[arrogantsob]

I would not rank Debussey as one of the great composers. He definitely wrote some nice stuff but cannot compare with the truly great: Bach, Mozart, Handel, Beethoven, Haydn etc.

Claire de Lune is a little gem. La Mer is good and his piano music has lots of good stuff in it. But, with the exception of Daphnis and Chloe, his major works are not played that often and I would venture to say that even lovers of classical music have never heard a lot of his bigger pieces.

[Borges]

Debussy is one of the most influential composers of all time. He could be said to have kicked off 20th century music (in the 1890s). His influence extends to Jazz and Pop as well.

[COBOL2Java]

I enjoy Debussy, especially his piano works (I always smile at “Golliwogg’s Cakewalk”). However, I’ve always preferred Ravel. As one critic had remarked, “Debussy shimmers, Ravel glitters.”

[nanetteclaret]

Um... "Daphnis & Choloe" is by Ravel. You must be thinking of "Prelude a l′Après-midi d′un Faune" which is a beautiful orchestral work and gets played quite often. His piano compositions "Preludes, Book 1 and 2" and "Images, Set 1 and 2" as well as "Estampes" are absolutely gorgeous. He is the only composer to compose in such as way as to make the piano seem more like a harp than like the percussion instrument that it is.