The Joyous Island

E899639

The Joyous Island is the English title of Claude Debussy’s celebrated solo piano piece "L’isle joyeuse," known for its shimmering textures and exuberant, impressionistic character.

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Statements (42)

Predicate Object
instanceOf musical composition
piano work
solo piano piece
approximateDuration about 5 minutes
associatedWith festive atmosphere
island imagery
catalogueClassification Debussy piano works
character exuberant
joyful
composer Claude Debussy NERFINISHED
composerNationality French
compositionDate 1903–1904
countryOfOrigin France
dedicatedTo Emma Bardac NERFINISHED
EnglishTitleOf L’isle joyeuse NERFINISHED
firstPublicationDate 1904
form free form
genre Impressionist music
inMusicHistory considered a pinnacle of Debussy’s piano writing
inspiredBy the painting "L’Embarquement pour Cythère" by Antoine Watteau NERFINISHED
instrumentation solo piano
key A major
languageOfOriginalTitle French
musicalEra Impressionist era
Late Romantic
notableFeatures brilliant figurations
rich harmonic color
virtuosic piano writing
originalTitle L’isle joyeuse NERFINISHED
performancePractice often performed in piano recitals
period early 20th century
publisher Durand NERFINISHED
recordingAvailability widely recorded by concert pianists
relatedWorkBySameComposer Estampes NERFINISHED
Images (for piano) NERFINISHED
requires high virtuosity from the pianist
structure single continuous movement
style impressionistic
technicalLevel advanced
tempoIndication Animé et très rythmé
texture shimmering textures
workNumberInComposerOutput one of Debussy’s major piano works

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

L’isle joyeuse titleTranslation The Joyous Island