La fille aux cheveux de lin

The piece, named after the poem by Leconte de Lisle, is known for its musical simplicity, a divergence from Debussy's style at the time.

[1] Writers have suggested that Debussy's successful portrayal of these emotions was tied in with the musical simplicity of the prelude—specifically, the technical and harmonic elements.

[1][3] His choice of simplicity for this piece was highly unusual, since it deviated from his style at the time and brought back the simple harmonies that he had utilized in his earlier musical compositions, which were more traditional.

[10] Subsequently, the French premiere took place the following year on 14 January at the Société Nationale de Musique in Paris, with Ricardo Viñes performing the work.

[13] Despite its performance on a recurring basis, the prelude remains popular among audiences,[4] partly because of its "memorable tune" which is juxtaposed with a "mellow accompaniment".

[14] It has received acclaim for its expansiveness of emotion,[3] with the Richmond Times-Dispatch's Clarke Bustard describing the piece as "perhaps the most delicately characterful" out of all his twenty-four preludes.

The sixth prelude, Des pas sur la neige (Footprints in the Snow), evokes a feeling of sadness and isolation,[16] while Ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest (What the West wind saw)—the seventh—exudes a violent and tumultuous nature.

[17] In stark contrast to these two, La fille brings about a sense of gentle "lyricism" and "warmth", which is uncharacteristic of Debussy's music of this kind.

[17] The prelude's central idea takes after its title – a girl with golden hair in a pastoral setting in Scotland.

His utilization of pentatonic scales throughout the piece achieves this, and by blending this in with harmonizing diatonic chords and modal cadences, he creates a folk-like tune.

The second part of the melody enters in bars 3–4, evoking a Scottish ballad or resembling a tune in the style of Edvard Grieg.

In the next measure, the prelude's coda sees the return of the opening theme one last time—albeit at an octave higher—followed by the droning motif.