I am the “impressionista,” an impressionist guitarist. I practice what I call True Musical Impressionism — I enjoy bringing my guitar into nature where I render a musical impression.
Musical Impressionism refers to a movement in classical music that refers mostly to Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. Debussy was irritated when called an Impressionist. Ravel denied the label and added that he thought Impressionism was impossible in music. When people refer to the movement of Impressionism in music, it is only a loose analogy with French Impressionism, because these composers did not venture out to render musical impressions of nature. For example, Debussy composed La mer (The Sea) while he was usually far from the sea, inspired mostly instead by depictions of the sea in literature and paintings. As much as I like his work, Debussy was right to disavow the label.
True Musical Impressionism is my hobby, to compose with respect to nature. It involves methods of representation, tonal interpretation, and even impressionistic counterpoint. To me, classical guitar is the perfect instrument for this.
I offer lessons in classical guitar technique and tutoring in Impressionism, remotely via FaceTime and Apple Pay. Please inquire by email.