IMPRESSIONIST music instruments

When talking about music, you have probably heard the word "Impressionism" and you may have wondered what the musical context of this time was like. If this is the case, in this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to talk to you about the instruments of impressionist music, an artistic trend that arduously sought textures and sensitivity to paint a musical landscape.

Index

1. What is the impressionistic music
2. The Instruments of Impressionism
3. Stringed instruments
4. Wind instruments during Impressionism
5. Percussion instruments
6. Keyboard instruments
7. The harp

The Impressionism It is an artistic trend that was born in France during the 19th century, approximately between the years 1860 to 1910. In addition to music, it is also related to other arts such as painting, plastic arts and literature. The largest exhibitors of impressionist musical composition were Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy in France.

At the same time, musical impressionism had a boom in Spain with the composers Manuel de Falla, Isaac Albéniz and Joaquín Turina. The

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At this time academic music (what we understand by classical music today) still dominated in popularity, therefore the instruments used in the Musical impressionism are those of the classical genre, used in formations such as the symphony orchestra, chamber formations and solo instruments such as the piano.

In the impressionist orchestra we find several of the classical instruments already established in earlier times but there are also some additions and implementations. Thanks to the technical improvements of the brass instruments, it achieves a greater brightness in its sound. Finally, the intention arises to reinforce the low tones, resulting in additions of serious instruments such as the trombone, bass clarinet, contrabassoon and improved tuba prototype.

Within the music of Impressionism they stood out violin, viola, cello and double bass.

Mentioned from highest to lowest, they belong to the same family of instruments. They are made of wood and require a bow to rub their strings. They have 4 strings and fretless necks. They make up a large part of the orchestra and are very versatile in technique.

We continue to know the main instruments of impressionist music to talk about those that belong to the category of wind.

Woodwind instruments

The most used were the flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon. They are instruments that work with wind, made of wood and / or metal. They change notes thanks to the holes in the body that are covered and uncovered by activating key mechanisms with the fingers.

This section includes:

• The piccolo, which has an even higher register than the flute.
• The english horn, very similar to the oboe but slightly larger and with a deeper timbre.
• The bass clarinet, which is a lower register variant of the usual clarinet.
• The counterbassoon, which is even more serious register than the bassoon.

Brass instruments

The most used were the trumpet, French horn (horn), tuba. Mentioned from highest to lowest. They work by blowing wind through their bodies and changing notes with their fingers through valves, which particularly in this era perfect their mechanism. These instruments are more powerful and strident than woodwind instruments.

From The bass horn, a new prototype is created and seated in the orchestra on trombone, a very powerful instrument that, unlike the other instruments of this family, works by means of a sliding rod to change notes.

Image: Slideplayer

Among the instruments of impressionist music, we also highlight the percussion instruments. We found the eardrum, already used by tradition. Within this section the instruments continued to vary, but in search of achieving different sound effects, instruments such as:

• The castanets: Two pairs of small, circular wooden plates. A pair is taken in each hand and they are sounded by hitting one plate with another with movements of the fingers. They have a sharp and agile sound.
• Dishes: Made of metal. They can be used individually hit with drumsticks or in pairs, hitting each other.

Categorized by its mechanism of operation by means of keys. The piano at this time it becomes more frequently part of the orchestra and not necessarily a solo instrument. It integrates the celesta, an instrument of smaller volume and size than the piano and that works by means of metal plates, giving it a brighter sound.

The harp is another instrument that is incorporated into the impressionist orchestra. It is categorized as a plucked string instrument. It has several strings arranged from high to low, tensioned by a frame and played with the fingers of both hands. The harp has pedals that allow you to alter the pitch of the strings for semitones.

We hope that now you have a broader knowledge about the instruments of impressionist music.

If you want to read more articles similar to Impressionist music instruments, we recommend that you enter our category of Musical instruments.