List of French composers
Encyclopedia
A
- Eryck AbecassisEryck AbecassisEryck Abecassis is a composer, musician and an electric guitar player. He composes and plays a wide range of music including orchestral to chamber music, electronic, theater, street theater, and cinema....
(born 1956) - Jean-Baptiste AccolayJean-Baptiste AccolayJean-Baptiste Accolay Jean-Baptiste Accolay Jean-Baptiste Accolay (17 April 1845 (Brussels, Belgium) – 19 August 1910 (Brugge, Belgium) was a Belgian violin teacher, violinist, conductor, and composer of the romantic period . His best known composition is a student concerto with only one movement...
(1833–1900), 19th century violin teacher and composer - Adolphe AdamAdolphe AdamAdolphe Charles Adam was a French composer and music critic. A prolific composer of operas and ballets, he is best known today for his ballets Giselle and Le corsaire , his operas Le postillon de Lonjumeau , Le toréador and Si j'étais roi , and his Christmas...
(1803–1856) - Léopold AimonLéopold AimonPamphile Léopold François Aimon was a French composer. His compositional output includes 10 operas, some symphonies , 2 bassoon concertos, a cello concerto, two cantatas, several sacred vocal works, more than 30 string quartets, and other chamber music.-External Links:...
(1779–1866) - Jehan AlainJehan AlainJehan Ariste Alain was a French organist and composer.-Biography:Alain was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye in the western suburbs of Paris, into a family of musicians. His father, Albert Alain was an enthusiastic organist, composer and organ-builder who had studied with Alexandre Guilmant and Louis...
(1911–1940) - Charles-Valentin AlkanCharles-Valentin AlkanCharles-Valentin Alkan was a French composer and one of the greatest virtuoso pianists of his day. His attachment to his Jewish origins is displayed both in his life and his work. He entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of six, earning many awards, and as an adult became a famous virtuoso...
(1813–1888), Romantic era composer and pianistPianistA pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:... - Jean-Claude AmiotJean-Claude AmiotJean-Claude Amiot is a French composer, music professor and conductor.Amiot studied at Music conservatory in Le Mans as a violinist, later taking piano lessons. From 1955 he studied in Lyon with César Geoffray...
(born 1939) - Gilbert AmyGilbert AmyGilbert Amy is a French composer and conductor. In 1954 he entered the Conservatoire de Paris where he was taught and influenced by Olivier Messiaen and Darius Milhaud and studied piano with Yvonne Loriod and fugue with Simone Plé-Caussade. His first compositions date from 1955...
(born 1936) - Jean-Henri d'AnglebertJean-Henri d'AnglebertJean-Henri d'Anglebert was a French composer, harpsichordist and organist. He was one of the foremost keyboard composers of his day.-Life:...
(1629–1691) - Daniel AuberDaniel AuberDaniel François Esprit Auber was a French composer.-Biography:The son of a Paris print-seller, Auber was born in Caen in Normandy. Though his father expected him to continue in the print-selling business, he also allowed his son to learn how to play several musical instruments...
(1782–1871), operaOperaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
composer, well known in his time, but rarely performed today - Maxime Aulio (born 1980)
- Georges AuricGeorges AuricGeorges Auric was a French composer, born in Lodève, Hérault. He was a child prodigy and at age 15 he had his first compositions published. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire with Georges Caussade, and under the composer Vincent d'Indy at the Schola Cantorum...
(1899–1983)
B
- Jean BarraquéJean BarraquéJean-Henri-Alphonse Barraqué was a French composer and writer on music who developed an individual form of serialism which is displayed in a small output of highly complex but passionate works.-Life:...
(1928-1973) - François BazinFrançois BazinFrançois Emmanuel Joseph Bazin was a well-known French opera composer during the nineteenth century. His works are not widely performed today.-Biography:...
(1816-1878) - Hector BerliozHector BerliozHector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
(1803–1869), composer famous for his programmatic symphony, the Symphonie fantastiqueSymphonie FantastiqueSymphonie Fantastique: Épisode de la vie d'un Artiste...en cinq parties , Op. 14, is a program symphony written by the French composer Hector Berlioz in 1830. It is one of the most important and representative pieces of the early Romantic period, and is still very popular with concert audiences... - Georges BizetGeorges BizetGeorges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a...
(1838–1875), Romantic composer famous for his opera CarmenCarmenCarmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin... - Adolphe BlancAdolphe BlancAdolphe Blanc was a French composer of chamber music. At the age of 13 he was sent to study violin at the Paris Conservatoire...
(1828–1885) - Nicolas-Charles BochsaNicolas-Charles BochsaRobert Nicolas-Charles Bochsa was a musician and composer.-Life:...
(1789–1856), composer best known today for his studies and exercises for the harpHarpThe harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
. - François-Adrien BoieldieuFrançois-Adrien BoïeldieuFrançois-Adrien Boieldieu was a French composer, mainly of operas, often called "the French Mozart".-Biography:...
(1775–1834) - Joseph Bodin de BoismortierJoseph Bodin de BoismortierJoseph Bodin de Boismortier was a French baroque composer of instrumental music, cantatas, opéra-ballets, and vocal music...
(1689–1755) - Léon BoëllmannLéon BoëllmannLéon Boëllmann was a French composer of Alsatian origin, known for a small number of compositions for organ. His best-known composition is Suite Gothique , still very much a staple of the organ repertoire, especially its dramatic concluding Toccata.-Biography:The son of a pharmacist, Boëllmann was...
(1862-1897), particularly noted for his organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
music - Lili BoulangerLili BoulangerLili Boulanger was a French composer, the younger sister of the noted composer and composition teacher Nadia Boulanger.-Early years:A Parisian-born child prodigy, who was good at piano...
