lockspeiser speculates that Renoir may have been attempting to describe to Wagner the worksof Faur&,Duparc, Chabrier, and Chausson. In any case, Renoir was speaking of more than one composer, and Debussy cannot have been one of them, since he was not known to Renoir and had written little and published nothing at that early date. Intriguing as it is, this remains an isolated use of the term,for with this exception documented linkings of Impressionism with music did not appear until it was applied to Debussy's music some years later. The first mention of Impressionismin connection with Debussy's music is, of course, well known. It was used by members of the Acad~mie des Beaux-Arts to whom the composer had sent the score of Printemps,dated February, 1887.3 The reaction of the committee was not entirelyunfavorable, but their report contained the following: His feeling formusical coloris so strong thathe is apt to forget theimportance of accuracy of line and form. He shouldbeware this which vagueimpressionism
is one of themostdangerous enemiesof artistic truth.4
In January, 1889, the committee deliberated over Debussy's La Damoiselle glue: ". . . it bears the mark of that systematictendency
2 Debussy: His Life and Mind (London, 1962-65),I, 92n. 3 Not to be confused with the choral works Printemps (1882), text by Comte de Sdgur,and Printemps,sometimescalled Salut Printemps (1884), text by Jules Barbier. The work in question was originally scored for chorus and orchestra; the original score appears to have been destroyed in a fire. The present version for orchestra without chorus was orchestrated by Henri Biisserin 1913. 4 Leon Vallas, Claude Debussy: His Life and Works, trans. M. and G. O'Brien (London, 1933), pp. 42-43.
524
The Musical Quarterly
towards vagueness of expression and form of which the Academy has already complained."5 In the late 1880s, Debussy was singled out fromamong his fellow students for association with the term. It was not used in official discussions of the music of other Prix de Rome contenders in the years 1883-89, when Debussy was either a contender for or a holder of the prize. Composers in this group include Paul Vidal, Charles Rena, Xavier Leroux, Edmond Missa, Gabriel Piernd, Augustin Savard, Andre G~dalge, Georges-Eugene Marty, Gustave Charpentier,Alfred Bachelet, and Camille Erlanger.0 In the years 1889-90, several of Debussy's short piano works and songs were published. Shortlyafter,he began to emerge as a public figure. La Damoiselle dlue was performed on April 7, 1893; the String Quartet on December 29, 1893; and the Prdlude & l'aprtsmidi d'un faune, on December 22, 1894. In the ensuing decade, his music increasinglyattracted the attention of musicians, critics,and historians,and it was during these years that the term Impressionism first began to appear in musical discussions. It seems clear that something about the nature of at least some of Debussy's compositions prompted a number of musical commentatorsto use the word, though, as we shall see, it was used neither uniformly, systematically, nor consistently.In any case, discussions of Impressionism in music emerged not before but with Debussy's music. His unique association with it is reflectedin the fact that the term had been current in art circles since the 1870s, yet musical scholars and critics avoided it until his emergence as a composer of musical force at the turn of the century. Debussy's name did not begin to appear in music encyclopedias and dictionaries until after 1900. He is mentioned briefly in A. Piter's La Musique et les musiciens (1902) and in the second edition of Grove's (1904); in neither of these is the term Impressionism used. But in Irving Squire's The American History and Encyclopedia of Music (1908), Debussy is referred to as an Impressionist and a "great harmonic inventor and an unsurpassed poet in
5 Ibid., p. 48. 6 Debussy firstentered the Prix de Rome competition in 1883 and was awarded the Second Prix for his cantata Le Gladiateur (unpublished). The followingyear he was awarded the Grand Prix for his cantata L'Enfant prodigue. Neither of these works prompted the jurors to use the term Impressionism,though the latter was reviewed by Charles Darcourt in Le Figaro, July 1, 1884, and by Johannes Weber, Le Temps, July 11, 1884.
525
The same source contains an entryfor modern French mysticism."'7 music which states that Debussy "is the most typical of the musical of the day" and that impressionists
of the ultra-modern living (French) composersd'Indy, Debussy, Dubois, and in the orchestralfield. The tendency Faurd have all distinguished themselves
menis toward a vague, of these impressionistic style.8
Although it extends beyond the chronological limits of the early historyof the term musical Impressionism, it seems appropriate to review the following at this point. Beginning around 1910 and extending throughthe second decade of the twentiethcentury,music dictionaries and encyclopedias tended to include a separate entryfor "Impressionism." Debussy is consistently and prominently mentioned, but other contemporarycomposers are called Impressionists as well. In Robert Eitner's Miscellanea musicae bio-bibliographica (1912-16) and in other contemporaneous sources, Debussy is never divorced from Impressionism, but the field of Impressionist composers is expanded. In the 1920s and 30s this tendencywas further expanded, and two factorsabout the attitude of certain scholars toward Impressionism became evident. First, they felt the need to offera systematicdefinition of the term; thus several of the longest and most carefullyconceived articles about the nature of musical Impressionism emerged during that period. Ernst Second, many scholars began to use the term retroactively. Kurth9 and Hans Mersmann,'o having determined for themselves what the properties of Impressionism are, found these properties not only in the music of Debussy and some of his contemporaries, but also in some earlier music. Edward J. Dent's article on Impressionism in A Dictionary of Modern Music and Musicians is an example, even though his skepticism about the usefulness of the termis obvious.
A termwhichhas been borrowedfromthe criticism of painting Impressionism. and recently applied in a not very clearlydefinedsense to music. The chief modern exponent of musical "impressionism" was Debussy,and the termseems of landgenerallyto be applied to music intended to convey some suggestion
8 Ibid., III, 134-35. 9 RomantischeHarmonik und ihre Krise in Wagners"Tristan" (Berlin 1923). to Die Moderne Musik seit der Romantik,Vol. IX of Handbuch der Musik Wissen-
7 (London,1908), V, 173-74.
ed. Ernst schaft, 1927). Bicken, (NewYork,
526
