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The Techniques Of Impressionism In The Preludes Of Claude Debussy, Janet Duffel

Honors Theses

Claude Debussy, called by Bartok "the greatest composer of our period," was one of the most important composers in the history of piano music. He introduced a new approach to musical composition which is best summed up in an excerpt from a letter written by Debussy in 1885: "I don't think I shall ever be able to put music into a strict mold. I'm not speaking of musical form; its a literary question. I shall always prefer a subject where, somehow, action is sacrificed to feeling. It seems to me that music thus becomes more human and one can then …