Starting with the most dated document, published in 1970, William W. Austin's analysis on the prelude is well referenced amongst the other analyses mentioned below. The analysis was only small fraction of the book to act as a brief commentary of the prelude. In the analysis, Austin addressed the continuity of the piece with reference to the motives and used a method based on traditional diatonic harmonies focused on resolving dissonances. This may seem undialectical at first glance. However, Austin consistently approached the harmonic analysis of the piece from an audience aural perspective and took into account of instrumentation. In an attempt in distinguishing sections for the prelude, Austin's analysis took listener's stance in identifying
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Code recognised the abundant harmonic analysis already present in literature and instead wished to focus on timbre. This is due to Debussy's melodic repetitions that can seem meaningless in a pitch-class set analysis. Code related the poem's symmetry in the struggle between the mind and body in the faun to the interplay between the dream-like flute solo and the traditionally sensuous violins. Perhaps the biggest claim Code made was that Mallarmé's poem was a "literary adaption of a fugue." A fugue, meaning to flee or to chase, refers to a form of composition popular between the fourteenth century and the seventeenth century. Code then explained how this fugal form was worked into Debussy's prelude without the music being a fugue. David Code's analysis of the prelude was largely based on imposing Mallarmé's poem onto the traditional structures of a fugue, then relating the prelude to the various elements of a fugue in the poem. Whilst Code's argument on Debussy's intentions in the parallels between the poem and the prelude was speculative at best, his analysis brings a new dimension to the …show more content…
Caddy discussed the relations between the visual and the aural and approached from an angle where Nijinsky's choreography enhanced Debussy's music. Firstly, Caddy made general observations at places where music and dance directly correlated. Then Caddy zeroed in on opposing duo elements, and related this to the juxtaposition and symmetry that is very much integrated into the music and the poem. One compelling point was inter-play between "obviousness and obscurity". Caddy discussed the moments of deliberate synchronicity in dance and music as to highlight the ambiguity of the rest of the ballet. From the two other analysis previously discussed, it could be worth comparing these juxtapositions with the poem and music. Perhaps the same disjoint mentioned by Berman and parallels mentioned by Code was intentional in the music rather than interpretative. Musicologist Emma Adlard's review on the article praised Caddy's analysis on the audio-visual relations that brought fruition to the dual contrast between dance and music. Adlard then brought attention to Caddy's speculation on the angular movements of dancers mirroring the photographs of female patients at
Code recognised the abundant harmonic analysis already present in literature and instead wished to focus on timbre. This is due to Debussy's melodic repetitions that can seem meaningless in a pitch-class set analysis. Code related the poem's symmetry in the struggle between the mind and body in the faun to the interplay between the dream-like flute solo and the traditionally sensuous violins. Perhaps the biggest claim Code made was that Mallarmé's poem was a "literary adaption of a fugue." A fugue, meaning to flee or to chase, refers to a form of composition popular between the fourteenth century and the seventeenth century. Code then explained how this fugal form was worked into Debussy's prelude without the music being a fugue. David Code's analysis of the prelude was largely based on imposing Mallarmé's poem onto the traditional structures of a fugue, then relating the prelude to the various elements of a fugue in the poem. Whilst Code's argument on Debussy's intentions in the parallels between the poem and the prelude was speculative at best, his analysis brings a new dimension to the …show more content…
Caddy discussed the relations between the visual and the aural and approached from an angle where Nijinsky's choreography enhanced Debussy's music. Firstly, Caddy made general observations at places where music and dance directly correlated. Then Caddy zeroed in on opposing duo elements, and related this to the juxtaposition and symmetry that is very much integrated into the music and the poem. One compelling point was inter-play between "obviousness and obscurity". Caddy discussed the moments of deliberate synchronicity in dance and music as to highlight the ambiguity of the rest of the ballet. From the two other analysis previously discussed, it could be worth comparing these juxtapositions with the poem and music. Perhaps the same disjoint mentioned by Berman and parallels mentioned by Code was intentional in the music rather than interpretative. Musicologist Emma Adlard's review on the article praised Caddy's analysis on the audio-visual relations that brought fruition to the dual contrast between dance and music. Adlard then brought attention to Caddy's speculation on the angular movements of dancers mirroring the photographs of female patients at