Debussy composed his first set of Fêtes Galantes in 1882, at the age of 20. The three texts come from a similarly-titled collection of verse by Paul Verlaine, who, in turn, took his inspiration from eighteenth century French paintings, most notably those of Watteau. Full of mystery and subtle wit, these poems—featuring elegantly costumed characters engaged in the pursuit of love—were also set by Gabriel Fauré.

Although these are youthful songs, they reveal the composer's already subtle sense of eroticism, as well as the seeds of his thoroughly French mature aesthetic. In this sense, Verlaine was the ideal source for poetic inspiration: like Debussy, Verlaine was a hedonist of legendary proportions, and along with his fellow Symbolist writers he was already deconstructing the overbearing seriousness of Wagnerian drama to produce something far more suited to the Parisian temperament—seriousness about pleasure (as Debussy would often say, "Happiness is no laughing matter"). The result is successful in every regard. While capturing the spirit of fun embedded in these poems, Debussy manages to infuse them with a gentle sentimentality that makes the characters within deserving of a deeper sympathy. The first and third songs, "En Sourdine" (Muted) and "Clair de Lune" (Moonlight), form thoughtful and sensuous bookends to the middle song, "Fantoches" (Marionettes), which features the playful antics of characters from the Italian Commedia Dell'arte. Debussy's graceful melodies and accompaniments are typically colorful, and attentive to turns of phrase and meaning; as much as any of his mature songs, these showcase the composer's talent for imprinting his compositions with a unique sound world that proves an extremely flexible framework for declamation, while at the same time never losing sight of its distinctive qualities.



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