Debussy and his taste for poetry: The musical representation of Baudelaire’s literary devices

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore the extent to which Debussy, in his melodies of Cinq poèmes de Baudelaire, represented the formal aspects of Baudelaire’s poems. Do literary devices such as apostrophes, antitheses, metaphors, prosody, and lexical sonorities leave audible traces in the music? It turns out that the composer often captured these stylistic devices, imbuing the vocal line with certain contrasts, rhythms, or repetitions. While not always adhering to a single formula, Debussy demonstrates a profound understanding of poetry.