Prelude a lapres midi d'un faune

• Presentation of main theme (motif A)

  1. Solo flute presents the main theme with no initial accompaniment

  2. Melody slides up and down through a tritone twice before stretching upwards and falling through an octave

  3. Harmony introduced in bar 4 with a harp and woodwind chord

  4. Muted strings provide the harmony whilst two horns engage in a dialogue

  5. 1st horn part slides chromatically upwards to reintroduce the theme
• Theme played by the flute

  • Tonally ambiguous in that it does not sit comfortably in any one key
• Restatement of the theme

  1. Theme restated exactly in the flute

  2. Harmonised initially by an unexpected D major harmony

  3. Oboe takes over the last note of the flute and develops bars 3 and 4 of the theme

  4. 3-note cell in violin 1, clarinet and oboes becomes the important, repeated motif
• Introduction of strings playing tremolando

  • Creates a hushed, magical atmosphere
• Variation of the theme

  1. Flute begins to vary the theme with a much longer initial C-sharp and a freer development of the original shapes

  2. Theme underpinned harmonically by a chord of E major

  3. Flute plays the opening of the theme over a dominant ninth chord on B

  4. Accompanying harmonies pass from the strings into the woodwind, ending up on a chord of c minor
• Further variation of the theme

  1. Flute slides onto a C-sharp to restate the theme

  2. Harmonies slip subtly sideways onto a dominant 9th chord on E

  3. Flute flutters up and down the same tritone gap, echoed by the 2nd flute

  4. Flute and 2nd flute join in unison to take up a semiquaver triplet idea and cascade down a scale
• Each time the flute has presented the theme the harmony underneath has been varied
• Introduction of a new theme (motif B)

  1. Oboe plays a new theme, accompanied by strings and bassoon

  2. Imitation between the woodwind and the violins, based on this theme
• First three notes of the new theme

  A reversal of the 3-note cell that became prominent in bars 15-20
• Further development of the new theme

  1. Falling 3rds from this new theme are taken up by the flute and oboes and then imitated again by the violins

  2. Countermelody played on the bassoons and clarinets

  3. Clarinet and cor anglais play a figure similar in shape to the flute in bar 3

  4. Violins take over this motif as the horns play a line derived rhythmically from the third bar of motif B
• Harmony in bar 50 is based on a dominant seventh chord on E-flat
• Introduction of a new melodic material (motif C)

  1. Clarinet has the melodic material, which continues to develop the horn part from bar 47

  2. Opening minor 3rd leap is changed by the clarinet to a major 3rd

  3. Double basses keep the underlying harmony static with a four-bar pedal note on A-flat
• Resolution onto a chord of A-flat major in bar 51 is the first strong perfect cadence in the piece so far
• Introduction of new melodic material (motif D)

  1. Woodwind play new melodic material as the gently throbbing string chords keep the texture flowing

  2. Strings rise and crescendo to herald another falling figure in the wind

  3. Harmony drops a semitone and a sense of propulsion is added by the repeated arpeggiation of the two harps together with the cross-accented triplets in the upper woodwind and horns

  4. Strings carry the thematic material, bar 67 relates to motif C and bar 68 harks back to the woodwind's material in bar 62
• Bass line in 55-58 oscillating across a tritone, this interval and the associated harmonic progression are important as they are embodied in the main theme of the piece, motif A
• Reference to previous motifs

  1. 1st horn makes reference to motif C

  2. Clarinet and flute recall bar 62

  3. Solo violin repeats motif D
• Return to original key and theme

  1. Music suddenly arrives back in its original key, E major, and the flute gives the listener a brief glimpse of motif A

  2. Harp provides a harmonic stasis with flowing E major arpeggios

  3. Strings use this as the basis for more elaborate simultaneous chords
• Sudden agitation


  1. Change to C major prompts a sudden agitation with the oscillating horn pattern, over which the oboe plays an energised version of motif A

  2. Chattering cascade through the woodwind and horns, accompanied by cross-rhythm staccato chords in the strings
• Debussy increases the sense of agitation by also increasing the tempo
• Repeat of previous section

  Harmony drops into E-flat major and repeats bars 79-82 down a semitone, this time with the oboe playing the flute's theme
• Further reference to previous material

  1. Based closely on bars 83-85, motif A is given to the cor anglais and the chattering flute figure enters after only three beats

  2. Harp glissandi add more colour to the texture
• Tritone steps the bass in bars 92-93 (see bars 55-58) end on a G#7-based harmony
• Return to original key and juxtaposition of motifs

  1. Return to the original key (E major) sees motif A played in unison by two flutes, which digress after two bars to ponder on the falling triplet figure from bar 28

  2. Two violins refer to motif C, and after one bar they are joined by a solo cello and two clarinets

  3. Juxtaposition of motifs A and C is startling because there is a semitonal clash (C-sharp/D) between their starting notes
• Introduction of antique cymbals adds a magical touch to the texture
• Restatement of motif A

  1. 1st flute restates motif A, although the characteristic fall through a tritone is reduced to a perfect 4th

  2. Oboe takes up the melodic material with a restatement of the second half of motif A which is extended and continues to fall while the strings climb upwards
• Bar 105 is based on a B7 harmony, preparing for a final, strong perfect cadence into bar 106
• Closing section


  1. Thick, muted string and horn chords in bar 106 create a luscious tonic chord over which the harps play quavers

  2. Horns and violins play a reference to motif A

  3. Flute takes over to bring the piece to a close with two two-note figures, both beginning on C-sharp, the first note of motif A
• The harps' quavers threaten to destabilise the tonic chord through there introduction of a D-natural (the flattened seventh)