Description
Clair de Lune (Moonlight) is the third movement of Claude Debussy’s suite for piano, entitled Suite Bergamasque. He began composing it around 1890, at the age of 28, but significantly revised it before its 1905 publication. Clair de lune is one of Debussy’s most famous works and one of the most recognisable pieces of music of all time.
Debussy’s work was inspired by Paul Verlaine’s poem of the same name, which was itself inspired by the paintings of Jean-Antoine Watteau. His poem speaks of “au calme clair de lune triste et beau” (the still moonlight sad and lovely). Debussy’s musical interpretation is calm, evocative and expressive, and wonderfully captures the essence of mingled sorrow and beauty.
It has been used in numerous films, including The Purge, Ocean’s Eleven, Twilight, Atonement, The Right Stuff, The Game and, more recently, Everything Everywhere All at Once. It was to have been included in Walt Disney’s Fantasia but, due to runtime issues, it was cut.
Clair de Lune has been arranged for a wide variety of instrumental combinations but is presented here in an arrangement for wind quintet, which has been transposed from its original key into C major.
