Claude Debussy - La Mer (Three Symphonic Sketches for Orchestra)

Under the Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai, the artwork featured on the first edition cover of Debussy’s La Mer.

Under the Wave off Kanagawa (The Great Wave) by Katsushika Hokusai, whose imagery inspired Debussy and adorned the first edition of La Mer.

La Mer is Claude Debussy’s orchestral masterpiece and one of the most influential symphonic works of the early twentieth century. As a child, Debussy dreamed of becoming a sailor, and the fascination with the sea—its movement, power, and ever-changing light—never left him. Rather than portraying the sea descriptively, Debussy sought to capture its essence through sound.

His imagination was nourished not only by nature but also by visual art. He admired painters such as Turner and was deeply influenced by Japanese art. The famous woodblock print Under the Wave off Kanagawa, commonly known as The Great Wave, by Katsushika Hokusai, was chosen to adorn the cover of the first edition of La Mer, visually encapsulating the work’s elemental force.

Debussy composed much of La Mer during the summer of 1904 while on vacation with Emma Bardac. The work was first performed in October 1905 and was soon recognized as one of the greatest achievements of French orchestral music.

Although not a symphony in the traditional sense, La Mer consists of three movements—described by the composer as “symphonic sketches”—each evoking a distinct sonic image of the sea. Never before had Debussy come so close to symphonic form while maintaining such freedom of structure and color.

I. From Dawn to Noon on the Sea

The opening movement begins almost imperceptibly, as if the first light of dawn were shimmering across the cold surface of the water. Gradually, the music gains warmth and motion as the day awakens. Particularly striking is a passage of gently unfolding harmonies in the cellos, culminating in a broad and radiant brass statement reminiscent of a distant chorale.

II. Play of the Waves

The second movement flickers with mercurial energy. Delicate, razor-thin orchestral textures and rhythmic flashes create a world of dazzling light, wind, and sparkling water. The music glides, darts, and shimmers with effortless fluidity.

III. Dialogue of the Wind and the Sea

The final movement evokes the raw power of the sea in storm. Amid the turbulence, a moment of calm emerges: the only truly sustained melody of the entire work, gently sung by the woodwinds over a high, persistent violin note. This fragile stillness is short-lived, as the storm returns, driving the piece toward a monumental conclusion with powerful orchestral outbursts.

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