Major Characteristics of the 20th Century Impressionism One of the most famous works that sound like the ocean is Claude Debussy 's " La Mer ." Debussy was a French impressionist, largely influenced by Eastern music. In fact, much of the music that he wrote incorporated musical elements from the East. For example, Debussy used the whole tone scale (a particularly "spacy" sounding scale") when he wrote. Close your eyes when you listen to "La Mer". You can hear the sound of the waves crashing, of thunder, and of giant ships being tossed about. Debussy created these sounds by using clever orchestration . Orchestration is simply choosing which instrument should play a certain part. For example, a melody might sound better with the flute than with the tuba. Listen to Debussy's "La Mer." What instruments make the wave sounds? What do you think about when you hear this piece? Listening Link: Debussy's...