Jules Massenet

Born on May 12, 1842, near Saint-Étienne, he became one of the leading French opera composers of the late 19th century. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire and went on to build a career centered on the stage, writing more than thirty operas as well as ballets, songs, orchestral music, and other works.

His music is especially admired for its lyricism and for the way it brings out feeling and character in the theater. Manon and Werther remain his most frequently performed operas, and they helped define his reputation as a master of elegant, emotionally direct French opera.

He died in Paris on August 13, 1912. Even though tastes changed after his lifetime, his best-known works have stayed in the repertory and continue to introduce listeners to the warmth and drama of French Romantic music.