What is Debussy most famous piece?

La Mer (1905) La Mer is Debussy's most popular and widely performed concert work.

udiscovermusic.com - Best Debussy Works: 10 Essential Pieces - uDiscoverMusic

What is the hardest Beethoven song to play on piano?

Hammerklavier” While we are on the topic of Beethoven, his 29th piano sonata “Hammerklavier” Op. 106 is among the absolute hardest pieces in all of...

Last updated Apr 30, 2022

How do you whiten yellowed plastic piano keys?

Plastic. Plastic keys are opposite of ivory keys, meaning you can use gentle cleaning solutions to whiten the keys. One of the easiest methods is...

Last updated Nov 12, 2018

Promotion

Illustration: uDiscoverMusic

Claude Debussy (22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was one of the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is regarded as the founder of musical impressionism. When challenged by the registrar of the Paris Conservatory as to what rule he followed when composing, Debussy replied disarmingly, “Mon plaisir!” Reacting against the dominant influence of Germanic music with its logical rigours of form and development, he sought a new music of colour, sensation, fleeting mood and relaxed form that would be distinctively French, as well as distinctively his own. He developed a highly original system of harmony and musical structure and his later music was perceived as sharing certain characteristics with the Impressionist painters, Monet, especially. Scroll down to discover our selection of the best Debussy works including ‘Clair De Lune’ (from Suite Bergamasque, 1890–1905), Prélude à l’Après-Midi d’un Faune, Pelléas et Mélisande (1902), and La Mer. Seong-Jin Cho - Debussy: Suite bergamasque, L. 75, 3. Clair de lune [ Animated Version ]

Watch this video on YouTube Click to load video

Listen to the best of Debussy on Apple Music and Spotify.

Best Debussy Works: 10 Essential Pieces

Deux Arabesques (1888/1891)

Although quite an early work, Debussy’s Deux Arabesques for piano contain hints of the composer’s developing music style. The suite is one of the very early impressionistic pieces of music, following the French visual art form, and portrays evocative scenes through music.

Debussy: Deux Arabesques L. 66 - No. 1 Andante con moto

Watch this video on YouTube Click to load video

Suite Bergamasque (1890, rev.1905)

Suite Bergamasque is a four-movement suite – ‘Prélude’, ‘Menuet’, ‘Clair de Lune’ and ‘Passepied’ – for piano. The relaxing music is inspired by a poem, written by French poet Paul Verlaine, and pre-echoes the hazy, impressionistic textures of Debussy’s later work, especially in his best-loved piano piece ‘Clair de Lune’.

Lang Lang – Debussy: Suite bergamasque, L.75: III. Clair de lune

Watch this video on YouTube Click to load video

Does hydrogen peroxide get rid of yellow?

Solution #1: Hydrogen Peroxide, Baking Soda and Salt When it comes to removing yellow stains from white shirts, two ingredients work best: hydrogen...

Last updated Feb 11, 2021

Is 30 minutes a day of piano enough?

Beginners are advised to plan a daily practice time of at least 15 to 30 minutes on the piano. So you can make progress in a short amount of time....

Last updated Apr 24, 2019

Join almost HALF A MILLION Happy Students Worldwide

Pianoforall is one of the most popular online piano courses online and has helped over 450,000 students around the world achieve their dream of playing beautiful piano for over a decade.

Learn More »

Promotion

String Quartet in G Minor (1893)

Debussy’s String Quartet in G Minor, one of his earliest masterpieces, combines alluring melodies with exhilarating rhythmic freedom and paved the way for Prélude à l’Après-Midi d’un Faune the following year. Debussy expanded the sound of the string quartet with a variety of novel textures and tonal effects. With exotic scales, unconventional chords, progressions and key changes, the music features melodies and harmonies unique for their time. Debussy: String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10, L. 85 - 1. Animé et très décidé

Watch this video on YouTube Click to load video

Prélude à l’Aprés-Midi d’un Faune (1894)

It is often said that the era of modern music began with a single work in 1894: Claude Debussy’s Prélude à l’Après-Midi d’un Faune for orchestra. Based on Mallarmé’s poem, Debussy considered the Prélude to be evocative “of the successive scenes in which the longings and desires of the faun pass in the heat of the afternoon”. Debussy stretched the traditional system of keys and tonalities to their limits. The Prélude is one of the most popular pieces of music of all time and inspired many composers, including Leonard Bernstein and Boulez.

