The significance and examination of Estampes in piano writing of Claude Debussy

Claude Debussy, a notable French composer regarding Impressionism in music, is one of the two most important representatives of his era thanks to the introduction of the innovations he made. He overrode most of the rules in music like the ones opposed to Romantic movement also did, and he deserved the avant-garde title thoroughly. Inspired from poetry and nature, Debussy is one of the rare composers who used the entire potential of the piano instrument. Besides, he created a new writing technique by artfully reflecting orchestral colors to the piano. "Estampes" was the first work of art using this technique while opening doors to the era in which the composer mastered his style. In this work; the information about the life of the composer, the cultural environment he involved in, his works and his piano writing is given. In the first chapter, the era that the composer lived in and the biography is explained. In the middle chapter, the information about the solo repertoire and the piano writing of the composer is given. In the last chapter, the importance of the work is expressed and pianistic playing techniques is adressed by making detailed analysis.