French Classical Composer: Claude Debussy, A French Classical Composer

Claude Achile Debussy is a French classical composer who was born on August 22nd 1862; saint-Germain-Laye, France. His family was quite poor and didn’t have much at the time but Debussy showed an early passion for the piano and started taking lessons by age 7 and he entered for the French conservatory and got in where his instructors so a great gift in him and recognized his great talent. At age 22, he won the pix de Rome, which led him to Italy so he could go on with his musical studies. After the turn of the century Debussy has established himself as a leading figure and famous in French music. During World War 1, while Paris and Germany were at war, he was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 55and died on March 25th 1918; Paris, France.

History of impressionism

The word impressionism was used to describe a kind of painting made by a group of French artists in the 19th

Impressionism is the use of color or as in the musical term ‘Timbre’ which can be done or achieved through harmonic usage and texture. The most famous impressionist composer is Claude Debussy himself. Color theory was a key factor in impressionism too.

Some musical characteristics of impressionism is first of all the melody which gives of short pauses or dabs of sound to stretch, free following lines.

Harmonic characteristics are primarily harmonic and usually move in parallel lines or motion. Rhythmic characteristics are usually formed with irregular sounds and rhythmic ostinatos to give feeling to the movement and the sound, Whole tone scale divides the octave into equal major system that lead to a not clear flow and finally the pentatonic scale is surrounded when black keys are