Find out more about the greatest 19th Century French Musicians, including Jeanne Calment, Claude Debussy, Camille Saint-Saëns, Maurice Ravel and Erik Satie.

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 1 

(French Impressionist Composer Best Known for His Opera 'Pelléas et Mélisande')

Birthdate: August 22, 1862

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France

Died: March 25, 1918

Claude Debussy was a French composer whose career spanned over 30 years. Regarded as one of the most influential composers of his generation, Claude Debussy's works have influenced several other composers, such as Bill Evans, George Benjamin, Olivier Messiaen, and Béla Bartók. Claude Debussy is also regarded as the first Impressionist composer, though he rejected the term.

 2 

(French Composer and Pianist Known for His Work ‘Gymnopédies’)

Birthdate: May 17, 1866

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Honfleur, France

Died: July 1, 1925

Erik Satie was a French pianist and composer. An influential artist during his time, Satie's works served as a predecessor to later artistic movements like repetitive music, minimalism, and the Theatre of the Absurd. Apart from being a musician, Erik Satie was also a prolific writer, who contributed to publications, such as Vanity Fair and 391.

 3 

(One of the Leading Composers of Impressionist Music, Known for His Orchestral Work "Boléro,")

Birthdate: March 7, 1875

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Ciboure, France

Died: December 28, 1937

French impressionist composer Maurice Ravel is best known for his orchestral composition Boléro. He rejected the Legion d'honneur and all French awards. He was one the first composers to realize the importance of recording music to gain a wider reach. Most of his music consisted of piano and orchestration.

 4 

(French Composer and Conductor Known for His Work ‘Symphonie fantastique’, ‘Harold in Italy’ and ‘Roméo et Juliette’)

Birthdate: December 11, 1803

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: La Côte-Saint-André, France

Died: March 8, 1869

Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic conductor and composer who was highly regarded in places like Russia, Britain, and Germany. Although he did not achieve fame as a composer, Berlioz became renowned internationally for his skills as a conductor. He also wrote musical journalism, which includes his influential work, Treatise on Instrumentation. 

Birthdate: October 9, 1835

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: December 16, 1921

French composer and multi-instrumentalist Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was an icon of the Romantic era, known for masterpieces such as the First Cello Concerto and the opera Samson and Delilah. He was initially a church organist and then became a freelance composer and pianist. He also taught music in Paris.

 6 

(Physician and Founder of the “Albert Schweitzer Hospital” in Lambaréné,)

Birthdate: January 14, 1875

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Kaysersberg-Vignoble, France

Died: September 4, 1965

Albert Schweitzer was an Alsatian polymath who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952 for his philosophical work, Reverence for Life. He is credited with founding the Albert Schweitzer Hospital, which was a direct result of his philosophical expression. Schweitzer is also credited with influencing the Organ reform movement, which began in the mid-20th-century.

 7 

(French Composer Best Known for His Opera ‘Carmen’)

Birthdate: October 25, 1838

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: June 3, 1875

Georges Bizet was a French composer whose career was cut short by his untimely demise at the age of 36. Since his death in 1875, Bizet's final work Carmen has become one of the most frequently performed works in the opera repertoire. Although he couldn’t achieve success during his lifetime, Bizet's death is considered a loss to French musical theatre.

 8 

(One of the Major French Composers Associated With the End of Romanticism.)

Birthdate: October 22, 1845

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Pamiers, France

Died: June 4, 1924

One of the greatest composers of all time, French pianist and organist Gabriel Fauré is best remembered for his masterpieces such as Requiem. His music career began at 9, when he was sent to Paris to become a choirmaster. At 75, he was awarded the Grand-Croix of the Légion d'honneur.

 9 

Jacques Offenbach

(Composer)

Birthdate: June 20, 1819

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Cologne, Germany

Died: October 5, 1880

 10 

Jules Massenet

(Composer)

Birthdate: May 12, 1842

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Montaud, France

Died: August 13, 1912

 11 

(French Composer Best Known for His Operas: ‘Faust’ and ‘Roméo et Juliette’)

Birthdate: June 17, 1818

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: October 18, 1893

Charles Gounod was a French composer. Prolific in his career, he wrote 12 operas and a large number of songs and church music pieces including his Ave Maria and Funeral March of a Marionette.  During the Franco-Prussian War, he fled to England, disrupting his career. He later returned to France and regained his position as a respected musical figure.

