# question about Debussy's influence?



## Ney (Oct 20, 2015)

Most of them said that he was an impressionist. What i heard from my professor is, Debussy did not 'labelled' himself as an impressionist or whatever but some of Desbussy 's music was influenced by the symbolism. It sounds right to me because one of his work _le sons et les parfums_ is related to symbolism as its tittle came from the poet Charles Baudelaire.

Anybody explain why is he considered an impressionist? and please tell me more information and examples! Thank you!


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

Painting, literature, music, dance all melded in that highly-creative French era, 1870's to 1920's. Impressionism was an adopted term for the earlier segment, and Symbolism or Surrealism, for the latter. It's understandable that there'd be some overlapping. That's all. No need to buttonhole. :tiphat:


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Critics considered Debussy's music completely devoid of the elements which normally made up music (melody, form, harmonic working-out); parallels were drawn by some with the "Impressionist" movement in the visual arts, where form and color were blurred and melded together.

For his part, Debussy was more interested in Turner and Japanese woodblock prints than in the "Impressionist" painters of his own country.

Most music history textbooks will label Debussy as part of the modernist movement, and Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun as the first true work of musical modernism.


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

If you have not already done so read the chapter on Debussy in The Lives of the Great Composers by Harold C. Schonberg.


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## TradeMark (Mar 12, 2015)

I feel like the term impressionism doesn't make a much sense in Classical music, as it only applies to two composers. At this point it only seems like its used to separate the "ugly" modern composers from the "pretty" impressionist composers who were also called "ugly" at one point. 

On the other hand I do think there are parallels between Debussy and the impressionist painters. They are both considered to be the first modernists in there respective art forms. And they have similar aesthetics.


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## TradeMark (Mar 12, 2015)

Mahlerian said:


> For his part, Debussy was more interested in Turner and Japanese woodblock prints than in the "Impressionist" painters of his own country.


So were the the impressionist painters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japonism

I'm not too sure about Turner, but I believe he might have had an influence on impressionism as well.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

There is a general aesthetic orientation shared by the impressionist painters and French composers. Whereas Germanic composers of that era more or less accepted the notion that music is about emotion, internal life, psychological drama, and personal expression, for the so-called musical impressionists it was about color, sensuality, and connections to nature and natural phenomena. It was lighter, extra-personal, and concerned with sensory impressions rather than with the struggles of life.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

There´s been a few at least somewhat related threads before on TA

http://www.talkclassical.com/34947-debussy-impressionism.html
http://www.talkclassical.com/9111-parallels-between-art-music.html (p.1)


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