MUS 41.01 Debussy the Innovator
Debussy’s music acted as a fulcrum between the 19th and 20th centuries, and remains an active influence on contemporary musicians. To mark the centennial of his death in 1918, this course investigates the composer’s innovative approach to harmony, color, rhythm, and form. Though analytic and creative projects, we connect Debussy’s instrumental and vocal music to concurrent movements in literature, painting, and politics. We gauge his profound influence on modernism, post-modernism, jazz, film scoring, and the music of today. Reading primary sources will shed light on his complex personal life and alter-identity as Monsieur Croche. The course culminates in a study of Debussy as performer, investigating his own 1913 recordings on the Welte-Mignon reproducing piano.