After a short hiatus, we are finally back here at Compositions on Composers! With Spring Break now behind us, we will move into our final section. Classical music is one of my favorite genres, we started this blog with it and I now hope to end the blog in a similar fashion. Through the Mozart/Mackey section, we learned about the basic characteristics of traditional Classical music. In this final section, we will dive into my favorite Classical period, the Romantic/Impressionist period. Though we could focus on any one of my favorite Romantic/Impressionist composers such as Liszt, Rachmaninoff, or Chopin (my all-time favorite, check him out!), today, we will learn a bit about Claude Debussy.

Born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France in 1862, Claude Debussy grew up in utter poverty, but after becoming acquainted with Russian millionairess, Nadezhda Filaretovna von Meck, Debussy began to travel with her, experiencing the world and gaining an appreciation for music through playing duets with her and her children. Debussy first displayed his musical gifts through piano lessons at age nine. Madame Mauté de Fleurville, an associate of Frédéric Chopin, taught Debussy and helped him to pursue his interests in piano and composition from an early age. By 1873, Debussy, age 11, began to study piano and composition at the Paris Conservatory, where he would later win an award, the Grand Prix de Rome, for his composition L’Enfant Prodigue (The Prodigal Child). A beautiful 35 minute composition, the gentle orchestration, swells of emotion, and careful use of the oboe and female operatist make this piece absolutely stunning and breath-taking. After leaving the Conservatory, Debussy moved to the Villa Medici in Rome, where he spent two years composing. The scholarship from the Grand Prix de Rome would have allowed him to stay for three years, but he found the place bothersome and moved back to Paris as soon as he comfortably could. He then engaged in a number of affairs, married twice, gave birth to an illegitimate daughter, and suffered under the constant stress of suicidal thoughts. Though difficult and full of hardships, Debussy’s complicated and emotionally-charged life enabled him to compose beautiful, gentle, and poignant pieces.

Among Claude Debussy’s most notable pieces are Children’s Corner, La Mer, Clair de Lune, and Rêverie. Clair de Lune is by far his most well-known composition. Several years ago, I played this piece on the piano. In order to really master the song and bring out the beauty of the piece, you had to delicately touch the keys like flower petals and take artistic liberties with the tempo and dynamic expression. Listening to this calm and somewhat mysterious piece changes your outlook and feels refreshing and relaxing. Rêverie grabs me in much of the same ways. Its beautiful solo piano composition feels like a peaceful state of mind wrapping itself around me. As the song slowly and methodically progresses, a wave of complete calm and tranquility overcomes any stressors. On La Mer, this late Debussy composition achieves many firsts in symphonic composition and musical expression. Inspired by the English Channel outside of Debussy’s hotel room in Eastbourne, La Mer creates a beautiful and majestic atmosphere. Finally, in Children’s Corner, dedicated to his daughter Claude-Emma, Debussy created a six-movement suite for solo piano. One of his final compositions, this piece fully culminates his development as a composer.

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