Clair de lune Trivia Questions

Debussy marked it "Andante très expressif"—slow and very expressive. The tranquil, flowing nature is what makes it so recognizable.

The suite has four movements: Prélude, Menuet, Clair de lune, and Passepied. Debussy composed it in his twenties but revised it years later.

That film famously uses Édith Piaf's "Non, je ne regrette rien." "Clair de lune" appears in "Ocean's Eleven" and other movies, but not "Inception."

Debussy composed it solely for piano as the third movement of his "Suite bergamasque." The orchestral version came later, arranged by others.

Debussy named the piece after Verlaine's poem of the same name, which appears in his collection "Fêtes galantes."

Though a fine pianist, Debussy rarely performed his own works in public. There is no record of him ever playing "Clair de lune" for an audience.

D-flat major indeed has five flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭). This key gives "Clair de lune" its dreamy, warm tonal quality.

The piece dates to around 1890, though Debussy revised it before publishing in 1905 as part of "Suite bergamasque." "La Mer" was completed in 1905.