Massenet, Jules (1842, 1912)

Jules Massenet (1842-1912) was the leading operatic composer of his generation in France. He entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of eleven and in 1863 won the Prix de Rome for his cantata "David Rizzio". After spending three years at the Villa Medici in Rome, he returned to Paris and achieved initial success with his one-act opera "La Grand’ Tante", followed by "Don César de Bazan" and "Marie-Magdeleine." "Manon" (1884) and "Werther" (1886) still belong to the standard opera repertoire, while the "Méditation" from "Thais" has found a permanent home in salon music. His operas, oratorios, songs and orchestral suites display a love of Spanish flair.



In 1878 he became a member of the Académie des Beaux Arts and became a professor at the Paris Conservatoire.