Claude Debussy was born on August 22, 1862 in St. Germaine-en-Laye, France.He began studying the piano in 1871 and began his formal music education at the Paris Conservatory in 1873, where he studied under Antoine Marmontel and Ernest Guiraud. He soon began to reject much of his training including Germanic musical tradition.
He was an important figure in the transition from late 19th century Romanitcism to the 20th century. His use of whole tone scales, parallel fifths and unresolved chords shocked the establishment. But, this was the way Debussy achived his colors, his harmonies and his texture that produced the distinctive Debussy Impressionistic style.
It is said that he was the only true musical Impressionist. Impressionism, as applied in relation to music and defined in Webster's Dictionary is; "a style of composition designed to create descriptive impressions by evoking moods through rich and varied harmonies and timbres." It is a kind of program music, in other words, instrumental music associated with poetic, descriptive, or even narritive subject matter by means of imaginative suggestion. Debussy used this not to tell a story, as in the Romantic program music, but to evoke a mood or atmosphere. He did this through color effects achieved by use of harmony. (the unresolved chords, and parallel fifths!).
Although I am trying to concentrate mainly on flute composers and Debussy wrote only a small amount of music specificly for the flute, I think that he needs to be included here because of the role he played in the changing of the harmonic system and the influence he had on the composers who came after him. He created a new musical language influencing such composers as Ravel, Stravinsky and Satie.
Among his many enchanting and thought provoking compositions is "Syrinx" a composition for solo flute. I like this piece very much and it definitely creates a mood in the Impressionistic style of Debussy.
Debussy's Syrinx
Debussy in 1885
Some of his best known works are:
1. "Prélude à l'aprésmidi d'un faune"
2. "La Mer"
References
Grout, Donald Jay. A History of Western Music. W.W. Norton & company. inc. New York. 1973.
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