Impressionism was the most prominent transitional form of music in the 20th century. It had the great responsibility of transitioning the musical world from classical and romantic wonders such as Beethoven and Chopin to a new generation of composers with a whole new set of ideals.

Claude Debussy was one of the greatest composers of the era of impressionism. He composed pieces with a system of layers of chords and harmonies that alluded to the style of composition that would come in the mid-20th century. He was able to blur traditional styles (tonal progressions with clear resolutions) so that they had more of a free nature. His compositions were most often described as an "emancipation of sound" and his goal was to adapt music into an "open-air" form of art to find as much pleasure as possible in the music.

Impressionist music closely followed the era of impressionist paintings with this sense of blurriness and vagueness. This musical movement was one of the first in the 20th century, beginning in the early 1900s and overlapping with the introduction of the many newer and more radical techniques of American 20th century compositions. Impressionism was definitely more prominent in Europe- France especially, but, like most previous classical music, spread throughout the world. The ideas of the impressionist composers sparked the revolution that began to occur in American music and encouraged the disconnect of traditional style and acceptance of experimental techniques.

Impressionism was one of the most important movements of music in the 20th century because of its role in transitioning people from classical style to new styles. Debussy and Ravel are just two of the more notable composers from the time period, but impressionism encompassed many different composers, all with slightly different ideas and styles of music. These previously uncharted territories of music continued to become some of the most monumental musical movements of the 20th century.