How did the musical language of Impressionist composers differ from that of the

Question:

How did the musical language of Impressionist composers differ from that of the nineteenth century??

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Impressionist composers ?
I think every composer is an impressionist, in the way he/she tries to translate human emotions, feelings, in sounds.
However, if you mean 'composers from the impressionist period' than of course we have Ravel, Debussy etc.
Debussy supposedly told to Monet "I am much more an impressionist than you are, because where you need a lot of opuses to show the sea I only need ONE single piece of music to evoke all the aspects of it ("La Mer, by Debussy).
Is this true or not ?
As a (good amateur) pianist, I would say yes, of course.
As a painter, I would say NO, you can transfer more emotion in one single picture ... if people can "see" it with their soul's eye.
My conclusion : NO. Art is art, music is art, so are painting, sculpting, etc... And "impressionists" are "impressionists" whatever the way they express themselves.