As a composer, Claude Achille Debussy is firmly rooted in the Impressionistic period.
His music evokes a certain sensualism and free flowing mood that is characteristic of the ideals
of this period. The Impressionistic ideal was derived from Wagnerian techniques and thoughts.
The Impressionistic composers took aspects such as the “sensuality of the sound and the free
interplay among senses and symbols” (Byrnside, 1980) and expressed these from a French point
of view. This resulted in a style that evoked a sense of vagueness. The goal was to create an
impression of a certain image or emotion in which the audience could become completely
involved. In order to accomplish this, composers like Debussy ignored musical elements such as
form and functional harmony. This meant that the listener could become lost in their own
emotions without being distracted by the structure of the music (Calvocoressi, 1908).
There are numerous methods in which this style can be employed compositionally. As
previously mentioned, composers can play with elements such as structure, rhythm, pitch,
timbre, and harmony. Specifically in the works of Debussy, these elements can be seen quite
clearly. For example, in the composition Prelude a l’apres midi d’un faune, Debussy plays with
the idea of musical time and meter. The clarinet and flute solos are written in a way that sounds
very improvisatory or not in any particular meter or time signature. The time signatures are
oscillating under a flowing mesh of sounds. This makes it extremely difficult for the listener to
feel an underlying beat (Brown, 1993). He also plays with timbre by using muted strings and
percussion to represent certain images or emotions within the music. Debussy characteristic
scoring also helps to create new timbres. The harmonies he uses are often dense and this is
enhanced by the large orchestras which the works are written for. In sets of works such as his
Preludes Book I and II, there are also good examples of this thick scoring. Even though it is
written for solo piano, the voicing produces a large, thick sound from the piano. Apart from
scoring, Debussy challenges harmony in other ways as well. He begins to compose using new
types of scales such as whole tone and pentatonic. There is also an abandonment of any kind of
voice leading rules or functional harmonies pertaining to a tonic. To accomplish this, Debussy
often uses the technique of planning chords. This employs a series of chords that follow each
other in parallel motion. The effect is almost hypnotic in a sense. An exemplary example of this
practice is the piece “La cathedrale engloutie” from the Preludes collection. This piece also
brings attention to another important aspect of Impressionism and the music of Debussy.
Often, Impressionistic composers would make use of the vast inspiration coming from
other art forms. These typically included visual art and literature. For example, Prelude a l’apres
midi d’un faune is based on a poem by Stephane Mallarme while other pieces are intended to
evoke certain visual senses. For example, “La cathedrale engloutie” depicts a sinking cathedral,
while “Voiles”, from the same Prelude Book II, shows images of sailing.
It is safe to say that as an Impressionistic composer, Debussy truly made an impression
on the world.