Debussy, Noël des enfants qui n’ont plus de maisons

Claude Debussy composed Noël des enfants qui n’ont plus de maison in December 1915 as the second Christmas during World War I was approaching. Debussy had cancer by this time and was composing very little. He would die in the Spring of 1918 while the war continued.

You may tend to think of Debussy as writing relaxing Impressionistic music with lush orchestrations, although his dynamic and emotional range extended well beyond those traits we often associate with Impressionism. This short song shows Debussy’s other side: direct, percussive, and even angry as befits a text speaking in the voice of children who no longer have houses. The text (an English translation is provided line-by-line during the performance) was written by Debussy himself.

This actually makes the third performance pick in this month of November with a theme related to World War I. We mark the end of that conflict in November with what we used to call Armistice Day (now Veteran’s Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day elsewhere). We face constant reminders today of the consequences of war. And of course all aspects of the human experience, joyful or tragic, find powerful expressions in art and music.

Debussy wrote numerous songs, most of them in his early years while he was in a relationship with the singer the singer Marie Vasnier. This song would be his last. As a reminder, we have a much more in-depth look at Debussy and his music (and that of many other composers) in our Composer Showcase series.