The Compositional Perspectives in the Piano Works of Claude Debussy

French composer Claude-Achille Debussy (1862-1918) is considered a pioneer in Impressionism music as well as one of the twentieth century's greatest composers. Debussy's unique compositional technique is reflected in his innovation with regard to melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, and coloristic exploitation, as well as aesthetic approach. The uniqueness and significance of Debussy's music contain many elements. Debussy's works are filled with use of various non-traditional scales, rhythm changes and uncertain tonal centers. These are aspects of making his music unique and different from any other composers. His music is often associated with the description of the nature and abstract sounds. This paper seeks to examine and analyze the stylistic approaches of Debussy's piano works. A general overview of Debussy's piano music, compositional style and a historical background is discussed. The author summarizes Debussy's aesthetic principles with regard to piano compositions. Detailed analyses of the musical interpretation, tempo flexibility, treatments of dynamic, use of pedals and performance practice are also discussed in depth. The author also discusses her findings concerning how such analyses might influence performance of Debussy's piano music.