1. Evan Cantor

2.  Debussy was born August 22, 1862 in Saint Germain France. He was the son of a shoe keeper and seamstress.  Debussy began piano studies at the Paris Conservatory at the age of 11. While a student there, he encountered the wealthy Nadezhda von Meck, who employed him as a music teacher to her children; through travel, concerts and acquaintances, she provided him with a wealth of musical experience. Most importantly, she exposed the young Debussy to the works of Russian composers, such as Borodin and Mussorgsky, who would remain important influences on his music.

3.  Debussy began composition studies in 1880, and in 1884 he won the prestigious Prix de Rome with his cantata L'enfant prodigue. This prize financed two years of further study in Rome -- years that proved to be creatively frustrating. However, the period immediately following was fertile for the young composer; trips to Bayreuth and the Paris World Exhibition (1889) established, respectively, his determination to move away from the influence of Richard Wagner, and his interest in the music of Eastern cultures.  Claude Debussy was among the most influential composers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His mature compositions, distinctive and appealing, combined modernism and sensuality so successfully that their sheer beauty often obscures their technical innovation. Debussy is considered the founder and leading exponent of musical Impressionism and his adoption of non-traditional scales and tonal structures was paradigmatic for many composers who followed.

4.  His Genre was classical music  Keyboard  Ballet  Orchestra  Vocal Music  Chamber Music

5.  Debussy composed just about one hundred pieces.  He composed for full orchestras, voice, cello, saxophone, clarinet, baritone, flute, harp, viola, violin, and, what he is most famous for, piano.  Debussy’s most famous piano works: - Suite Bergamasque (1890) – First Book of Preludes (1910) – Second Book of Preludes (1913) – Etudes (1913).  Debussy’s most famous orchestral works: - Nocturnes (1899) – La Mer (1905) – Images (1912) – Jeux (1913).

6.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtyxqOE 6b2w – First Book of Preludes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtyxqOE 6b2w  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p24uQUj 0cnE – Etudes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p24uQUj 0cnE  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66hX8Ms 0FwE – La Mer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66hX8Ms 0FwE

7.  http://classicalmusic.about.com/od/classicalc omposers/p/debussy.htm http://classicalmusic.about.com/od/classicalc omposers/p/debussy.htm  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Debuss y http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Debuss y  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/claude- debussy-mn0000768781 http://www.allmusic.com/artist/claude- debussy-mn0000768781