(1893–1918), the first French female composer to win the Prix de RomePrix de RomeThe Prix de Rome was a scholarship for arts students, principally of painting, sculpture, and architecture. It was created, initially for painters and sculptors, in 1663 in France during the reign of Louis XIV. It was an annual bursary for promising artists having proved their talents by...
, with her cantataCantataA cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
Faust and Helena - Nadia BoulangerNadia BoulangerNadia Boulanger was a French composer, conductor and teacher who taught many composers and performers of the 20th century.From a musical family, she achieved early honours as a student at the Paris Conservatoire, but believing that her talent as a composer was inferior to that of her younger...
(1887–1979) - Pierre BoulezPierre BoulezPierre Boulez is a French composer of contemporary classical music, a pianist, and a conductor.-Early years:Boulez was born in Montbrison, Loire, France. As a child he began piano lessons and demonstrated aptitude in both music and mathematics...
(born 1925) - Eugène BozzaEugène BozzaEugène Joseph Bozza was a French composer.Bozza studied composition, conducting, and violin at the Paris Conservatoire. He is known primarily for his chamber music. Bozza's work includes five symphonies, operas, ballets, and many pieces for brass ensemble...
(1905–1991) - Jean-Baptiste BrévalJean-Baptiste BrevalJean-Baptiste Sebastien Bréval was a French cellist and composer. He wrote mostly pieces for his own instrument, and performed many world premières of his own pieces.-Life:...
(1753–1823) - Alfred BruneauAlfred BruneauLouis-Charles-Bonaventure-Alfred Bruneau was a French composer who played a key role in the introduction of realism in French opera....
(1857–1934) - Henri BüsserHenri BüsserHenri Büsser was a French classical composer, organist, and conductor.- Biography :Paul-Henri Büsser was born in Toulouse, of partly Teutonic ancestry. He entered the Conservatoire in Paris in 1889; there he studied organ with César Franck and composition with Ernest Guiraud...
(1872–1973)
C
- André CampraAndré CampraAndré Campra was a French composer and conductor.Campra was one of the leading French opera composers in the period between Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau. He wrote several tragédies en musique, but his chief claim to fame is as the creator of a new genre, opéra-ballet...
(1660–1744) - Joseph CanteloubeJoseph CanteloubeMarie-Joseph Canteloube de Malaret was a French composer, musicologist, and author best known for his collections of orchestrated folksongs from the Auvergne region.-Biography:...
(1879–1957), best known for his collection of folksongs from the AuvergneAuvergne (province)Auvergne was a historic province in south central France. It was originally the feudal domain of the Counts of Auvergne. It is now the geographical and cultural area that corresponds to the former province....
region - André CapletAndré CapletAndré Caplet was a French composer and conductor now known primarily through his orchestrations of works by Claude Debussy.-Biography:...
(1878–1925), great friend of Debussy responsible for orchestrating some of his works, including Children's CornerChildren's CornerChildren's Corner is a six-movement suite for solo piano by Claude Debussy. It was published by Durand in 1908, and was given its world première in Paris by Harold Bauer on December 18 of that year... - Charles Simon CatelCharles Simon CatelCharles Simon Catel was a French composer and educator born at L'Aigle, Orne.-Biography:Catel studied at the Royal School of Singing in Paris. He was the chief assistant to François-Joseph Gossec at the orchestra of the National Guard in 1790...
(1773–1830) - Emmanuel ChabrierEmmanuel ChabrierEmmanuel Chabrier was a French Romantic composer and pianist. Although known primarily for two of his orchestral works, España and Joyeuse marche, he left an important corpus of operas , songs, and piano music as well...
(1841–1894) - Cécile ChaminadeCécile ChaminadeCécile Louise Stéphanie Chaminade was a French composer and pianist.-Biography:Born in Paris, she studied at first with her mother, then with Félix Le Couppey, Marie Gabriel Augustin Savard, Martin Pierre Marsick and Benjamin Godard, but not officially, since her father disapproved of her musical...
(1857–1944) - Jacques Champion de ChambonnièresJacques Champion de ChambonnièresJacques Champion de Chambonnières was a French harpsichordist, dancer and composer. Born into a musical family, Chambonnières made an illustrious career as court harpsichordist in Paris and was considered by many of his contemporaries to be one of the greatest musicians in Europe...
(c. 1601–1672) - Gustave CharpentierGustave CharpentierGustave Charpentier, , born in Dieuze, Moselle on 25 June 1860, died Paris, 18 February 1956) was a French composer, best known for his opera Louise.-Life and career:...
(1860–1956), composer best known for his opera LouiseLouise (opera)Louise is an opera in four acts by Gustave Charpentier to an original French libretto by the composer, with some contributions by Saint-Pol-Roux, a symbolist poet and inspiration of the surrealists.... - Marc-Antoine CharpentierMarc-Antoine CharpentierMarc-Antoine Charpentier, , was a French composer of the Baroque era.Exceptionally prolific and versatile, he produced compositions of the highest quality in several genres...
(1643–1704) - Ernest ChaussonErnest ChaussonAmédée-Ernest Chausson was a French romantic composer who died just as his career was beginning to flourish.-Life:Ernest Chausson was born in Paris into a prosperous bourgeois family...
(1855–1899) - Nicolas ChedevilleNicolas ChédevilleNicolas Chédeville was a French composer, musette player and musette maker.-Biography:He was born in Serez, Eure; musicians Pierre Chédeville and Esprit Philippe Chédeville were his brothers. Louis Hotteterre was his great uncle and godfather, and may have given him instruction in music and...
(1705-1782) - Louis-Nicolas ClérambaultLouis-Nicolas ClérambaultLouis-Nicolas Clérambault was a French musician, best known as an organist and composer. He was born and died in Paris.-Biography:...
(1676–1749) - Loÿset CompèreLoyset CompèreLoyset Compère was a French composer of the Renaissance. Of the same generation as Josquin des Prez, he was one of the most significant composers of motets and chansons of that era, and one of the first musicians to bring the light Italianate Renaissance style to France.-Life:His exact place of...
