abstract
debussy’s “ce qu’a vu le vent d’ouest” (préludes, book 1) provides fertile ground for teaching undergraduate students to identify whole-tone scales in a musical context. included in this article are an analysis of the piece and lesson plans designed to help students find examples of whole-tone collections in melodic and harmonic contexts. students collaboratively construct a musical timeline, deepen their thinking through exploratory writing, discuss the interactions of diatonic and whole-tone elements throughout the piece, and support their analytical observations with specific musical examples. in a setting that invites both tonal and post-tonal analysis, students learn to discern which analytical tools are appropriate to diverse musical contexts.
recommended citation
ripley, angela
(2016)
"what did the west wind see? teaching whole-tone scales through debussy's "ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest","
journal of music theory pedagogy: vol. 30, article 3.
available at:
https://digitalcollections.lipscomb.edu/jmtp/vol30/iss1/3
