Debussy
A Painter in Sound
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4.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
One of the most revered composers of the twentieth century, Claude Debussy (1862–1918) achieved the unheard of: he reinvented the language of music without alienating the majority of music lovers. Debussy drove French music into entirely new regions of beauty and excitement at a time when old traditions threatened to stifle it. Yet despite his profound influence on French culture, Debussy’s own life was complicated and often troubled by struggles over money, women, and ill health. Here, Stephen Walsh, acclaimed author of Stravinsky, chronicles both the composer himself and the unique moment in European history that bore him. Walsh’s engagingly original approach is to enrich a lively biography with analyses of Debussy’s music: from his first daring breaks with the rules as a Conservatoire student to his achievements as the greatest French composer of his time.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Walsh (Stravinsky) uses the musical compositions of French composer Achille-Claude Debussy (1862 1918) as a framework to tell the story of his short life in this richly descriptive biography. Debussy was often referred to as an impressionist composer, as he was influenced by the works of impressionist artists Claude Monet and St phane Mallarm , and Walsh gives a thorough history of Debussy's artistic growth. Working against a rigid, conservative musical tradition, Debussy nevertheless created a radical body of work where visual expression or "painting in sound" was paramount. Walsh writes accessibly about his music: " Le Soir e dans Greande' is a street scene; atmosphere with passersby. The C sharp ostinato at the start hangs expectantly in the air and soon a distant voice intones one of those laments." In the chapter "Songs for Marie," Walsh describes the affair Debussy had with Marie-Rosalie Texier, who would later become his wife and for whom he wrote several songs in which "one can hear her voice almost as if she were in the room singing them." Throughout, Walsh wonderfully underscores Debussy's importance as a composer.
