Among Debussy’s contemporaries, who were interested in his music, Henri Bergson holds a special place. By approving the rights of psychological time, the philosopher reflected the general tendencies of the epoch of the late 19th to early 20th century era. These tendencies were embodied both in philosophy and in science and art. Poets and painters of Symbolism were in search not only of eternity, but time and of life time of the mind — this time is equivalent to the phenomenon of Bergson’s duration (la durée). However, the philosopher chooses the music of Debussy as a sounding incarnation of la durée. In this article the author attempts to identify the possible reasons for such a comparison, appealing to the characteristics of Debussy’s sound world. Among Debussy’s contemporaries, who were interested in his music, Henri Bergson holds a special place. By approving the rights of psychological time, the philosopher reflected the general tendencies of the epoch of the late 19th to early 20th century era. These tendencies were embodied both in philosophy and in science and art. Poets and painters of Symbolism were in search not only of eternity, but time and of life time of the mind — this time is equivalent to the phenomenon of Bergson’s duration (la durée). However, the philosopher chooses the music of Debussy as a sounding incarnation of la durée. In this article the author attempts to identify the possible reasons for such a comparison, appealing to the characteristics of Debussy’s sound world.
Abstract