(c. 1445–1518) - François CouperinFrançois CouperinFrançois Couperin was a French Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist. He was known as Couperin le Grand to distinguish him from other members of the musically talented Couperin family.-Life:Couperin was born in Paris...
(1668–1733) - Louis CouperinLouis CouperinLouis Couperin was a French Baroque composer and performer. He was born in Chaumes-en-Brie and moved to Paris in 1650–51 with the help of Jacques Champion de Chambonnières. Couperin worked as organist of the Church of St. Gervais in Paris and as musician at the court...
(c. 1626–1661)
D
- Nicolas DalayracNicolas DalayracNicolas-Marie d'Alayrac, known as Nicolas Dalayrac , was a French composer, best known for his opéras-comiques.- Biography :...
(1753-1809) - Jean-Michel DamaseJean-Michel DamaseJean-Michel Damase is a French pianist, conductor and composer of classical music.Damase was studying with Marcel Samuel-Rousseau at age five and composing by age nine...
(born 1928) - Charles DanclaCharles DanclaJean Baptiste Charles Dancla was a French violinist, composer and teacher.-Biography:...
(1817–1907), 19th century violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
teacher and composer - Jean-François DandrieuJean-François DandrieuJean-François Dandrieu was a French Baroque composer, harpsichordist and organist.He was born in Paris into a family of artists and musicians. A gifted and precocious child, he gave his first public performances when he was 5 years old, playing the harpsichord for Louis XIV, King of France, and...
(c. 1682–1738) - Louis-Claude DaquinLouis-Claude DaquinLouis-Claude Daquin , was a French composer of Jewish birth writing in the Baroque and Galant styles. He was a virtuoso organist and harpsichordist.-Life:...
(1694–1772) - Claude DebussyClaude DebussyClaude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
(1862–1918), 20th century composer, his music is often described as impressionist, although he dismissed the term. He wrote "Clair de Lune" from Suite bergamasqueSuite bergamasqueThe Suite bergamasque is one of the most famous piano suites by Claude Debussy. Debussy commenced the suite in 1890 at age 28, but he did not finish or publish it until 1905.-History:... - Michel Richard DelalandeMichel Richard DelalandeMichel Richard Delalande [de Lalande] was a French Baroque composer and organist who was in the service of King Louis XIV. He was one of the most important composers of grand motets. He also wrote orchestral suites known as "Simphonies pour les Soupers du Roy" and ballets...
(1657–1726) - Léo DelibesLéo DelibesClément Philibert Léo Delibes was a French composer of ballets, operas, and other works for the stage...
(1836–1891), composer known for his CoppéliaCoppéliaCoppélia is a sentimental comic ballet with original choreography by Arthur Saint-Léon to a ballet libretto by Saint-Léon and Charles Nuitter and music by Léo Delibes. It was based upon two macabre stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, Der Sandmann , and Die Puppe...
, SylviaSylvia (ballet)Sylvia, originally Sylvia, ou La nymphe de Diane, is a full-length ballet in two or three acts, first choreographed by Louis Mérante to music by Léo Delibes in 1876. Sylvia is a typical classical ballet in many respects, yet it has many interesting features which make it unique...
, and LakméLakméLakmé is an opera in three acts by Léo Delibes to a French libretto by Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille. Delibes wrote the score during 1881–82 with its first performance on 14 April 1883 at the Opéra Comique in Paris. Set in British India in the mid 19th century, Lakmé is based on the 1880 novel... - Jeanne DemessieuxJeanne DemessieuxJeanne Marie-Madeleine Demessieux , was a French organist, pianist, composer, and pedagogue.-Biography:...
(1921–1968) - Alfred DesenclosAlfred DésenclosAlfred Desenclos was a French composer of classical music. Desenclos was a self-described "romantic" whose music is highly expressive and atmospheric and rooted in rigorous compositional technique....
(1912–1971) - Alexandre DesplatAlexandre DesplatAlexandre Michel Gérard Desplat is a French film composer. He has received four Academy Award nominations, five BAFTA nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, winning a Golden Globe for his work on The Painted Veil in 2006, and two Grammy nominations. In 2011, Desplat won his first British...
(born 1961) - François DufaultFrançois DufaultFrançois Dufault was a French lutenist and composer.Dufault was born in Bourges, France. As a student of Denis Gaultier, he enjoyed an excellent reputation as an instrumentalist, what is demonstrated in many contemporary sources where he was described as one of the greatest lutenist of his time...
(before 1604 – c. 1672) - Guillaume DufayGuillaume DufayGuillaume Dufay was a Franco-Flemish composer of the early Renaissance. As the central figure in the Burgundian School, he was the most famous and influential composer in Europe in the mid-15th century.-Early life:From the evidence of his will, he was probably born in Beersel, in the vicinity of...
(c. 1397–1474) - Paul DukasPaul DukasPaul Abraham Dukas was a French composer, critic, scholar and teacher. A studious man, of retiring personality, he was intensely self-critical, and he abandoned and destroyed many of his compositions...
(1865–1935), late Romantic composer known today for his piece of program music, The Sorcerer's ApprenticeThe Sorcerer's ApprenticeThe Sorcerer's Apprentice is the English name of a poem by Goethe, Der Zauberlehrling, written in 1797. The poem is a ballad in fourteen stanzas.-Story:... - Henri Duparc (1848–1933)
- Marcel DupréMarcel DupréMarcel Dupré , was a French organist, pianist, composer, and pedagogue.-Biography:Marcel Dupré was born in Rouen . Born into a musical family, he was a child prodigy. His father Albert Dupré was organist in Rouen and a friend of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, who built an organ in the family house when...
(1886–1971) - Louis DureyLouis Durey-Life:Louis Durey was born in Paris, the son of a local businessman. It was not until he was nineteen years old that he chose to pursue a musical career after hearing a performance of a Claude Debussy work. As a composer he was primarily self-taught. From the beginning, choral music was of great...