thanoutline,the melodic scape,or of a picturein whichcolouris moreimportant line in such cases being ill-defined and fragmentary, while subsidiary of figures accompanimentare much developed, often in rapid movement,the object of which is to produce a general effect of timbreratherthan a clearlyintelligible based on succession of notes. Similareffects are also obtained by slow harmonies chordswhich an older generationwould have regardedas discords,but which the presentday regardsas agreeableconsonances. The germsof "impressionism" can be traced far back; theymay be found in the madrigalsof Luca Marenzio sonatas of Galuppi and and others;Torrefrancafindsthem in the harpsichord Platti; Edward Carpenterhas pointed out similar tendenciesin the pianoforte sonatas of Beethoven. Liszt shows frequentexamples; among the living com"impressionists."" posersDelius is one of themostsuccessful
we occasionToward the end of the earliest phase of this history, ally finda writerwho attaches Impressionistto composers other than most of these writers were not French. To Debussy. Significantly, some British and American authors, Impressionism seems to have been more or less synonymouswith "new music," that is it was not conceived of as a designation for a particular musical style,but was used in a much broader and more general way. Ultimately, Debussy became not only the central but, for all practical purposes, the only composer who figuresin the early history of the term musical Impressionism. Let us consider some of the early literatureon Debussy. In the period from 1887 (when the term was firstused in connection with his music) to 1910 (about when Impressionism became a term in general use), over 125 authors wrote books, articles, reviews, and studies of Debussy and his music, producing more than 200 items.12Among the most prolificwere Louis Laloy, music historian and friendof Debussy; Jean Marnold, founder of Le Mercure musical (in 1905), principal music critic of Mercure de France, and regarded by some of his contemporaries as an expert in the field of functional harmony; Paul Dukas; Camille Mauclair, primarily an art historian,but also a prolificand highly regarded music critic; Pierre Lalo; M. D. Calvocoressi; and Lbon Vallas. Some of their contributions to Debussian scholarship remain
11 A. Eaglefield Hull, ed., A Dictionary of Modern Music and Musicians (London, 1924). 12The most complete bibliography is Claude Abravanel's "Claude Debussy: A Bibliography," Detroit Studies in Music Bibliography (Detroit, 1974). Even this excellent bibliography is not complete, lacking a number of early reviews of certain compositionsby Debussy.
527
valuable to the present day. Most of them approached the term Impressionism cautiously, often apologetically, and rather late in the period 1887-1910. A few of them- and a majority of authors from the period - never used Impressionism in their discussions of Debussy's music. II In the earliest biography of Debussy, Claude Achille Debussy, Louise Liebich in a rather sentimental way describes Debussy's aesthetics and several of his compositions, but does not have any firmunderstanding of either. It is not known how she acquired the term Impressionism, but it is fair to assume that she adopted it as a convenience in attempting to assess certain of Debussy's works with which she was infatuated. She stated: "If in the right mood he will treat his hearers to a wonderful display of tonal impressionism, weaving iridescent chords and harmonies into a fantastic web of color and beauty."'" And further:
with the school By inclinationand temperament Debussy is in close sympathy of painterscalled Impressionists and withthe class of poets styledSymbolists .. It is indisputablethat thereare points of resemblancebetween theirwork and his individual art is affranchised his, but at the same time,like his personality, from and category, precedent cliques or coteries.14
Louis Laloy met Debussy in 1902. There developed between them a cordial friendship and on Laloy's part a sympatheticunderstanding of Debussy's music and aims. This is reflectedin Laloy's important early biography Claude Debussy,'5 a book which, according to Lockspeiser and others,expressed views that Debussy approved of. Laloy stated that "Debussyism is the equivalent in music of Impressionism in painting and Symbolism in poetry." Debussy may well have agreed in a general way with such views but it is difficult to believe that he would have countenanced the use of the word "Debussyism" in this or any context, for on numerous occasions he expressed his disgust with it. In this same work, Laloy related the nature of Impressionismas he understood it:
Sounds used in musichave no meaningnor can theyrepresent an object. Music, have been the one which is essentherefore, among all the arts must originally and impressionist. like the Chinese,the tiallysymbolist Non-Europeanmusicians,
13 (London, 1908),pp. 12-13. 14Ibid., pp. 24-25. 15 (Paris, 1909).
528
of it.16
and Symbolists withoutbeing aware Indians and the Sengaleseare Impressionists
The music critic Henri Gauthier-Villars (Willy) was among the earliest chroniclers to mention Debussy. He was not a musician, but an author and a kind of factotumin the artisticcircles of Paris in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and was acquainted with many artistic, literary, and musical luminaries of the day. In such collections as Voyage autour de la musique (1890) and La Colle aux Quintes (1898), Gauthier-Villars mentioned Debussy several times and spoke of some of his compositions, but in these early works he never applied the term Impressionist to the composer. In Lawrence Gilman's Phases of Modern Music, Debussy is not referredto as an Impressionist,but Gilman did apply the label to another composer: "Both in theory and in practice Mr. (Edward) MacDowell stands uncompromisinglyformusic that is, of intention, pictorial and impressionistic.""'7 persistently But threeyearslater, in The Music of Tomorrow, Gilman stated:
It has been made evident enough in the foregoingpages, I think, that he term,an inm[Debussy]is, in the purestsense of that outwornand misdirected a his of sensitive to use own recorder, "impressions pressionist apt phrase, and speciallights."'8
Two years later, in Aspects of Modern Opera (1909), Gilman offereda lengthy discussion of Pellias et Milisande, but nowhere used the termImpressionism. A substantial number of early writersand reporterson Debussy's music who did not call him an Impressionist had recourse to one or another label for him, an indication that he seemed to them a unique composer, one calling forsome kind of descriptiveor stylistic banner which would separate his music from that of all other composers. In his book Etude sur VictorHugo, Fernand Gregh included a brief appendix entitled "Sur Claude Debussy," in which Debussy was not referred to as an Impressionist. Gregh stated, however: "If Vincent d'Indy is a symbolist,if Charpentier is a naturist,Claude Debussy seems to me a greathumanist composer.""
16 Ibid., p. 89.
17 (London, 1904), p. 30. 18 (London, p. 36. 1907),

