Between the Staves

The Six épigraphes antiques of Claude Debussy display the late master's reworking of an early collaboration with poet Pierre Lou˙s, rendering scenes of ancient Greece and Egypt that fuse musical and narrative realms. Putting together the closely related visual, literary, and historical spheres that inspired this unique work, this study recognizes the oneness of artistic creation that characterizes the music of Debussy. From the metamorphosis of his early sketches to the final, mature works, an understanding of Debussy's use of musical metaphor can be gleaned through his connection to Lou˙s's lyric poems, the Chansons de Bilitis. Debussy's hallmark symmetrical and structural moulds, along with his integration of embedded literary procedures, are explored as they reflect the Classical Greek symmetry conveyed by these ancient scenes. A variety of creative works (music, visual and dance) emanated from the Épigraphes, most significantly Ernest Ansermet's 1939 orchestration, and are extrapolated to benefit performance. This book provides a template for the creative role of the performer and serves to broaden the understanding of music's interdisciplinary nature.