Author(s)

Shuwen Lei

Corresponding Author

Shuwen Lei

ABSTRACT

Although Schumann's “Childhood” and Debussy's “Children's Corner” are both based on the theme of childhood and childlike interest, they differ in their composition and expression of emotions. In this study, the differences between Schumann's “Scenes of Childhood” and Debussy's “Children's Corner” are studied by using the method of score analysis and documentation. The analysis of Schumann's “Scenes of Childhood” and Debussy's “Children's Corner” is discussed in terms of the analysis of the work in harmonic patterns and the stylistic forms. The results show that the “Scenes of Childhood” is more of a psychological work, with each piece describing a short story, which Schumann recorded in notes and gave each piece a title appropriate to its content. The Children's Corner is a representative work of Debussy's mature impressionism, and these six pieces are highly pictorial, which adds a sense of fantasy and mystery to Debussy's music. By clarifying the differences between these two works in stylistic and harmonic forms, this study will ultimately provide important references for other performers.

KEYWORDS

Scenes of childhood, Children's corner, Music ontology analysis, Performance method