Three great orchestral works

"It may be in fact that I have taken on a task that is too much for me: there is no precedent, so I am obliged to invent new forms." Claude Debussy. Unquestionably one of the most influential of modern composers, Claude Debussy (1862 1918) overturned traditional concepts of form, harmony, and coloring in creating a body of music characterized by innovation, individuality of style, and perfection of workmanship. Among his most popular, most performed, most recorded works are the three compositions reprinted in this volume: the revolutionary Prelude a l'apres-midi d'une faune, which, in a sense, "awakened" modern music; the exquisite Nocturnes, shimmering models of delicate impressionism; and La Mer, complex, suggestive, a masterpiece of orchestral texture. This Dover volume presents the complete scores of all three works reproduced from early French editions in one convenient source. Musicians and music lovers will appreciate this inexpensive edition of a trio of orchestral favorites: pieces that mark not only key points in the composer's personal progress but also in the progress of modern music as well. "