Among the youthful works by Claude Debussy (1862-1918), the mélodie holds an important position. Certainly the genre of song attracted the musician, but circumstances favoured its production. An excellent pianist and facile score reader, Debussy in 1880 became the accompanist for Madame Moreau-Sainti, whose studio of voice was frequented by young women of social standing. There Debussy met Madame Marie-Blanche Vasnier, who made him her accompanist and welcomed him into her family - with the Vasniers the musician found a second home and an environment conducive to his cultural development. Madame Vasnier possessed a fine, light soprano voice, and for her Debussy conceived a large number of mélodies. A dedication penned on a collection of thirteen songs suggests the high esteem in which the composer held his interpreter, whom he accompanied at home and in public: