Claude Debussy
1862-1918 · French (Saint-Germain-en-Laye/Paris) · Impressionism (Musical)
Known for: Father of musical Impressionism who composed Clair de Lune, La Mer, and freed music from Germanic tradition
Debussy freed Western music from traditional tonality, drawing on Asian music, French poetry, and visual art to create a new sound world. Clair de Lune, La Mer, and Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun shimmer with colors never before heard.
He was a sensualist and aesthete who declared music should not be cast into fixed forms. His personal life was messy - his first partner attempted suicide when he left her. He died of cancer during WWI.
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