Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune

Biography Debussy was born in St Germain-en-Laye, France on 22nd August 1862. His prodigious musical talent was recognised when, at the age of 10, he was awarded a place at the Paris Conservatoire. He would study there for the next 11 years. During that time Debussy became more and more exploratory and experimental in his composition, causing consternation amongst his professors at the ultra-traditional Conservatoire. Much to the surprise of many, in 1884, Debussy won the Prix de Rome (a renowned competition at the Paris Conservatoire which required adherence to strict rules of composition, something of an anathema to Debussy). The prize, awarded for his cantata L’enfant prodigue, was a further two years of funded study at the Villa Medici in Rome. These years of study, along with many other influences as diverse as experiencing the operas of Wagner at Bayreuth and encountering Gamelan Music at the Paris Exhibition of 1889, combined to form a new compositional style, evident in Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune.