While many are familiar with French Impressionist painters like Monet and Renoir from the 19th century, France also played a crucial role in classical music. French composers made significant contributions.
Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, among others, are known for their innovative styles that echoed the Impressionist movement in painting. Their music influenced music globally and left a lasting impact on classical composition.
In this blog post, we will look at the greatest French composers from classical music and discuss their huge contributions to this genre of art form. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
1. Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
One of the most famous French composers of all time, Claude Debussy, was born in 1862 in Seine-et-Oise, a suburb of Paris. He began learning the piano at the age of seven, and by the time he was ten years old, he was studying at the Conservatoire de Paris.
Though he disliked the term, Debussy’s style is often labeled Impressionist, akin to the 19th-century art movement. His music, characterized by ambiguity and use of the whole tone scale, includes famous works like Clair de Lune, Suite Bergamasque, La Mer, and Prélude à l’Après-Midi d’un Faune.
2. Erik Satie (1866–1925)
French composer Erik Satie was born in Honfleur, a small fishing town in Normandy, France. His musical journey began early, and at thirteen, he entered the Paris Conservatoire.
Satie’s music was ahead of its time, influencing movements like Dadaism and paving the way for minimalist and repetitive music. His compositions, aligned with Surrealism and avant-garde art, departed from the Romanticism of his era.
Among his works are the famous Trois Gymnopédies (1888) and Trois Gnossiennes (1890). Despite not gaining recognition until after his death in 1925, Satie’s 84 musical pieces profoundly impacted 20th-century French composers and the Neoclassical school.
3. Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
One of France’s most beloved composers in the early 20th century was Joseph-Maurice Ravel. Raised in a musically inclined family, his mother’s Basque background had a great influence on his music.
At 14, Ravel began studies at the Paris Conservatoire under Gabriel Fauré, though he later focused on composing after being expelled for not meeting academic expectations. Inspired by Erik Satie’s early works, Ravel initially composed pieces in a similar style.
His most famous composition, Boléro, originally part of a ballet, remains an iconic piece of classical music. Sadly, Ravel passed away in an accident in Paris in 1937.
4. Hector Berlioz (1803–1869)
The French Romantic composer Hector Berlioz was born Louis-Hector Berlioz in 1803 in La Côte-St-André, Isère, France.
As a child, he adored music and picked up the guitar and flute. He joined the Paris Conservatoire in 1826 and went after France’s top music prize, the Prix de Rome, but missed out four times. Finally, in 1830, he clinched it with his cantata La Mort de Sardanapale.
Berlioz’s first major success was with Symphonie Fantastique, which premiered in 1830. Other renowned works of his include Harold En Italy and La Damnation de Faust.
5. Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921)
A remarkable French composer, Camille Saint-Saëns was known for pioneering symphonic poems in his country. At the Paris Conservatoire, he studied organ and composition where he performed his Symphony no. 1 in 1855.
Later, he served as an organist at Église de la Madeleine and then taught piano at the Niedermeyer School. In 1871, he co-founded the National Society of Music.
Renowned for his global tours across the world, Saint-Saëns both performed and conducted extensively. Today, he is best known for The Carnival of the Animals, a suite featuring whimsical compositions inspired by various animals, notably “The Swan.”
6. Guillaume De Machaut (c. 1300–1377)
No list is complete without one of the most significant French composers from the 14th century. Medieval composer Guillaume de Machaut was not only a gifted musician but an influential poet in the ars nova style.
In 1337, Machaut became a canon and composed sacred music, including Messe de Nostre Dame, one of the earliest settings of the Catholic Mass Ordinary. He also wrote around 400 poems and developed secular song forms like ballades, rondeaux, motets, and lais.
Although most of his poems weren’t set to music, Machaut’s compositions often explored themes of courtly love. Despite surviving the Black Plague, he spent his later years writing manuscripts and composing.
7. Georges Bizet (1838–1875)
Born Alexandre-César-Léopold Bizet, Georges Bizet came from a musical family that nurtured his talents from a young age. He began studying at the Paris Conservatoire at 10 and quickly excelled, winning prizes in solfège and piano.
