Composer Profile - Activefolio

120 Chapter 10
The Impressionistic period was dominated in large part by Claude Debussy, but
other Impressionists who helped to define the style include:
Maurice Ravel (1875–1937) France
Paul Dukas (1865–1935) France
Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936) Italy
Frederick Delius (1862–1934) England
Manuel de Falla (1876–1946) Spain
Composer Profile
Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
Claude Achille Debussy, born in a town near Paris called Saint-Germain-en-
Laye on August 22, 1862, was the son of a sailor. That fact influenced his
entire life. Many of Debussy’s works have themes relating to water, and he was
fascinated by anything having to do with water for most of his life. As a student,
he studied with many well-known teachers, including Cesar Franck. His preference
for non-traditional harmonies and melodies brought very discordant reactions
from his music teachers. Still, he followed his own instincts and gained a
widespread reputation as an innovator in orchestral and piano composition. He
became world famous after the production of his first opera Pelléas et Mélisande
in 1902. However, he was not able to truly enjoy that fame for long. Cancer
developed, and the last years of his life were spent battling its effects. Though he
was still productive, the outbreak of World War I also affected him greatly, especially
the assault on his beloved Paris. He finally succumbed to his cancer in
Paris on March 25, 1918.
Some of Debussy’s more famous works include the opera Pelléas et Mélisande,
orchestral works including Jeux, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, Nocturnes, La
Mer, Images, chamber music, and many piano works including the Suite
Bergamasque (which contains the famous tune “Clair de lune”) and many others.
Listen to This
Track #14 Claude Debussy, Clair de Lune
T his is an orchestral arrangement of a piano work that was part of a collection
entitled Suite Bergamasque. The piece is fairly conventional in structure,
in an “A-B-A” form, contradicting some opinions that Impressionistic music is
formless. Nothing could be further from the truth. As you listen however, notice
how the uses of descending parallel chords in the accompaniment suspend the
need for harmonic resolution. This progression provides the effect that the music
“floats,” with no real direction. This effect is responsible for both the allure of
Impressionistic music and the reason for its comparison with visual art of the
time.