(1888–1979) - Maurice DurufléMaurice DurufléMaurice Duruflé was a French composer, organist, and pedagogue.Duruflé was born in Louviers, Eure. In 1912, he became chorister at the Rouen Cathedral Choir School, where he studied piano and organ with Jules Haelling...
(1902–1986) - Henri DutilleuxHenri DutilleuxHenri Dutilleux is one of the most important French composers of the second half of the 20th century, producing work in the tradition of Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, and Albert Roussel, but in a style distinctly his own...
(born 1916)
F
- Louise FarrencLouise FarrencLouise Farrenc was a French composer, virtuosa pianist and teacher. Born Jeanne-Louise Dumont in Paris, she was the daughter of Jacques-Edme Dumont, a successful sculptor, and sister to Auguste Dumont.-Biography:...
(1804–1875), piano professor at the Paris Conservatory and composer of chamber music and three symphonies - Gabriel FauréGabriel FauréGabriel Urbain Fauré was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th century composers...
(1845–1924), Romantic composer, known for his chamber musicChamber musicChamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
and a requiemRequiemA Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
among other pieces - Paul le FlemPaul Le FlemPaul Le Flem was a French composer and music critic. Born in Brittany and living most of his life in Lezardrieux, Le Flem studied at the Schola Cantorum under Vincent d'Indy and Albert Roussel, later teaching at the same establishment, where his pupils included Erik Satie and André Jolivet...
(1881–1984) - Antoine ForquerayAntoine ForquerayAntoine Forqueray was a French composer and virtuoso of the viola da gamba.Forqueray, born in Paris, was the first in a line of composers who included his brother Michel and his sons Jean-Baptiste and Nicolas Gilles...
(1671–1745) - Jean FrançaixJean FrançaixJean René Désiré Françaix was a French neoclassical composer, pianist, and orchestrator, known for his prolific output and vibrant style.-Life:...
(1912–1997)
G
- Raymond Gallois-MontbrunRaymond Gallois-MontbrunRaymond Gallois-Montbrun was a French violinist and composer.He studied violin and composition at the Conservatoire de Paris, and won the Prix de Rome in 1944....
(1918–1994) - Denis GaultierDenis GaultierDenis Gaultier was a French lutenist and composer. He was a cousin of Ennemond Gaultier.-Life:...
(1603–1672) - Benjamin GodardBenjamin GodardBenjamin Louis Paul Godard was a French violinist and Romantic composer.-Biography:Born in Paris, Godard was a student of Henri Vieuxtemps. He entered the Conservatoire de Paris in 1863 where he studied under Vieuxtemps and Napoléon Henri Reber and accompanied Vieuxtemps twice to Germany...
(1849–1895) - Nicolas GombertNicolas GombertNicolas Gombert was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance. He was one of the most famous and influential composers between Josquin des Prez and Palestrina, and best represents the fully developed, complex polyphonic style of this period in music history.-Life:Details of his early life are...
(c. 1495 – c. 1560) born in Flanders - François Joseph GossecFrançois Joseph GossecFrançois-Joseph Gossec was a French composer of operas, string quartets, symphonies, and choral works.-Life and work:...
(1734–1829) - Charles GounodCharles GounodCharles-François Gounod was a French composer, known for his Ave Maria as well as his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.-Biography:...
(1818–1893), composer, best known for his opera FaustFaust (opera)Faust is a drame lyrique in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part 1... - Jacques de GouyJacques de GouyJacques de Gouy was a French Baroque composer of Dutch ancestry. He was acquainted with composers in Parisian music circles of the early 17th century such as Étienne Moulinié and Michel Lambert.-Works:...
(c. 1610 – after 1650) - Nicolas de GrignyNicolas de GrignyNicolas de Grigny was a French organist and composer. He died young and left behind a single collection of organ music, which together with the work of François Couperin, represents the pinnacle of French Baroque organ tradition.-Life:Nicolas de Grigny was born in 1672 in Reims in the parish of...
(1672–1703) - Gérard GriseyGérard GriseyGérard Grisey was a French composer of contemporary music.-Biography:Gérard Grisey was born in Belfort, France on 17 June 1946. He studied at the Trossingen Conservatory in Germany from 1963 to 1965 before entering the Conservatoire de Paris...
(1946–1998) - Louis-Gabriel GuillemainLouis-Gabriel GuillemainLouis-Gabriel Guillemain was a French composer and violinist.-Biography:Probably born in Paris, Guillemain was raised by the Count de Rochechouart, and started studying violin at an early age. He was then sent to Italy to complete his training as violinist, and studied under Giovanni Battista...
(1705–1770)
H
- Reynaldo HahnReynaldo HahnReynaldo Hahn was a Venezuelan, naturalised French, composer, conductor, music critic and diarist. Best known as a composer of songs, he wrote in the French classical tradition of the mélodie....
(1874–1947) - Fromental HalévyFromental HalévyJacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy , was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera La Juive.-Early career:...
(1799–1862) - Charles-Louis HanonCharles-Louis HanonCharles-Louis Hanon was a French piano pedagogue and composer. He is best known for his work The Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises, which has become the most widely used set of exercises in modern piano teaching....
(1819–1900), French piano pedagogue - Guy d'HardelotGuy d'HardelotGuy d'Hardelot was the pen name of Helen Rhodes , a French composer, pianist, and teacher.- Biography :...
(1858–1936) - Ferdinand Hérold (1791–1833), composer best known for his operas, notably ZampaZampaZampa, ou La fiancée de marbre is an opéra comique in three acts by French composer Louis Joseph Ferdinand Hérold...
