Claude Debussy

Biography

Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918) was a French composer, widely recognized as one of the most influential composers of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Beginning his musical career playing the piano, he later moved on to composition and wrote many orchestral and piano works throughout his life, as well as poetry-based "melodies". Despite rejecting the term, Debussy is often referred to as the first Impressionist composer. He's seen as having developed his own innovative style of harmony and orchestral coloring, taking inspiration from Russian and Far Eastern music, while rejecting the classical symphony and German musical tradition.