Claude Debussy (1962-1918)

Written by Nurel Javissyarqi
Translated by Agus B. Harianto

In the book “Les Français et I’Indonésie du XVIe au Xxe siecle” compiled by Bernard Dorléans mentions, in his notes Debussy wrote: “If you hear the strains of Javanese musical with a normal ear of Europe, you have to admit that our music is nothing more than mere basic sounds of traveling circus. “

And according to the professor that was singles to the end, Gertrudes Johan Resink (1911-1997), told that the French composer, Claude Debussy introduces Java Music tones into his musical compositions. It’s heard clearly in his work entitles “La Cathédrale engloutie.” Where “gemelan” tones infiltrated into the deepest soul, since the reflection of character as the soul of entire Java.

Often I heard Javanese’s musical I felt like witnessing valley of paddies in the land of Dwipa, fertile land marks the sustainable soul of its worker, although the price of manure is not felt so relieve, because of the government only concerns their own stomach; high salaries but still corrupt, collusion and such reprobate as their kind.

I refer to the passage of “La Cathédrale engloutie” via youtube with a feeling of chills, vibrated my chest. My heart is like a blister, raised my soul and flied by the strains of its composition. I wanted to dive, in fact I had sunk in, curled up in its depth, penetrated the rotation of quiet and silence of emptiness, be buried long time in the mud of tranquility.

I rose up again by the water source running down to the green of the paddies of hillside, ladder symbolizes the levels of the patient of farmers, and diligence firmly stresses the love of motherland. At immature personalities, they mortgaged and also sold the field for luxury trinkets that merely satisfies the eyes and the ear, sucked by nipples of their innocence by the appearance of sparkling of urban.

So listen to music of your heart, although you got it from afar. Is there a feeling of loss, when the tones of your soul are no more melodious? When you daily life ambushed by intrigue of hurly burly? Turn around; back into the purity as such the pulse of water infiltrates into the sidelines of the clay touched the body. You would be enlightened by the beauty that will not bring you to by powder and lipstick. Come along with the sound of Debussy.

J. Van Ackere on the books of “Musik Abadi (Eternal Music)”, translated by J. A. Dungga, Gunung Agung Djakarta, n.d (no date), the original book entitles “Eeuwige Muziek”, published by NV Standaard-Boekhandel, Antwerpen, Belgie, said:

“People said that Debussy to be the forerunner of impressionism music. Like other (ism) streams, this word was also difficult to decide. It is certain, that the language and techniques of Debussy, there are similarities with impressionist painters. He gives the impression of parenthetically and impressive, he prefers to the color rather than lines, and nuance than the color, the feeling just a vague and a little too, and also often uttered symbolic. Romantic of suffering and violence has been forgotten. Old clothes had been abandoned. ”

As if Debussy’s feet were walking on the muddy field, his music invites to get rest under the tree enjoying the breezy tropical wind, hanging the flowers of white clouds. There is peace tranquility that will not destroy the story, opening the sheet of possibilities through the presence of beauty nuance:

The morning mist, the village girls woke up from their sleep, the unmarried men believed in their fate as sharp as spear on the seriousness of working. A soft caress of the angel of the sunlight; spot’s splashing with the rainbow-colored pierced the shade of the leaves of sesbania trees that are lined on the embankment.

And under the tree of gempol cleaned fingers in the river flowing clearly, before tasted the rice and side dishes as shipment from the old village, prosper the heritage of the ancestors, great grand fathers devoted themselves for the sake of the children of life grasp the real water.

Achille-Claude Debussy was born at August 22, 1862, and died at March 25, 1918 is a French composer. His music is considered the transitional of the romantic period to the modern at the early twentieth century. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was a major figure in music of impressionist, although he does not like giving the name of the stream.

He is the blessed by the quiet of nature, spread subtle threads of withdrawal the tenderness of poetic, similar to the beauty eye balls penetrates memories of the humans, looking at sharp highlight. The light is the flying of magic light illuminated canopy of the house, reassuring the residents in the quiet nights blanketed by confidence. Prayers was flown away by faith, break the silence through the tinkle of water onto the rocks of resignation, the existence was reflected from there, echoes of the seriousness was as wide as the horizon of the heart at the top mountain of the height of life.

Debussy’s music reveals the secrets of self-life, the plucked hear is like heart strings with its vibration provokes the willing, tone’s cohesiveness of the fairies taking a bath in spring shower, evokes the charm from the depth. It is not similar to Wagner’s marked at the death romance, but the subtlety of well personality after read the confusion of life, which never faded to shackle the leg of humane.

Its vibrations lead far beyond the halls of the romantic, miracle is the language. Arrows floating on the air by high level of life grade of creation attained natural goal by God. Or any air bubbles on the surface of the lake, which tempts the bird to gulp and enjoy laughter in sipping of friendly companionship in the township, and lowered its voice into the dreams.

It is vagueness of his music has no sounds of abstract, as odor as the flowers are emanated from stroke painting of the impressive classes, as is archaeologists explores the past to enter into the quiet boisterous of research. He drank the stones speaking in the carefulness, as such the dew on the end of leaves and still reluctant to drop a kiss.

It felt the final moment would not be finished quickly, searchers continued to find a different silence, the peculiar loneliness delivers the question, with softest saying that is melt weakly. Debussy opened the secret doors of the harmony of the world, which is often forgotten by the change of period, and crushed by a bright appearance before our eyes.

His music invites us to close our senses, touches the hearts of each one, which intrinsically the interwoven is the same rhythm of solitude with other compositions. So is the wind-speaking, short pulses of water utters the word tenderly on the lips of stone, then the history is seen as clear as its originality. That is the reasoning balances the data with fidelity of periods, which in contained.

Lamongan-Lirboyo.