Debussy and Recollection:trois aperçu

Abstract

I take the position that Debussy’s treatment of the past is strategically significant in each of the three works considered in the article. Textual and musical concerns mesh in the song “De rêve,” fromProses lyriques,when a state of recall colors the condition of the present. InPour le pianoovert references to Baroque- and Classical-era compositional procedures mask temporal play of an entirely different kind. In “Golliwogg’s Cakewalk,” fromChildren’s Corner,the allusion to a comedic effect deflects attention from the scathing critique that represents the central message of the work.