UCLA

With the increasing importance of the decorative arts in late 19th century France, evidenced by movements such as Symbolism and Art Nouveau, the concept of “d�cor” came to symbolize the intimate reciprocity between groups of artists and works of art. This dissertation frames three works by Claude Debussy – La Damoiselle �lue, Pr�lude de l’apr�s-midi d’un faune, and the Bilitis tableaux vivants Musique de sc�ne – within the broader resonances of d�cor at the fin de si�cle. In doing so, it reveals the ways in which the idea(l) and practice of d�cor informed Debussy’s milieu and shaped both the production and reception of his music.