Melissa Barbee
2-23-04
Debussy Project
Background on Debussy
Achille Claude Debussy was born in St Germain-en-Laye on August 22 1862. Debussy was a French impressionist composer who was one of the most important musicians of his time. Debussy was an influence on many composers for many generations. Debussy was the first of the great 20th century composers. Debussy composed in many different genres, some of which include: piano works, preludes, one opera, La Mer, and string quartet.
Debussy’s father Manuel-Achille, served in the marine infantry. Manuel-Achille dreamt of making a sailor of Debussy. In 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, the family took refuge in Cannes with Manuel's sister, Clementine, who arranged for Debussy to have his first piano lessons with an Italian musician, Jean Cerutti.
[1]
The Paris Conservatoire was the first school Debussy attended in 1872. His first Conservatoire teachers were Antoine Marmontel for piano and Albert Lavignac for solfège. His cantata L'enfant prodigue won the Prix de Rome in 1884. Four years after his marriage to Lilly Texier (a model) in autumn 1899, Debussy met Emma Bardac, an amateur singer and the wife of a banker. After Debussy left his wife and went and lived with Emma, Lilly attempted suicide. He married Bardac in 1908 and they had a daughter, Claude-Emma (Chouchou) in 1905.
Debussy had many influences. Some of which include Wagner, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Weber, Handel, Liszt, Gounod, Musorgsky, Palestrina, Lassus, Victoria, Rimsky-Korsakov, Stravinsky, and Borodin. “Nuages” and “Fêtes” undoubtedly owe something to the distinctive repetitive rhythms of Borodin's In the Steppes of Central Asia.
[2]
About 1910 Debussy developed cancer. He died during the bombardment of Paris by German artillery on March. 25, 1918.