Félicien David
A French composer whose travels through the Middle East infused Western classical music with shimmering, exotic new colors.
1810–1876 (age 66)·French composer·Birthday: April 13
Biography
Félicien David was a musical dreamer captivated by distant horizons. As a young man, he joined the Saint-Simonian socialist movement and embarked on a formative journey to Egypt and the Levant. The sounds and scales he absorbed there became the soul of his work. Returning to Paris, he caused a sensation with his ode-symphonie 'Le Désert,' its evocative textures painting an auditory picture of the Sahara for enthralled European audiences. While later operas brought him official recognition, his true legacy was as a pioneer of musical exoticism, opening a door through which composers like Bizet and Saint-Saëns would later walk.
#1 When Félicien Was Born
The biggest hits of 1810
Félicien's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1810Born
1815Started school
1823Became a teenager
1826Could drive
1828Could vote
1831Turned 21
1840Turned 30
1850Turned 40
1860Turned 50
1870Turned 60
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1876Died at 66
President: Ulysses S. Grant
Key Achievements
- Composed the groundbreaking ode-symphonie 'Le Désert' in 1844, a landmark in musical exoticism.
- Won the Prix de l'Académie des Beaux-Arts for his opera 'La Perle du Brésil' in 1851.
- Served as a librarian at the Paris Conservatoire later in his career.
- Became a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur in 1862.
- His early songs and piano works helped popularize the mélodie form in France.
Did You Know?
He traveled extensively through Egypt, Turkey, and the Holy Land as part of a Saint-Simonian mission in the 1830s.
He was once so poor he lived in an attic and survived on bread and raisins while composing.
His work 'Le Désert' was premiered by a massive orchestra and chorus, including an ophicleide to provide a drone effect.
He was a major influence on the composer Charles Gounod.
He is buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.
“My symphony is the desert wind, the caravan's song, the Nile's eternal flow.”
