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Composer Claude Debussy has been called a musical Impressionist.  They are comparing his music to the paintings of Monet and Renoir. It seems he drew inspiration from some of the same things that that attracted the French Impressionists.  From the sounds of rain, wind, water and the images of clouds, sunlight and shadow, Debussy forged a musical style leaving a legacy for later generations of classical and jazz musicians.

Achille Claude Debussy was born on August 22, 1862, in St. Germain-en-Laye, France, the oldest of five children.  He began taking piano lessons at the age of seven and entered the Paris Conservatoire de Musique (Conservatory of Music) when he was ten. It was recognized by both his professors and fellow students that he was talented but they also thought he was a rebel.  His piano chords were not in the textbooks and broke every rule of music.  Debussy was searching for a new musical language that he was to use in his future compositions.

While at the Conservatory, Debussy won many prizes for composition, including the Prix de Rome for his cantata L’Enfant prodique.  The compositions that he wrote for the piano were different from anything anyone had ever written before. Sometimes he would bunch notes together and he also used the pedals to make notes and harmonies shift and blend. His musical style was original in its harmonies and rhythms.  The musical tones that he created were often quietly beautiful. They seemed to have a subtle and magical power over the imagination.

The compositions written by Debussy had widespread influence over later generations of composers.  He was able to extend the limits of harmony and form through a delicate balance of nuances both in works for the piano and those for the orchestra.

Debussy’s most influential composition for the orchestra was the Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, which was based on a poem by Mallarme. This music was later used for a ballet. One of his finest works was La mer (The Sea) composed of three symphonic sketches.

Around the turn of the 20th century, Debussy reached his musical maturity.  He was inspired by many artistic sources, including Wagner’s music, Impressionist painters such as Degas, the art and music of the Orient and the sinuous lines of contemporary Art Nouveau.  The poets Verlaine, Mallame, Villon and Charles d’Orleans were inspiration for some of his compositions including the ever popular Clair de lune.

Many of Debussy’s piano pieces sound as original today as they did a century ago.  He has had immense influence on the music of today, from the concert hall, the opera and to the world of jazz.  His legacy lives on in contemporary music and in the classical works that are still performed.

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