born May 12, 1842, Montaud, near Saint-Étienne, France
died Aug. 13, 1912, Paris
French composer.
He attended the Paris Conservatoire from 1851. When his family left Paris in 1854, he ran away to continue his studies, playing piano and drums and teaching to support himself. His hard work paid off when he won the Prix de Rome in 1863, and he began writing operas in 1867. His reputation was established with his oratorio Marie-Magdeleine (1873), and his Le Roi de Lahore was performed at the Paris Opéra in 1877. There followed the series of successes for which he is chiefly known, including Hérodiade (1881), Manon (1884), Le Cid (1885), Esclarmonde (1889), Werther (1892), Thaïs (1894), and Don Quichotte (1910).