Sarah Qiu

450396971
Both Debussy and Bartok participated in their own kinds of emancipation from traditional
Western tonal tradition, and their compositional processes coincided greatly with their similar
use of pitch and harmony. This is seen particularly with their use of non-Western pitch
collections like pentatonic and octatonic scales, and modes; as well as the use of harmony in a
non-functional way - which allowed them to further modify other conventions of music like
rhythm, structure and timbre to their own preference. However, being different composers of
different nationality, education and background, they had fundamentally different approaches to
composition. Debussy was more concerned with the quality of the colour of certain pitch
collections (in either melody or harmony), whereas Bartok had a more ethnomusicological
folksong approach that lead to less conventional use of harmony in his music. Both show
similarities in their compositions, but of course there are also differences to be explored. This
will done through analysis of some of Bartoks piano works in his Fourteen Bagatelles and his
Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta and Debussys Voiles from Preludes.
Bartok and Debussy display similarities in breaking away from the reigning Austro-Germanic
tradition - chiefly the equalization of all twelve chromatic tones in their use of pitch and harmony
to go beyond conventional major-minor tonality. This, in which the concepts of consonance and
dissonance had been inextricably tied to the regular barline, greater freedom in metric and
rhythmic organization was permitted.1 This thus lead to the freedom to use rhythm and
structure in non-traditional ways, to best suit their compositional needs. As Nadeau terms
Debussys Synthesis, he had a traditional musical education at the Paris conservatoire, and
well aware of the Austro-Germanic Romantic hegemony of his time. However, he had several
extraneous influences, including Russian music, and quite importantly Javanese Gamelan
music - hence he preferred to use pentatonic, octatonic, whole-tone and modal scales in his
music.2 His experimentation with chromatically-altered chords shows a preference for using
non-triadic chords for their own unique colour and sonority, rather than harmonic function.3 Thus
he expanded his own harmonic language to accommodate a variety of tonal materials beyond
major/minor...by refuting the absolute need for the resolution of dissonant chords.4
Bartok shows a similar expansion beyond the major/minor but from a more ethnomusicological
approach. Bartok realised the need for Hungarian composers to create a national sound that
could be taken as seriously as the Austro-Germanic works - thus began the search for the true
1 Elliott Antokoletz, Musical Symbolism in the Operas of Debussy and Bartok: The New Musical
Language (Oxford Scholarship Online, 2008), 3 , accessed October 24, 2016.

2 Roland Nadeau, Debussy and the Crisis of Tonality, Music Educators Journal, 66 No. 1(1979) 71,
accessed October 24, 2016.

3 As cited, 71.
4 As cited, 72.

Hungarian sound, which was found in the peasant rural folksongs of the distant past which were
old enough to have become strange, and therefore new again.. Bartok, in his attempts to
notate traditional Hungarian folksong as accurately as he could from the phonograph, noted
non-conventional rhythms and meters, and melodies. This opened his ears up to new
possibilities of non-traditional harmonizations of pentatonic and modal melodies.5 This
realisation would not have been possible without Debussys work, having restored a feeling for
chords to all musicians6 or as Moreux (1939) puts it, having [re-awoken] among all musicians
an awareness of harmony and its possibilities.7. Bartok had a synthesis of his own8, of modern
trends (being inevitably surrounded by modernism) and ancient Hungarian folksong - as seen in
his use of polymodal chromaticism (i.e. the combination of modes to create a new scale) and
symmetrical interval cycles as a structural device. Where Bartok had a preference for
symmetrical arch forms and meticulous formal organisation, Debussy preferred a more organic
and intuitive development of structure. And Bartoks harmony has its basis in melody, whereas
Debussy uses melody as the surface of harmony.9 Hence, similarity is seen in Debussys and
Bartoks use of pentatonicism and modality in equalising all twelve chromatic tones to break
away from the traditional major-minor tonality of the Austro-Germanic domination. However,
their overall approaches to composition show differences in the aesthetic and organisation of
such harmony.
Debussy, in his work Voiles for solo piano, uses non-Western scales extensively, indicating a
distinct emancipation from the tonic-dominant expectation that rules over major-minor tonalities.
Voiles main motif, as well as the first section and last section is almost all whole-tone pitches
(except when it focuses on pentatonic pitches in the middle contrasting section). The pentatonic
scales omittance of the 3rd and 7th scale degrees loosens any expectation for the dominant to
lead to the tonic. Similarly, the whole tone scale omits all semitones so there is no sense of
attraction or leading to any particular scale degrees. Moreover, Debussy uses pedal point, to
provide harmonic stasis as well as a structural device and to provide a sense of pulse. Use of
rapid running scalic passages emphasises the flow of movement, along with use of
syncopation and tied notes, interchanging with straight quaver/semiquaver rhythms to triplets to
syncopation, as well as tempi variations to create uncertainty. This is especially noticeable in the
opening motif of Voiles, where it does not start on the first beat, and has tied note values
5 Elliott Antokoletz, The Musical Language of Bartk's 14 Bagatelles for Piano, Tempo, New Series,137
(1981) 9, accessed October 24, 2016.

6 Roland Nadeau, Debussy and the Crisis of Tonality, Music Educators Journal, 66 No. 1(1979) 73,
accessed October 24, 2016.

7 Anthony Cross, Portrait of Debussy. 2: Debussy and Bartk, The Musical Times, 108, No. 1488 (1967)
125, accessed October 24, 2016

8 Elliott Antokoletz, The Musical Language of Bartk's 14 Bagatelles for Piano, Tempo, New Series,137
(1981) 8, accessed October 24, 2016.