19 (Paris, 1904).
529
In 1905, LUon Vallas, in attempting to differentiateDebussy from other composers, referredto him as a "paganiste."20 In 1910, Edwin Evans called him "un vrai primitif,"21 and in that same year Ernest Newman suggested that Debussy was affectedand a snob, and the "prince of mannerists."22Also in that year Etienne Destranges referredto him as a "pointilliste."23 Two years earlier, an anonymous author suggested that Debussy was a "pseudo-Oriental."24 In these middle years of the firstdecade of the twentieth century, a pattern began to emerge, or, perhaps more accurately, a habit began to develop which consisted of applying some extramusical label to Debussy's music. Impressionism was only the most prominent one; but within a veryshort time, it not only superseded the others, it permanently attached itself to Debussy's music. This "creeping Impressionism" is no less evident in the periodical literature of the time. III Tristan Klingsor (pen name of Leon Leclbre) was one of several authors who, at the turn of the century,wrote articles dealing with analogies between the arts. In November, 1900, Klingsor, who was himselfa poet, painter, and composer, as well as a critic, dealt with this subject at some length. He did not, however, refer to Debussy as an Impressionist.25 The anonymous author of an article on Debussy's Nocturnes, I and II, made an oblique analogy between them and the Nocturnes of the painter James Whistler, stating that "Debussy seems to wish to express passinigimpressionsof a dream,"26 but he stopped shortof calling him an Impressionist.A month later, in January, 1901, Pierre de Br~ville discussed the same works and said that most of the critics who heard Nocturnes had recourse to analogies saying: "It is some musical Whistler . . . this can be turned
20
January1, 1910,p. 345. 22 "A Note on Debussy,"Musical Times, May 1, 1910,p. 293. 23 "Pelldas et Milisande," La Revue musicale de Lyon, November 13, 1910,p. 137. 24 "Pellias et Mdlisande," Journal of Incorporated Society of Musicians (June, 1908),p. 151. 25s"Les Musiciens et les Pobtes," Mercure de France (January, 1901), p. 17. 26 "Les Nocturnesde Debussy," Le Figaro, December 10, 1900.
21 "Une opinion anglaise sur Pelldas et Milisande," La Revue musicale de Lyon,
"Apropos Debussy,"La Revue musicale de Lyon, October 15, 1905,p. 7.
530
around and permit one to affirm that Whistler is Debussy in paintIn June, 1902, Jean Marnold wrote an article devoted in part to a discussion of Nocturnes. In it he spoke of the nature of Impressionist painting; then, turning to a discussion of Nocturnes, he said: "But this is an Impressionist musician."'''s Hugues Imbert suggested that Debussy attempts "to realize in music what Impressionists such as Monet and Sisley have executed in painting." Later in the same article he said of the Nocturnes: "These are pages of pure Impressionism." He also offereda warning, stating that Impressionismin music scale pieceswhichrequire a solid architecture: his String It example, Quartet. is difficult in vagueness togo farther without intoincoherence.29 falling
. . is charming forpieces of small dimensions, but perhapsdangerousfor largeing."27
It is difficult to reconcile this idea with the fact that the author, in this same article, designated Pellhas et Milisande - hardly a work of small dimensions - as Impressionist. Pellhas et Milisande was first performedon April 30, 1902. More than two dozen critics reviewed the work, and by the end of 1910 more than seventyreviews,articles, and special studies of the opera had been published. Only a few reviewers used the term Impressionism. About twothirds of the reviews and articles in 1902 made no mention of it, including those by Paul Dukas, Louis Laloy, and Julien Benda. Camille Mauclair claimed that Impressionism used in connection with Debussy's music is often "vague, inexact, and hazardous." But he did draw a comparison between Monet and Debussy, suggesting that Monet's beautiful landscapes are nothing but waves:and the musicof Debussy, founded not on symphonies with.luminous thestringing of motives, buton thecompared together powerof thesoundsin draws closeto thesepaintings. It is an Impressionism themselves, of singularly sonorous strokes.3o Pelldas was the subject of three separate articles in La Revue blanche during 1902. None of the authors, Frederich Spigl, Julien Benda, Paul Flat, used the term Impressionism. Neither did Louis
27 Mercure de France (January,1901),p. 214. 28 Mercure de France (June, 1902), p. 805. 29 "M. Claude Debussy,"La Revue bleue, April 19, 1902,p. 112. 30 "La Peinture musicienne et la fusion des arts," La Revue bleue, September 6, 1902,p. 300.
531
Schneider,3' Camille Bellaigue,32 Gaston Serpette,33 nor Andre Hallays34 in their discussions of Pelldas. But on June 4, 1902, Max Rikoffreported:
- Impressionistic In the orchestra his leitmotives painting -- one harmonization of themood. Is Mr. Debussyahead of his timeas founderof a new art movement . . . We demand or has time, forever moving on, passed by his contribution? above all thatintellect (head) and heartbe unifiedin art whichshould not find and sessionistic music itselfon the same level with the crafts.Impressionistic of nerves.35 cannotbe listenedto forlong withoutan incurableshattering
Some reviewersdid not like the work at all. S. Marchesi reported:

