# Which are the five greatest works by Claude Debussy in your opinion?



## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

The works are ordered more or less chronologically. Define "greatest" as you wish. If you choose _Other(s)_, please tell us here in the comments section which work(s) you had in mind.

You may change your vote later.

=================================================================

Top ten most voted works that belong to Claude Debussy's five greatest according to the poll at the moment (in case of tie, later work gets priority in the ordering):

1. La Mer, L. 109 (25 votes)
2. Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, L. 86 (17 votes)
3. String Quartet, L. 85 (17 votes)
4. Pelléas et Mélisande, L. 88 (16 votes)
5. Préludes for piano [Book I], L. 117 (14 votes)
6. Nocturnes, L. 91 (12 votes)
7. Préludes for piano [Book II], L. 123 (11 votes)
8. Suite Bergamasque, L. 75 (8 votes)
9. Sonata for flute, viola and harp, L. 137 (7 votes)
10. Images pour orchestre, L. 122 (7 votes)

Total votes at the moment: 36.

Last update: 11/10/2022.


----------



## Vicomtedelomagne (3 mo ago)

My 'other' would be Ariettes Oubliees


----------



## Doublestring (Sep 3, 2014)

La Mer
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
Suite bergamasque
Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp
Children's Corner


----------



## staxomega (Oct 17, 2011)

Pelleas et Melisande
String Quartet
Images
Suite bergamasque
Cello Sonata


----------



## Waehnen (Oct 31, 2021)

I chose:

Sonata for Flute, Harp and Viola
String Quartet
Nocturnes
La Mer
Cello Sonata

What a magnificent composer! Talk about enriching the world of music! Just thinking about those works... I am very proud of Debussy and feel very happy for him and for us who get to hear these splendid works.


----------



## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

In order of preference

1. Prelude of the afternoon of a thorn
2. Das Mer
3. P&M
4. Preludes four piano
5. Images paw orchestra


----------



## Chat Noir (4 mo ago)

Preludes books I & II would stand alone for me. They're masterpieces. _Estampes_ for piano too, as played by Samson François. _La Mer_ and _Prelude à l'après-midi_... and the string quartet.


----------



## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

If I could take only five Debussy works with me to my desert island, it would be the following ones,

Sonata for flute, viola, and harp
Trois Nocturnes
Images Books 1 & 2 for solo piano
Preludes Books 1 & 2 for solo piano
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune


----------



## Chat Noir (4 mo ago)

Yes, both books of the preludes should be one choice.


----------



## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

1. Etudes
2. String Quartet
3. P & M
4. Suite bergamasque
5. Sonata for flute, viola, and harp


----------



## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

-) Rapsodie pour orchestre et saxophone
-) La chute de la maison Usher
-) Khamma
-) Le Martyre de Saint-Sébastien
-) Jeux


----------



## Highwayman (Jul 16, 2018)

I voted for the _Préludes _(both books), _Images _for Piano, _Estampes _and _Études_. I`d have voted for _L'isle joyeuse_ if the _Préludes _were in a single entry and _if _it was present in the poll..


----------



## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Pelléas et Mélisande, 
Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien, 
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
La Mer
Children corner .

( on this moment)


----------



## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

Josquin13 said:


> If I could take only five Debussy works with me to my desert island, it would be the following ones,
> 
> Sonata for flute, viola, and harp
> Trois Nocturnes
> ...


Glad you got Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune in at the end, I was getting worried!

P.S. Good to see you back posting, you've been missed 👍


----------



## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

In no order of preference:

Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, the one iconic piece that started it all.
Pelleas et Melisande, his operatic masterpiece
Preludes, book 1, containing his best piano works (book 2 I find generally less convincing).
La Mer, the culmination of his orchestral works
Jeux, the underrated masterpiece of his later years.


----------



## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

My number 1 is Images book 1 and 2 for piano.


----------



## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

String quartet
Prelude of the Afternoon....
La Mer

The rest is just bits of his piano music.


----------



## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

My favorite Debussy piece is the *Sonata for Flute, Harp and Viola*. My favorite Debussy recording (even though the blackface is now so politically incorrect some web sources no longer publish it) is from Stokowski's 1950 recording with "his" orchestra (members of New York Philharmonic). I also adore Stokowski's *Nocturnes* from the same period and his 1966 recording of *La Mer* on London's garish Phase 4 recording. Debussy and Stokwoski were made for each other.


----------



## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

HenryPenfold said:


> Glad you got Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune in at the end, I was getting worried!
> 
> P.S. Good to see you back posting, you've been missed 👍


Thanks for your kind words, Henry. I've had worsening problems with my computer keyboard (with a handful of letters no longer functioning), & haven't had the $$$ to get it fixed or buy a new one. So, until then, my participation on TC will be intermittent. Anyway, it's nice to hear from you!


----------



## sharleenganerytl57 (3 mo ago)

Prelude of the afternoon of a thorn 
The best!!


----------



## Chat Noir (4 mo ago)

sharleenganerytl57 said:


> Prelude of the afternoon of a thorn
> The best!!


A somewhat pointed suggestion. A thorny issue.


----------



## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, L. 86
La Mer, L. 109
Images pour piano, L. 110 and L. 111 
String Quartet, L. 85 
Suite Bergamasque, L. 75


----------



## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

Added a list of the top ten most voted works of the poll in the first post. I'll keep updating the numbers of the list as new votes appear.


----------



## Chat Noir (4 mo ago)

Xisten267 said:


> Added a list of the top ten most voted works of the poll in the first post. I'll keep updating the numbers of the list as new votes appear.


Why?


----------



## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

Chat Noir said:


> Why?


Why not? I think that by doing so I emphasize which pieces received more votes, giving them more visibility. I consider it amusing and not coincidental that some works receive many more votes than others in polls such as this, what in my view clearly shows that the perception of greatness of music by the members converge, even if we don't define exactly what "greatness" is. I understand that lists such as this are useful exploration tools, and I plan in the future to make a thread in the game/polls section of TC with links to all these polls I've been making of the "five greatest works by composer X" theme as a reference for future members that want to explore the works of these composers, somewhat in line with some other ongoing projects here in this community.


----------



## Chat Noir (4 mo ago)

Xisten267 said:


> Why not? I think that by doing so I emphasize which pieces received more votes, giving them more visibility. I consider it amusing and not coincidental that some works receive many more votes than others in polls such as this, what in my view clearly shows that the perception of greatness of music by the members converge, even if we don't define exactly what "greatness" is. I understand that lists such as this are useful exploration tools, and I plan in the future to make a thread in the game/polls section of TC with links to all these polls I've been making of the "five greatest works by composer X" theme as a reference for future members that want to explore the works of these composers, somewhat in line with some other ongoing projects here in this community.


Okay, but it reminds me a lot of those '1001 greatest books (to read before you die etc)'. Some folk spend so much time compiling lists and setting up 'top 100s' I wonder if they have time to listen to anything.


----------



## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

Chat Noir said:


> Okay, but it reminds me a lot of those '1001 greatest books (to read before you die etc)'. Some folk spend so much time compiling lists and setting up 'top 100s' I wonder if they have time to listen to anything.


Classical music is a passion to me and in my case at least you can be sure that I try to actually listen to works of the genre when I have the time. This of course doesn't mean that I know every great work by the famous composers, and in fact I haven't voted in some of my own polls yet due to this. I do some research to select representative works of a certain composer before making the poll associated to him, using several sources such as wikipedia, the DDD website and TC, but not necessarily I know every work in my own polls.


----------

