Claude Debussy
Founder of musical Impressionism
Most quoted
"I am trying to achieve something new – realities, as it were, what imbeciles call 'impressionism,' a term which is as ill-applied as possible, particularly by art critics who do not hesitate to apply it to Turner, the finest creator of mysterious effects in the whole world of art."
— from Letter to Jacques Durand, 1908
"The sound of the sea, the curve of the horizon, the wind in the leaves, the cry of a bird, these stir within us a multitude of impressions. And suddenly, without any previous agreement, one of these memories rises to the surface and expresses itself in the language of music."
— from Various interviews and letters
"The sound of the sea, the curve of a horizon, wind in leaves, the cry of a bird leave manifold impressions in us. And suddenly, without our wishing it at all, one of these memories spills from us and finds expression in musical language."
— from 'Monsieur Croche the Dilettante Hater', 1913
All quotes by Claude Debussy (297)
The French are too fond of logic in music. They want to understand everything.
The orchestra is not an instrument, it is an assembly of instruments.
I have no desire to be a follower of anyone. I want to be myself.
The beauty of music is in its freedom.
The ear is a more sensitive organ than the eye.
Music is the purest form of magic.
The greatest music is that which is not written.
The French have always been afraid of the unknown.
The only way to do great work is to love what you do.
Music should humbly seek to please; it is a noble mission.
I am trying to do 'something different'—an 'effect of reality' as they say!
The art of music is a mysterious arithmetic of the soul.
The sound of a single chord can be more eloquent than a whole symphony.
The French are too fond of rules. They want to put everything in a box.
The true musician is the one who can make silence speak.
The beauty of music is in its impermanence.
The French are too fond of the past. They are afraid of the future.
Music is the most sensual of all the arts.
The true artist is the one who dares to be different.
The French are too fond of tradition. They are afraid of innovation.
Contemporaries of Claude Debussy
Other Musics born within 50 years of Claude Debussy (1862–1918).