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From age 10 until he was 22, Debussy studied at the Paris Conservatory, a prestigious music school. His teachers regarded him as a "talented rebel". His style of writing was influenced by several visits to Russia and his lifelong interest in Russian music. He was also influenced by the Asian music performed at the Paris International Exposition of 1889, which was like today's World's Fair. Debussy's music evokes similar types of images found in works by impressionist painters such as Renoir, Pissaro and Monet.
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For years, Debussy led an unsettled life, earning a small income by teaching piano. His friends were mostly writers, and Debussy often attended their literary gatherings, called "salons". At this time, he was not known to the musical public and not completely sure of himself as a composer. It was not until he wrote an opera in 1902 that his career took a turning point and he became recognized as the most important living French composer.
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"Golliwog's Cakewalk" is from a six movement suite called Children's Corner. It is dedicated to Debussy's daughter, Claude-Emma (known as "Chou-Chou"), who was three years old at the time. The pieces are not intended to be played by children; rather they are meant to be reminisent of childhood and some of the toys in Claude-Emma's toy collection. The entire suite takes about 15 minutes to perform. The six pieces are titled: 1. Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum
2. Jimbo's Lullaby 3. Serenade for the Doll 4. The Snow Is Dancing 5. Little Shepherd 6. Golliwog's Cakewalk |
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An "arabesque" is a continuous, seamless, swirling pattern that seems to have no interruptions within itself. It is commonly found in artwork, fabrics and architecture of middle eastern cultures of northern Africa and India. It can be seen in architecture and patterns from the Baroque period of Johann Sebastian Bach, and it is one of the characteristics of Bach's music.
Debussy wrote two Arabesques early in his career that contain hints of his developing musical style. His view of a musical arabesque was a line curved in accordance with nature. His music mirrored the celebrations of shapes in nature made by the Art Nouveau artists of the time. |
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