Date of Graduation
2004
Document Type
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
Composed by Debussy in 1913, as incidental music for Psyche , a dramatic poem by French symbolist poet and playwright Gabriel Mourey, the work for solo flute known today as Syrinx, has since become a standard of the solo flute repertoire. Anders Ljungar-Chapelon, editor of a new edition based on a recently recovered period manuscript, has challenged traditional conceptions of the work's compositional context. Debussy's original title for Syrinx was La Flute de Pan and appeared as a musical component of a melodrame within the play, just prior to the death of Pan. The recovery of a probable primary source manuscript plus information gathered from Debussy's correspondence invites a new look at this piece, taking into consideration connections between Mourey's Symbolist poetry and Debussy's compositional procedures. The analysis of the poem and music reveals a process which represents or analogizes the symbolist associations and techniques of the concurrent text thereby creating a convergence between poem and music. This document contains analyses of the relevant portions of the poem, the music, and performance suggestions which enhance this unique confluence between word and music.
Recommended Citation
Ewell, Laurel Astrid, "A symbolist melodrama: The confluence of poem and music in Debussy's "La Flute de Pan"." (2004). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 8830.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/8830