An importantevent, another step downwardin the evolution of the musical theoriesand musical taste of our age, happened on April 30 last. Pelldas et
at theOpdra-comique.30 ... wasproduced on that evening Mdlisande
of scholarlyand journalistic activitycreated by Pellhas The flurry et Mdlisande in 1902 was followed by a quiet period. The years 1903 and 1904 produced little writing on Debussy perhaps because they were not Debussy's most productive in terms of completed compositions. The most noteworthywriting on Debussy during the two immediate post-Pellias years centered mainly on older works. In January, 1903, Laloy wrote an article on La Damoiselle dlue.37 In discussing this work from 1887-88, he did not use the term Impressionism,nor did Pierre Lalo employ it in his discussion of a performance of Chansons de Bilitis (1897).38 In 1904, Laloy discussed Pellias and several older works without using the term,39and Marnold also failed to use it in his review of Proses lyriques (189293).40 In 1904, Paul Landormy quoted from a letter from Arnold Schering,in which the latter gave an account of the German attitude
p. 122. 1902),
31"Pellas et Mdlisande," Revue d'historique de critique musicale, II/5 (May,
34 "Pelldas et Milisande,"
32 "Pellias et Milisande," Revue des deux mondes,May 15, 1902, p. 450. 33 "Pellias et Milisande," Gil bias, May 10, 1902.
p. 81.
36 "Pelldas et Milisande," MonthlyMusical Record, XXXII/6 (June,1902). 37"La Damoiselle dlue," La Revue musicale. Histoire et Critique (January,1903) 38Le Temps, March 31, 1903. 39 "La SimplicitCen musique," La Revue musicale. Histoire et Critique, February
Revue de Paris, May 15, 1902, p. 173. 35 "Pelldas und Milisande," Neue Zeitschrift fiirMusik, June 4, 1902,p. 325.
15,1904, p. 111.
40 "La musique," Mercure de France (July,1904),p. 241.
532
toward recent French music. Impressionism was not mentioned, and neither was Debussy!41 The first performancesof La Mer in 1905 created another flurry of activityand interestin Debussy's music and produced more statements about Impressionismin his work. Reviewers like Pierre Lalo4' did not mention Impressionism; others,such as Raymond Bouyer,43 and especially Mauclair, did. Mauclair asked. "Qu'est-ce que l'impressionnisme?"and then reportedthat
it is at the same time a promise and a result of the future. The result I have analyzed many times here: it is the logical outcome of the pictorial eighteenth century, the heritage of Fragonard, of Boucher, and of the sketches which are completed by the characterism,the modernism, of the Renoirs and the Manets.44
He furthersuggested about the word Impressionism: "It should no longer be used in historicalcriticismas a designation for a movement that has disappeared." Jean Marnold suggested that La Mer representedsomethingnew in Debussy's style, a more organic kind of music, a style different from PellE~as.45 Probably for that reason he did not use the term Impressionism, though he had in discussions of earlier works by Debussy. L0on Vallas mentioned La Mer in 1905;46 he did not use the term Impressionism,but it is in this article that Vallas referred to Debussy as a "paganiste." AfterLa Mer, Impressionsmappeared in print with much greater frequency. It was still not universally applied to Debussy's music, but the number of authors who began to use it increased sharply. Some recognized La Mer as a stylistic turning point in Debussy's career and asserted that it was in one way or another differentfrom his earlier works. Thus confronted with a "new" Debussy, some authors, perhaps in an attempt to separate La Mer from the earlier works, put aside their reluctance to use the term Impressionism and began to apply it to certain compositions. Some
41 "L'Etat actuel de la musique frangaise," La Revue bleue, March 26, p. 394, and April 2, 1904,p. 421. 42 Le Temps, October 24, 1905. 43 "L'Impressionnisme en musique et le culte de Beethoven," La Revue bleue, May 13, 1905,p. 603. 44 "La finde l'impressionnisme," La Revue bleue, January14, 1905,p. 49. 45 Mercure de France, November 1, 1905,p. 540. 46 "Apropos Debussy,"La Revue musicale de Lyon, October 15, 1905,p. 7.
533
came to the conclusion that many of the earlier works should be labeled Impressionist.Paul de Lestrang suggestedthat