, and the ballet La fille mal gardéeLa Fille Mal GardéeLa Fille mal gardée is a comic ballet presented in two acts, inspired by Pierre-Antoine Baudouin's 1789 painting, La réprimande/Une jeune fille querellée par sa mère... - Louis de Caix d'HerveloisLouis de Caix d'HerveloisLouis de Caix d'Hervelois was a composer of chamber music.-Biography:Caix d'Hervelois wrote music almost exclusively for the viol. Most of his other works exist as transcriptions from his viol music. A native of the north of France, almost nothing is known of his life...
(c. 1670 – c. 1760) - Arthur HoneggerArthur HoneggerArthur Honegger was a Swiss composer, who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. He was a member of Les six. His most frequently performed work is probably the orchestral work Pacific 231, which is interpreted as imitating the sound of a steam locomotive.-Biography:Born...
(1892–1955)
J
- Hyacinthe JadinHyacinthe JadinHyacinthe Jadin was a French composer who came from a distinguished musical family. His uncle Georges Jadin was a composer in Versailles and Paris, along with his father Jean Jadin, who had also played bassoon for the French Royal Orchestra...
(1776–1800) - Louis-Emmanuel JadinLouis-Emmanuel JadinLouis-Emmanuel Jadin was a French composer, pianist and harpsichordist.Jadin was born in Versailles. He learned piano from his brother Hyacinthe Jadin and later worked at the Théâtre de Monsieur. His first opera was staged in Versailles in 1788. The following year he took the position of second...
(1768–1853) - André JolivetAndré JolivetAndré Jolivet was a French composer. Known for his devotion to French culture and musical thought, Jolivet's music draws on his interest in acoustics and atonality as well as both ancient and modern influences in music, particularly on instruments used in ancient times...
(1905–1974) - Maurice Journeau (1898–1999)
- Louis Antoine JullienLouis Antoine JullienLouis Antoine Jullien was a French conductor and composer of light music.Jullien was born in Sisteron, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, and was baptised Louis George Maurice Adolphe Roche Albert Abel Antonio Alexandre Noë Jean Lucien Daniel Eugène Joseph-le-brun Joseph-Barême Thomas Thomas Thomas-Thomas...
(1812–1860), famous eccentric conductor and composer of light music
K
- Nigel KeayNigel KeayNigel Keay was born in Palmerston North, New Zealand in 1955. He has been a freelance musician since 1983 working as a composer, violist, and violin teacher...
(born 1955) - Charles KoechlinCharles KoechlinCharles Louis Eugène Koechlin was a French composer, teacher and writer on music. He was a political radical all his life and a passionate enthusiast for such diverse things as medieval music, The Jungle Book of Rudyard Kipling, Johann Sebastian Bach, film stars , travelling, stereoscopic...
(1867–1950) - Joseph-François KremerJoseph-François KremerJoseph-François Kremer is a French composer, conductor, violinist and musicologist.-Biography:Joseph-François Kremer was born in Lyon in 1954. Currently director of the Conservatoire Darius Milhaud of the City of Antony . He is associated with an original movement in Postmodernism, cited in the...
(born 1954) - Rodolphe KreutzerRodolphe KreutzerRodolphe Kreutzer was a German violinist, teacher, conductor, and composer of forty French operas.-Biography:...
(1766–1831), composer known for his 42 étudeÉtudeAn étude , is an instrumental musical composition, most commonly of considerable difficulty, usually designed to provide practice material for perfecting a particular technical skill. The tradition of writing études emerged in the early 19th century with the rapidly growing popularity of the piano...
s used by violin students
L
- Élisabeth Jacquet de La GuerreÉlisabeth Jacquet de La GuerreÉlisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre was a French musician, harpsichordist and composer.-Life and works:...
(1665–1729) - Édouard LaloÉdouard LaloÉdouard-Victoire-Antoine Lalo was a French composer.-Biography:Lalo was born in Lille , in northernmost France. He attended that city's music conservatory in his youth. Then, beginning at age 16, Lalo studied at the Paris Conservatoire under Berlioz's old enemy François Antoine Habeneck...
(1823–1892), Romantic composer remembered primarily for his Symphonie espagnoleSymphonie EspagnoleThe Symphonie espagnole in D minor, Op. 21, is a work for violin and orchestra by Édouard Lalo.-History:The work was written in 1874 for violinist Pablo de Sarasate, and premiered in Paris in February 1875....
for violin and orchestra - Michel LambertMichel LambertMichel Lambert was a French singing master, theorbist and composer.Lambert was born at Champigny-sur-Veude, France. He received his musical education as an altar boy at the Chapel of Gaston d'Orléans. He studied also with Pierre de Nyert in Paris. Since 1636, he was known as a singing teacher...
(1610–1696) - Jean LanglaisJean LanglaisJean Langlais was a French composer of modern classical music, organist, and improviser.- Biography :Jean Langlais was born in La Fontenelle , a small village near Mont St Michel, France...
(1907–1991) - Christian LaubaChristian LaubaChristian Lauba is a Tunisian born French composer and teacher, especially noted for his compositions for saxophone. His compositions often incorporate the music of his native North Africa as well as Japanese influences. He sometimes composes under the name of Jean Matitia, particularly for jazz...
(born 1952) - Jean-Marie LeclairJean-Marie LeclairJean-Marie Leclair l'aîné, also known as Jean-Marie Leclair the Elder, was a Baroque violinist and composer. He is considered to have founded the French violin school...
(1697–1764), significant Baroque era composer - Jean-Marie Leclair the youngerJean-Marie Leclair the youngerJean-Marie Leclair le cadet, also known as Jean-Marie Leclair, the Younger was a French composer, and younger brother of the better-known Jean-Marie Leclair l'aîné ....
(1703–1777) - Louis James Alfred Lefébure-WélyLouis James Alfred Lefébure-WelyLouis James Alfred Lefébure-Wely was a French organist and composer.-Short Biography:Lefébure-Wely played a major role in the development of the French symphonic organ style and was a close friend of the organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, inaugurating many new Cavaillé-Coll organs.He began to...
