DEBUSSY, CLAUDE-ACHILLE. – Musician, born in St-Germain-en-Laye (Paris) on 22 August 1862, died in Paris on 26 March 1918. An artist of great originality, he is the most gifted representative of so-called musical Impressionism, a designation that nevertheless does not exhaust the multifaceted aspects of his work.
For the theatre he wrote Pelléas et Mélisande, Paris 1902, based on the drama by M. Maeterlinck, and Le Martyre de st Sébastien, incidental music for the mystery play by G. d’Annunzio, a production censured by the archbishop of Paris (Paris 1911). His musical writings were selected and collected in the volume Monsieur Croche antidilettante (1921).
BIBL.: L. Laloy, C. D., Paris 1909; C. Koechlin, D., there 1927; M. Boucher, D., there 1930; A. Liess, D., Strasbourg 1936; R. Paoli, D., Florence 1940; L. Vallas, A. C. D., Paris 1940.