Image Source: Wikipedia

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 201-225 of 361 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Brunswick XE15732 12-in. 5/14/1925 Quartet in G minor : 3rd movement (Andantino) New York String Quartet String quartet composer  
Brunswick E31725 10-in. 12/17/1929 Feux d’artifice Rosita Renard Piano solo composer  
Brunswick E32021 10-in. February 1930 Feux d’artifice Rosita Renard Piano solo composer  
Brunswick XE15729-XE15730 12-in. 5/14/1925 Quartet in G minor : 1st movement New York String Quartet String quartet composer  
Brunswick XE15895-XE15898 12-in. 5/28/1925 Quartet in G minor : 1st movement New York String Quartet String quartet composer  
Brunswick XE15899-XE15900 12-in. 5/28/1925 Quartet in G Minor : 3rd movement (Andantino) New York String Quartet String quartet composer  
Brunswick E16098-E16100 10-in. 8/12/1925 The golliwog's cake walk Leopold Godowsky Piano solo composer  
Brunswick E16101-E16102 10-in. 8/12/1925 Minstrels Leopold Godowsky Piano solo composer  
Brunswick XE16103-XE16104 12-in. 8/12/1925 Clair de lune Leopold Godowsky Piano solo composer  
Brunswick XE16105-XE16107 12-in. 8/12/1925 Reflets dans l'eau Leopold Godowsky Piano solo composer  
Brunswick XE16450-XE16451 12-in. 9/28/1925 Quartet in G minor New York String Quartet String quartet composer  
Brunswick XE22250-XE22251 12-in. 4/4/1927 La plus que lente Walter Gieseking Piano solo composer  
Brunswick E24011-E24013 10-in. 7/18/1927 Feux d’artifice Elly Ney Piano solo composer  
Brunswick XE24801-XE24804 12-in. 10/19/1927 Quartet in G minor : 2nd movement New York String Quartet String quartet composer  
Brunswick XE24805-XE24808 12-in. 10/19/1927 Quartet in G minor : 4th movement New York String Quartet String quartet composer  
Brunswick C1911 10-in. 5/10/1928 Arabesque in E major Heermann Trio Violin, cello, and piano trio composer  
Brunswick C1922 10-in. 5/11/1928 Arabesque in G major Heermann Trio Violin, cello, and piano trio composer  
Brunswick 956bm 10-in. 1928 La cathédrale engloutie Franz Josef Hirt Piano solo composer  
Brunswick 1694bm 10-in. 1930 L’après-midi d’un faune : Prelude, pt. 1 Orchestre des concerts Lamoureux ; Albert Wolff Orchestra composer  
Brunswick 1695bm 10-in. 1930 L’après-midi d’un faune : Prelude, pt. 2 Orchestre des concerts Lamoureux ; Albert Wolff Orchestra composer  
Brunswick 1706bm 12-in. 1930 En bateau Orchestre des concerts Lamoureux ; Albert Wolff Orchestra composer  
Brunswick 1707bm 12-in. 1930 Petite suite : Cortege Orchestre des concerts Lamoureux ; Albert Wolff Orchestra composer  
Brunswick 1711bm 12-in. 1930 Petite suite : Menuet Orchestre des concerts Lamoureux ; Albert Wolff Orchestra composer  
Brunswick 1712bm 12-in. 1930 Petite suite : Ballet Orchestre des concerts Lamoureux ; Albert Wolff Orchestra composer  
Brunswick 1858bmp 12-in. 1930 Nocturne no. 1: Nuages (Clouds) Orchestre des concerts Lamoureux ; Albert Wolff Orchestra composer  
(Results 201-225 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

Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license

Feedback

Send the Editors a message about this record.