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Philosophically, impressionism aimed to convey the emotional impact of an event, place, or thing, rather than an accurate portrayal of the subject itself. For instance, Debussy's setting of the Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune is not a literal portrayal of the events of the already vague poem, but a depiction of the feeling of the poem.
Technically, the impressionists invented or began using a great number of new compositional technique s: multi-modality, planing (the use of voices moving in parallel motion; Debussy's prelude La cathédrale engloutie provides an example), extended tertian harmonies, and intentionally ambiguous musical forms. Also, a sharp focus on tone color led to many new possibilities. See List of impressionistic pieces.