the Five Poems of Baudelaire neatly affirmthe descriptive and Impressionistic character which are found henceforth in all the works of Debussy. .. . The Chansons de Bilitis is pure Impressionism.47
At about that time Vallas also began to use the term Impressionism, though in a more guarded and restrictedmanner. In discussing Faune on February 4, 1906,48he did not use the term, but on October 14 and 21, 1906, he listed all the piano works by Debussy series, and called none of them Impressionistexup to Images, first cept Estampes, which he said contained a "delicious and original One can only Impressionism indicated by their divers titles.""49 assume that for Vallas the Impressionism in Estampes derived from its rather special titles. But that is a little peculiar, for there are other provocative titlesamong the other piano workslisted by Vallas, such as Reflets dans l'eau, and one might place Reverie and Clair de lune in that category.Perhaps at this time Vallas was beginning to formulate his own conception of the nature of musical Impressionism, and the use of the term in connection with Estampes marked a first, provisional manifestationof that conception. He was to use it consistentlyin later years, devoting considerable space to a consideration of it in his biographyof Debussy. M. D. Calvocoressi also discussed Debussy's piano music in 1906. He did not use the term Impressionism,but suggested that Debussy's music is "markedly picturesque, even descriptive."'5 Henry Hadow took much the same attitude, stating that Debussy is "a master of and delicate shadows,"51while Edward Burlingame Hill half-lights referredto Debussy as an "unsurpassed poet in mysticism."52 In 1907, Vallas momentarilyretreated from his use of the term He was one of the several authors who were drawn Impressionism.53
47"Les Chansons de Bilitis," La Revue musicale de Lyon, December 2, 1906, p. 235. 48 La Revue musicale de Lyon, February4, 1906,p. 481. 49 "Le Nouveau style pianistique," La Revue musicale de Lyon, October 14, p. 6, and October 21, 1906,p. 33. 50"A Few Remarks on Modern French Pianoforte Music," Monthly Musical Record, June 6, 1906,p. 123. 51 "Some Tendencies in Modern Music," Edinburg Review (October, 1906), p. 381. 52 "Claude Debussy's Piano Music," The Musician (August, 1906),p. 192. 53 "Encore l'affaireRavel," La Revue musicale de Lyon, May 1, 1907,p. 772.
534
into the unfortunate and rather silly debate on the subject of influencesand even plagiarismalleged to have existed between Debussy and Ravel. This musical warfare,unwanted by both composers,was waged in Parisian newspapers and periodicals in the closing years of the first decade of this century,and it reached a climax in Le Cas Debussy (1910) by Charles Francis Caillard and Jose de B6rys.54 Vallas's failure to use the term Impressionism may have been because he did not want to associate Debussy and Ravel with a common stylisticlabel, for he quite rightlyrecognized substantial differences in their music. In any case, Vallas suggested that perhaps the best label for Debussy's music is not Impressionism, but Debussyism. Marnold also entered the affair.In an article in 1907,55 he juxtaposed aspects of the stylesof Ravel and Debussy without, however, applying the term Impressionism to the music of either composer. He had used the term in earlier discussions of Debussy's music, but in this argument, perhaps for the same reason as Vallas, he it. also avoided the term in an article related to the shunmed Laloy but controversy,56 he maintained that Debussy is the model which other French composers ought to admire. Calvocoressi also entered the controversy and introduced a thirdparty:
The study of theartistic commonto Mr. Debussyand to his contemporaries origins I believe, the independenceof the inspirations of proves therefore irrefutably, certainyoungmusiciansthat theytryto presentto us as pure plagiarists. .. .A French composer,very little known to the public, Mr. Erik Satil [sic], who is
about the same age as Debussy, or perhapstwenty producedfifteen, years
of Debussy.57
ago, some strange, incompleteworksbut whose entirelynew language, in spite of the manifest influence of Chabrier,offers striking examplesof pre-Debussyism to be veryclumsy which,comingtoday,would seem correctly copies of the music