Debussy: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune

Watch this video on YouTube Click to load video

Pelléas et Mélisande (1902)

Pelléas et Mélisande is the only opera Debussy every completed and is considered a landmark in 20th-century music. The French libretto was adapted from Maurice Maeterlinck’s symbolist play Pelléas et Mélisande. Debussy underlines Maeterlinck’s symbolism with astonishingly original music, even though his use of motifs to identify all the actors and other forces is quite Wagnerian. Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande, L. 88 / Act III - "Mes longs cheveux descendent"

Watch this video on YouTube Click to load video

La Mer (1905)

La Mer is Debussy’s most popular and widely performed concert work. These three orchestral ‘symphonic sketches’ capture Debussy’s almost superhuman ability to translate the play of light on the water and the sea’s place in the natural world into musical sound. The programmatic nature of this piece made it a pioneering work of musical impressionism. Debussy: La mer, L. 109 - I. From Dawn Till Noon on the Sea

Does Bakelite glow under black light?

No! It doesn't fluoresce. You get a surface reflection but no reaction. The Fluorescence is generally a muddy green color.

Last updated Dec 7, 2021

Why is the key of G so popular?

G Major is a nice and satisfying sounding chord, capable of invoking gentleness and calm. But don't be fooled – it is an incredibly popular chord...

Last updated Oct 19, 2021

Promotion

Watch this video on YouTube Click to load video

The two books of Images advanced Debussy’s textural fastidiousness and refinement, especially Book I’s ‘Reflets Dans l’Eau’ (‘Reflections in the Water’). Images Book II includes ’Cloches à Travers les Feuilles’ (‘Bells through the Leaves’), inspired by the tolling of a passing bell being carried from village to village between religious festivals. It’s among Debussy’s best works.

Debussy: Images I, L. 110 - I. Reflets dans l'eau

Watch this video on YouTube Click to load video

Children’s Corner (1908)

Enchanting suite in six movements evoking scenes from childhood – including the riotous ‘Golliwog’s Cake-Walk’ – dedicated “To my dear little Chouchou with her father’s gentle apologies for what follows”.

Seong-Jin Cho – Debussy: Golliwog's Cakewalk (Children's Corner, L. 113)

Watch this video on YouTube Click to load video

Jeux (1913)

Jeux, described by Debussy as a ‘Poème Dansé’, was premiered in Paris in 1913 just a fortnight before Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring. This unforgettable ballet features two girls and a boy who, upon losing their ball during an evening game of tennis, hunt for it in the moonlit undergrowth playing the odd game of hide-and-seek along the way. Jeux was the last orchestral score that Debussy completed before his death in 1918 and is his best orchestral work. Debussy: Jeux (Poème dansé) , L.126 - Très lent - Scherzando (Tempo initial)

Watch this video on YouTube Click to load video

Looking for more of Debussy’s best work? Check out our masterpiece guide to “Claire de Lune.”

Discover more of our composer best works.

udiscovermusic.com - Best Debussy Works: 10 Essential Pieces - uDiscoverMusic

Are piano books worth it?

Learning Exercises Beginner piano books are filled with exercises to improve your piano fingering, help you learn the scales, and teach you the...

Last updated Jan 6, 2019

Does IQ fall with age?

An individual's IQ does not change with age. In other words: if you did an IQ test now and then another one in 10 years' time, your IQ score will...

Last updated Nov 11, 2021

Promotion

What is the best keyboard layout for English?

The QWERTY Keyboard Layout Today, virtually every computer keyboard uses this layout, which is why it's so common and widely available. It is also...

Last updated Sep 23, 2019

Promotion

How long should a piano rest before tuning?

When you've moved or when you've purchased a new piano, it's recommended that you wait at least 3 weeks to allow the strings to settle before...

Last updated Nov 17, 2020