Gabriel Navia

Tonal Infiltration and Directional Tonality in Debussy’s Syrinx

1. Introduction: Debussy and Tonality

Debussy’s style ingenuously incorporates several compositional strategies

from the end of the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth century. His

unorthodox harmonic language combines middleground aspects of the romantic

tradition with coloristic modern tendencies. This musical plurality has long been the

subject of much discussion in the theoretical field and has stimulated the use of

many different analytical approaches to his music. While a generalization about the

most suitable approach is not possible and probably undesirable, research has

proven that much of Debussy’s music is best explained by tonal theory.1 Despite

Debussy’s preference for a highly embellished music surface, his large-scale

harmonic structure is often defined by transformations of traditional tonal models.

Schenkerian theory has seemed to be the most accurate analytical tool to

capture this practice. It not only illustrates the underlying architectural tonal plan,

but also establishes a connection with the past comparing Debussy’s use of tonality

with standardized prototypes. However, in order to better represent the

transformations introduced by his music, most analysts have adapted the theory

according to their needs. Adele Katz avoids any alterations to the system and

1 For examples of tonal approaches to Debussy’s music, see Matthew Brown, “Tonality and Form in Debussy's "Prélude à 'L'Après-midi d'un faune," Music Theory Spectrum 15 (1993): 127-143; Adele Katz, “Debussy,” in Challenge to Musical Tradition: A New Concept of Tonality (New York: Knopf, 1946), 248-293; Mark DeVoto, Debussy and the Veil of Tonality: Essays on his Music (Hillsdale: Pendragon Press, 2004); Boyd Pomeroy, “Tales of Two Tonics: Directional Tonality in Debussy’s Orchestral Music,” Music Theory Spectrum 26 (2004): 87-118; idem, “Debussy’s Tonality: A Formal Perspective,” in The Cambridge Companion to Debussy, edited by Simon Trezise, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 155-178.

reserves the use of Schekerian theory for only a few pieces that follow strict

Schenkerian paradigms. She then suggests the development of a new technique, one

that manages to explicate Debussy’s expanded tonal excursions.2 Felix Salzer, in the

other hand, diminishes the distinction between consonance and dissonance and

generates the Ursatz from an I-II-I progression.3 The approaches taken in recent

articles seem to be situated in between Katz and Salzer’s works. Boyd Pomeroy, for

example, utilizes Schenkerian theory to demonstrate how Debussy’s use of tonality

differs from the norm.4 Mathew Brown is more concerned with the philosophical

conception of Schenkerian theory. According to him, “the model can help us

determine, case by case, how and why partially, or even marginally, tonal pieces

sometimes sound tonal and sometimes do not.”5

In an article published in 2004, Boyd Pomeroy examines the process of

directional tonality in two orchestral pieces of Debussy and illustrates how the

composer transforms its nineteenth-century models.6 According to the theorist,

“although [Debussy’s] tonally directional frameworks are rooted in nineteenth-

century precedents, their compositional realization tends to subvert or problematize

such traditional aspects in uniquely twentieth-century ways.”7 Through the lens of

Schenkerian theory, I will attempt to demonstrate how tonal infiltration affects the

2 See Katz, “Debussy,” 248-293.

3 Felix Salzer, Structural Hearing: Tonal Coherence in Music (New York: C. Boni, 1952), 2:252-253.

4 See Pomeroy, “Tales of Two Tonics,” 87-118; idem, “Debussy’s Tonality,” 155-178.

5 Brown, “Tonality and Form,” 130.

6 Pomeroy, “Tales of Two Tonics,” 87-118.

7 Ibid., 115.

harmonic discourse of Debussy’s Syrinx, generating a unique process of directional

tonality.

2. Syrinx

a. Background

Despite its widespread reputation as one of the primary concert pieces for

solo flute, Syrinx was first conceived as part of a scene of Gabriel Mourey’s dramatic

poem, Psyche. The piece was intended to be performed during the first scene of Act

III and, as Mourey stated in an article published in 1921, represented “the last

melody Pan plays before his death.”8 The interaction between text and music was

crucial to the scene and, as we will see below, highly influenced Debussy’s

compositional choices.

