this French impressionist inspired my music
Compositions inspired by Edgar Degas' art, and a playlist of songs to fall in love to.
This is a simplified version of “L’Absinthe” (listen to the full orchestral version here), the third “movement” from Degas Tableaux, my series of original compositions inspired by the artwork of Edgar Degas.
In September 2022, I went on a solo trip to Europe; the final stop before flying back to Singapore was Paris. Excited to finally see “L’Absinthe” in person, I made it a point to visit the Musee d’Orsay while I was there. Imagine my disappointment after repeatedly walking up and down the gallery where the painting was housed, only to be told by a curator that they packed it up just a few days ago to send to the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
I did get to see many beautiful works by Degas and other artists I hadn’t known of before like Odilon Redon, so I definitely don’t consider it a wasted trip. Hopefully, the next time I’m able to visit to Paris, “L’Absinthe” will be hanging on their walls again and not in some billionaire’s bathroom.
To compose the piece, I tried to imagine what the lady (our absinthe drinker) could be thinking about. I chose to see past the apparent bleakness and believe that instead of fixating on her impending doom, she was reflecting on distant memories of days when she and her companion were happier. Yes, those days are long gone and it is unlikely they will find that hope in their lives again, but that doesn’t take away from the bliss of those happier times.
{ 3 drops of golden sound }
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, here are 3 tracks from a playlist of music I imagine being in love feels like. (YouTube version)
“Toxico” by Alexandre Désilets
Alexandre Désilets is one of the many gems my Apple Music algorithm has served me in my New Music Mix. There’s just something about his music that I find moving, even if I don’t completely understand the lyrics. I imagine this would be a lovely song to slow dance to with a loved one.
“Tú y Yo” by Monsieur Periné ft. Vanesa Martín
Most famous for their viral hit “Nuestra Canción”, I went on a deep dive after watching a couple of clips of Monsieur Periné’s performance with my favourite orchestra Nu Deco Ensemble. This song stood out to me from the rest of their discography and after reading what lead singer Catalina Garcia had to say about the song, I understand why.
“Tu Y Yo’ is a song inspired by a story of true love. It’s a story of a love so big that it can break through all barriers. It was written as a letter whose sender understands between the lines why they feel a certain way with their heart.”
“Danza del Trigo” from Estancia (Op. 8) by Alberto Ginastera
I first heard this piece in a scene from the 2011 Oscar-winning film The Artist, and revisited it during one of my composition classes in college. I drew heavily from this piece for “L’Absinthe”, not just for the orchestration but for the warm yet light feeling of the melody, as though you’re realising for the first time that you’re in love.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading and I hope to see you again at the end of next month! Here’s a different painting by Degas that inspired another composition from Degas Tableaux that was on display at the Musée d’Orsay. I’ve had more luck with this painting as this was the second time I saw it (the first time was, hilariously, at the Louvre in Abu Dhabi 🙃).
LoL,
rae
Absolutely beautiful, Rachel!