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Claude Debussy: Google doodles for the French composer

Today's animated doodle on the search engine's homepage pays tribute to Achille-Claude Debussy.

The doodle on today's Google's homepage celebrates the 151st anniversary of the birth of French composer Achille-Claude Debussy. An elaborate animation piece set to one of his most well-known pieces Clair de lune (or Moonlight), the doodle features a moonlit river scene that comes alive to the sound of his music.

Even as lights in the houses and on the streets flicker to the music, silhouettes of cars, cycles and boats pass by, smoke rises from chimneys, clouds appear in the sky and rain begins to fall.

The animation ends with two people in different boats crossing each other's paths along the river and sharing a bright red umbrella.

Born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye in France Achille-Claude Debussy showed signs of greatness from quite early on in life when he won the Grand Prix de Rome with his cantata (or a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment) L'Enfant prodigue (or The Prodigal Child).

He then went on to become a seminal force in 20th century music and a crucial figure in the transition of Western music to the modern era.

Influenced most by the symbolist movement, Debussy's style is best reflected in his most famous quote -- "Music is the space between the notes."

Debussy was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 1903, a year after his opera Pelleas et Melisande (1902). His other major works include Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune (or Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, 1894) and La Mer (The Sea, 1905) among others.

Achille-Claude Debussy died at his home in Paris of colon cancer on March 25, 1918 when he was only 55.