List of French composers

Berlioz

Bizet

This is an alphabetical list of composers from France.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

A

Eryck Abecassis (born 1956)
Jean-Baptiste Accolay (1833–1900), 19th-century violin teacher and composer
Adolphe Adam (1803–1856)
Léopold Aimon (1779–1866)
Jehan Alain (1911–1940)
Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813–1888), Romantic-era composer and pianist
Jean-Claude Amiot (born 1939)
Gilbert Amy (born 1936)
Jean-Henri d'Anglebert (1629–1691)
Jean-Baptiste Arban (1825-1889), cornet vituoso and composer
Daniel Auber (1782–1871), opera composer, well known in his time, but rarely performed today
Jacques Aubert (1689–1753)
Maxime Aulio (born 1980)^[1]
Georges Auric (1899–1983)
Artus Aux-Cousteaux (c. 1590-1656)

B

Nicolas Bacri (born 1961)
Nicolas Ballois (born 1989)^[2]
Jean Barraqué (1928–1973)
François Bazin (1816–1878)
Hector Berlioz (1803–1869), notable for his programmatic symphony, the Symphonie fantastique
Henri Betti (1917–2005), composer of C'est si bon
Georges Bizet (1838–1875), Romantic composer notable for his opera Carmen
Adolphe Blanc (1828–1885)
Nicolas-Charles Bochsa (1789–1856), notable for his studies and exercises for the harp
François-Adrien Boieldieu (1775–1834)
Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689–1755)
Michel Blavet (1700-1768)
Léon Boëllmann (1862–1897), particularly noted for his organ music
Mel Bonis (1858–1937)
Lili Boulanger (1893–1918), the first French female composer to win the Prix de Rome, with her cantata Faust and Helena
Nadia Boulanger (1887–1979), teacher of many famous composers
Pierre Boulez (1925–2016)
Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de St George (1745-1799)
Laurent Boutonnat (born 1961)
Eugène Bozza (1905–1991)
Jean-Baptiste Bréval (1753–1823)
Alfred Bruneau (1857–1934)
Henri Büsser (1872–1973)

C–D

Jean-Philippe Calvin (born 1974)^[3]
André Campra (1660–1744)
Joseph Canteloube (1879–1957), known for his collection of folksongs from the Auvergne region
André Caplet (1878–1925), great friend of Debussy responsible for orchestrating some of his works, including Children's Corner
Jacques Castérède (1926-2014)
Charles Simon Catel (1773–1830)
Emmanuel Chabrier (1841–1894), composer of España
Cécile Chaminade (1857–1944)
Jacques Champion de Chambonnières (c. 1601–1672)
Gustave Charpentier (1860–1956), composer known for his opera Louise
Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643–1704)
Ernest Chausson (1855–1899)
Nicolas Chedeville (1705–1782)
Louis-Nicolas Clérambault (1676–1749)
Loÿset Compère (c. 1445–1518)
Bruno Coulais (born 1954) composer for film
François Couperin (1668–1733)
Louis Couperin (c. 1626–1661)
Nicolas Dalayrac (1753–1809)
Jean-Michel Damase (1928–2013)
Charles Dancla (1817–1907), 19th-century violin teacher and composer
Jean-François Dandrieu (c. 1682–1738)
Jean-Henri d'Anglebert (baptized 1 April 1629 – 23 April 1691)
Louis-Claude Daquin (1694–1772)
Claude Debussy (1862–1918), 20th-century composer, his music is often described as impressionist, although he dismissed the term. He wrote "Clair de Lune" from Suite bergamasque
Michel Richard Delalande (1657–1726)
Georges Delerue, film composer
Léo Delibes (1836–1891), composer known for his Coppélia, Sylvia, and Lakmé
Jeanne Demessieux (1921–1968)
Alfred Desenclos (1912–1971)
Alexandre Desplat (born 1961)
Patrick Dorobisz (born 1955)^[4]
François Dufault (before 1604 – c. 1672)
Guillaume Dufay (c. 1397–1474)
Paul Dukas (1865–1935), late-Romantic composer, known today for his piece of program music, The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Henri Duparc (1848–1933)
Jean-Louis Duport (1749–1819)
Jean-Pierre Duport (1741–1818)
Marcel Dupré (1886–1971)
Joël-François Durand (born 1954)
Louis Durey (1888–1979)
Maurice Duruflé (1902–1986)
Henri Dutilleux (1916–2013)

