Claude-Achille Debussy
(22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French
composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one
of the most prominent figures working within the
field of impressionist music, though he himself
intensely disliked the term when applied to his
compositions. Debussy is among the most
important of all French composers, and a central
figure in European music of the turn of the 20th
century. He was made Chevalier of the Legion of
Honour in 1903.
His music is noted for its sensory component and for not often forming around one key or pitch. Often Debussy's work reflected the activities or turbulence in his own life. His music virtually defines the transition from late-Romantic music to 20th century modernist music. In French literary circles, the style of this period was known as symbolism, a movement that directly inspired Debussy both as a composer and as an active cultural participant.
-WIKIPEDIA