In 1908, Laloy finallyemployed the term Impressionism in connection with Debussy's music. Like Vallas, he found an "impressionnisme dbliceux" in Estampes and in Nocturnes, though in an earlier discussion of the latter work he had not used the term. With La Mer he saw a new phase emergingin Debussy's music:
54 (Paris, 1910). 55 "L'AffaireRavel," La Revue musicale de Lyon, May 1, 1907,p. 793. La Grande en France," musicaux Revue,December 25,1907, 56 "Le partis p. 608.
57"Les Histoires naturelles de M. Ravel et L'imitation La Grande Debussyste," Revue,May10,1907, p. 394.
535
The happy changehas come about in theart of Claude Debussy, whichcompletely at first, Impressionistic today,more preciseideas, more adopts more ample forms solid constructions, more vigorousrhythms, and that withoutlosing anything of its finesseor its freshness. It is a concise style,determined, affirmative, full; in a wordclassic.58
Laloy did not use the term in his brief review of Trois Chansons de Charles d'Orlians,59 but the brevity of the article and perhaps the quality of this particular work did not suggest its usage to him. In any case, Laloy's biography of Debussy, mentioned earlier, appeared in 1909; it made liberal use of the term and left no doubt regardingLaloy's enthusiasmforit. G. Allix, in contrast to Laloy, found in La Mer a "very studied kind of Impressionism."'6 He furtherstated that "certain seascapes of that other Claude who is Monet caress the eyes a little bit as the ears are delighted here." Marnold discussed Images, Series II, and other works in a twopart article in 1908, but none of the works discussed was labeled and Calvocoressi also failed to use the term in his Impressionist,61 article in 1908, an article that was a kind of general report on Debussy's work up to that time.62 In an article in 1909, Georges Jean-Aubrymade the following observation:
However Impressionistic the music of Debussy may be, it concernsitselfsuffiwith literature, is it not true,so that the knowledgeand the love of the ciently themes on whichit floatslead to knowingit and lovingit; and if one has already of compared the music of La Mer so many timesto the pictorialImpressionism that this Impressionism owes a great deal to one of Monet, one will remember the Englishglories, T. M. W. Turner.3
Raymond Bouyer, who had been using the term Impressionism in discussions of Debussy's music for at least five years, continued
58"La nouvellemanibre de Claude Debussy," La Grande Revue, February10, 1908, p. 206.
p. 203.
59 "Trois Chansons de Charles d'Orlians," La
Grande Revue, April 15, 1909,
p. 166.
La Revue musicale S.I.M., February 15, 1908, so0"Le Mois-Concertset ThCAtres,"
61 "M. Debussy," Mercure de France, April 1, 1908, p. 184.
frangaisde la S.I.M., March 15, 1909,p. 109.
62"Claude Debussy," MusicalTimes, 1, 1908, February p. 179. Bulletin moderneen Angleterre," 63 "Claude Debussyet la musique frangaise
536
to do so in an article in 1909,04in which he not only referred to Debussy as an Impressionist, but related several of his works to paintingsby Monet. Laloy continued to use the term in 1910. In an article in that year,he stated that "Debussyism correspondsto symbolismin poetry, and Impressionismin painting. The analogy is not fortuitous."6'5 Edwin Evans wrote (in "Une opinion anglaise sur Pellias et Mdelisande"):
Whether he be considered an Debussy is often considered an Impressionist. which or not depends on the definition of the word Impressionism Impressionist is so oftenabused. Realism in music is the real imitation of nonmusicalsounds; on the it is in its true nature restricted to auditive phenomena.Impressionism, other hand, tries to create an impression analogous to the one produced by a nonmusical or by any phenomenon of the senses;it is not restricted phenomenon and to auditive phenomena.It is in this sense that Debussy is an Impressionist one is able to cite the music acnot a realist.As an example of Impressionism the words"thereare innumerable stars"[page 106 of the piano-vocal companying score of Pellias]. Since one cannot hear the sparklingof the stars,one would not be able to reproducethis nonexistent sound, but one can tryto create an on a starry analogous to theone thatvisionexperiences impression night.66
Later, Evans pointed to some influences on Debussy's Impressionism:

theevidentinfluence of the musicalImpressionists. of Mussorgsky, First, prototype is considereda new thing,but the volume of the melodies Vocal Impressionism in The Nurserywas published forty of Mussorgsky years ago, and it is as Imof Debussy.67 as anymelody pressionistic
Within the span of scarcely two decades Impressionism became a generally accepted term in the field of musicology. The evidence suggests that it was hastily and carelessly brought forward in an attempt to account for the newness and strangeness of Debussy's music. The resistance with which the term met in its early history, the looseness with which it was so often applied to Debussy's music, and the failure of most of those who used it to define precisely its
64 "La Musique," La Revue bleue, July 10, 1909,p. 59. 65 "Claude Debussy et le Debussysme,"S.IM. Revue musicale mensuelle (August66
September, 1910), p. 200. 1, 1910, January p. 345.

67Ibid.
"Une opinion anglaise sur Pellias et Mdlisande," Revue musicale de Lyon,
537
meaning or its attributesshould greatlyconcern us today, for much is at stake. The point that should be emphasized is this: that even three-quarters of a centuryafter its introduction to the field of music, Impressionism seems inevitably to create a frame of reference at whose center is painting, not music, and just as inevitablywe may be coaxed into dealing with Debussy's music first in termsof visual images and visually evocative titles. It is rare in the historyof music for a composer of Debussy's stature to be subjected to such a peculiar kind of prejudice. It is not too much to suggestthat this prejudice, which filters his music through painting, gives rise to the practice of reading things into Debussy's music which may not be there at all and of obscuring other things which are there and which are crucial to a true understanding of his uniqueness and individuality as a composer. Operating under such a cloud of prejudice, the significance of Debussy's works and his contribution to the course of twentiethcenturymusic have frequentlybeen, and will likely continue to be, underestimatedor misunderstood.