A substantial analytical literature has been devoted to Syrinx. The piece’s

importance for the flute repertoire as well as its unconventional harmonic language

has inspired a variety of approaches which can be summarized in three large

categories: comparative, dynamic and bifocal. As an example of the first category,

Carol Baron draws a parallel between Debussy’s Syrinx and Varese’s Density 21.5,

explaining Varese’s piece through structurally significant elements of Debussy’s

work. Her analysis focuses on intervallic patterns, melodic contour and the use of the

whole-tone scale.9 Richard Parks, in the other hand, takes a dynamic approach.

According to him, his “study focuses upon the fluid nature of musical materials and

relations.”10 Based on the interaction of components, such as, durations of formal

8 Gabriel Mourey, “Memories of Claude Debussy,” Musical News and Herald (1921): 747.

9 See Karol Baron, “Varese’s Explication of Debussy’s ‘Syrinx’ in ‘Density 21.5’ and an Analysis of Varese’s composition: A Secret Model Revealed,” The Music Review 43 (1982): 121-134.

10 Richard Parks, “Music’s Inner Dance: Form, Pacing and Complexity in Debussy’s Music,” in The Cambridge Companion to Debussy, edited by Simon Trezise, (Cambridge: Cambridge University

units, harmonic materials, repetitions, durations between attack points, melodic

contour, and register span, he defines the form of the piece and sheds light on

Debussy’s “counterpoint of changes.”11 The third category explains the pitch content

of Syrinx as derived from two distinct entities and is, therefore, the most relevant

here. In Sonic Design, Robert Cogan and Pozzi Escot focus on the piece’s intervallic

content, motivic cells and non-diatonic collections, and propose a linguistic reading

which unfolds Bb and Db as the primary pitch centers.12 Similarly, Laurel Ewell

conceives the tonal organization of Syrinx as “a double-tonic complex of Bb/Db.”13

For her, each one of the two pitches functions as the “root” of a different whole-

tone scale (WT1 and WT2). A similar approach can be found in Baron’s article

mentioned above.14

Hence, as observed, Syrinx has been examined from several perspectives.

With the exception of a few inclusions of transformational and prolongational

concepts, most approaches are based on post-tonal theory and its application to

basic musical elements. The bifocal view taken by Ewell, Baron, and Cogan and Scot,

resembles the approach proposed here, however, all of them misinterpret the

double tonic complex present in the piece. The four analysts emphasize the

interaction between whole-tone scales and define the pitch content of the piece as a

Press, 2003), 197.

11 Ibid., 230

12 Robert Cogan and Pozzi Escot, Sonic design: The Nature of Sound and Music (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1976), 92-101.

13 Laurel Ewell, “A Symbolist Melodrama: The Confluence of Poem and Music in Debussy’s La Flûte de Pan” (DMA diss., West Virginia University, 2004), 29.

14 For other bifocal approaches similar to the ones mentioned above, see Karol Baron, “Varese’s Explication of Debussy’s ‘Syrinx,’” 121-134; Ernestine Whitman, “Analysis and Performance Critique of Debussy’s Flute Works” (DMA diss., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1977), 68-79; Julia Larson, “Flute Without Accompaniment: Works From Debussy: ‘Syrinx’ (1913) to Varese: ‘Density 21.5’ (1936)” (DMA diss., University of Maryland Collage Park, 1990), 1-15.

dialogue between Bb and Db. This reading underplays the role of tonality and

completely distorts the function of Db in the piece. This paper will analyze Syrinx as a

case of directional tonality in which the key of Bb minor is constantly infiltrated by

Gb major, eventually taking control of the harmonic structure.15 Db should,

therefore, be conceived as the dominant of Gb and not as the generator of a whole-

tone scale or the piece’s “ultimate concluding goal.”16

b. Formal aspects

Debussy’s music has long been perceived as singularly problematic for formal

analysis. Its unorthodoxies have generated studies based on several theories of

form, such as, traditional form, moment form, organic form and rotational form.17

Syrinx’s formal structure is better explained by the latter category. The rotational

concept was coined by James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy and has been largely

applied to sonata form. The theorists describe the temporal process as “structures

that extend through musical space by recycling one or more times – with

appropriate alternations or adjustments – a referential thematic pattern established

as an ordered succession at the piece’s outset.”18

Syrinx comprises three complete rotations. Each rotation is composed of two

modules. Module A defines the beginning of each cycle; it is marked by the opening

arabesque and the static key of Bb minor. Module B introduces harmonic motion

15 Definition of directional tonality (short discussion and reference to Pomeroy’s article)

16 Cogan and Escot, Sonic design, 93.

17 For an organic approach, see Richard Parks, “Music’s Inner Dance,” 197-231; For a rotational approach, see James Hepokoski, “Clouds and Circles: Rotational Form in Debussy’s Nuages,” Dutch Journal of Music Theory 15 (2010): 1-17; For a moment form approach, see Marianne Wheeldon, “Interpreting Discontinuity in the Late Works of Debussy,” Current Musicology 77 (2004): 92-115.