At 17, Bizet composed his first symphony, the Symphony in C Major. In 1857, he achieved the prestigious Prix de Rome scholarship, which allowed him to study in Rome for three years.
Sadly, Bizet did not enjoy a long life. He passed away at the age of 36, but not before presenting us with Carmen, one of the world’s most beloved operas.
8. Francis Poulenc (1899–1963)
Our next French composer, Francis Poulenc, came from a wealthy family in the pharmaceutical business. His mother introduced him to piano early in life and thus began his musical journey.
In 1917, Poulenc debuted with Rapsodie nègre and was inspired by Erik Satie’s eccentric style, incorporating Dadaist techniques into his compositions. After serving in the French army from 1918 to 1921, he studied composition with Koechlin from 1921 to 1924.
In 1935, Poulenc became a piano accompanist to French baritone Pierre Bernac, composing several songs for him. From 1936 onward, he focused increasingly on composing serious religious music for organ and choirs.
9. Jacques Offenbach (1819–1880)
A pivotal figure in French music history, Jacques Offenbach is celebrated as the creator of the operetta, a light-hearted musical theater piece with singing, talking, and funny or romantic stories.
Offenbach displayed talent early on, learning from local teachers and performing with siblings in restaurants. In 1833, his father brought him to Paris, where he began as a cellist at the Opéra Comique, later branching out into composing, conducting, and managing music events.
Offenbach’s career flourished as he became musical director at the Comédie Française and produced nearly 100 operettas from 1855 onwards. His works humorously mocked artistic pretensions and political figures of his era.
10. Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924)
Raised in a cultured family, Gabriel Fauré began his musical education at Ecole Niedermeyer at age nine, learning to be a choirmaster and organist.
One of his teachers, Camille Saint-Saëns, became a lifelong friend. After graduating, Fauré became an organist and teacher, eventually holding esteemed positions such as director of the Paris Conservatoire and organist at Église de la Madeleine.
He composed his most celebrated works later in life, like the Cantique de Jean Racine, op. 11. By the end of his career, he was recognized as one of France’s leading composers.
11. Élisabeth Jacquet De La Guerre (1665–1729)
French composer Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre was an organist and harpsichordist. At age five, she performed at Louis XIV’s court and received education as part of the French court before they moved to Versailles.
In her 20s, she married and balanced composing, teaching, and performing concerts in Paris. Her opera Céphale et Procri premiered at the Paris Opéra in 1694, marking her as the first French woman to write an opera, though it wasn’t very successful at the time.
During her lifetime, Jacquet de la Guerre gained recognition as a talented female composer. Today, her early violin and viola da gamba sonatas and trio sonatas survive as manuscripts in Paris.
12. Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632–1687)
Though Jean-Baptiste Lully was born in Italy, he later became a French citizen. He was a key figure in French music history, mixing French and Italian music styles to create what’s now called French Baroque music.
Lully’s greatest achievement was his influence at the court of Louis XIV, where he served as the king’s music composer and established the French opera, like the 1686 Armide.
His collaboration with playwright Molière led to the creation of comédie-ballet, a genre combining spoken theater with music and dance. The elegance and grandeur of his work set the standard for French court music during his time.
13. François Couperin (1668–1733)
Closing this list is François Couperin. Like many on this list, he started learning music at a young age, quickly becoming a skilled organist and harpsichordist. By his early 20s, he was already known for his musical abilities.
Couperin’s innovative harpsichord music, which blended French and Italian styles, placed him on the map of French composer greats.
His most famous work, L’Art de toucher le clavecin, provided guidance on playing the harpsichord, influencing many musicians of his time and beyond. He also served as the court musician for King Louis XIV, composing beautiful pieces for the royal court.
Summing Up Our List Of Great French Composers
There are many French composers who have left their mark on the world. It is difficult to narrow down a list of only 13, but we hope that these examples provide you with enough information about this genre and its history in France.
Each composer on this list has contributed greatly to the evolution of classical music. Their legacies continue to inspire and influence musicians and audiences, ensuring that the rich tradition of French music remains vibrant and enduring.