How did Debussy's use of symbolism influence music?
Symbolism, for me, is the art of suggestion, of evoking rather than stating. Just as a poet might use a flower to imply a complex emotion, I sought to use musical elements – a certain harmonic color, a melodic fragment – to create an atmosphere, a feeling. My music doesn't tell a story in the old, literal sense; it creates a world for the listener to inhabit. The 'Préludes' for piano, for instance, are like small, captured moments, each with its own distinct character and evocative title. It is about unlocking the hidden correspondences between senses, between the visible and the invisible.
Ask Claude Debussy the follow-up →