He wanted to change the atmosphere of a room when his music was heard or to break the present mood. When one thinks of a song, they think about melodies, the sound, and harmonies. Debussy was widely known and admired for his harmonies, but most people never listened enough to hear his deep intricate, flowing melodies and melodic qualities. Another key quality of other composers of that time was the depiction between major and minor chords and keys. Debussy stood on the line right in between major and minor so if one was trying to figure out the key in which a song was being played without getting technical, they could never tell whether it was in fact major or minor. .
During his time, Claude Debussy experimented with many different musical styles and forms. As one might gather in and make ready the materials used to build a house's foundation, Debussey did the same by gathering in many different styles from many different sources and influences. Perhaps the two key influences for Debussey could not be anymore opposite. Chopin and Wagner were on opposite ends of the musical spectrum. Chopin was truly a major influence in the development Debussey's original style but perhaps Wagner was the most interesting influence Debussey had. Debussey on many occasions denounced and expressed his distaste for Wagner's style and though Debussy claimed to hate Wagner's work; there are many easily spotted similarities between the two styles. It is certain that Debussy was a very talented and gifted man, but it should also be noted that there were many composers of this time that were equally important and talented. Debussey set himself apart from many of these other talented people through is his demonstrated musical diversity, a daring to be different, and a fearless sense to not follow traditional musical rules and standards. Claude Debussy expressed his music in many different ways including Operas, Orchestral Music, Chamber Music, Vocal Music and Piano Music.
