"This book on Debussy's music comprises analytical studies of individual works not widely examined previously, including the Fantaisie for piano and orchestra, La Damoiselle Elue, Nuages, Gigues, and the Danses sacree et profane. A discussion of the tonal structure of the first movement of La mer finds new relevance in the overused term "symphonic" in relation to Debussy's position in the history of French orchestral music. Debussy's propensity for recycling his own musical ideas and those of others is documented in an extensive essay. A final chapter, "Debussy and Ravel - How to Tell Them Apart," systematically addresses this century-old critics' conundrum."--BOOK JACKET.