Symbolism led him to the Impressionism of painters like Claude Monet, and that helped lead him to applying Impressionist techniques to music. Pleasure is the law.”. As a child, Debussy was fascinated by visual art, and as he grew up, he loved the new style called "Impressionism." The grand Romantics -- Camille Saint-Saens, Antonin Dvorak, Giacomo Puccini and Guiseppe Verdi -- were still the style. Impressionism, in music, a style initiated by French composer Claude Debussy at the end of the 19th century. The Start of Musical Impressionism Claude Debussy was tired of writing the same type of music in the 1890s. Embracing nontraditional scales and tonal structures, Claude Debussy is one of the most highly regarded composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is … Claude Debussy was born on 22 August 1862 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France, the eldest of five children. Debussy was a gifted pianist and an intrepid musical explorer. The term, which is somewhat vague in reference to music, was introduced by analogy with contemporaneous French painting; it was disliked by Debussy himself. Listen to CPR Classical on your radio at 88.1 FM in Denver, stream the music on this website, or by asking your smart speaker to "Play CPR Classical." Claude Debussy's taste for the arts, and for painting in particular, is well known. Many authorities hyphenate "Achille-Claude". Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Nocturnes, L. 91, CD. He said: “I am trying to do 'something different'...what the imbeciles call 'impressionism', a term which is as poorly used as possible, particularly by the critics.” The first exhibition of Impressionist art had been in 1874, and included works by many of the painters who became representative of it: Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, … Those at the Paris premiere in 1894 insisted on hearing it a second time! Impressionism can be seen as a reaction against the rhetoric of Romanticism, disrupting the forward motion of standard harmonic progressions. The other composer most often associated with Impressionism is Maurice Ravel. Debussy's first significant works appeared in the 1890s. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. ... Claude Debussy. Corrections? Life and Music Claude Debussy was born on the 22nd August 1862 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France. It takes a good day’s drive to cover Colorado, but we’ll help you do it in a few minutes each morning. Impressionistic passages are common in earlier music by Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt, and Richard Wagner, and in music by later composers such as Charles Ives, Béla Bartók, and George Gershwin. Despite their descriptive, imaginal titles, Claude Debussy\'s three orchestral Nocturnes transcend the concrete and the literal. They can challenge your sense of balance since he, at times, has two rhythms going on simultaneously. For a limited time, if you become a member of Colorado Public Radio, you'll receive "Music in Monet's Time," a custom CD of greatest Impressionist works created by CPR Classical in partnership with the Denver Art Museum. His wide-ranging interests ran from the Italian paintings of the Renaissance to the masterpieces of Symbolism and Art Nouveau, by way of Japanese prints and Impressionism. In England, on…. Claude Debussy really had a double first name: Achille-Claude. Claude Debussy. Prior to linking Debussy to it, Impressionism was solely associated with the visual arts. Debussy didn't like the term impressionism to describe his music. Debussy’s music was a turning point from the Romantic music that had dominated the 19th century to the music of the 20th century. It is based on poems from Poèmes anciens et romanesques (Henri de Régnier, 1890). If you like their music, chances are you'll love these pieces. He was the oldest of five children. Somewhat similar are the string quartet and piano trio by Maurice Ravel (1875–1937), with a rich array of tremolos, forms based on repetition of melodic fragments, and many astringent harmonies. August 22, 1862 - March 25, 1918. by Emmanuelle Piedboeuf / September 1, 2012. Impressionism, in music, a style initiated by French composer Claude Debussy at the end of the 19th century. Claude Debussy: Claude Debussy was born in 1862 in Paris. 1. It was also described as impressionistic because it coincided with the new painting styles of artists like Claude Monet. Debussy’s music is often described as ‘impressionist’, but he wasn’t a fan of the label. It's unobtrusive. Debussy and Ravel dominate the impressionist discussion. Updates? Born in France. Claude Debussy (1862-1918) was a French composer of the late Romantic period and early Modern period. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/art/Impressionism-music. Claude Debussy was born on August 22, 1862 in St.-Germain-en-Laye, France. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. He didn’t set out to write Impressionist music (as we’ve established, he hated that comparison) – rather, he was just interested in pushing boundaries and exploring new sounds. Debussy's music adapted to the functions of background music because of its fluidity and non-assertiveness. Proceeds from every purchase go to support the news and music you love. The Lookout daily email brings you a closer look at the issues that affect you with a rundown of important fact-based reporting — with a side of Colorado flavor. Debussy began piano lessons there at the age of seven with an Italian violinist in his early 40s named Cerutti; his aunt paid fo… His most significant contribution to music history was that he was the progenitor of the Impressionist style, which was a form of music that featured unorthodox textures, dreamlike harmonies, and ethereal melodies. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. This story is part of a Monet Mondays series CPR Classical is airing every Monday through January 2020. 98, sometimes Trois Nocturnes or Three Nocturnes, is an impressionist orchestral composition in three movements by the French composer Claude Debussy, who wrote it between 1892 and 1899. ^ Debussy was addressed by various permutations of his names during the course of his life. The acrimony seems to have been more pronounced with Debussy than with Ravel — odd, maybe, since mature Debussy fits the bill better than does his counterpart, at least from our perspective today. Debussy's piano teacher, who had previously studied with Chopin, would later help him enter the Paris Conservatory. Claude Debussy (22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was one of the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is regarded as the founder of musical impressionism. Excerpt from “The Snow Is Dancing” from Claude Debussy's Children's … His birth name was Achille-Claude Debussy. Debussy launched Impressionism in music with his musical interpretation of Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun in 1894. The grand Romantics -- Camille Saint … Omissions? As a little boy he was addressed as "Claude"; his baptismal certificate (he was not baptised until July 1864) is in the name of "Claude-Achille"; as a youth he was known as "Achille"; at the beginning of his career he sought to make his name more impressive by calling himself "Claude-Ach… He was born in a suburb of Paris, and it was his aunt who first noticed how musical he was. It personifies the poem’s ambiguity. Claude Debussy One of the towering figures of impressionism in music, though he did not approve of that term being applied to his music, is Claude Debussy. Ground-breaking art often creates a stir at first, but Debussy’s "Prelude" was loved right away by musicians and audiences. His name was officially registered at the mairieon the day of his birth as "Achille Claude". And some Ravel ( 1875-1937 ) him enter the Paris Conservatory when he was only,! 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