 12 

George Enescu

(Romanian Composer, Violinist and Conductor)

Birthdate: August 19, 1881

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: George Enescu, Romania

Died: May 4, 1955

 13 

Léo Delibes

(Composer)

Birthdate: February 21, 1836

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: La La Flèche, France

Died: January 16, 1891

 14 

(French Composer Best Known for the Orchestral Piece 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice')

Birthdate: October 1, 1865

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: May 17, 1935

Best known for his masterpiece The Sorcerer's Apprentice, French composer Paul Dukas was admired by both conservative and progressive French musicians. Born to a pianist mother, Dukas had begun composing while recovering from an ailment at age 14. Shortly before his death, he destroyed most of his manuscripts.

 15 

Adolphe Adam

(French Music Critic, Teacher, and Composer Best Remembered for His Ballets, 'Le corsaire' and 'Giselle')

Birthdate: July 24, 1803

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: May 3, 1856

Adolphe Adam was a French music critic, teacher, and composer. Best remembered for his ballets, Le corsaire and Giselle, Adam was a prolific composer for the theatre. Adolphe Adam is credited with developing the French form of opera along with his teacher Adrien Boieldieu and his older contemporary Daniel Auber.

 16 

Charles-Valentin Alkan

(French Composer and One of the Greatest Virtuoso Pianists of His Generation)

Birthdate: November 30, 1813

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: March 29, 1888

Charles-Valentin Alkan was a French virtuoso pianist and composer. During the peak of his career in the 1830s and 1840s, Alkan was counted among the most important pianists in Paris. Over the years, his music has been admired by several prominent musicians like Anton Rubinstein, Egon Petri, and Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji.

 17 

Paul Le Flem

(Composer)

Birthdate: March 18, 1881

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Radon, Écouves, France

Died: July 31, 1984

 18 

Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy

(French Army Officer & Spy for the German Empire)

Birthdate: December 16, 1847

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: May 21, 1923

 19 

Reynaldo Hahn

(French Composer and Conductor)

Birthdate: August 9, 1874

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Caracas, Venezuela

Died: January 28, 1947

Reynaldo Hahn was a Venezuelan-born French conductor, composer, singer, and music critic. A prolific composer, Hahn wrote a wide range of piano works and chamber music. His orchestral works include tone poems, concertos ballets, as well as incidental music for films and plays. Towards the end of his career, Reynaldo Hahn served as the director of the Paris Opéra. 

 20 

Ernest Chausson

(Composer)

Birthdate: January 20, 1855

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: June 10, 1899

 21 

Maurice Duruflé

(Composer)

Birthdate: January 11, 1902

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Louviers, Eure, France

Died: June 16, 1986

 22 

Cécile Chaminade

(Former Pianist, Composer who was awarded the Légion d'Honneur, a first for a female composer)

Birthdate: August 8, 1857

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: April 13, 1944

 23 

Emmanuel Chabrier

(Composer)

Birthdate: January 18, 1841

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Ambert, France

Died: September 13, 1894

 24 

Louise Farrenc

(Composer)

Birthdate: May 31, 1804

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: September 15, 1875

 25 

Édouard Lalo

(Composer)

Birthdate: January 27, 1823

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Lille, France

Died: April 22, 1892

 26 

Charles-Marie Widor

(French Organist and Composer Known for His 'Toccata' from the 'Fifth Organ Symphony' Composition)

Birthdate: February 21, 1844

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Lyon, France

Died: March 12, 1937

French organist, composer and teacher Charles-Marie Widor, counted among the greatest organists of his time, is best-remembered for his ten organ symphonies, of mid-Romantic era. The Toccata piece from his fifth organ symphony, often referred as Widor's Toccata, is considered one of the most famous organ pieces and is frequently played as recessional music during festive Christmas and wedding ceremonies.

