Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun | Impressionist, Orchestral, Ballet

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class="d-flex align-items-top justify-content-between"> <div class="d-flex flex-column"> <div> <div> <h1>Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun</h1></div> </div> <div class="topic-identifier font-16 font-md-20">work by Debussy</div> </div> </div> <div class="d-none d-sm-flex flex-row"> <div class="mr-10 mb-15"> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="d-block md-topic-tools qa-action-buttons mb-15" data-topic-id="474857"> <button class="js-tooltip btn btn-sm btn-outline-blue border pr-10 border-2 text-nowrap" > <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="more_vert"></em> More Actions </button> <div class="md-more-popover popover popover-sm p-0 font-14 z-1"> <div> <a class="js-modal btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" href="/print/article/474857" target="_blank" > <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" 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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> <div class="pb-20"> <ul class="list-unstyled mt-20 lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://archive.org/details/DebussyPreludeToTheAfternoonOfAFaun_903" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Internet Archive - "Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun"</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.kennedy-center.org/artist/composition/2466" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">The Kennedy Center - National Symphony Orchestra - Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="caption alternate-titles">Also known as: “Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune”</div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/Betsy-Schwarm/9297586" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">Betsy Schwarm</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Betsy Schwarm is a music historian based in Colorado. She serves on the music faculty of Metropolitan State University of Denver and gives pre-performance talks for Opera Colorado and the Colorado Symphony...</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Betsy Schwarm</span></div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Prelude-to-the-Afternoon-of-a-Faun/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>French: </dt> <dd>Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Prelude-to-the-Afternoon-of-a-Faun"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="108628" data-asm-type="audio"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="audio"><audio src="https://cdn.britannica.com/46/92246-005-E5E6E408/theme-Prelude-Claude-Debussy-lapres-midi-dun-faune-1954.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" controls=""></audio></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/46/92246-005-E5E6E408/theme-Prelude-Claude-Debussy-lapres-midi-dun-faune-1954.mp3" data-href="/media/1/474857/108628">Claude Debussy: <em>Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune</em></a><span>Excerpt from the main theme of Claude Debussy's <em>Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune</em> (<em>Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun</em>); from a 1954 recording by the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Igor Markevitch.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref1185142"></span>Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun</strong>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/symphonic-poem" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">tone poem</a> for <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/orchestra-music" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">orchestra</a> by <span id="ref1186440"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Claude-Debussy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Claude Debussy</a>. The original orchestral version was completed in 1894, and Debussy reworked it for performance on two <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/piano" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">pianos</a> in 1895. The work is considered a quintessential example of musical <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Impressionism-music" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Impressionism</a>, a compositional style popular at the turn of the 20th century that was influenced by the artistic school of the same name.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><em>Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun</em> is a musical evocation of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Stephane-Mallarme" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Stéphane Mallarmé</a>’s poem “Afternoon of a Faun,” in which a faun—a half-man, half-goat creature of ancient Greek legend—awakes to revel in sensuous memories of forest <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/nymph-Greek-mythology" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">nymphs</a>.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Debussy begins with a sinuous <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/flute-musical-instrument" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">flute</a> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/melody" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">melody</a> <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="evocative" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evocative" data-type="MW">evocative</a> of a graceful female form. Gently swelling phrases for <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/stringed-instrument" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">strings</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/harp-musical-instrument" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">harp</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/horn-musical-instrument-group" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">horns</a> are soon added. The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/music" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">music</a> proceeds without abrupt shifts; themes blend into each other, slowly rising and falling. The middle section features <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/clarinet" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">clarinet</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/oboe-musical-instrument" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">oboe</a> solos before the flute gradually retakes the spotlight. In the final moments, airy touches of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/percussion-instrument" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">percussion</a> from finger cymbals are heard.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/quiz-who-composed-it" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/38/154338-131-518608F9/some-Wolfgang-Amadeus-Mozart-classical-music-pieces.jpg" alt="Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart rehearsing his 12th Mass with singer and musician. (Austrian composer. (Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Quiz: Who Composed It?</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/contributor/Betsy-Schwarm/9297586">Betsy Schwarm</a></span> <span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":474857,"pageLength":170,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.133.9"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.133.9' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"A","adLeg":"A","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"SMALL","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun | Impressionist, Orchestral, Ballet | Britannica