18 See James Hepokoski, and Warren Darcy, Elements of Sonata Theory: Norms, Types, and Deformations in the Late-Eighteenth-Century Sonata (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006), 611.

and is characterized by the Gb major tonal infiltration. Rotation 1 (m.1-8) is

dominated by the arabesque module and presents a very brief infiltrated section. In

rotation 2 (m.9-25), the Gb major module interrupts the development of the opening

theme and quickly becomes the protagonist. The last rotation (m.25-35) brings back

the arabesque theme, however, under control of the Gb infiltration.

c. Analysis

The opening theme marks the onset of rotation 1 and establishes the dark

key of Bb minor. The theme is formed by two main elements: a descending minor

scale which outlines the dyad Bb and Db, and a complete neighbor motion Bb-C-Bb

which confirms the emphasis on Bb. The minor scale is embellished by an E natural

which introduces a whole-tone flavor to the descent. The neighbor motion in

measure 2 is filled in with Cb, a pitch that will eventually play an important role in

the piece. The arabesque theme is restated in measure 3, but now receives a

different ending. The arrival on Bb in measure 4 initiates a third ascent that again

stresses the interval Bb and Db. Cb, respelled as B natural, functions again as a

chromatic passing tone and is now emphasized by a short caesura. At first, measure

5 seems to be a simple restatement of the just heard third ascent; however, after the

repetition of the first gesture, Debussy introduces a Db minor chord which resolves

to Cb major. The ii7-I motion mirrors the cadence in Cb major in Debussy’s “La Fille

aux Cheveux de Lin,” (m. 15-16) and should therefore be conceived as an aural image

of it. Debussy is well known for reusing or recycling preexisting musical material. The

term aural image is defined by Mark Devoto as “a natural tendency towards

repeated visits to the same musical territory, a characteristic fixation upon specific

sounds, patterns, textures, harmonic structures, sonorities, even absolute pitches

and melodic fragments.”19 When comparing the two passages mentioned above, one

can notice that the pitches of the right hand of the piano are exactly the same as the

ones utilized by the composer in Syrinx. In addition, both cadences are marked by

the plagal leading-tone resolution, a 6-8 motion that substitutes for the standard 7-8

in passages based on the pentatonic collection.20 In “La Fille,” Cb major functions as a

pivot between the keys of Gb major (I) and Eb major (VI). In Syrinx, the cadence

represents the first tonal infiltration, foreshadowing the key of Gb major. Thus, the

aural image acts as a psychological link between the key of the prelude and the key

that dominates a latter portion of Syrinx.

After reaching its third, Cb major does not resist the pressure and collapses

back into Bb minor, ending the piece’s first cycle. Hence, Rotation 1 prolongs Bb

through the large scale neighbor motion Bb-Cb-Bb. It is important to emphasize that

the significance assigned to the note Cb is gradually increased through the passage.

The initial harmless chromatic passing tone is first highlighted by a short caesura. In

measure 5, it becomes part of a Dbm7 chord which finally resolves to a Cb major

chord. The role of Cb is defined with the return of Bb minor. Its chromatic relation to

the “main key” hints the key of Gb major, injecting uncertainty in the piece’s

harmonic plan.

19 DeVoto, Debussy and the Veil of Tonality, 24.

20 According to Jeremy Day-O’Connell, “in the absence of the leading tone, scale degree 6 assumes special prominence and stands in a ‘stepwise’ relationship to the tonic in addition to its straightforward classical role as the upper adjacency to 5.” Jeremy Day-O’Connell, “Debussy, Pentatonicism, and the Tonal Tradition,” Music Theory Spectrum 31 (2009): 235. For more on the plagal leading-tone, see Ibid., 235-261.

