Towards the end of the nineteenth century, a new movement had emerged in European classical music. Rooted primarily in France and lasting until the mid-20th century, Europe witnessed what we call 'Impressionism', an idea of ​​music described beautifully by Oscar Thompson in 1937 when he stated that the purpose of such art was to "suggest rather than represent; mirror not the object, but the emotional response to the object; interpret a fleeting impression rather than grasp and fix permanent reality." Impressionism therefore, in its most basic definition, is the opposite of realism. A rather important feature of impressionist music was the striking predominance of modal and exotic scales, free rhythm, unresolved dissonances and the evidently smaller programmatic form. Beyond this, Impressionist music is more broadly characterized by dramatic use of both the minor and major scale systems. Claude Debussy is known as one of the greatest impressionist composers to date. Many music critics believe that the Impressionist movement was a liberating intrusion into otherwise fixed notions of Western classical music. However, Impressionism also entailed a number of restrictions, inabilities and difficulties, which we will discuss later in the essay in relation to their influence on Debussy's composition. Born on August 27, 1862, Claude Debussy came from an ancestral background of shopkeepers, suburban clerks, and farmers, none of whom had any musical talent or affiliation. Unlike most composers known during the Classical and Romantic eras such as Mozart or Rachmaninoff, he not only did not possess a musical family background, but did not even have extensive musical training... middle of paper.... .. if syncope. Although a passepied is traditionally written in three meters, Debussy employs an interesting choice of meters throughout his piece that deviate from the norm of that form. The modal chords give it a rather perpetual motion feel, meaning a fast tempo and a constant, continuous flow of notes. Present in almost every measure is a sparkling staccato accompaniment under which the melody provides us with two themes: the acicular introductory theme and the more graceful second theme. Throughout this final piece, the second theme is highly varied, oscillating between double and triple meter and containing multiple inversions. The piece ends beautifully with a cascade of eighth notes as Debussy plays with the modal conflict of F sharp and B. We also encounter a flurry of pianississimo chords that eventually end with a series of sporadic staccato chords..