The expression "Impressionist" was initially begat in the mid-1870s, as a discriminatingly disparaging term, of the light- and shading centered canvases of a little band of Paris-based craftsmen, the alleged "Salon des Refusés" (Salon of the Can't) - among them Manet, Renoir, Degas, and particularly Monet, whose "Impression, soleil levant" propelled the name. The usage of the term to music, from the 1880s, was a somewhat unsurprising extension, however most writers to whom it was connected disavowed its application - specifically Claude Debussy, whose music are "imbeciles", and that rather he is just attempting to do "something other than what's expected”.

A characteristic of the “Impressionist” was the medieval modes, as they were alluring to writers who tried to escape the "oppression" of the significant/minor sound. Stressed were essential interims - octaves, fourths, and fifths - in parallel movement. This looked like a medieval technique known as "organum", where a tune was fit by an alternate which ran parallel to it at a separation of a fourth or fifth. The harmony and melody of The Prelude to an Evening of a Faun gives the melody a dreamlike and improvisatory feeling. The opening woodwind solo of the piece comprises of a chromatic plunge to a triton underneath the first piece. (Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, 2013). Chromaticism is a musical method joining the essential diatonic pitches with different pitches of the chromatic scale.Debussy likewise uses expanded triads and decreased Triads in the Prelude to an Evening of a Faun; the utilization of a lessened triad is seen on Bar 8 and 9. For the song Debussy has utilized an unaccompanied woodwind as a part of a few sections, for example, the flute subject that opened the piece, then the tune changes and is begun to be played by the woodwinds in addition to the first horn in unison.Having the song change Debussy had the capacity make an undefined feel to the melody.

Claude Debussy heard the musical artists of the Far East (Java, Bali, and Indo-China). He was entranced by the music of the local symphony, the gamelan, with percussive rhythms and charming instrumental hues. The music of the Far East makes utilization of specific scales, which partition the octave into equivalent significant/minor framework and prompts darkened smoothness. Prelude to an Evening of a Faun by Debussy is said to have an ambiguous and vague timbre. Timbre is the thing that makes a specific tune not quite the same as an alternate. The reason Prelude to an Evening of a Faun is said to have a vague timbre is a result of the way Debussy has organised all the musical components. From the utilization the rhythm, meter, musicality furthermore flow, Debussy had the capacity give the tune a ambiguous and more dreamlike feeling then different melodies. Additionally combined with the concordance and song with the structure and surface, Prelude to an Evening of a Faun can appear to be an indistinct and delicate bit of music.

By the utilization of the structure and composition of The Prelude to an Evening of a Faun, Debussy has made the melody appear unclear. This bit of music has a ternary structure which is a three section musical structure, the first and third parts are indistinguishable where the second part is diverse. This is heard when the tunes change, first part is the flutes solo song which is unaccompanied (bar 1), it then moves onto the woodwinds and first horn (bar 38) lastly retreating to the first tune (bar 45) and even with the ternary structure every area has the capacity mix in with one another. (Prelude to the Evening of a Faun, 1990). By having the segments mix in with one another, the tune has ended up vague to the audience members. The opening woodwind solo of The Prelude to an Evening of a Faun is monophonic; this implies that the flute was as a rule unaccompanied while it was playing. From the utilization of these stru/ctures and compositions Debussy had the capacity make The Prelude to an Evening of a Faun feel dim and vague.