Clair de lune (Suite bergamasque)

Claude Debussy · Level 6 (Expert) · Impressionist · Piano

The third movement of the Suite bergamasque (published in 1905), inspired by a poem by Verlaine. A piece by Debussy, a leading figure of musical Impressionism. D♭ major, 9/8, 72 bars (about 5 minutes), complete score.

▶ Play this piece with the interactive score

How to practise it

• Listen first: the site plays it while the score scrolls.
• Wait mode: the score waits for you at every note, at your own pace.
• Tempo challenge: play in time, with a score and a map of the bars you got right.
• Fine, frequently changed pedal and very soft dynamics: look for colours rather than power. The arpeggios of the middle section (“un poco mosso”) are shared between the hands: keep them even and hushed beneath the melody. The original grace notes are not in the playable score: add them once you know the notes. Key signature with 5 flats: name them aloud before playing and spot the places where accidentals cancel them. In 9/8, count the beats as groups of three eighths (dotted beats) to keep the lilt. One hand sometimes plays two voices: hold the long notes for their full value and let the main line sing louder than the accompaniment.

More pieces by Claude Debussy

• Danseuses de Delphes (Préludes, Book I, No. 1)
• Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l’air du soir (Préludes, Book I, No. 4)
• Deuxième Arabesque (L66 No.2)
• Arabesque No. 1 in E major
• Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum (Children’s Corner No. 1)
• Jimbo’s Lullaby (Children’s Corner No. 2)
• Sarabande (Pour le piano No. 2)
• Valse romantique

Source : Note after Note, d’après l’édition Fromont (1905) et la saisie CC0 de Y. Murakami (PDMX / MuseScore) · CC0 / Public Domain