Wagner's music was also important on Debussy's orchestration and harmonic language. Color becomes everything in Debussy's music. Harmony is often non-functional.
Style is marked by refined understatement and simplicity of means.
He rejected development of motivic ideas in the manner of Beethoven. Singing is parlando in style with infrequent passages of a more lyrical nature. There is nothing is more musical than a sunset. Extreme complication is contrary to art. . . . Beauty must appeal to the senses, must provide us with immediate enjoyment, must impress us or insinuate itself into us without any effort on our part.