author
Henri Lavoix
1846–1897
A French music historian and librarian, he wrote lively, wide-ranging books that helped bring the story of music to a broader readership in the late 19th century.
1 Audiobook
Histoire de la musique
by Henri Lavoix
About the author
Henri Lavoix (1846–1897), often listed as Henri Marie François Lavoix or "Lavoix fils," was a French musicographer and librarian. Bibliographic records and reference pages identify him as the author of works including Histoire de la musique and, with Théophile Lemaire, Le chant, ses principes et son histoire.
He is especially associated with the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, where he served as a conservator. His writing focused on musical history and criticism, and his best-known books aimed to trace music across periods and traditions in a clear, organized way.
Today, Lavoix is remembered less as a novelist than as a careful 19th-century guide to music history. His work reflects the scholarly curiosity of his time while still offering modern readers a window into how music was studied, explained, and shared in France.