Achille-Claude Debussy, father of musical Impressionism, was born in St.
Germain-en-Laye, France, on August 22, 1862. From 1873 to 1884 he
attended the Paris Conservatory where he was both a rebellious and a
brilliant student. He won many prizes, including the Prix de Rome in
1884. In the compositions written in Rome under the provisions of the
Prix he already revealed his independence of thought and unorthodoxy of
style. After returning from Rome to Paris he became influenced not only
by the Impressionist movement in French art and the Symbolist movement
in French literature but also by the iconoclastic musical approaches and
idioms of Erik Satie. Debussy now began to develop his own techniques
and mannerisms and to crystallize his highly personal style. His first
masterworks appeared between 1892 and 1893: the orchestral prelude, _The
Afternoon of a Faun_ (_L’Après-midi d’un faune_), and his string
quartet. With later works for orchestra and for solo piano—and with his
remarkable opera, _Pelleas and Melisande_, introduced at the
Opéra-Comique on April 30, 1902—he brought musical Impressionism to its
highest technical development and to its most advanced stage of artistic
fulfillment. He became the musical poet of the most subtle suggestions,
elusive moods, and delicate impressions. A victim of cancer, Debussy
suffered severely in the closing years of his life. He died in Paris on
March 25, 1918, on a day when the city was being bombarded by the
Germans during World War I. Because of the war, his death passed
unnoticed except by a handful of friends.
Debussy’s greatest works are, to be sure, too complex in technique and
too subtle in style to enjoy ready consumption by the general public.
But a few of his compositions have a wide appeal because their charm and
sensitivity are easily comprehended, even at first hearing. One of these
is the delightful piano suite, _Children’s Corner_ (1908) written by the
composer for the delight of his little daughter, Chou-Chou. In it
Debussy evokes the imaginative world of the child; but he also produces
unsophisticated descriptive music that is readily appreciated by the
very young. Debussy used English rather than French titles for this work
because he wished to suggest the kind of stories and games that involve
an English governess and a French child. André Caplet’s orchestration of
this suite is famous.
There are six brief movements. The first, “Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum,”
is a satire on young pianists and their struggles with five-finger
exercises. This is followed by “Jimbo’s Lullaby,” a tender lullaby
crooned by a child to his toy elephant named Jimbo. In the third
movement, “Serenade for a Doll,” the child turns from his pet elephant
to his pet doll to croon to it a sensitive serenade. “The Snow Is
Falling” is a tone picture of a snowfall, seen by a child from his
window. “The Little Shepherd” is a pastoral piece of music. The most
famous movement of the suite is the last one, “Golliwogg’s Cakewalk” in
which the composer exploits the style and rhythm of a Negro dance
popular in America in the 19th century, the cakewalk. In this movement,
the composer maliciously interpolates a fragment from the Prelude of
Wagner’s _Tristan and Isolde_.
The beloved _Clair de Lune_ (_Moonlight_) is probably the composer’s
most celebrated melody. This is a poetic, sensitive evocation of the
peace and beauty of a moonlight light. It comes from his _Suite
bergamasque_ for piano (1890), where it can be found as the third of
four movements. Orchestral transcriptions have made this piece of music
world-famous.
_The Girl With the Flaxen Hair_ (_La Fille aux cheveux de lin_) is an
exquisite portrait, in the composer’s most felicitous impressionist
style. It is the eighth number of his Preludes for the piano, Book I
(1910), and like _Clair de lune_ is often heard in various orchestral
transcriptions; Arthur Hartmann’s adaptation for violin and piano is
also familiar.
The _Petite Suite_ (_Little Suite_) for piano duet (1889) is early
Debussy, more in the Romantic vein of Delibes than in the provocative
idiom Debussy later made famous. As orchestrated by Henri Busser it is
in the repertory of many salon and pop orchestras. There are four short
movements. The first, “_En Bateau_” (“_In a Boat_”) is particularly
popular. In the orchestration a gentle barcarolle melody for flute
suggests the gentle course of the boat in a placid lake. This is
followed by turns by a vigorous episode and a passionate section, both
of them for the strings. The flute then restores placidity, and the
opening sensitive melody returns in the violins. “_Cortège_” (“March”)
is a pert little march tune shared by the woodwind and strings.
“_Menuet_” is of classic grace while the finale, “_Ballet_,” has a
compelling rhythmic vigor.
_Rêverie_ (1890) is a brief, atmospheric piece for the piano which has
became a favorite with Americans because in 1938 it was adapted into the
popular song, “My Reverie.”