Cultural Appropriation or Appropriate Inspiration? Exploring Claude Debussy's Encounter with the Javanese Gamelan

Voiceover

Presenter(s)

Alyssa Baljunas

Abstract or Description

In my presentation, I will consider the possibility that French composer Claude Debussy (1862-1918) appropriated traditional Javanese gamelan music upon hearing it performed at the Paris 1889 World Exhibition. Though composers’ integration of “exotic” musical elements for their compositions is frequently perceived as acceptable or even complimentary, it could, in some cases, represent the disrespectful adoption of ideas known as cultural appropriation. Therefore, I will discuss why the sounds of the gamelan appealed to Debussy so extensively as well as when his admiration for atypical musical elements truly originated. Coupled with this explanation, I will provide excerpts from some of Debussy’s own letters to further express his intentions. In order to emphasize the specific gamelan elements Debussy utilized, I will analyze the components of his piano composition "Pagodes". My overall goal is not only to discuss Debussy’s influence from the East in terms of cultural appropriation, but also to aid in developing a more knowledgeable approach to understanding and judging this frequent acculturation of music.