9 Roland Nadeau, Debussy and the Crisis of Tonality, Music Educators Journal, 66 No. 1 (1979) 73,
accessed October 24, 2016.

contrasting with small rapid runs. There is no stable rhythm until bar 5 - this, combined with the
motifs sudden pitch jump provides an unstable, lilting quality - evoking the title Voiles. Here
begins Debussys emancipation from traditional Western tonality and a consequent freedom of
rhythm to evoke Impressionist ideas.
Bartok shows similar approaches in his Fourteen Bagatelles, in which is his first pentatonic and
modal considerations are noticeable. Pentatonicism features heavily in the oldest of Hungarian
folksongs and provided the basis for Bartoks unconventional harmonisations - such as using
the minor-seventh chord and fourth chords due to the chord tones strong presence in the
pentatonic scale.10 Bagatelle No. IV shows the use of the minor-seventh chord D-F-A-C.
Because the leading tone C# is omitted, there is no longer a tendency towards the tonic and so
weakens the sense of conventional tonality.11 The recurrence of fourth skips in pentatonic
melodies not only encouraged Bartoks use of fourth chords, but also would provide some of the
basis of his symmetrical pitch cycles that would majorly define his compositions later on. In
Bagatelle No. IX he shows signs of his polymodal chromaticism, linking between whole-tone,
diatonic and octatonic scales. Bartok expands a gapped whole tone motif to a whole tone scale
and then modifies the end to imply a major scale; or he directly modifies that motif to become
octatonic.12 Hence a weakening of pitch hierarchy occurs, deviating from the traditional notions
of tonality. Bagatelle No. II exemplifies these points - its main pitch and harmonic basis is a
symmetrical, chromatically expanding motif from A to E flat. The A acts as its axis of symmetry,
with the motifs melodic chromaticism shows a disregard for conventional pitch tendencies and
harmony. The restrictive choice of pitch is similar to Debussys construction of melody through
whole tone and pentatonic scales.
Bartok expands on such use of pitch and harmony in his work Music for Strings, Percussion and
Celesta (1st Movement) through its explicit polymodal chromaticism, symmetrical pitch cycles
and constant mirroring. Although the atmospheric timbral effects, overlapping polyphonic
texture, constantly changing meter and lack of pulse is somewhat reminiscent of Debussys
evocative style, major differences can be seen in Bartoks approach in structure and pitch. As
foreshadowed in his Fourteen Bagatelles, Bartok combines Phrygian and Lydian modes that
result in a chromatic/octatonic scale. The piece begins with a fugue, with each entry point of
each instrument going through an alternating cycle of fifths ie. A - E - D - B - G etc until
eventually reaching unison on E flat. This cycle is based symmetrically around the starting pitch
A. There is no tonic-dominant relationship, instead the tension is drawn between the A and E flat
tritone. This is highlighted by the texture and dynamics - which starts soft and polyphonic, then
reaches a dense, loud rhythmic and pitched unison, and then spreads out gradually to soft
polyphony again. Moreover, meticulous use of symmetry is evident. Not only does Bartok show
symmetry in his pitch cycle of the starting notes of the fugue entries; he uses contrary motion in
10 Elliott Antokoletz, The Musical Language of Bartk's 14 Bagatelles for Piano, Tempo, New
Series,137 (1981) 9, accessed October 24, 2016.

11 As cited, 9.
12 As cited, 12.

bar 78, as well as contrasting similar instruments with the extremes of their respective high and
low registers to create a sort of mirroring. Furthermore, the grand scale of the movement is an
arch form. It is also notable that the very last phrase acts as a summarisation for the whole
movements trajectory from the tonal centers A to E flat and back to A. Such detailing in
symmetry and order has become typical of Bartok but certainly not of Debussy. Where Bartok
sought to recreate order in a conscious and modern way, Debussy sought to evoke atmosphere
in a more intuitive, organic manner.
Hence, through the analysis of Bartoks Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta and some of
his Fourteen Bagatelles, as well as Debussys Voiles from Preludes, it is clear that although
they coincide with similar use of modes, pentatonic, whole tone and octatonic scales to go
beyond the traditional notions of major-minor tonality, their fundamental approaches as
composers differ greatly. Debussy has expanded greatly on traditional tonality, and combined
with his colouristic use of instruments, register and melody, as well as freedom of rhythm and
tempo to create a highly evocative style. Bartok, on the hand, chose Hungarian folksong as the
basis of his work, eventually arriving to the highly structured, symmetrical style he is known for.

Bibliography
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Antokoletz, Elliott. Musical Symbolism in the Operas of Debussy and Bartok: The New Musical
Language (Oxford Scholarship Online, 2008) Accessed October 24, 2016.
Cross, Anthony. Portrait of Debussy. 2: Debussy and Bartk The Musical Times, 108, No. 1488
(1967) 125-127,129-131. Accessed October 24, 2016
Danchenka, Gary. Diatonic Pitch-Class Sets in Bartok's Night Music Indiana Theory Review. 8,
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Hooker, Lynn. Modernism on the Periphery: Bla Bartk and the New Hungarian Music Society
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Hooker, Lynn. Redefining Hungarian Music from Liszt to Bartk: Cosmopolitan Nationalist
Modernism (Oxford Scholarship Online, 2013) Accessed October 24, 2016.

Nadeau, Roland. Debussy and the Crisis of Tonality Music Educators Journal, 66 No. 1 (1979)
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