Debussy and Stravinsky first met in 1910, at very different times in their lives. Debussy, at forty-seven, had already composed many of his masterpieces and was recently diagnosed with the cancer that would kill him eight years later; Stravinsky, at twenty-seven, had just burst onto the international stage with the Ballets Russes. The friendship they formed was unclouded up to the premiere of The Rite of Spring in 1913, when Debussy began to snipe at Stravinsky's latest ballet behind his back. This troubled phase of the relationship lasted until Debussy's death in 1918. The friendship may have ended sooner had Stravinsky learned of Debussy's true feelings; however, Stravinsky only mentioned Debussy's critiques of The Rite late in his own life.

Aside from certain key works that the two composers wrote during the years 1910–17, the most obvious sign of this friendship are the photos taken in June 1910 when Stravinsky was in Paris for the premiere of The Firebird. The most famous of these photos depicts Debussy standing next to a sitting Stravinsky (figure I.1).

Here are two giants of twentieth century music: Stravinsky stares directly at the camera while Debussy's eyes are averted, as though his attention has been caught by something off camera. Debussy's love of Asian art is evident in the two prints hanging on the wall, The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai and an unknown portrait of a geisha. While Debussy and Stravinsky do not look entirely at ease in their photo together, that would quickly change, as the two would soon begin to dedicate works to one another and consult each other about compositions in progress. They would also begin to imitate one another, a fact that lies at the heart of this study. But before proceeding, let us reflect on why the photo of these two composers is so famous.

The image shows two of the greatest composers of the twentieth century, who, even though they were born twenty-eight hundred kilometers and a generation apart, nevertheless became friends. Stravinsky might be the century's most famous composer, but Debussy's role during this period is equally important. Boulez would write that twentieth-century music began with Debussy's Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun), composed from 1892 to 1894.