Why Debussy's 'Reverie' is So Significant

by Benedict Blythe

Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, 

When I write music, it's more about expressing emotions and creating spaces than about writing for the sake of creating something beautiful. 

The reason Debussy's Reverie is so significant to me as an example of Romantic music is that it pushes musical boundaries and creates this beautiful dream-like landscape that wasn't seen in music of the classical period. A sense of space and openness is created through the way the music is written but also through the actual space between notes, allowing time to reverberate, creating space. 

The rich tapestry of musical elements from across the entire range of the piano creates a wonderful, overwhelming experience. The rich harmonies in the bass have a brilliant sense of movement and the multiple variations in the upper register create further space but also represent a majestic variety in the landscape. You become enveloped in a mysterious sound world. 


Another aspect of this piece is the huge impact that one's emotions have on the way that we listen to it. The music is played very expressively, with areas of much louder, angrier playing, but also quieter moments that still maintain expression. This allows for the music to be interpreted in whichever way you wish. The music is not robotic, like music from the classical period; you can play what you feel, compose what you feel, rather than having to be perfect. 

The ideas surrounding emotions are very central to this piece. The music overwhelms you and transports you to a dreamlike state. Yet the experience is very personal; the music does not appear to prescribe a place or feeling. There is a beautiful, spatial landscape but it does not apply to one thing. Any dreamlike state can be applied to this music. 

Part of what makes Debussy's Reverie so Romantic is its presentation of nature as something beautiful but also as something separate from us. I am drawn to its overwhelming, diverse emotions, its impressionistic sense of space and landscape, its layering of elements and the bold way in which Debussy pushes boundaries.