Impressionism in Music

Impressionism in music was a movement among composers in Western classical music, mainly during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, whose music focuses on suggestion and atmosphere, “conveying the moods and emotions aroused by the subject rather than a detailed tone picture”. “Impressionism” is a philosophical and aesthetic term borrowed from late 19th century French painting after Monet’s Impression, Sunrise. Composers were labeled impressionists by analogy to the impressionist painters who use starkly contrasting colors, effect of light on an object, blurry foreground and background, flattening perspective, etc. to make the observer focus his attention on the overall impression. CMS faculty artists will perform pieces by some of the key forerunners of the impressionist era including works by Debussy, Raval and Satie. Audiences can expect to hear a variety of instrumental and vocal music that represents this fascinating period of music and art.