E–G

Ernest Fanelli (1860–1917)
Louise Farrenc (1804–1875), piano professor at the Paris Conservatory and composer of chamber music and three symphonies
Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924), Romantic composer known for his chamber music and a requiem
Paul Le Flem (1881–1984)
Antoine Forqueray (1671–1745)
Jean Françaix (1912–1997)
César Franck (1822-1890), Belgian-born; moved to France
Raymond Gallois-Montbrun (1918–1994)
Jacques Gallot (c. 1625–c. 1695), also Jacques de Gallot, le vieux Gallot de Paris
Denis Gaultier (1603–1672)
Benjamin Godard (1849–1895)
Nicolas Gombert (c. 1495 – c. 1560), born in Flanders
François Joseph Gossec (1734–1829)
Charles Gounod (1818–1893), best known for his opera Faust
Louis Théodore Gouvy (1819–1898)
Jacques de Gouy (c. 1610 – after 1650)
Nicolas de Grigny (1672–1703)
Gérard Grisey (1946–1998)
Gabriel Grovlez (1879-1944)
Louis-Gabriel Guillemain (1705–1770)
Jean Guillou (1930–)

H–M

Reynaldo Hahn (1874–1947)
Fromental Halévy (1799–1862)
Charles-Louis Hanon (1819–1900), piano pedagogue
Guy d'Hardelot (1858–1936)
Pierre Henry, writer of musique concrète and electronic music
Ferdinand Hérold (1791–1833), composer known for his operas, notably Zampa, and the ballet La fille mal gardée
Louis de Caix d'Hervelois (c. 1670 – c. 1760)
Arthur Honegger (1892–1955)
Jacques Ibert (1890–1962)
Vincent d'Indy (1851–1931)
Hyacinthe Jadin (1776–1800)
Louis-Emmanuel Jadin (1768–1853)
Jean Michel Jarre
Maurice Jarre, film music composer, notably Lawrence of Arabia
André Jolivet (1905–1974)
Maurice Journeau (1898–1999)
Louis Antoine Jullien (1812–1860), eccentric conductor and composer of light music
Nigel Keay (born 1955)
Charles Koechlin (1867–1950)
Joseph-François Kremer (born 1954)
Rodolphe Kreutzer (1766–1831), known for his 42 études used by violin students
Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre (1665–1729)
Sophie Lacaze (born 1963)
Louis Lacombe (1818–1884), also Pierre Louis Trouillon-Lacombe
Paul Ladmirault (1877-1944)
Édouard Lalo (1823–1892), Romantic composer remembered primarily for his Symphonie espagnole for violin and orchestra
Michel Lambert (1610–1696)
Jean Langlais (1907–1991)
Marcel Lanquetuit (1894–1985)
Christian Lauba (born 1952)
Jean-François Le Sueur
Jean-Marie Leclair (1697–1764), Baroque-era composer
Jean-Marie Leclair the younger (1703–1777)
Louis James Alfred Lefébure-Wély (1817–1869)
Michel Legrand
Jean-Pierre Leguay (born 1939)
Jacques Leguerney (1906-1997)
Jean-Baptiste Lemire (1867–1945)
Fabien Lévy (born 1968)
Gaston Litaize (1909–1991)
Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632–1687), Baroque composer, first significant composer of French opera

