Claude Debussy

Apart from his two marriages, Claude Debussy had number of liaisons. His first love was Marie-Blanche Vasnier, the wife of Parisian civil servant Henri Vasnier. The affair, which started when he was 18 years old, ended when he moved to Rome. In these eight years, he wrote many pieces for her.

On his return from Rome, he started having an affair with Gabrielle (Gaby) Dupon, daughter of a tailor. Eventually, they set up their home their home at 42, Rue de Londres in June 1891. However, he soon started a short-lived affair with singer Thérèse Roger, returning to Dupon at the end of it.

He left Dupon towards the end of 1898 to start a relationship with Marie-Rosalie Texier, also known as Lilly, in April 1899. Eventually, they got married on 19 October 1899; but very soon, he felt alienated from her for her prematurely aged look, lack of musical sensitivity and intellectual shortcomings.

Claude Debussy was born on 22 August 1862, in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France. At the time of his birth, his father, Manuel-Achille Debussy, ran a china shop in the town while his mother, Victorine Manoury Debussy, worked as a seamstress.

Claude was the eldest of his parents’ five children, having a sister named Adèle-Clémentine and three younger brothers named Emmanuel, Alfred and Eugène-Octave. Among the four, Eugène-Octave died from meningitis around the age of four.

In 1864, a year after Adèle-Clémentine was born, their shop-keeping venture having failed, the family moved to Paris. Here they initially put up with Claude’s grandmother, Edmée Manoury.

In 1868, as Manuel Debussy found work at the Paul Dupont printing shop, the family set up a separated home at 69, Rue Saint-Honoré, close to Manuel’s place of work. However, ill luck continued to chase the family.

In 1870, as the Franco Prussian War broke out, Victorine Manoury took her children to Cannes to live with her sister-in-law Clémentine. Clémentine recognized Claude’s potential and arranged for his piano lessons with an Italian violinist, Jean Cerutti. Very soon, the family started envisaging a career in music for him.

In October 1872, after studying with Madame Mauté for one year, Claude Debussy secured admission into Paris Conservatoire. Remaining there for next eleven years, he began by studying piano with Antoine Marmontel thrice a week. Concurrently, he also joined Albert Lavignac's solfeggio classes.

Initially Claude Debussy behaved eccentrically, always coming late to the piano classes. But within one year, Marmontel was able to bring him under control. On 13 January 1874, he wrote on his pupil’s report card, “Charming child, true temperament of an artist; will become a distinguished musician; a great future.”

On 16 January 1876, Debussy made his first public appearance, accompanying singer Léontine Mendès at a concert, organized by the local industry's brass band at Chauny (Aisne). He must have made good impact because we find him attending a second concert on 18 March at the same place.

In June 1876, he was awarded the first medal in solfeggio. Although he had been receiving honorable mentions in piano examinations, he had to wait until July 23, 1877 to receive his first medal, a second prize, in piano. Thereafter on 27 November 1877, he entered Émile Durand's harmony class.

As assed by Durand on June 1879, he was “Extremely gifted in harmony, but desperately careless” and therefore, prizes continued to evade him. Yet, he remained in good books with his teachers.

In 1884, Claude Debussy won the Prix de Rome with his composition’ L'enfant prodigue’ on a libretto by Édouard Guinan, earning a scholarship to the Académie des Beaux-Arts. According to the terms and condition, he was required to stay at the Villa Médicis, the French Academy in Rome, for four years.

He moved to Rome on 28 January 1885. Initially, he found the atmosphere at Villa Médicis too stifling to be able to compose. Over the time, he started making friends and composing new pieces.

He also began to study Richard Wagner’s music, especially his opera ‘Tristan und Isolde’. He soon became a great admirer of Wagner’s music; but did not appreciate his extroverted emotionalism.

All along, he continued to return to Paris on leave of absence, finally leaving Rome for good on 2 March 1887. Back in Paris, he began living in his parents’ home, enjoying his brother, Emmanuel’s company.

Continuing to compose, Claude Debussy frequently visited cafes like chez Pousset, chez Thommen and café Vachette, where he could interact with other musicians. He also traveled abroad visiting Bayreuth, Rome, Brittany.