Achille-Claude Debussy (1862-1918) was a crucial French composer of the 20th century and he composed more than 80 mélodies during his lifetime. The poems Debussy selected for his mélodies were mostly from the works of symbolist poets. Symbolic poems had a great impact on his composition, contributing to his unique music style. In Debussy’s vocal works we can find his sensitivity in word setting and superb taste in literature. Debussy was good at transforming the nuance of French language into music, combining the music and poem perfectly, which has become the most remarkable feature of his mélodies. Debussy selected five poems of Charles Baudelaire（1821-1867） and composed his Cinq Poèmes de Baudelaire (1887 -1889) during the period when he just began to explore his music style around 1887. Poems of Baudelaire are not easy to understand. In addition to that, Debussy increased technical challenge by using unconventional harmony and rhythm.

In this study, the biographies of Debussy and Baudelaire are researched to detect the developments of their artistic styles. And the meaning of lyrics is comprehended from a singer’s perspective as a foundation of music analysis and interpretation. Through this study, we hope to be able to have a better understanding of the symbolic meaning of this work.