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Claude Debussy

(Achille) Claude Debussy (French: [aʃil klod dəbysi]; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Born to a family of modest means and little cultural involvement, Debussy showed enough musical talent to be admitted at the age of ten to France's leading music college, the Conservatoire de Paris. He originally studied the piano, but found his vocation in innovative composition, despite the disapproval of the Conservatoire's conservative professors. He took many years to develop his mature style, and was nearly 40 when he achieved international fame in 1902 with the only opera he completed, Pelléas et Mélisande.

Debussy's orchestral works include Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894), Nocturnes (1897–1899) and Images (1905–1912). His music was to a considerable extent a reaction against Wagner and the German musical tradition. He regarded the classical symphony as obsolete and sought an alternative in his "symphonic sketches", La mer (1903–1905). His piano works include sets of 24 Préludes and 12 Études. Throughout his career he wrote mélodies based on a wide variety of poetry, including his own. He was greatly influenced by the Symbolist poetic movement of the later 19th century. A small number of works, including the early La Damoiselle élue and the late Le Martyre de saint Sébastien have important parts for chorus. In his final years, he focused on chamber music, completing three of six planned sonatas for different combinations of instruments.

With early influences including Russian and Far Eastern music and works by Chopin, Debussy developed his own style of harmony and orchestral colouring, derided – and unsuccessfully resisted – by much of the musical establishment of the day. His works have strongly influenced a wide range of composers including Béla Bartók, Olivier Messiaen, George Benjamin, and the jazz pianist and composer Bill Evans. Debussy died from cancer at his home in Paris at the age of 55 after a composing career of a little more than 30 years.

Birth and Death Data: Born August 22, 1862 (Saint-Germain-en-Laye), Died March 25, 1918 (Paris)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1909 - 1950

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, orchestrator

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 226-250 of 361 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Brunswick 1859bmp 12-in. 1930 Nocturne no. 1: Nuages (Clouds) Orchestre des concerts Lamoureux ; Albert Wolff Orchestra composer  
Brunswick 1860bmp 12-in. 1930 Nocturne no. 2 : Fêtes (Festivals) Orchestre des concerts Lamoureux ; Albert Wolff Orchestra composer  
Brunswick 1861bmp 12-in. 1930 Nocturne no. 2 : Fêtes (Festivals) Orchestre des concerts Lamoureux ; Albert Wolff Orchestra composer  
Edison 590 10-in. approximately Mar. 1911 Azraël, pourquoi m'as-tu quittée? Marguerite Sylva Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Edison 1513 Not documented Nov.-Dec. 1920 Arabesque E. Robert Schmitz Piano solo composer  
Edison 2546 10-in. 11/10/1913 Clair de lune Band (unidentified; Edison Records) Band composer  
Edison 7217 10-in. 3/15/1920 Little shepherd Victor Young Piano solo composer  
Edison 8227 10-in. 9/26/1921 Nuit d'étoiles Anna Case Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Edison 11809 10-in. 7/21/1927 Clair de lune Hotel Commodore Ensemble ; Bernhard Levitow Instrumental ensemble composer  
Edison 18261 10-in. 2/25/1928 Arabesque in G major E. Robert Schmitz Piano solo composer  
Edison 18262 10-in. 2/25/1928 The little shepherd [No. 5] E. Robert Schmitz Piano solo composer  
Edison N-119 10-in. 2/25/1928 Arabesque, in G major E. Robert Schmitz Piano solo composer  
Edison N-120 10-in. 2/25/1928 The little shepherd [No. 5] E. Robert Schmitz Piano solo composer  
Edison N-1205 12-in. 10/17/1929 Quartet, op. 10 Roth Quartet String quartet composer  
Edison N-1206 12-in. 10/17/1929 Quartet, op. 10 Roth Quartet String quartet composer  
Edison N-1207 12-in. 10/17/1929 Quartet, op. 10 Roth Quartet String quartet composer  
Edison N-1208 12-in. 10/17/1929 Quartet, op. 10 Roth Quartet String quartet composer  
Gramophone 0LA28 10-in. 8/10/1934 The children's corner [part 1] Piero Coppola ; Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire Orchestra composer  
Gramophone 0LA29 10-in. 10/8/1934 The children's corner [part 6] Piero Coppola ; Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire Orchestra composer  
Gramophone 0LA30 10-in. 8/10/1934 The children's corner [part 2] Piero Coppola ; Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire Orchestra composer  
Gramophone 0LA31 10-in. 8/10/1934 The children's corner [part 3] Piero Coppola ; Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire Orchestra composer  
Gramophone 0LA32 10-in. 8/10/1934 The children's corner [part 4] Piero Coppola ; Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire Orchestra composer  
Gramophone 0LA33 10-in. 10/8/1934 The children's corner [part 5] Piero Coppola ; Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire Orchestra composer  
Gramophone BFR388 10-in. 3/16/1927 Interlude (Act 1, scene 3) Piero Coppola ; Orchestre symphonique du Gramophone Orchestra composer  
Gramophone BFR389 10-in. 3/16/1927 Interlude (Act 1, scene 2) Piero Coppola ; Orchestre symphonique du Gramophone Orchestra composer  
(Results 226-250 of 361 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Debussy, Claude," accessed October 15, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/102597.

Debussy, Claude. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved October 15, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/102597.

"Debussy, Claude." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 15 October 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/102597

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