Analyzing the Development of the Opening Melody of “L’apres-Midi d’un Faune”

The central melodic fragment of the piece begins in the opening bar of the work as a solo for flute. Here we fall chromatically, with the omission of C natural / B Sharp which appears later in the motif in the ascension. This fragment is then repeated exactly in the next bar to form the main melodic phrase. The end of this phrase is picked up in bar 8 in the Oboe, only transposed down a major second. This fragment is repeat in the next bar similar to the repetition of the initial melodic fragment in the opening.  In bar 11 the solo flute then plays a repeat of the opening melody, however bar 13 is chromatically altered, and in bar 14 beat 2 we have a C sharp instead of the B we would expect. The cello part in bar 11-12 could be a hint towards the ascending figure of the main melodic fragment. In bar 17 we have further hints towards the main melodic fragment, in the Oboe, Clarinet and later Violin I parts, we see a semi-interpretation of the fragment, the rhythmic values have be extended, and to keep the phrase the same length, notes have been omitted.

Because of the change in meter in bar 21, the restatement of the flute melody has to be rhythmically altered. This is allowed by extending the duration of the first note. At this point the pitches are still the same as the opening. In bar 23 the fragment is used extended again, however it is now transposed to begin on an A natural. The note values relative to the transposition remain the same.

In the cor anglais part at bar 25, we see a chromatically descending figure, perhaps imitative of the descending of the opening fragment. In bar 26 we see the flute playing the fragment again. Both flute parts in bar 27 could be interpreted to take their notes from the ascending figure of the melodic fragment. The clarinet in bar 31 could attempts to imitate the flute fragment, transposed to beginning on a C natural. The contour of the melody begins the same but changes towards the end of the bar. This happens again in bar 34, but this time the clarinet is transposed to begin on an E flat. In the oboe at bar 37, we see a counter reminiscent of the opening melody, but with note removed and intervals changed. In 39 we se a syncopated motif in the oboe part., We also a hint of the beginning fragment in bar 41 in the violins. In bar 46 the cor anglais and clarinets begin with what looks like an inversion of the main fragment, although this changes towards the end of the bar. At the same time the violins play a realization of the fragment in the enharmonic equivalent of the original key, D flat.

In bar 53 the fragment is hinted at in the cor anglais.

The figure appearing in the winds at 55, later moving to the strings could be seen as an imitation of an augmented opening descending figure, but this is used significantly to suggest it is in actuality a new melody / motif. The upper winds in bar 61-62 play a decorated version of the fragment.

In bar 71 the strings introduce a quasi-realization of the melodic fragment, the opening notes appears as a turn, followed by descending notes, which then ascend back to the initial note. We see the flute play a more obvious fragment in 79-81. This has been altered to fit with meter change, and augmented. We now begin on E natural. This is succeeded by another adaptation of the main melody in 82-83. In bar 83 the oboe begins a decorated version of the main motif, adding a trill, an acciaccatura and various articulation, as well as the change in rhythm. This is repeated exactly in bar 84.

In bar 86 the fragment returns again to the flute, now beginning in E flat, extended rhythmically and altered in the sequence of notes, now the first interval change is chromatic, not diatonic, however Debussy’s treatment of this makes the subtle change almost undetectable to the ear. Because of this, the range the notes descend decreases, and the we descend a perfect fourth instead of the original tritone. The oboe picks up an extended part of the main melody in bar 89. In bar 90 the oboes decorated melody is passed to the cor anglais in the original starting note of C sharp. The chromatic alteration of the first note, to produced a chromatic run is also evident here. The oboe dovetails the ascending figure of this fragment. Important to note here is that once again the range of the descending movement is decreased, we go down to an A sharp, compared to the original G natural. In bar 94 an intervalliclly similar fragment is used in both flutes, as well as being hinted at in the subsequent bar.

The flute and solo viola play an interpretation of the fragment at bar 100. The fragment only descents a perfect fourth however, and is repeated in the next bar. In 103-104 the oboe plays a sequence made from the end of the main melody. The melody is last hear in the cor anglais at 107, as well as a realization of the melody in the violins. The cor anglais part plays the intervalliclly smaller fragment