The return of the arabesque theme in measure 9 confirms the initial Bb-

minor’s hegemony and marks the beginning of rotation 2. However, the theme’s

final descent is reversed in measure 10 leading to a “now real” infiltration. The new

material arpeggiates a Gb major chord which defines the new key and explains the

function of Cb in rotation 1. Despite Gb’s advantage, the stress on Bb does not allow

its complete affirmation. The emphasis on the tritone A and Eb in measure 13 as well

as the spelling of the chord gives the impression of an A fully diminished seventh

chord that should resolve to Bb minor as in a viio7 – i motion. Nevertheless, the

chord functions as an applied dominant to V of Gb major. After prolonging the

diminished seventh chord for two measures, Eb finally resolves to Db which, through

a b64 arpeggiation, mixes the fatalistic Bb’s minor mode with the illusory key of Gb

major. After four consecutive statements of the dominant, the V chord moves to ii

which without difficulty leads to I in measure 21. Despite the absence of a Gb, the

large stress on its dominant as well as the use of a ii-I motion, mirroring the cadence

in Cb major in rotation 1, confirms the arrival to I. However, the emphasis on Bb

generates instability and does not allow the complete affirmation of Gb. The major

key is then prolonged by a b64 neighbor motion which continues to stress the third

of the chord. In measure 23, Bb frees itself from the illusory major key and, as in a

desperate attempt to regain control of the piece, arpeggiates a Bb minor triad.

The opening theme returns in measure 29, however, because of the large

emphasis on Gb major in rotation 2 it is now infiltrated and unfolds a I-V motion in

the major key. In rotation 3, modules A and B are, therefore, superimposed. There is

a complete interaction between the arabesque theme and the tonal infiltration. The

caesuras before each restatement of the theme accentuate the importance of the

dominant; nevertheless, they do not allow its expected resolution. The arrival at the

dominant in measure 31 seems to bring an end to the battle between the two keys.

The whole-tone scale outlines an altered V7 chord which, despite strongly suggesting

the key of Gb major, never achieves its final goal.

d. Directional tonality and tonal infiltration

The process of directional tonality in Syrinx unfolds in a rather unorthodox

fashion. Despite presenting the known descending-third type, it contradicts the

nineteenth-century model in which the initial primary tone 3 eventually becomes 5

over the final tonic, being then completed by a fifth descent. Bb minor’s lack of

direction introduces complications to the work’s tonal plan, not allowing the major

key to succeed in its motion to the structural goal.

The high stress on Bb at the beginning of the piece not only defines the key of

Bb minor but also establishes the note as the piece’s primary tone. 8 is initially

prolonged by arpeggiations of the tonic chord. The aural image in measure 5

promises the key of Gb major and generates harmonic movement. The return of Bb

in measure 8, however, interrupts the infiltration and, as observed above, does not

allow the arrival of the suggested key, defining Cb as a neighbor-tone. After the

restatement of the arabesque theme, infiltration 2 finally introduces Gb major to the

piece’s tonal plan. At this point, 8 is, for the first time, reinterpreted as 3. The new

key prolongs Bb through a large-scale motion into an inner voice in which 3, first

transformed into b3 over Vb64, moves to 2 with the arrival of ii, finally resolving to

an implied 1 in measure 21. With the arpeggiation of Bb minor in measures 23 and

24, Bb is for the last time heard as 8. The primary tone is again reinterpreted with

the arrival of rotation 3. Before moving to the dominant in measure 31, the section

extends tonic by a constant I-V alternation which is provided by the repetition of the

infiltrated arabesque theme. The potential final descent is suppressed by the high

emphasis on the dominant’s chordal seventh as well as its augmented quality.

Despite the absence of a Gb major chord at the end of the piece, the stress on the

dominant should stimulate listeners to imply a resolution to I. However, the correct

resolution of the chordal seventh would naturally generate the return of 3,

weakening the cadential strength.

Hence, Syrinx should be structurally defined as non-goal directed. The piece

prolongs the initial primary tone through voice-leading techniques and does not

provide a final closure. Nevertheless, the lack of direction should be mostly

associated with the static key of Bb minor. While Gb major generates motion and

attempts to establish itself as the piece’s main key, Bb minor holds it back by

constantly attracting the melodic centricity to its tonic note, even during infiltrated

sections. By acknowledging Bb minor’s remarkable inactivity, the piece’s initial

primary tone 8 should, therefore, be retrospectively interpreted as 1. Differently

from 3 or 8, 1 does not have a final goal; it circles around itself without a defined

direction.

