Homenaje a Debussy
Homenaje a Debussy (the full title of which is Homenaje sur Le Tombeau de Debussy, or Homage to the tomb of Debussy) was composed by Manuel de Falla in remembrance of the great impressionist composer, Claude Debussy in approximately 1920, or two years after Debussy’s passing.
As I read more about this piece, I’ve come to learn that the intentions of it are twofold. It is at once a dirge, funereal in feel, and it also should invoke the feel of a Habanera, which is a slow Cuban dance. On its face, the two sides of this dichotomy seem to be at odds with each other, as the feels of each are quite different. I mean, how do you play a solemn dance? I’m not sure I successfully invoked both in my interpretation here, but it is definitely food for thought as I explore this piece further.