Claude DeBussy was born on August 22nd, 1862 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France. He was the eldest of five children. His father was named Manuel-Achille DeBussy. He owned a shop where they sold china and crockery. His mother’s name was Victorine Manoury DeBussy. She was a seamstress. His family moved to Paris, France in 1867. In 1870, his pregnant mother sought refuge from the Franco-Prussian war with his aunt in Cannes. He was taught piano at this time when he was seven years old with an elderly Italian violinist named Cerutti. His lessons were paid for by his aunt. In 1871, he gained the attention of Marie Mauté de Fleurville. She claimed to be a pupil of Frédéric Chopin. (Claude always believed her.) Claude’s talents soon became evident, and in 1872, at the age of 10, He entered the Paris Conservatoire. He spent 11 years here. During his time there, he studied composition with Ernest Guiraud, music history and theory with Louis-Albert Bourgault-Ducoudray, piano with Antoine François Marmontel, organ with César Franck, and harmony with Émile Durand. He was an amazing sight reader. He liked playing dissonances and intervals which were not popular at that time.
During the summers of 1880, 1881, and 1882, Claude accompanied the wealthy patroness of Pyotr Llyich Tchaikovsky, Nadezhda von Meck, as she traveled with her family in Russia and Europe. His musical activities during these vacations included playing four-hand pieces with von Meck at the piano, performing in private concerts with some of her musician friends, and giving her children piano lessons. Despite von Meck’s closeness with Tchaikovsky, he seemed to have little or no effect on Claude. In September 1880, von Meck sent Tchaikovsky Claude’s Danse Bohémienne for Tchaikovsky’s inspection. A month later, Tchaikovsky wrote back to von Meck, “It is a very pretty piece, but it is much too short. Not a single idea is expressed fully, the form is terribly shriveled, and it lacks unity.” Claude DeBussy did not publish this piece; but B. Schott’s Sohne in Mainz did publish them by 1932.
Claude DeBussy’s friend, Madame Vasnier, a singer Claude met when he began working as an accompanist to earn some money, gave Claude the emotional and professional support he needed. Monsieur Vasnier introduced Claude to the writings of influential French writers of the time, which gave birth to his first songs.
In 1884, Claude DeBussy won the Prix de Rome with his composition L’enfant Prodigue. With this win, Claude got a scholarship to the Académie des Beauz-Arts. It included a four-year residence at the Villa Medici. Claude got this scholarship to further his studies in the musical arts. He didn’t like the school though, so in June of 1885, he wrote four pieces that were sent to the Academy; Zuleima, Printemps, La Damoiseele Élue, and Fantaisie. They didn’t like them very much.
In 1899, Claude DeBussy married his friend Rosalie Texier, a fashion model. Although she was well-liked by his friends, Claude became increasingly irritated by her intellectual limitations and lack of musical sensitivity. Claude DeBussy died in 1918.
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