M–N

Guillaume de Machaut (c. 1300–1377)
Albéric Magnard (1865–1914)
Jean-Yves Malmasson (born 1963)
Marin Marais (1656–1728)
Louis Marchand (1669–1732)
Jules Massenet (1842–1912), Romantic composer known for "Meditation" from his opera Thaïs
Paule Maurice (1910–1967)
Jacques Féréol Mazas (1782–1849), 19th-century violinist and composer
Jules Mazellier (1879–1959)
Stephane Meer (born 1951)
Étienne Méhul (1763–1817)
Max Méreaux (born 1946)
Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992), 20th-century modernist composer
Jean-Christian Michel (born 1938)
Darius Milhaud (1892–1974)
Jean-Joseph de Mondonville (1711–1772)
Jacques-Louis Monod (born 1927)
Michel Pignolet de Montéclair (1667–1737)
Étienne Moulinié (c. 1600 – after 1669)
Jean-Joseph Mouret (1682–1738), Baroque composer, known today for his "Fanfare-Rondeau" (theme song to the television show Masterpiece Theatre)
Tristan Murail (born 1947)
François Joseph Naderman (1781–1835)

O–P

Jacques Offenbach (1819–1880), operetta and opera composer, known for The Tales of Hoffmann and Orpheus in the Underworld, born in Germany
André George Louis Onslow (1784–1853)
Émile Paladilhe (1844–1926), Romantic composer known for his opera Patrie! of 1886 and his oratorio "Les Saintes Maries de la Mer"
Paul Paray (1886–1979)
Jean-Louis Petit (born 1937)
Ninot le Petit (fl. c. 1500–1520)
François-André Danican Philidor (1726–1795)
Gabriel Pierné (1863–1937)
Francis Poulenc (1899–1963)
Jacques de la Presle (1888–1969)
Josquin des Prez (c. 1450–1521), born near the Franco-Flemish border

Q

Jean-Baptiste Quentin (before 1690–c. 1742), known as Jean-Baptiste Quentin, le jeune

R

Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683–1764), Baroque composer, wrote Les Indes galantes
Maurice Ravel (1875–1937), 20th-century piano and orchestra composer in the impressionist and neoclassicist styles, noted for his Daphnis et Chloé, Bolero, and Ma mère l'oye (Mother Goose) suite
Jean-Henri Ravina (1818–1906)
Jean-Féry Rebel (1666–1747)
Jean-Claude Risset (born 1936)
Pierre Rode (1774–1830)
Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, composer of "La Marseillaise", French National Anthem
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), abandoned musical composition for philosophy
Albert Roussel (1869–1937)
Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer (c. 1705–1755), born in Italy
Pierre de La Rue (c. 1452–1518)

S–Z

Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe (c. 1640 – c. 1700)
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921), Romantic composer perhaps best known for The Carnival of the Animals
Pierre Sancan (1916-2008)
Erik Satie (1866–1925), 20th-century modernist and impressionist composer, known for his Gymnopédies
Henri Sauguet (1901-1989)
Charles Eugène Sauzay (1809-1901)
Pierre Schaeffer, inventor of musique concrète
Florent Schmitt (1870–1958)
Claudin de Sermisy (c. 1490–1562)
Éric Serra (born 1959)
Déodat de Séverac (1872–1921)
Les Six, group of composers
Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971), Russian-born composer who took French citizenship
Walter Taieb (born 1973)
Germaine Tailleferre (1892–1983), the female member of Les Six, her Jeux de pleine aire caused Satie to call her his "musical daughter"
Alexandre Tansman (1897-1986), Polish-born French composer
Claude Terrasse (1867–1923)
Ambroise Thomas (1811–1896)
Charles Tournemire (1870–1939)
Edgard Varèse (1883–1965), became American
Louis Vierne (1870–1937)
Robert de Visée (ca. 1655 – 1732/1733)
Charles-Marie Widor (1844–1937), Romantic composer, noted for his works for the organ

List of French composers

A

B

C–D

E–G

H–M

M–N

O–P

Q

R

S–Z

References

See also