Thus, the piece illustrates a case of descending-third directional tonality in

which the initial primary tone 1 becomes 3 in the key of Gb major. However, because

of Bb minor’s lack of motion as well as its influence on the major key, the expected

final descent 3-2-1 is never achieved.

e. Text and music

Letters between the French composer and Gabriel Mourey as well as

annotations on the manuscripts evince Debussy’s preoccupation with the interaction

of the two main elements of the first scene of Psyche’s Act III, music and text.21 This

relation has been examined by Laura Ewell in her dissertation, A Symbolist

Melodrama: The Confluence of Poem and Music in Debussy’s La Flûte de Pan. Based

on symbolist concepts, Ewell provides a detailed analysis of the poem which is then

related to Debussy’s compositional strategies.22

The scene takes place in Pan’s grotto. A naiade, or river nymph, comes to the

cave in the evening and develops a dialogue with an oreade, or mountain nymph. As

Ewell points out, “the naiade is fearful but the oreade encourages her to listen to the

sound of Pan’s flute, assuring her that when she does she will no longer be afraid.”23

The naiade is eventually seduced by the song and surrenders herself without fear.

Ewell establishes then a parallel between Schopenhauer’s dualistic interpretation of

Psyche, which is comprised of two opposing entities, conscious and subconscious,

and the symbolist psychological transformations of the Naiade. She concludes by

observing that the shift in the naiade’s narration, in which allusions to darkness, fear

and imprisonment, are substituted by those of light, happiness and freedom,

represents the nymph’s conscious state of mind being dominated by an attractive

and unavoidable subconscious will.

21 For an example of a letter from Debussy to Mourey concerning the music and text, see Anders Ljungar-Chapelon, La Flûte de Pan ou Syrinx pour flûte seule(1913) (Malmö: Autographus Musicus, 1991): p. 2. For information on manuscripts, see Ewell, “A Symbolist Melodrama,” 1-7.

22 See Ibid., 8-76.

23 Ibid., 12.

By assigning different roles to the keys of Bb minor and Gb major Debussy

establishes a straight connection between the naiade’s psychological battle and the

tonal architecture of the music. Bb minor represents the nymph’s consciousness

which, flooded with fear, encapsulates her feelings and wills. The mind state is

illustrated in the music by a continuous absence of harmonic motion and the use of a

Bb minor altered scale. Gb major, in the other hand, functions as the subconscious

will and provides the nymph with freedom and joy through goal directed

infiltrations. Based on this interpretation, we could argue that the tonal scheme of

the piece follows the poem and is slowly dominated by the seductive freedom of the

key of Gb major. In rotation 3, the subconscious will takes control of the piece’s

psychological battle; however, the absence of a final resolution does not allow it to

materialize.

3. Conclusion

This study has explored Debussy’s use of directional tonality and tonal

infiltration in Syrinx. The procedures not only define the harmonic structure of the

piece, but also reflect the extra musical content originally intended for it. Syrinx’s

ambiguous tonal plan and lack of structural resolution have misled analysts into

problematic conclusions. Through the lens of Schenkerian theory and by a close

examination of Debussy’s compositional tactics, this paper has attempted to clarify

these questions.

Syrinx’s form is shaped by the ordered recurrence of alternated modules. The

temporal arrangement is best explained as three complete rotations comprised of

two basic elements: the arabesque theme and the Gb major infiltration. The

framework of the directional process is rooted in nineteenth-century models;

however its realization is highly affected by the expressive role assigned to each key.

The static character of Bb minor suggests a reinterpretation of the initial primary

tone in which 8 becomes 1. The rhetorical preference for 1 is confirmed by the poem

and the imprisoned feeling generated by the naiade’s fearful consciousness. The

arrival of Gb major introduces freedom to 1 and transforms it into 3. Looking for

resolution, the goal-directed 3 introduces harmonic motion and attempts to bring

the piece to an end setting up its structural dominant. As if the subconscious will

could not become true, the final resolution is never achieved. In addition, the

augmented quality of the dominant chord as well as the emphasis on its chordal

seventh suggests an implied return to 3. While the process of directional tonality

unfolds a clear motion from Bb minor to Gb major, the absence of a final descent

suggests that the fundamental line is still being influenced by the consciousness of

the minor key.

It seems clear that tonal infiltration process has serious consequences for

Syrinx’s harmonic structure, form and rhetorical aspects, opening it to hermeneutic

interpretations.

References

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