Debussy's Legacy and the Construction of Reputation

Debussy's Legacy and the Construction of Reputation examines the vicissitudes of Claude Debussy's posthumous reception, from its initial decline to its subsequent rehabilitation. By following the contributions of key critics and performers, in addition to the ebb and flow of musical fashions in interwar Paris, Marianne Wheeldon demonstrates how the cultivation of Debussy's legacy was a collective endeavor, one that slowly transformed what was perceived by some as a decadent and even harmful musical influence into one that epitomized French cultural identity.