The Impact of Impressionism in Music

Debussy’s piece “Printemps”, published in 1887, would make an immediate impact on the musical world (Knight 4). Soon after the publication of the piece, he was berated by the academy that he had graduated from (Knight 4). The critiques he received mentioned his lack of form and his exaggerated musical color (Knight 4). Then, in 1894, seven years after “Printemps” was published, he published “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun” (Ross). This piece, however, caused no negative backlash from the public (Ross). The impact of this piece was profound. This was the first step he needed to create a momentous change in the public perception of music as a whole (Ross). "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun" sparked a revolution in music from the Romantic period into many branches of modern music. (Ross). For the first time, Debussy had orchestrated a social change in France with little resistance by the critics (Ross) This is known to be the first piece to start the Impressionist era in music (Ross). ​​​​​​​