Chapter 1 - Paris, the City

Summary

Debussy lived in Paris for most of his life and left it only for short periods, with the exception of his time in Italy after he won the Prix de Rome, which he regarded as a wasted period in his life. In many ways Debussy epitomises the new confidence of the city as a centre of culture and modernity. His life embraced both its old bohemian neighbourhoods and the new, smart boulevards that had replaced much of the medieval city in the years before the Commune. This chapter explores the urban modernisation of the city during the second half of the 19th century and the Belle Époque, the development of cultural infrastructures (from museums to music halls) that transformed Paris into a ‘City of Light’, as well as technological advances that blurred the distinction between art and commodities and exerted influence on the composer’s inspiration.