Debussy - D'un cahier d'esquisses

[andhow04]

Here's a little recording of this beautful debussy piece with no real title.  i read in paul robert's book on Debussy's piano music that he [Debussy] intended a second Suite Bergamasque with masques, this piece, and L'isle joyeuse.  So i played them together , the program was:

Quentin Kim - Variation on an ancient Korean melody
Debussy - Masques / d'un cahier / L'isle joyeuse
Franck - Prelude, chorale & fugue

I like to picture when playing this piece a village at the foot of the mountain and everyone is going to sleep.  those high g-flat chords are like glints of moonlight reflected on the windows. 

[rachfan]

Hi andhow,

Thanks so much for posting "D'un cahier d'equisses" ("From a Sketchbook").  I thought your performance was very thoughtful and beautiful. It's an enchanting piece, and I enjoyed too your sharing the imagery you hold in mind as you perform it.  Some believe that Debussy was creating a sketch foreshadowing his orchestral suite "La Mer", although it doesn't seem literal in that sense, at least to me. It may be that he was experimenting more with harmonies and the like than thematic material per se.

I've been meaning to get to this piece for several years... well, some day! 

[andhow04]

thanx for the reply!

i wasn't aware f this piece till iread paul robetrs' book.  he has two that i know of about debussy, one is a short book published by phaidon called claude debussy, and then the other is called "images: the piano music of claude debussy" and i found that somewhere for cheap, i dunno ebay or thereabouts, and it turns out signed by the author.

this piece is not hard to learn the notes (mostly black keys) but there are a lot of subtleties and debussy doesn't give a lot to go on in terms of imagery, like most of his piece.

thanx for listening