Scott Peterson wrote:

>Basically, I ended up saying that it sounded as though many of the New
>Age pianists had been influenced by Debussy's use of color but had smoothed
>down any of its rough edges for easier consumption.  She seemed satisfied
>by the answer...but I wasn't.

I'm not an expert in New Age music, and have only heard George Winston as
background music, but...

I think the similarity between Debussy and New Age Music lies in their
departure from the standard Western formula of tension followed by release.
(For example, the whole tone scale, which Debussy used frequently, is
devoid of tension -- it always sounds resolved).

Mike