# Estampes
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{{Short description|Piano suite by Claude Debussy}}
{{for|the French commune|Estampes, Gers}}
{{Distinguish|Étampes}}
{{italic title}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2020}}
{{use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox musical composition
| name = ''Estampes''
| subtitle =
| type =
| composer = [Claude Debussy](/source/Claude_Debussy)
| image = CDebussy.JPG
| image_upright = 0.8
| alt =
| caption =
| translation = Prints
| native_name_lang = fr
| key =
| catalogue = [L.](/source/List_of_compositions_by_Claude_Debussy) 100
| genre = [Impressionism](/source/Impressionism)
| text =
| language =
| composed = 1903
| performed = {{start date and age|1904|01|09}}
[Salle Érard](/source/Salle_%C3%89rard), Paris, France
| published =
| scoring =
}}
'''''Estampes''''' (Prints), [L.](/source/List_of_compositions_by_Claude_Debussy) 100, is a composition for solo [piano](/source/piano) by [Claude Debussy](/source/Claude_Debussy). Finished in 1903, the first performance of the work was given by [Ricardo Viñes](/source/Ricardo_Vi%C3%B1es) at the [Salle Érard](/source/Salle_%C3%89rard) of the [Société nationale de musique](/source/Soci%C3%A9t%C3%A9_nationale_de_musique) in Paris on 9 January 1904.[{{Cite thesis|author=Matthew Goodrich|title=Ricardo Viñes and Les Apaches|date=25 July 2013|type=DMA thesis|hdl=1773/23565|publisher=University of Washington|url=https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/items/ed348a89-1526-4a03-a01d-4301da31e6d0|access-date=22 August 2024}}]
The [suite](/source/suite_(music)) with 3 [movements](/source/Movement_(music)) is one of a number of piano works by Debussy which are often described as [impressionistic](/source/Impressionism_in_music), a term borrowed from painting. The style of composition had been pioneered by [Ravel](/source/Maurice_Ravel) in [''Jeux d'eau''](/source/Jeux_d'eau_(Ravel)), written in 1901, and was soon adopted by Debussy (for example in the earlier numbers of [''Images''](/source/Images_(piano_suite))), but Debussy did not refer to himself as an impressionist.
==Music==
''Estampes'' consists of three [movements](/source/Movement_(music)):
{{ordered list|list_style_type=upper-roman
|''Pagodes'' (Pagodas) – approx. 4–5 minutes ([B major](/source/B_major)).
|''La soirée dans Grenade'' (Evening in Granada) – approx. {{frac|5|1|2}} minutes ([F{{music|sharp}} minor](/source/F-sharp_minor) → [F{{music|sharp}} major](/source/F-sharp_major)).
|''Jardins sous la pluie'' (Gardens in the Rain) – approx. {{frac|3|1|2}} minutes ([E minor](/source/E_minor) → [E major](/source/E_major)).[Hinson, Maurice. Preface to ''Estampes'' by Claude Debussy. Van Nuys, California: Alfred Publishing, 1993.]}}
=== I. ''Pagodes'' ===
''Pagodes'' evokes Indonesian [gamelan](/source/gamelan) music, which Debussy first heard in the [Paris World Conference Exhibition of 1889](/source/Exposition_Universelle_(1889)). It makes extensive use of [pentatonic scale](/source/pentatonic_scale)s and mimics traditional Indonesian melodies.[{{cite book|last=Schmitz|first=Robert E.|title=The Piano Works of Claude Debussy|location=New York|publisher=Duyell, Sloan and Pearce|year=1950|pages=83–84}}]
As it is an [Impressionistic](/source/Impressionism_in_music) work, the goal is not overt expressiveness but instead an emphasis on the wash of color presented by the texture of the work. Debussy marks in the text that ''Pagodes'' should be played {{lang|fr|presque sans nuance}} (nearly without nuance). Such rigidity of rhythm helps to reduce the natural inclination of pianists to add [rubato](/source/rubato) and excessive expression.
=== II. ''La soirée dans Grenade'' ===
''La soirée dans Grenade'' uses the [Arabic scale](/source/Double_harmonic_scale) and mimics guitar [strum](/source/strum)ming to evoke images of [Granada](/source/Granada), Spain. At the time of its writing, Debussy's only personal experience with the country was a few hours spent in [San Sebastián de los Reyes](/source/San_Sebasti%C3%A1n_de_los_Reyes) near Madrid.