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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 126-150 of 361 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BS-014392 10-in. 12/12/1937 Nocturnes Philadelphia Orchestra ; Leopold Stokowski Orchestra composer  
Victor BS-014395 10-in. 12/12/1937 Gymnopedie no. 1 Philadelphia Orchestra ; Leopold Stokowski Orchestra orchestrator  
Victor BS-018079 10-in. 1/19/1938 La plus que lente Emma Boynet Piano solo composer  
Victor CS-018855 12-in. 2/7/1938 Ibéria (Images, set III, no. 2) New York Philharmonic Orchestra composer  
Victor CS-018856 12-in. 2/7/1938 Ibéria (Images, set III, no. 2) New York Philharmonic Orchestra composer  
Victor CS-018857 12-in. 2/7/1938 Ibéria (Images, set III, no. 2) New York Philharmonic Orchestra composer  
Victor CS-018858 12-in. 2/7/1938 Ibéria (Images, set III, no. 2) New York Philharmonic Orchestra composer  
Victor CS-018859 12-in. 2/7/1938 Ibéria (Images, set III, no. 2) New York Philharmonic Orchestra composer  
Victor BS-019511 10-in. 1/26/1938 Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir Emma Boynet Piano solo composer  
Victor CS-023564 12-in. 6/10/1938 En blanc et noir George Copeland ; Ray Sinatra Piano duet composer  
Victor CS-023565 12-in. 6/10/1938 En blanc et noir George Copeland ; Ray Sinatra Piano duet composer  
Victor CS-023566 12-in. 6/10/1938 En blanc et noir George Copeland ; Ray Sinatra Piano duet composer  
Victor CS-023567 12-in. 6/10/1938 En blanc et noir George Copeland ; Ray Sinatra Piano duet composer  
Victor BS-024049 10-in. 7/16/1938 My reverie Larry Clinton Orchestra ; Bea Wain Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo composer  
Victor BS-027223 10-in. 9/26/1938 Green (No. 5 from "Ariettes oubliées") Frank La Forge ; Lily Pons Soprano vocal solo, with piano composer  
Victor BS-027241 10-in. 9/29/1938 L'isle joyeuse Jose Iturbi Piano solo composer  
Victor BS-027242 10-in. 9/29/1938 L'isle joyeuse Jose Iturbi Piano solo composer  
Victor BS-027410 10-in. 9/27/1938 My reverie Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo composer  
Victor BS-028113 10-in. 10/18/1938 Les cloches Hertha Glatz Contralto vocal solo, with piano composer  
Victor BS-028775 10-in. 10/29/1938 My reverie Vernon Geyer Electric organ solo composer  
Victor CS-028867 12-in. 12/1/1938 La mer Boston Symphony Orchestra ; Serge Koussevitzky Orchestra composer  
Victor CS-028868 12-in. 12/1/1938 La mer Boston Symphony Orchestra ; Serge Koussevitzky Orchestra composer  
Victor CS-028869 12-in. 12/1/1938 La mer Boston Symphony Orchestra ; Serge Koussevitzky Orchestra composer  
Victor CS-028870 12-in. 12/1/1938 La mer Boston Symphony Orchestra ; Serge Koussevitzky Orchestra composer  
Victor CS-028871 12-in. 12/1/1938 La mer Boston Symphony Orchestra ; Serge Koussevitzky Orchestra composer  
(Results 126-150 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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