The elephant that left an impression

Debussy’s piece “Jimbo’s Lullaby” opens with a left hand melody based on a d minor pentatonic scale whose oriental mood and slow tempo meant to be played “deux et un peu gauche” evoke the image of a playful elephant. At measure ten the mood begins to shift, and at mm.19-20 the piece moves away from the d minor tonal center and seems to focus more on the pitches F and G; these polychords seem to suggest at a feeling of bitonality which is reinforced by the secundal harmonies that move from V-I (F and G move to C and D). By highlighting F and G as tonal hubs, the listener feels aurally removed from the d minor key so that when the opening melodic motive is weaved in again at measure 28 accompanied by the secundal harmonies of F and G, it is harder to recognize and more dissonant; almost sinister. Through the use of the whole tone scale (beginning at measure 41) the tonal center is further obscured. This dissonance, created by unusual harmonies, the whole tone scale, and an obscured tonal center, saturates the overall mood of the piece; turning what would be simple French lullaby melodic motives into more interesting and eerie sounds.

opening bars

The 2/2 time signature, restrained tempo, and the dynamic marking which range from p to ppp give the piece a playfully relaxed feel further characterizing the elephant toy the piece was inspired by. The rhythmic and melodic motives that occur throughout the piece also create a sense of structure needed in a composition that lacks a clear tonal center and traditional harmonic cadence. One example is the rhythmic motive that occurs in the left hand in mm. 53-54 which is then repeated in the right hand in mm. 56-57. The opening melody also comes back a third time at measure 62 and in this reiteration it is clearly recognizable. Because of the clear return of the opening melodic motive toward the end and the more dissonant middle section, the piece almost feels like it has a ternary-type form and is then followed by a sort of coda which begins at measure 76 where Jimbo starts to slow down the slow pace of his clumsy step and the note values become longer and the melody seems to drift off ending on a final B flat.