Debussy's Paris

Piano Portraits of the Belle Époque

Catherine Kautsky

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
• Year: 2017
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781442269835
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Music Biographies

Claude Debussy's exquisite piano works have captivated generations with their dreamlike atmosphere and mysterious soundscapes.Written in Paris at the height of the Belle Époque, the music creates a soundtrack for Parisians' enjoyment of such delights as clowns, mermaids, eccentric dances, and the dark tales of Edgar Allan Poe. Debussy's Paris: Piano Portraits of the Belle Époque explores how key works reflect not only the most appealing and innocent aspects of Paris but also more disquieting attitudes of the time such as racism, colonial domination, and nationalistic hostility. Debussy left no avenue unexplored, and his piano works present a sweeping overview of the passions, vices, and obsessions of the era.

Pianist Catherine Kautsky reveals little-known elements of Parisian culture and weaves the music, the man, the city, and the era into an indissoluble whole. Her portrait will delight anyone who has ever been entranced by Debussy's music or the city that inspired it.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Preface
• Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Pierrot Conquers Paris
• Chapter 2: Clowns, Poets, and Circus Daredevils
• Chapter 3: Dance Steps out of Line
• Chapter 4: The Cakewalk Wars
• Chapter 5: A Taste for the Orient
• Chapter 6: Asia on a Pedestal
• Chapter 7: Child’s Play and Make Believe
• Chapter 8: Fairies and Fairy Tales
• Chapter 9: Crossovers on Land and at Sea
• Chapter 10: The Floating World
• Chapter 11: Fair-Haired Maidens
• Chapter 12: Edgar Allan Poe’s “Imp of the Perverse”
• Chapter 13: The Sounds of Nationalism
• Afterword: In Conversation with Baudelaire and Proust
• Notes
• Selected Bibliography
• About the Author