Achille-Claude Debussy (22nd August 1862 – 25th March 1918) was a French co… Read Full Bio ↴Achille-Claude Debussy (22nd August 1862 – 25th March 1918) was a French composer. He was one of the most important figures in music at the turn of the 20th century; his music represents the transition from late-romantic to 20th century classical.
Debussy's most dramatic contribution to music history was his disregard for traditional chord structures and tonality. He is one of the most important exponents of the whole tone scale in classical music history. His compositions flowed without a strict sense of metre or rhythm, and are considered the pioneering works of the Impressionist genre of classical music, named in comparison with the visual arts movement.
Debussy's impact was far reaching. His free use of harmony, which often altogether disregarded the concepts of tertian harmony, has been cited as an influence on the rise of Jazz music later in the 20th century.
Debussy's most dramatic contribution to music history was his disregard for traditional chord structures and tonality. He is one of the most important exponents of the whole tone scale in classical music history. His compositions flowed without a strict sense of metre or rhythm, and are considered the pioneering works of the Impressionist genre of classical music, named in comparison with the visual arts movement.
Debussy's impact was far reaching. His free use of harmony, which often altogether disregarded the concepts of tertian harmony, has been cited as an influence on the rise of Jazz music later in the 20th century.
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Violin Sonata in G minor%3A II. Interm%C3%A8de%3A fantastique et l%C3%A9ger
Claude Debussy Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Claude Debussy:
My Reverie Our love is a dream, but in my reverie I can…
Reverie Our love is a dream, but in my reverie I can…
Suite bergamasque L. 75 No. 1: Prelude INSTRUMENTAL Let your power flow in this place Let your heal…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
@gerardbegni2806
This is the very last important piece completed by Debussy. He planned to write six sonatas, but he could compose only three. He suffereed from a cancer in terminal phase, at a time (1918) where the main medical concern was soldiers wounded during harsh battles et the end of WW1. He suffered a lot. Debussy was an antiromantic who hated to show his inner personality in the music, but this suffering induced here a decrease in the usual softness and half-tone character with which he wrote his most audacious music. Here, the harmonies and melodic profiles are more direct and harsher than usual. Just read the three first chords and examine their mutual relationships, which look partly contradictory and drawing the harmony in opposite directions. This is a common feature in Debussy's music, but genearlly the writing is mush softer. Of course, this is a master ermpiece by Dzebussy- and the greatest Debussy. But the music is more "nude" and direct than usual. This feature is in itself quite moving.
@fezzle1154
Another aspect that makes this piece much more melancholy for me is knowing that he wrote this, not just at the end of his life, but at the end of his career as a prominent composer. His incident with Emily Bardac and his estranged ex wife Lilly tarnished his social image (for those that don't know, Debussy lusted over Emily, and ran away with her. He left Lilly a note saying their marriage was over, and Lilly tried to commit suicide, but the bullet she shot in her chest instead remained lodged there for the rest of her shortened life). With other composers denouncing him and being shunned out of numerous French composing societies left him in a situation where he wasn't just not very well liked, but on top of that, his later pieces fell into obscurity. And this piece to me conveys this anger he feels towards those around him, and towards himself. It feels like a melancholy reflection of his life, parts of it filled with happiness, some with loneliness, and others with anguish.
@lukemarsden5872
you've over thinking it mate .... it's just lovely music put together from his ideas over 30+ years.
@gerardbegni2806
@Luke Marsden Please study the score carefully, as well as Debussy's biography. You also can have a look at the study that I published on thew ebsite "Festival du Comminges", "Etudes" section about the three sonatas.
@aryavaseghi5260
This is an excellent comment. Thank you!
@owenmcgee8496
the introduction and various parts of this piece remind me of Ravel's later chamber music; it's an even more noticeable influence on Ravel than the similarities in style in a few piano pieces.
@photoxlo
Unbelievable this is the final piece he wrote and performed before he passed away in March 1918.
@Bilmonis
Yes, the sonata was first performed by Debussy himself and violonist Gérard Poulet in 1917. One amazing thing is that the violonist's son, Gérard Poulet, a well-known violonist too, is still alive in 2023!
@BeckyMesser
I’m playing this as part of my first official university job post-grad (not counting the collab piano I did in undergrad & grad) & ngl this piece has been intimidating me. I haven’t had time to really study the score, the harmonies, the modalities of the different sections, & it’s been hard to understand…but hearing this recording & reading the comments is helping me a lot. Thanks, fellow musicians ♡
@Shrimp_Insurance
Good luck!