德布西(Claude Debussy,1862–1918)是十九世紀末二十世紀初最重要的法國作曲家，他的印象樂派音樂在其所處時代是具有革命性的意義，無論是鋼琴家亦或觀眾都為之傾倒。就其一生和專業訓練而言，都不足以說明這種新的音樂是如何形成，還有許多影響因素，包括音樂和非音樂兩方面，在它們的影響下逐步形成了自己的美學思想和藝術觀。 德布西的作品穿插於詩歌、畫家、與其它音樂家的背景資料之中，他們之間本身就是互為影響的。出於對常規和聲規則的反逆，德布西只創作那些取悅於他耳朵的聲音，完全不管和絃進行與格式的慣例。其新的和聲結構更奠定了他在音樂史上的重要地位，從本文 列舉出來的一些作品，可窺其內涵。

Claude Debussy(1862–1918) is the most important French composer of the late th and early 0th centuries. The Impressionistic music of Debussy, revolutionary in its time, fascinates pianists and audiences. The facts about his life and professional training can not, by themselves, explain how and why this new music developed. There were many influences, both musical and non-musical, that shaped his art. Under such uplifting influence, he develops his own aesthetics and art concept gradually. Debussy’s work is placed in context with the poets, painters and other music composers who mutually influenced each other. Rebelling against the rules of formal harmony, Debussy composed only what pleased his ears, disregarding conventions of chord progression and form. His pivotal position in music history is made clear in a discussion of his new harmony, illustrated with passages from the pieces in this article.