Claude Debussy

French composer, Claude Debussy, left a legacy in the Western classical music world, through his unique harmonic and structural system, based on the Impressionist and Symbolist movement of the turn of the 20th century. Despite a difficult childhood living in extreme poverty, Debussy gained the patronage of a Russian millionairess, who saw his talent and wanted to support it.

Several themes which appeared in his compositions at this time are thought to have come out of the turbulence of his life, but remained in some form throughout his compositional career, including one of his most well known works Clair de lune, and several works on the character Pierrot.

Working at the end of the 19th century Debussy's work was heavily influenced by the vast expanse of musical identities through the period. He drew greatly on the music of Richard Wagner, Aleksandr Borodin, and Modest Mussorgky. Although Debussy primarily wrote instrumental and choral works, he continued experimenting throughout his entire career, which led to his only finished opera Pelleas et Melisande.