Claude Debussy Research Paper

Born to a poor family in France, Claude Debussy arrived into the world on August 22, 1862. He became the oldest of five children. By the time he turned nine, he showed gift as a pianist. Madame Maute de Fleurville encouraged him and in 1873 he entered the Paris Conservatory. He studied piano and composition. While living in poverty, Nadezhda Filaretovna von Meck discovered him. She engaged him to play duets with her and her children. He often traveled with her throughout Europe during the summer vacations. During this time in Paris, he fell in love with a singer: Blanche Vasnier, the wife of an architect. She inspired many of Debussy’s early works. He then worked in Russia and gained many cultural and musical experiences that gave him exposure to Russian composers whom later influenced his work. …show more content…
This financed two years of further musical study in the capital of Italy. During his study in Italy, he looked at composer Richard Wagner, specifically his opera Tristan und Isolde. Debussy greatly admired Wagner, but shied away from his style when writing his own works. In 1887, Debussy returned to Paris. Two years later, he attended the Paris World Exhibition. There, he heard a Javanese gamelan, which includes gongs, bells, and xylophones. In his subsequent years, Debussy incorporated these into his work. Debussy’s early style shows in Clair de lune. Because he held the Grand Prix de Rome, he received a three-year stay at the Villa Medici in Rome. Here, he received ideal conditions to pursue his work. He eventually fled the Villa de Medici after two years and returned to Paris. Several other women during this time stood associated with him. Debussy at this time lived a life of indulgence. One of his mistresses threatened suicide, and his first wife Rosalie Texier, a dressmaker, shot herself, although not fatally. This caused Debussy to think of