(1817–1869) - Jean-Baptiste LemireJean-Baptiste LemireJean-Baptiste Lemire was a French composer.- Biography :Jean-Baptiste Lemire was born in Colmar, Haut-Rhin. He was the son of Jean-Baptiste , a mason, and Anne-Marie Sarter , a dressmaker...
(1867–1945) - Fabien LévyFabien Lévy-Biography:Lévy was born in Paris, France. After having been a jazz pianist, he studied composition with Gérard Grisey, orchestration with Marc-André Dalbavie and ethnomusicology with Gilles Leothaud at the Conservatoire de Paris from 1996 to 2000. In 2001, he went to Berlin on the DAAD Artist...
(born 1968) - Gaston LitaizeGaston LitaizeGaston Gilbert Litaize was a French organist and composer. Considered one of the 20th century masters of the French organ, he toured, recorded, worked at churches, and taught students in and around Paris...
(1909–1991) - Jean-Baptiste LullyJean-Baptiste LullyJean-Baptiste de Lully was an Italian-born French composer who spent most of his life working in the court of Louis XIV of France. He is considered the chief master of the French Baroque style. Lully disavowed any Italian influence in French music of the period. He became a French subject in...
(1632–1687) Baroque composer, first significant composer of French operaOperaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
M
- Guillaume de MachautGuillaume de MachautGuillaume de Machaut was a Medieval French poet and composer. He is one of the earliest composers on whom significant biographical information is available....
(c. 1300–1377) - Albéric MagnardAlbéric MagnardLucien Denis Gabriel Albéric Magnard was a French composer, sometimes referred to as the "French Bruckner", though there are significant differences between the two composers...
(1865 - 1914) - Jean-Yves MalmassonJean-Yves MalmassonJean-Yves Malmasson is a French composer and conductor.After studies in piano, ondes Martenot, and composition at the Conservatoire National de Région, Boulogne-Billancourt, he went on to study composition and conducting at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, where he won a...
(born 1963) - Marin MaraisMarin MaraisMarin Marais was a French composer and viol player. He studied composition with Jean-Baptiste Lully, often conducting his operas, and with master of the bass viol Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe for 6 months. He was hired as a musician in 1676 to the royal court of Versailles...
(1656–1728) - Louis MarchandLouis MarchandLouis Marchand was a French Baroque organist, harpsichordist, and composer. Born into an organist's family, Marchand was a child prodigy and quickly established himself as one of the best known French virtuosi of his time. He worked as organist of numerous churches and, for a few years, at the...
(1669–1732) - Jules MassenetJules MassenetJules Émile Frédéric Massenet was a French composer best known for his operas. His compositions were very popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and he ranks as one of the greatest melodists of his era. Soon after his death, Massenet's style went out of fashion, and many of his operas...
(1842–1912), Romantic composer best known for "Meditation" from his opera ThaïsThaïs (opera)Thaïs is an opera in three acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Louis Gallet based on the novel Thaïs by Anatole France. It was first performed at the Opéra Garnier in Paris on 16 March 1894, starring the American soprano Sybil Sanderson, for whom Massenet had written the title role... - Paule MauricePaule MauricePaule Maurice was a French composer born in Paris September 29, 1910 to Raoul Auguste Alexandre Maurice and Marguerite Jeanne Lebrun and died August 18, 1967 in Paris. Her full name was Paule Charlotte Marie Jeanne Maurice...
(1910–1967) - Jacques Féréol Mazas (1782–1849), 19th century violinist and composer
- Étienne MéhulÉtienne MéhulEtienne Nicolas Méhul was a French composer, "the most important opera composer in France during the Revolution." He was also the first composer to be called a "Romantic".-Life:...
(1763–1817) - Max MéreauxMax MéreauxMax Méreaux is a French composer. He was born in October 1946 at Saint-Omer, near Calais, where he took music lessons. After gaining his baccalaureate in philosophy he studied musical analysis at the Paris Conservatoire under Jacques Castérède....
(born 1946) - Olivier MessiaenOlivier MessiaenOlivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations...
(1908–1992), 20th century modernistModernism (music)Modernism in music is characterized by a desire for or belief in progress and science, surrealism, anti-romanticism, political advocacy, general intellectualism, and/or a breaking with the past or common practice.- Defining musical modernism :...
composer - Jean-Christian MichelJean-Christian MichelJean-Christian Michel is a composer and clarinetist. His compositions are influenced by jazz and by the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.Michel has received 3 diamond discs, 7 platinum discs and 10 golden discs. He is a "Full Member" of the SACEM...
(born 1938) - Darius MilhaudDarius MilhaudDarius Milhaud was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as The Group of Six—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and make use of polytonality...
(1892–1974) - Jean-Joseph de MondonvilleJean-Joseph de MondonvilleJean-Joseph de Mondonville , also known as Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville, was a French violinist and composer. He was a younger contemporary of Jean-Philippe Rameau and enjoyed great success in his day...
(1711–1772) - Jacques-Louis MonodJacques-Louis MonodJacques-Louis Monod is an influential French-born, American domiciled composer, pianist and conductor of 20th century and contemporary music.-Paris 1940s: early years under Messiaen and Leibowitz:...
(born 1927) - Michel Pignolet de Montéclair (1667–1737)
- Étienne MouliniéÉtienne MouliniéÉtienne Moulinié was a French Baroque composer. He was born in Languedoc, and when he was a child he sang at the Narbonne Cathedral. Through the influence of his brother Antoine , Moulinié gained an appointment at court, as the director of music for Gaston d'Orléans, the younger brother of the king...
(c. 1600 – after 1669) - Jean-Joseph MouretJean-Joseph MouretJean-Joseph Mouret was a French composer whose dramatic works made him one of the leading exponents of Baroque music in his country...
