Debussy in Context

Simon Trezise was Associate Professor in the School of Creative Arts at Trinity College Dublin before his retirement in 2021. He is the author of Debussy: La mer (Cambridge University Press) and editor of The Cambridge Companion to Debussy (2003) and The Cambridge Companion to French Music (2015).

'In our current dark times we need Debussy as much as ever. And this book is a perfect way in if you want to dig deeper beyond the music itself.' Charlotte Gardner, Gramophone

• Part I. Paris: City, Politics, and Society: 1. Paris, the city Martin Guerpin; 2. Paris and the nation's politics Federico Lazzaro; 3. Beyond Paris Lola San Martín Arbide; 4. Feminine beginnings: women's critical perspectives on Debussy (1897–1914) Christopher Moore; 5. Consumption and leisure H. Hazel Hahn; Part II. The Arts: 6. Debussy's impressionism interrogated Richard Langham Smith; 7. Symbolism François de Médicis; 8. Modernism Michel Duchesneau; 9. Wagnérisme Steven Huebner; 10. Japonisme, collecting, and the expositions universelles Matthew Brown; 11. Crosscurrents in Debussy's creative world Annegret Fauser; Part III. People and Milieu: 12. Debussy and the family in third republic France Kym White; 13. Romantic relationships Marianne Wheeldon; 14. Relationships with poets and other literary figures Caroline Potter; 15. Publishers Denis Herlin; 16. Composers with whom Debussy was associated Laura Watson; 17. Music education and the prix de Rome Julia Lu and Kenji Fujimura; Part IV. Musical Life: Infrastructure And Earning a Living: 18. The jobbing composer-musician Denis Herlin; 19. Parisian opera institutions: a framework for creation Hervé Lacombe; 20. Société nationale and other institutions Michael Strasser; 21. Debussy Noctambule and Parisian popular culture Sarah Gutsche-Miller; 22. Music criticism and related writing in Paris Michel Duchesneau; Part V. The Music of Debussy's Time 23. Composing for opera and theatre outside established genres Hervé Lacombe; 24. Ballet and dance David J. Code; 25. Orchestral music and symphonic traditions Andrew Deruchie; 26. Chamber music Matthew Brown; 27. Song and choral music David J. Code; 28. The piano Gurminder Kaur Bhogal; Part VI. Performers, Reception, and Posterity: 29. Performers and performance Simon Trezise; 30. Early music Catrina Flint de Médicis; 31. Performance today: hearing Debussy anew on period instruments Brian Hart; 32. Debussy today Matthew Brown; Further Reading; Index.