Clair de Lune - Definition and Overview

"Clair de Lune" (Moonlight in French) is the name of various works in various fields of the arts.

Clair de lune de la Suite Bergamasque

Perhaps most famously, it is the third movement of Claude Debussy's Suite bergamasque for solo piano, composed in 1890. It is mostly played pianissimo, and the variations between intensity and distance makes this masterpiece one of the most beautiful ones from the impressionist epoch. It is played in Db Major, with the exception of its climax which is played in C# Minor.

Other meanings

Clair de Lune is also the name of a poem by Paul Verlaine which Debussy himself set to music twice. Gabriel Fauré also made a song of it.

External links

• Downloadable sheet music of Debussy's piano music, including Clair de Lune (http://www.sheetmusicarchive.net/single_listing.cfm?composer_id=15)