(1682–1738), Baroque composer, known today for his 'Rondeau' (theme song to the TV show Masterpiece TheatreMasterpiece TheatreMasterpiece is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. It premiered on Public Broadcasting Service on January 10, 1971, making it America's longest-running weekly prime time drama series. The series has presented numerous acclaimed British productions...
) - Tristan MurailTristan MurailTristan Murail is a French composer. His father, Gérard Murail, is a poet and his mother, Marie-Thérèse Barrois, a journalist. One of his brothers, Lorris Murail, and his younger sister Elvire Murail, aka Moka, also write, and his younger sister Marie-Aude Murail is a French children's writer...
(born 1947)
O
- Jacques OffenbachJacques OffenbachJacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
(1819–1880), French operettaOperettaOperetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
and operaOperaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
composer, known for The Tales of Hoffmann and Orpheus in the UnderworldOrpheus in the UnderworldOrphée aux enfers is an opéra bouffon , or opéra féerie in its revised version, by Jacques Offenbach. The French text was written by Ludovic Halévy and later revised by Hector-Jonathan Crémieux....
, born in Germany
P
- Émile PaladilheEmile PaladilheÉmile Paladilhe was a French composer of the late romantic period.-Biography:Émile Paladilhe was born in Montpellier. He was a musical child prodigy, and moved from his home in the south of France to Paris to begin his studies at the Conservatoire de Paris at age 10...
(1844–1926), Romantic composer best known for his opera Patrie! of 1886 and his oratorio "Les Saintes Maries de la Mer" - Paul ParayPaul ParayPaul Paray was a French conductor, organist and composer. He is best remembered in the United States for being the resident conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for more than a decade. He married Yolande Falck on 25 August 1944.-Biography:Paray's father, Auguste, was a sculptor and organist...
(1886–1979) - Jean-Louis PetitJean-Louis PetitJean-Louis Petit is a French composer, conductor and organist. He studied composition with Georges Moineau and organ with Arsène Muzerelle at the Conservatoire de Reims before he studied under Simone Plé-Caussade and Olivier Messiaen at the Conservatoire de Paris...
(born 1937) - Ninot le PetitNinot le PetitNinot le Petit was a French composer of the Renaissance, probably associated with the French royal chapel. Although a substantial amount of his music has survived in several sources, his actual name is not known with certainty.-Life:Two identifications have been proposed by musicologists in the...
(fl. c. 1500–1520) - François-André Danican PhilidorFrançois-André Danican PhilidorFrançois-André Danican Philidor , often referred to as André Danican Philidor during his lifetime, was a French composer and chess player. He contributed to the early development of the opéra comique...
(1726–1795) - Gabriel PiernéGabriel PiernéHenri Constant Gabriel Pierné was a French composer, conductor, and organist.-Biography:Gabriel Pierné was born in Metz in 1863. His family moved to Paris to escape the Franco-Prussian War. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire, gaining first prizes for solfège, piano, organ, counterpoint and fugue...
(1863–1937) - Francis PoulencFrancis PoulencFrancis Jean Marcel Poulenc was a French composer and a member of the French group Les six. He composed solo piano music, chamber music, oratorio, choral music, opera, ballet music, and orchestral music...
(1899–1963) - Josquin des PrezJosquin Des PrezJosquin des Prez [Josquin Lebloitte dit Desprez] , often referred to simply as Josquin, was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance...
(c. 1450–1521) born near Franco-Flemish border
R
- Maurice RavelMaurice RavelJoseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
(1875–1937), 20th century piano and orchestra composer in the impressionist and neoclassicistNeoclassicism (music)Neoclassicism in music was a twentieth-century trend, particularly current in the period between the two World Wars, in which composers sought to return to aesthetic precepts associated with the broadly defined concept of "classicism", namely order, balance, clarity, economy, and emotional restraint...
styles, noted for his Daphnis et ChloéDaphnis et ChloéDaphnis et Chloé is a ballet with music by Maurice Ravel. Ravel described it as a "symphonie choréographique" . The scenario was adapted by Michel Fokine from an eponymous romance by the Greek writer Longus thought to date from around the 2nd century AD...
, Bolero, and Ma mère l'oyeMa Mère l'OyeMa mère l'oye is a musical work by French composer Maurice Ravel.-Piano versions:Ravel originally wrote Ma mère l'oye as a piano duet for the Godebski children, Mimi and Jean, ages 6 and 7. Ravel dedicated this work for four hands to the children...
(Mother Goose) suite - Jean-Henri RavinaJean-Henri RavinaJean-Henri Ravina was a French virtuoso pianist, composer and teacher.Jean-Henri Ravina started his musical studies with his mother, Eugenie Ravina, a famous professor in Bordeaux...
(1818–1906) - Jean-Philippe RameauJean-Philippe RameauJean-Philippe Rameau was one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the Baroque era. He replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of French opera and is also considered the leading French composer for the harpsichord of his time, alongside François...
(1683–1764), Baroque composer, wrote Les Indes galantesLes Indes galantesLes Indes galantes is an opéra-ballet consisting of a prologue and four entrées by Jean-Philippe Rameau with libretto by Louis Fuzelier... - Jean-Féry RebelJean-Féry RebelJean-Féry Rebel was an innovative French Baroque composer and violinist.-Biography:Rebel , a son of the singer Jean Rebel, a tenor in Louis XIV's private chapel, was a child violin prodigy. He became, at the age of eight, one of his father's most famous musical offspring. Later, he was a student...
(1666–1747) - Jean-Claude RissetJean-Claude RissetJean-Claude Risset is a French composer, best known for his pioneering contributions to computer music. He is a former student of André Jolivet and former co-worker of Max Mathews at Bell Labs....
(born 1936) - Pierre RodePierre RodeJacques Pierre Joseph Rode was a French violinist and composer.-Biography:Born in Bordeaux, Aquitaine, France, Pierre Rode traveled to Parisat the age of 13 and soon became a favourite pupil of the great Giovanni Battista Viotti who found the boy so talented that he charged him no fee for the...
