The Master & his Music... Debussy

Claude Achille Debussy (1862-1918)

Debussy was a French composer. He worked within the style commonly referred to as impressionist music, a term which he dismissed. Debussy was not only one of the most important French composers but was also one of the most important figures in music at the turn of the last century; his music represents the transition from late-romantic music to 20th century modernist music.

Growing up from very humble beginnings to become the most important French composer of the early Twentieth Century, Achille-Claude Debussy (1862-1918) was born near Paris in the town of St. Germain-en-Laye, where his parents kept a china shop. And his father also worked as a traveling salesman, as a printer's assistant, and as a clerk. His mother was a seamstress who managed to provide a very rudimentary education for Claude during his largely unhappy childhood. As an adult, Debussy never spoke about his childhood, and most events of his early years remain a mystery.

Arabeque No. 1 from Deux Arabesque

Golliwog's Cakewalk from Children's Corner

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