W.W. Norton online lists the following characteristics. A parallel chord movement and some stacked (ninth) chords.

A non-Western influences, including new scales (whole tone, pentatonic).

A interest in instrumental color.

A floating rhythms and meters.

Debussy and Ravel were the two famous impressionism composers. Debussy already demonstrated unusual harmonies while he was a child studying at Paris Conservatory. One of Debussy's famous impressionist music is the Pelleas and Melisande. Ravel, on the other hand, was another French impressionist in music like Debussy. He was inspired by the impressionist painters. Among his greatest works were Jeux d'eau, Pavane pour une infante defunte, and Gaspard de le nuit (Geocities Online).

As with the impact of impressionism in arts, impressionism in music changed the traditional music of the romantic era which was characterized by the dramatic use of scales. It was the impressionism in music that created the...

mood that characterizes nature, or an event)
Bibliography

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What is Impressionism?

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Impressionism.

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Web site: http://library.thinkquest.org/27110/noframes/periods/impressionism.html

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Retrieved on October 29, 2006, from Online.

Web site: http://www.geocities.com/vienna/studio/6917/history4.html