Debussy

American  

[deb-yoo-see, dey-byoo-, duh-byoo-see, duh-by-see] / ˌdɛb yʊˈsi, ˌdeɪ byʊ-, dəˈbyu si, də büˈsi /

noun

1. Claude Achille 1862–1918, French composer.

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Debussy British  

/ ˈdeɪbjuːsɪ, dəˈbjuːsɪ, dəbysi /

noun

1. ( Achille ) Claude (klod). 1862–1918, French composer and critic, the creator of impressionism in music and a profound influence on contemporary composition. His works include Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894) and La Mer (1905) for orchestra, the opera Pelléas et Mélisande (1902), and many piano pieces and song settings

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Other Word Forms

• Debussyan adjective

Example Sentences

The rest of the evening is marked by the work of impressionistic composer Claude Debussy, lending the meal a cinematic flourish.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2025

He never did, but his late recordings of Debussy and Beethoven have their moments of the quiet, slow-moving, time-stopping quality of Feldman’s late piano scores.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2024

“I’m connected with Debussy because he corresponds to my deepest sensibility.”

From New York Times • Dec. 7, 2023

With the London Symphony, there is tender, precisely shaded Ravel, a survey of cultivated Mendelssohn, exquisite Debussy, fiery Prokofiev and touching Strauss.

From New York Times • Jun. 23, 2023

This was a piece that was well known to the young Debussy, who revered Liszt as a disciple, and who was honoured to be able to play for him in person in 1888.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall