Prelude for solo piano written by the French composer Claude Debussy, published in 1910. To quote wikipedia:
“This piece is based on an ancient Breton myth in which a cathedral, submerged underwater off the coast of the Island of Ys, rises up from the sea on clear mornings when the water is transparent. Sounds can be heard of priests chanting, bells chiming, and the organ playing, from across the sea. Accordingly, Debussy uses certain harmonies to allude to the plot of the legend, in the style of musical symbolism.”
The assumed location of Ys can be found in my map.
One reply on “Claude Debussy: La Cathédrale Engloutie”
[…] Two motives appear in many versions of the legend: There is a looming of the city observed shortly before it’s destruction. Looming is an optical illusion that makes objects appear to be floating above the water. It is seen as a sign of bad luck. The other motive is the ringing of the bells of the city’s churches that can be heard through the ocean on quiet days. (see also the posts about: Saeftinghe and Claude Debussy) […]