Debussy, (Achille-) Claude

Debussy, (Achille-) Claude
born Aug. 22, 1862, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
died March 25, 1918, Paris

French composer.

Born into near poverty, he showed an early gift for the piano. He entered the Paris Conservatoire in 1873, and soon thereafter he was employed as pianist by Nadezhda von Meck, Pyotr Tchaikovsky's patroness. Influenced by the Symbolist poets and Impressionist painters, he was early inclined toward a compositional style of great originality, shunning the strictures of traditional counterpoint and harmony to achieve new effects of great subtlety. Regarded as the founder of musical Impressionism, he used unusual voice leading and timbral colours to evoke pictorial images and moods, especially of languor and hedonism. His significance in weakening the hold of traditional tonal harmony equals that of Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner, and Arnold Schoenberg. Given his effect on such composers as Maurice Ravel, Igor Stravinsky, Béla Bartók, Alban Berg, Anton Webern, and Pierre Boulez, he can be seen as the most influential French composer of the last three centuries. His works include the opera Pelléas et Mélisande (1902), the orchestral works Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun (1894) and La Mer (1905), and the piano Préludes (1910, 1913).

Claude Debussy, painting by Marcel Baschet, 1884; in the Versailles Museum.

Giraudon/Art Resource, New York

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Debussy, Achille-Claude — (1862 1918)    composer    Born in Saint Germain en Laye, Claude Debussy as he is known, entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of 10, then at 16 became the private musician to Nadezdha van Meck, Pyotr Tchaikovsky s patroness. In that… …   France. A reference guide from Renaissance to the Present

  • Debussy, (Achille-) Claude — (22 ago. 1862, Saint Germain en Laye, Francia–25 mar. 1918, París). Compositor francés. Nacido al borde de la pobreza, mostró un talento pianístico precoz. En 1873 ingresó en el conservatorio de París. Poco después Nadezhda von Meck, mecenas de… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Debussy, (Achille-) Claude —  (1862–1918) French composer …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • Debussy — Claude Debussy, ca. 1908 (Foto von Nadar) Achille Claude Debussy (* 22. August 1862 in Saint Germain en Laye; † 25. März 1918 in Paris) war ein französischer Komponist des Impressio …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Claude — Claude, Albert Claude, Georges * * * (as used in expressions) Aron, Raymond (Claude Ferdinand) Bernard, Claude Chabrol, Claude Claude Michel Debussy, (Achille) Claude William Claude Dukenfield Helvetius, Claude Adrien Killy, Jean Claude Ledoux,… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Debussy — (Achille Claude, dit Claude) (1862 1918) compositeur français. Il créa un langage musical fondé sur l emploi de gammes exotiques (gamme pentatonique) et sur la modalité, cultivant dissonances et harmonies nouvelles: Prélude à l après midi d un… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Claude — /klawd/; Fr. /klohd/, n. 1. Albert, 1899 1983, U.S. biologist, born in Belgium: Nobel prize for medicine 1974. 2. Also, Claud. a male given name: from a Roman family name meaning lame. * * * (as used in expressions) Claude Michel Aron Raymond… …   Universalium

  • Achille — (as used in expressions) Braudel Paul Achille Fernand Debussy Achille Claude Varèse Edgard Victor Achille Charles * * * …   Universalium

  • Achille — (as used in expressions) Braudel, (Paul Achille) Fernand Debussy, (Achille) Claude Varèse, Edgard (Victor Achille Charles) …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Claude Debussy — Portrait par Marcel Baschet (1884) Nom de naissance Achille Claude Debussy …   Wikipédia en Français

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