🎶 Start your 14-day free trial & unlock the full course today. Start Free Trial →
tonebase Piano Course

Debussy -

Clair de lune

Taught by renowned pianist

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet

Discover the miracle that is Debussy's beloved 'Clair de lune' with the celebrated French pianist, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. Phrase-by-phrase, Bavouzet reveals the work's hidden meaning and provides practical advice for navigating its textures and moods.<br><br>For Bavouzet, Clair de lune contains three extra-musical elements: the moon, water, and love. In particular, Debussy depicts the light of the moon shimmering on the water as the backdrop for love's yearning. This love culminates in a "romantic ecstacy," but realized only in the context of a dream. In reality, both before and after the dream, love proves to be, perhaps, unrequited.<br><br>With this programmatic interpretation in mind, Bavouzet breaks down the work's many challenges, both technical and musical. From fingering and mechanics to analyzing layers and harmonies, Bavouzet's lesson proves that, in his words, "the more you know about the music, the more you find it extraordinary."

  • checkmark icon
    Category: 
    Repertoire
  • checkmark icon
    Difficulty: 
    Intermediate
  • checkmark icon
    Duration: 
    1
     hours
     hour

Course Syllabus

Clair de lune

Discover the miracle that is Debussy's beloved 'Clair de lune' with the celebrated French pianist, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. Phrase-by-phrase, Bavouzet reveals the work's hidden meaning and provides practical advice for navigating its textures and moods.

For Bavouzet, Clair de lune contains three extra-musical elements: the moon, water, and love. In particular, Debussy depicts the light of the moon shimmering on the water as the backdrop for love's yearning. This love culminates in a "romantic ecstacy," but realized only in the context of a dream. In reality, both before and after the dream, love proves to be, perhaps, unrequited.

With this programmatic interpretation in mind, Bavouzet breaks down the work's many challenges, both technical and musical. From fingering and mechanics to analyzing layers and harmonies, Bavouzet's lesson proves that, in his words, "the more you know about the music, the more you find it extraordinary."

Click here to download the course workbook PDF and see the full syllabus →
Access this course and hundreds more.

Click below to access hundreds of exclusive piano courses, available only on tonebase.

Unlock Course →
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
meet YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet

Winner of multiple Gramophone Awards and the Diapason d'Or, French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet is an international concert artist with a prolific recording career.

read full bio →
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
explore our courses

Join tonebase today to unlock this course plus 500+ more!

Preview our curated selection of courses below. With lessons covering fundamentals, technical training, style and interpretation, you won't find a more thorough and enriching learning experience anywhere else.

preview
play-button-icon
Principles of the Taubman Approach

with Robert Durso

preview
play-button-icon
Chopin Étude Training

with Marina Lomazov

preview
play-button-icon
Intermezzo, Op. 118 No. 2 (Brahms)

with Garrick Ohlsson

preview
play-button-icon
Inside Mozart's Piano Sonatas

with Orli Shaham

preview
play-button-icon
Music Theory Basics

with Ben Laude

preview
play-button-icon
Intro to J. S. Bach’s Keyboard Music

with Magdalena-Stern Baczewska

preview
play-button-icon
Prelude in G Minor, Op. 23 No. 5 (Rachmaninoff)

with Boris Giltburg

preview
play-button-icon
Clair de lune (Debussy)

with Jean-Efflam Bavouzet

preview
play-button-icon
Music Theory at the Piano

with Eric Wen

preview
play-button-icon
"Moonlight Sonata" (Beethoven)

with John O'Conor

preview
play-button-icon
Fantaisie-Impromptu, Op. 66 (Chopin)

with Leann Osterkamp

preview
play-button-icon
Sonata in C Major, K. 545 (Mozart)

with Sara Davis Buechner

Listen to a few tonebase stories. Ready to start yours?

ready to begin learning?

Start your 14-day free trial today!

All plans include:
  • checkmark icon
    Unlimited access for 14-day free trial
  • checkmark icon
    Full 90-day satisfaction guarantee
  • checkmark icon
    Access to 500+ video lessons & courses
  • checkmark icon
    Structured & guided course content
  • checkmark icon
    Free PDF workbooks & annotated scores
  • checkmark icon
    Feedback from our active Community
  • checkmark icon
    Bonus: The Ultimate Practice Toolkit

Monthly

$
49.95
/mo
Billed monthly
Give tonebase a try with our Monthly plan. Cancel anytime or upgrade your plan later when you find it’s a good fit.
Select Monthly →
Best Value - save 50%

Yearly

$
24.95
/mo
Billed at $299 yearly
Make music your priority for the next 365 days and save BIG with our most popular plan. You’ll be amazed what a year with tonebase can do…
Select Yearly →

Lifetime

$
695
/once
Billed just once
Ready to invest in your future education? Get our Lifetime plan and gain full, unlimited access to tonebase for life!
Select Lifetime →

"I don't regret for a minute having spent the money on the membership. There's something for every musician on tonebase – I recommend you give it a try."

Photo of Dave
Dave McLellan

Concert & Chamber Musician

Join over 10,000 fellow musicians improving every day on tonebase.