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He had a profound impact upon music and musicians in his day, and created new genres for the piano and orchestra, this week Donald Macleod explores Claude Debussy through his chamber music.

Debussy composed many lush and impressionistic scores, including La Mer and Iberia. We remember him today largely for his orchestral or solo piano music where he developed many new genres. This week, Donald Macleod will be exploring a less celebrated, but important, area of Debussy's output, his chamber works. Chamber music spans Debussy's entire musical career, including a Piano Trio composed in 1880, a String Quartet, examination pieces for clarinet and piano, and a number of sonatas for various instruments. Towards the end of his life, chamber music remained uppermost in his mind and Debussy planned to compose a further six sonatas, including works for wind instruments, and a second string quartet. With his death in 1918, he was never able to fully complete his plans.

As a student at the Paris Conservatoire, Debussy composed many works, including Danse boh茅mienne for solo piano, and his song, Madrid, a setting of Alfred de Musset evoking the "white city of serenades . Debussy studied piano at the Conservatoire but, although his exceptional talent was recognised, reactions to his playing weren't always positive; one person commented that "this budding Mozart is a regular devil".

Whilst a student, Debussy also worked as a pianist to earn money. He played the piano for Madame von Meck and accompanied her and her family on a tour across Europe. Debussy gave her children music lessons and also hoped to impress his employer by composing his Symphony for piano duet, which he never orchestrated. It was during this period that Debussy also composed his first significant chamber work, the Premier Trio in G major.