Introduction
La mer is an orchestral composition composed by Claude Debussy between 1903-19105. The performance of this composition is in three movements the first movement is “From dawn till noon”. The second movement is “Play of the Waves” which is in C-minor and has a very versatile rhythm. The third movement is known as “Dialogue of the Wind and Sea” and is in C # -minor which is very fast and frantic. On the other hand, The Rite of Spring was composed by Igor Stravinsky in 1913. The composition was done in two parts; one part is the Adoration of the Earth and the second part is the Sacrifice. Lastly, the Erwartung was composed by Arnold Schoenberg as a monodrama in one act containing four scenes in 1903 and then to a libretto Marie Pappenheim.
Analysis of the compositions
Debussy in the La Mer uses short melodic fragments in is first movement and then uses a modal scale he invented for the next theme. Debussy intended his music to be evocative and he used melodies that would evoke certain feelings or thoughts other than describing the sea (orangejamtw, 2011) . In the Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring the melodies are short and have folk-like ancient character. Similar to the La Mer the melodies in the Rite of String are short groups of notes that only appear as fragments only (MartialVidz, 2013) . In the Erwartung from the 6th minute mark, the melodies are in groups of short notes that increases gradually with time. The instruments are however always accompanied by the voice of a woman (koenigmoo, 2014) .
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In the La Mer Debussy uses clear structures, the evolution of rhythm across the three movements provides a narrative as it changes from one section to the next. Debussy in the La Mer use phrase structure to provide a sequence of music event therefore creates a narrative with an introduction or the frantic expression of notes when reaching a climax (Trezise, 1994) . In the Rite of Spring rhythmic grouping are irregular and there is use of recurring rhythmic structures. The primary force of the motion in the performance is rhythm other than harmony. There is also combination of different rhythms at the same time. There are rhythmic conflicts throughout the video and consequently there are no long sections of music where the beat is predictable. For the Erwartung by Arnold Schoenberg, from the 6 th minute of the video there exists a repeated musical phrase which is rhythmically secure due to the repetition of notes (Friedheim, 1966) . However, rhythmic integration begins followed by half-note chords where there is no interest in the rhythmic structure.
The performing forces in these pieces involve instrumentation with brass, keyboard strings, timpani, horns, trumpets, harps and many more instruments involved in an orchestra. However, in Erwartung by Arnold Schoenberg there is a different performing force which is the voice of a woman. The woman performing in this video is called Karita Mattila and takes the role of the woman singing in soprano who searches for her lover in the forest when its dark out. The harmonies in the pieces are different with Stravinsky mainly using dissonance harmony throughout the piece and the harmonic motion is usually slow. On the other hand, Debussy breaks away from the traditional harmonic progression, he uses exotic scales and sudden tonal juxtapositions to develop new harmonic innovations (France, 1977) . Lastly, Erwartung by Arnold Schoenberg uses tonality characterized by an interval cycle with descending minor thirds.
References
France, M. d. (1977). German Influence on French Music reproduced in Debussy on Music. London: Martin Secker and Warburg publishers.
Friedheim, P. (1966). Rhythmic Structure in Schoenberg's Atonal Compositions. Journal of the American Musicological Society , 59-72.
koenigmoo (Director). (2014). Schönberg: Erwartung - Karita Mattila (1/3) [Motion Picture].
MartialVidz (Director). (2013). Stravinsky's - The Rite of Spring (BBC Proms 2013 - François-Xavier Roth conductors) [Motion Picture].
orangejamtw (Director). (2011). Debussy - La Mer [Motion Picture].
Trezise, S. (1994). Debussy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
