Active Years: 1862-1918

Position: French composer

Career Highlights: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, La Mer

Career Totals: 6 ballets and operas, 9 orchestral works, a variety of chamber music, dozens of pieces for solo piano, scores of songs, and other choral works.

Scouting Report: Along with Ravel, Debussy was the quintessential French composer. His music has often been described as impressionistic in the manner of the painters of the period, although using that description as an excuse for wrong notes has long been an ineffective tactic. He developed a new sense of the use of chords and harmony that was the precursor to many of the more atonal 20th century composers.

Teammates and Contemporaries: Debussy was influenced by Wagner, although the German bomb that fell close to his house shortly before he died may have lessened his enthusiasm about the composer.

Fun Statistic: One of Debussy’s wives, Rosalie Texier, attempted suicide when Debussy abandoned her to elope with the wife of a wealthy banker. She recovered from the gunshot wound, and later divorced him.