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Musical Impressionism: The Early History of the Term Author(s): Ronald L. Byrnside Source: The Musical Quarterly, Vol.

Musical Impressionism: The Early History of the Term

is one of themostdangerous enemiesof artistic truth.4

The Musical Quarterly

menis toward a vague, of these impressionistic style.8

ed. Ernst schaft, 1927). Bicken, (NewYork,

The Musical Quarterly

The Musical Quarterly

and Symbolists withoutbeing aware Indians and the Sengaleseare Impressionists

17 (London, 1904), p. 30. 18 (London, p. 36. 1907),

21 "Une opinion anglaise sur Pelldas et Milisande," La Revue musicale de Lyon,

"Apropos Debussy,"La Revue musicale de Lyon, October 15, 1905,p. 7.

The Musical Quarterly

Some reviewersdid not like the work at all. S. Marchesi reported:

at theOpdra-comique.30 ... wasproduced on that evening Mdlisande

40 "La musique," Mercure de France (July,1904),p. 241.

The Musical Quarterly

The Musical Quarterly

about the same age as Debussy, or perhapstwenty producedfifteen, years

57"Les Histoires naturelles de M. Ravel et L'imitation La Grande Debussyste," Revue,May10,1907, p. 394.

59 "Trois Chansons de Charles d'Orlians," La

Grande Revue, April 15, 1909,

La Revue musicale S.I.M., February 15, 1908, so0"Le Mois-Concertset ThCAtres,"

61 "M. Debussy," Mercure de France, April 1, 1908, p. 184.

frangaisde la S.I.M., March 15, 1909,p. 109.

The Musical Quarterly

Later, Evans pointed to some influences on Debussy's Impressionism:

September, 1910), p. 200. 1, 1910, January p. 345.

"Une opinion anglaise sur Pellias et Mdlisande," Revue musicale de Lyon,

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