The influence of the Impressionist eraImpressionism, one of the later eras in classical music composition. An era where emotions are expressed vividly while following musical structure, where music caused much political controversy, and where France became known for its musical talent. In this essay you will read about how Impressionism has left a lasting mark on musical and national histories and how it has influenced modern music as we know it. The Impressionist era began with Claude Debussy, tired of the classically formed structure and romantic informality. Of all the musicians who ever lived, Debussy (1862-1918) was known for his originality and adventurous style. His influences soon spread throughout the Western world. He quickly became a "superstar" in Europe, North America and Asia, temporarily breaking the public's fascination with the monolithic composers of the Classical and Romantic eras. Thanks to Debussy's moving compositions, Impressionism soon spread to churches, schools, ballrooms, along with respected theaters and concert halls. Although Claude Debussy was an extraordinary orchestral composer, his works seemed to be more in tune with the piano. Today, one of the best-known pieces in the piano repertoire is the piano suite, Claire de Lune. Many composers began to take inspiration from Debussy and thus the Impressionist era was born. In the years that followed, Debussy would never have imagined that his music would be so powerful and destructive. In 1876 the riots soon came to France and, ironically, in the midst was Impressionism. Today, many would compare this to the 1960s, when liberal habits caused social unrest. Historians to this day are still shocked at how such an uplifting and positive movement could cause so much conflict. Riots and political revenge soon awakened France, resulting in an unofficial anarchy in which the government was powerless. This national disgrace was actually caused by the feuds between socialists and democrats who used impressionism as a weapon of war. According to political leaders, the Impressionist era expressed an opinion on French politics, and since most Impressionists were French, this point had strong support. Composers such as Debussy and Satie soon became, unintentionally, political figures. The music was decidedly moving to the French people, and... in the center of the paper... techniques and styles of theatre, band and pop music founded during Impressionism. they are all employees. Even while watching a movie, the background music often contains an impressionistic style. A great example is Celine Dion's once popular song My Heart Will Go On, this song contains almost all the musical characteristics of impressionism. Throughout the song harmonic chord progressions, a drifting melodic line, a classical and romantic technique and tone, irregular chromatic intervals, and whole tone scales are clearly defined in the instrumental scores. Furthermore, many other songs are loaded with impressionistic styles; including some rock music. Another modern artist is Elton John who consistently uses themes from the Impressionist era. The influence that impressionism has on modern music is actually quite phenomenal, all you have to do is listen carefully and I guarantee you will notice some similarities. The Impressionist revolution in music began with a musician, a composer, named Claude Debussy, who single-handedly became his mind projected into another era of music history. Who knows, maybe you'll pave the way for the next musical era.