Arabesque (classical music)

The arabesque is a type of music which uses melodies to create the atmosphere of Arabic architecture.[1]

Etymology

The word "arabesque" is derived from Western ideas of Arabic music, which were highly embellished.

Notable arabesques

The opening bars of Jean Sibelius's Arabesque (Op.76, No.9).

The most well-known are Claude Debussy's Deux Arabesques, composed in 1888 and 1891, respectively.

Other composers who have written arabesques include:

• Marin Marais: L'arabesque (1717), appears in the soundtrack of the film Tous les Matins du Monde
• Robert Schumann: Arabeske in C, Op. 18 (1839)
• Johann Friedrich Franz Burgmüller (1806-1874): Op. 100 (1852)
• Hans von Bülow: Arabesques sur un thême de l’opéra Rigoletto (1853)
• Moritz Moszkowski: Opp. 15/2 (1877), 61 (1899), 95/4 and 96/5(1920)
• Enrique Granados: Arabesca, Op. 31, H. 142 (1890)
• Cécile Chaminade: Opp. 61 (1892) and 92 (1898)
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-93)[2][3]
• Anton Arensky: Op. 67 (1903)
• Adolf Schulz-Evler: Op. 12 Arabesques on "An der schönen blauen Donau"(1904)
• Edward MacDowell (1860-1908)
• Louis Vierne: Arabesque, Op. 31/15 (1913-4)
• Jean Sibelius: Arabesque, Op. 76/9 (1914)
• Bohuslav Martinů: Seven Arabesques for cello and piano (1931)
• Edward Joseph Collins: Arabesque for violin an piano (1933)
• William Kroll: Arabesque for violin an piano (1945) and for orchestra
• Harold Budd: Arabesque 1, 2 & 3 (2005)
• Samuel Hazo: Arabesque (2008)
• Sigfrid Karg-Elert: Arabeske no.1 in G flat major Op.5 'Filigran'

See also

• Arabesque (Turkish music)

References

1. Çimen, Gül and Nevhiz Ercan. Piyano Albümü. Arkadaş Yayınevi, 2002, p. 27.
2. Baker's Student Encyclopedia of Music
3. International Music Score Library Project