Debussy - Charton, Ariane (Paris Gallimard, 2012)
Undisciplined since his Conservatory days, and scornful of easy success, Claude Debussy (1862-1918) had to face severe criticism throughout his life. With his Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, Pelléas et Mélisande, La Mer and his Préludes for piano, he broke free from Romantic and Wagnerian traditions to revolutionize French music. An admirer of the Impressionists, Verlaine and Mallarmé, he drew inspiration from art and literature, as well as oriental and Spanish music. He sought new harmonies and rhythms in which notes expressed sensations and images. Plagued throughout his life by material difficulties and bouts of spleen, he remained a distinctive composer, who was perfectionist and uncompromising. He died to the sound of German cannons bombarding Paris. (Translated with Deepl.com)
"Texte Inédit"
Keywords: Debussy, Claude -- 1862-1918; 19th Century (1801-1900); 20th Century (1901-2000); Composer; Biography