The character of Pierrot, a shortened form of the name Pierre (Peter), originated during the 17th century as one of the stock characters of Commedia dell’Arte. He was originally portrayed as a buffoon, and a trademark characteristic of Pierrot is his naiveté. In many representations, he is seen longing for the love of Columbine, usually unsuccessfully as she typically breaks his heart by leaving him for Harlequin. During the first half of the 1800s, the character of Pierrot was forever solidified by the famed pantomime Jean-Gaspard Deburau, whose performances served as the archetype for all future reincarnations of the character. Many artists began to turn sympathy towards Pierrot and the plight of the sad clown. By the close of the century, he had further become a representation of the artist himself and the proponents of the various schools of thought—the Decadents, the Symbolists, the Modernists—used him to their own explicit purposes.
Prior to Claude Debussy, few of the major composers had depicted Pierrot in their works. Telemann included a section inspired by him in his Burlesque Overture; Mozart, in his 1783 “Masquerade;” and, Robert Schumann, in Carnaval. Between 1881 and early 1883, Claude Debussy produced two settings of poems based on Pierrot, after which followed many more musical portraits by other composers including Arnold Schoenberg’s famous Pierrot lunaire. The first setting, that of Théodore de Banville’s Pierrot, was composed in 1881, but was left unpublished until after the composer’s death. Debussy’s music is humorous with a particularly taunting melodic figure that appears within the first few measures of the song. This motif then becomes a principle element of the accompaniment, appearing both as a sort of counterpoint to the vocal line or as an addition to the end of its phrases. In the final line of text, treated by Debussy in a sort of quasi-recitative, Banville makes a direct reference to Deburau himself as the sad and hapless clown.Joseph DuBose
Classical Music | Soprano
Claude Debussy
Pierrot, from Quatre chansons de jeunesse Play
Recorded on 08/16/2005, uploaded on 01/17/2009
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
The character of Pierrot, a shortened form of the name Pierre (Peter), originated during the 17th century as one of the stock characters of Commedia dell’Arte. He was originally portrayed as a buffoon, and a trademark characteristic of Pierrot is his naiveté. In many representations, he is seen longing for the love of Columbine, usually unsuccessfully as she typically breaks his heart by leaving him for Harlequin. During the first half of the 1800s, the character of Pierrot was forever solidified by the famed pantomime Jean-Gaspard Deburau, whose performances served as the archetype for all future reincarnations of the character. Many artists began to turn sympathy towards Pierrot and the plight of the sad clown. By the close of the century, he had further become a representation of the artist himself and the proponents of the various schools of thought—the Decadents, the Symbolists, the Modernists—used him to their own explicit purposes.
Prior to Claude Debussy, few of the major composers had depicted Pierrot in their works. Telemann included a section inspired by him in his Burlesque Overture; Mozart, in his 1783 “Masquerade;” and, Robert Schumann, in Carnaval. Between 1881 and early 1883, Claude Debussy produced two settings of poems based on Pierrot, after which followed many more musical portraits by other composers including Arnold Schoenberg’s famous Pierrot lunaire. The first setting, that of Théodore de Banville’s Pierrot, was composed in 1881, but was left unpublished until after the composer’s death. Debussy’s music is humorous with a particularly taunting melodic figure that appears within the first few measures of the song. This motif then becomes a principle element of the accompaniment, appearing both as a sort of counterpoint to the vocal line or as an addition to the end of its phrases. In the final line of text, treated by Debussy in a sort of quasi-recitative, Banville makes a direct reference to Deburau himself as the sad and hapless clown. Joseph DuBose
More music by Claude Debussy
La Puerta del Vino, from Préludes Book II
Rapsodie (arr. Rousseau)
Arabesque in C sharp major
Soiree dans Grenade, from Estampes
Beau Soir
Ondine, from Préludes Book II
La Cathédrale engloutie, from Preludes, Books 1, No.10
Estampes
Apparition, from Quatre chansons de jeunesse
General Lavine – eccentric, from Préludes Book II
Performances by same musician(s)
Solveigs Sang, Op. 23, No. 19
Aria Angenehmer Zephyrus from Zerreißet, zersprenget, zertrümmert die Gruft BWV 205
Aria L'amero sarò constante from Il re pastore, K 208
Jeg elsker Dig, Op. 5, No. 3
Glitter and Be Gay, from Candide
Claire de lune, from Quatre chansons de jeunesse
Apparition, from Quatre chansons de jeunesse
Pantomime, from Quatre chansons de jeunesse
Med en vandlilje, Op. 25, No. 4
Classical Music for the Internet Era™
Courtesy of International Music Foundation.