ABSTRACT
Born: August 22, 1862; Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, France
Died: March 25, 1918; Paris, France Area of Achievement: Music Contribution: Debussy is the most important and
innovative composer of the end of the nineteenth century, laying down the foundation for the transition from the late Romantics such as Wagner to the early modernists such as Stravinsky. His influence was particularly felt in two areas: the suggestion of pictorial and visual effects in music, especially the subtle qualities of Impressionist painters, and the use of nontraditional scales and chords, greatly expanding harmonic possibilities.
