Six épigraphes antiques explained

Six épigraphes antiques, L. 131, CD. 139, is a suite of six pieces by Claude Debussy, originally written for piano duo. Completed in July 1914, the suite was Debussy's only completed composition that year. In 1915 Debussy transcribed them for piano solo. Much of the music (over 100 measures) is taken from the musical accompaniments he had written in 1901 for his friend Pierre Louÿs's erotic lesbian poems Les Chansons de Bilitis.^{[1] [2]} In 1939 the Swiss conductor Ernest Ansermet created an orchestration of the suite.

Movements

1. Pour invoquer Pan, dieu du vent d'été ("To invoke Pan, god of the summer wind")
2. Pour un tombeau sans nom ("For a nameless tomb")
3. Pour que la nuit soit propice ("In order that the night be propitious")
4. Pour la danseuse aux crotales ("For the dancer with crotales")
5. Pour l'égyptienne ("For the Egyptian woman")
6. Pour remercier la pluie au matin ("To thank the morning rain")

See also

• Book: Astilla. Christopher. "Between the Staves" – Adaptations of Debussy's "Six Epigraphes Antiques" and Creative Tasks of the Performer. 9780549458920.
• List of compositions by Claude Debussy

Notes and References

1. Book: Wheeldon. Marianne. Debussy's Late Style. 2009. Indiana University Press. 978-0253352392. 4.
2. Book: Snyder. Harvey Lee. Afternoon of a Faun: How Debussy Created a New Music for the Modern World. September 2015. Hal Leonard Corporation. 9781574674828. 188.