Concerning the question of Debussy's method of quotation on the example of the ballet "La boite a joujoux"

Abstract

The article examines the overlaps of the plot of Stravinsky's ballet "Petrushka" with that of Claude Debussy's ballet "La boite a joujoux" in the aspect of artistic polemics between the two composers. The focal point of the research is revealing the musical quotations placed into Debussy's ballet and the method of his work with derived musical material. In "La boite a joujoux" Debussy makes use of three varieties of quotations. These are the composer's favorite children's songs, which symbolize for him the world of childhood, naivete and purity. Then there are melodies from well-known classical compositions, as well as quotations from his own oeuvres. The composer feels the importance of the semantics of "alien" themes. He brings in these quotations in a covert manner, applying a separate segment of the melody, artfully implementing it into the style of his own musical language, not aspiring towards the recognizability of the quoted motives. A self-sufficient semantic level in the ballet is formed by a number of themes which carry out the functions of leitmotifs. Their development and meaning are close to Wagner's understanding of the purpose of leitmotifs as independently active musical "protagonists" called upon to disclose the implications of the plot and the emotional mood of the main characters and various situations. The applied classification of quotations presents the possibility of coming up with the following conclusions: Debussy's "alien" quotations play a depictive and illustrative role, while his self-quotation acquires the tint of parody.