Birth Anniversary: Claude Debussy — August 22, 1862

Claude Debussy was born on 22 August 1862 at Saint-Germain-en-Laye. One of the most inventive composers of his time, he is the musical voice of the symbolist and «impressionist» season that runs parallel to Art Nouveau. With the Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, La Mer, Clair de lune and the opera Pelléas et Mélisande he broke the rules of nineteenth-century harmony in favour of timbre, colour and atmosphere. His music evokes rather than describes, like the sinuous lines of the decorative arts of 1900. The anniversary marks the composer who opened the way to the music of the twentieth century.