 27 

Louis Vierne

(Composer, Organist)

Birthdate: October 8, 1870

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Poitiers, France

Died: June 2, 1937

 28 

Nino Ferrer

(Singer-songwriter)

Birthdate: August 15, 1934

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Genoa, Italy

Died: August 13, 1998

 29 

Johann Friedrich Franz Burgmuller

(Pianist)

Birthdate: December 4, 1806

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Regensburg, Germany

Died: February 13, 1874

Born into the musical family of a composer father and a pianist/singer mother, Johann Friedrich Franz Burgmuller was no stranger to music in childhood. A talented cellist, too, the German Romantic composer later settled in Paris, where he composed everything from piano pieces to waltzes and ballets.

 30 

Ignaz Pleyel

(Composer)

Birthdate: June 18, 1757

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Lower Austria, Austria

Died: November 14, 1831

 31 

Vincent d'Indy

(Composer)

Birthdate: March 27, 1851

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: December 2, 1931

 32 

Daniel Auber

(Composer)

Birthdate: January 29, 1782

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Caen, France

Died: May 12, 1871

 33 

Rodolphe Kreutzer

(French Violinist and Composer Known for Her Opera 'La mort d'Abel')

Birthdate: November 15, 1766

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Versailles, France

Died: January 6, 1831

A pioneer of the French school of violin playing and a co-author of Méthode du violon, Rodolphe Kreutzer was also a fine music teacher at the Paris Conservatory. La mort d'Abel remains one of his best-known operas. He had also been a chamber musician of both Napoleon and Louis XVIII.

 34 

Fromental Halévy

(Composer)

Birthdate: May 27, 1799

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: March 17, 1862

 35 

Albert Roussel

(Composer)

Birthdate: April 5, 1869

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Tourcoing, France

Died: August 23, 1937

 36 

Charlotte de Rothschild

(Socialite)

Birthdate: May 6, 1825

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: July 20, 1899

 37 

Marcel Dupré

(Musician)

Birthdate: May 3, 1886

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Rouen, France

Died: May 30, 1971

 38 

Emil Waldteufel

(Pianist)

Birthdate: December 9, 1837

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Strasbourg, France

Died: February 12, 1915

 39 

Charles Koechlin

(Composer)

Birthdate: November 27, 1867

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: December 31, 1950

 40 

François-Joseph Gossec

(French Composer)

Birthdate: January 17, 1734

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Froidchapelle, Belgium

Died: February 16, 1829

Regarded as one of the most significant composers of eighteenth century France, François-Joseph Gossec began his career under Jean-Philippe Rameau, determined to revive the study of instrumental music in France. Although he is mainly remembered for his experiments in symphonies and chamber works, he also wrote numerous operas, string quartets and choral works, successfully leaving his influence on French music.

 41 

Ambroise Thomas

(Composer)

Birthdate: August 5, 1811

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Metz, France

Died: February 12, 1896

 42 

Walter Gieseking

(Pianist)

Birthdate: November 5, 1895

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Lyon, France

Died: October 26, 1956

 43 

Prince Edmond de Polignac

(Composer)

Birthdate: April 19, 1834

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: August 8, 1901

 44 

Henri Duparc

(Composer)

Birthdate: January 21, 1848

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: February 12, 1933

 45 

Joseph Canteloube

(Composer)

Birthdate: October 21, 1879

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Annonay, France

Died: November 4, 1957

 46 

François de Roubaix

(Composer)

Birthdate: April 3, 1939

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Neuilly-sur-Seine, France

Died: November 22, 1975

Height: 6'2" (188 cm)

 47 

Étienne Méhul

(Composer)

Birthdate: June 22, 1763

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Givet, France

Died: October 18, 1817

 48 

Sébastien Érard

(French musical instrument maker)

Birthdate: April 5, 1752

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Strasbourg, France

Died: August 5, 1831

 49 

Charles Munch

(Conductor)

Birthdate: September 26, 1891

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Strasbourg, France

Died: November 6, 1968

 50 

Alphonse Allais

(Writer, Poet, Journalist, Screenwriter, Painter, Science fiction writer, Composer, Comedian)

Birthdate: October 20, 1854

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Honfleur

Died: October 28, 1905

French writer Alphonse Allais, also a journalist and humorist, wrote many collections of whimsical writings. He is known for writing the earliest example of a completely silent musical composition. The small house where he was born was later turned into a museum named Alphonse Allais Museum. The Académie Alphonse-Allais has been awarding an annual prize in his honor since 1954.