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How did Claude Debussy use pentatonic scales in "Voiles"?
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The universality and innate nature of music, and the pentatonic scale, as demonstrated by singer Bobby McFerrin.
In his 1910 piano prelude "Voiles," Claude Debussy utilized the pentatonic scale as part of his experimental approach to composition.1
While "Voiles" is frequently cited for its extensive use of the whole-tone scaleāa device Debussy employed to dissolve traditional tonality and harmonic resolutionāhe also incorporated pentatonicism within the work. By integrating these non-diatonic scales, Debussy moved away from the functional harmony of the common practice period, favoring coloristic value and the suspension of traditional key centers. His interest in such scales was partly inspired by his exposure to exotic musical traditions, particularly the music of Indonesia.23