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)
In music, there is no good or bad, only what touches the heart.
My music is not modern; it is natural.
The piano is not an instrument; it is a way of thinking.
Life is a dream, and music is its language.
I compose as a bird sings, by necessity.
The orchestra is like a living being; it breathes and feels.
Beauty in music is in the spaces between the notes.
I am a man of the sea; my music flows like waves.
Critics are like bats; they see in the dark what others miss in the light.
Harmony is the pleasure of the ear, melody the pleasure of the soul.
My goal is to create music that evokes the atmosphere of a place.
Silence is the most perfect music.
The future of music is in the hands of those who dream.
I write music for the soul, not for the intellect.
The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.
Modern music is the expression of our time.
Rhythm is the heartbeat of music.
I find beauty in the simplest things.
Music is the poetry of the air.
The artist must be a dreamer.
Contemporaries of Claude Debussy
Other Musics born within 50 years of Claude Debussy (1862–1918).