(1774–1830) - Jean-Jacques RousseauJean-Jacques RousseauJean-Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of 18th-century Romanticism. His political philosophy influenced the French Revolution as well as the overall development of modern political, sociological and educational thought.His novel Émile: or, On Education is a treatise...
(1712–1778), abandoned musical composition for philosophy - Albert RousselAlbert RousselAlbert Charles Paul Marie Roussel was a French composer. He spent seven years as a midshipman, turned to music as an adult, and became one of the most prominent French composers of the interwar period...
(1869–1937) - Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace RoyerJoseph-Nicolas-Pancrace RoyerJoseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer was a French composer and harpsichordist.Born in Turin, Royer went to Paris in 1725, and in 1734 became maître de musique des enfants de France, responsible for the musical education of the children of the king, Louis XV...
(c. 1705–1755), born in Italy - Pierre de La RuePierre de La RuePierre de la Rue , called Piersson, was a Franco-Flemish composer and singer of the Renaissance. A member of the same generation as Josquin des Prez, and a long associate of the Habsburg-Burgundian musical chapel, he ranks with Agricola, Brumel, Compère, Isaac, Obrecht, and Weerbeke as one of the...
(c. 1452–1518)
S
- Monsieur de Sainte-ColombeMonsieur de Sainte-ColombeMonsieur de Sainte-Colombe was a French composer and violist.It is speculated by various scholars that Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe was of Lyonnais or Burgundian petty nobility; and also the selfsame 'Jean de Sainte-Colombe' noted as the father of 'Monsieur de Saint Colombe le fils.This assumption...
(c. 1640 – c. 1700) - Camille Saint-SaënsCamille Saint-SaënsCharles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
(1835–1921), Romantic composer perhaps best known for The Carnival of the AnimalsThe Carnival of the AnimalsLe carnaval des animaux is a musical suite of fourteen movements by the French Romantic composer Camille Saint-Saëns. The orchestral work has a duration between 22 and 30 minutes.-History:... - Erik SatieErik SatieÉric Alfred Leslie Satie was a French composer and pianist. Satie was a colourful figure in the early 20th century Parisian avant-garde...
(1866–1925), 20th century modernistModernism (music)Modernism in music is characterized by a desire for or belief in progress and science, surrealism, anti-romanticism, political advocacy, general intellectualism, and/or a breaking with the past or common practice.- Defining musical modernism :...
and impressionist composer, known for his Gymnopédies - Éric SerraEric SerraÉric Serra is a French composer. He has often worked on the movies of Luc Besson.- Biography :Éric Serra's father Claude was a famous French songwriter in the 1950s and '60s, and, as such, Éric was exposed to music and its production at a young age. His mother died when he was just seven years old...
(born 1959) - Florent SchmittFlorent SchmittFlorent Schmitt was a French composer.-Early life:A Lorrainer, born in Meurthe-et-Moselle, Schmitt originally took music lessons in Nancy with the local composer Gustave Sandré. Subsequently he entered the Paris Conservatoire. There he studied with Gabriel Fauré, Jules Massenet, Théodore Dubois,...
(1870–1958) - Claudin de SermisyClaudin de SermisyClaudin de Sermisy was a French composer of the Renaissance. Along with Clément Janequin he was one of the most renowned composers of French chansons in the early 16th century; in addition he was a significant composer of sacred music...
(c. 1490–1562) - Déodat de SéveracDéodat de SéveracDéodat de Séverac was a French composer.-Biography:...
(1872–1921)
T
- Walter TaiebWalter TaiebWalter Taieb is a French composer and conductor.Taieb is the composer of The Alchemist's Symphony with Juilliard professor Philip Lasser RCA Red Seal USA. Editions Alphonse Leduc France. He studied conducting with Rolf Reuter in Berlin.-References:...
(born 1973) - Germaine TailleferreGermaine TailleferreGermaine Tailleferre was a French composer and the only female member of the famous composers' group Les Six.-Biography:...
(1892–1983), the female member of Les SixLes SixLes six is a name, inspired by The Five, given in 1920 by critic Henri Collet in an article titled "" to a group of six composers working in Montparnasse whose music is often seen as a reaction against the musical style of Richard Wagner and impressionist music.-Members:Formally, the Groupe des...
, her Jeux de pleine aire caused Satie to call her his "musical daughter" - Claude TerrasseClaude TerrasseClaude Terrasse , was a French composer of operettas.Claude Terrasse was considered by some as the true successor to Jacques Offenbach , one of the originators of the operetta form, a precursor of the modern musical comedy.Terrasse was born in L'Arbresle, Rhône...
(1867–1923) - Ambroise ThomasAmbroise ThomasCharles Louis Ambroise Thomas was a French composer, best known for his operas Mignon and Hamlet and as Director of the Conservatoire de Paris from 1871 till his death.-Biography:"There is good music, there is bad music, and then there is Ambroise Thomas."- Emmanuel Chabrier-Early life...
(1811–1896) - Charles TournemireCharles TournemireCharles Tournemire was a French composer and organist, notable partly for his improvisations, which were often rooted in the music of Gregorian chant...
(1870–1939)
W
- Charles-Marie WidorCharles-Marie WidorCharles-Marie Jean Albert Widor was a French organist, composer and teacher.-Life:Widor was born in Lyon, to a family of organ builders, and initially studied music there with his father, François-Charles Widor, titular organist of Saint-François-de-Sales from 1838 to 1889...
(1844–1937), Romantic composer, noted for his works for the organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
See also
- Chronological list of French classical composersChronological list of French classical composersThe following is a chronological list of classical music composers who lived in, worked in, or were citizens of France.-Medieval:*Guillaume de Machaut *Brent Falso *Vincent Visee -Renaissance:...