Debussy was born in Paris, where he spent all of his life. According to Greenberg, the Frenchman “could not tolerate being anywhere else.” His deep love for the city and its language is embodied in his musical style. His Preludes demonstrate affinity through sophisticated delicacy. That is, he is able to portray the gracefulness of the French language without sacrificing emotion. More specifically, he is able to maintain technical precision transitioning from his prolonged pianos to his expressive crescendos.

His prelude, “La fille aux cheveux de lin,” adroitly exemplifies his Francocentric style. From the onset, Debussy induces calmness in the audience through his tight note range and repetitive theme. He makes the listener feel as if she were in a worriless world. In symbolic terms, he perfectly paints the innocence of the fille aux cheveux de lin. I cannot help but smile at the piece’s flawless dynamics. While one can argue that the piece in fact is fairly static, there are moments (1:36), which exemplify his compositional genius. He times the succession and pitches of notes in such way that mandates action from the listener, whether it’s acknowledging its beauty or placing the song on repeat –as I just did.