Skip to page content

Florent Schmitt

composer

About this Artist

Born: 1870, Blâmont, FranceDied: 1958, Paris, France

“When I don’t like a piece of music, I make a point of listening to it more closely.”

Encouraged in music by his family from an early age, Schmitt first entered the Conservatoire in Nancy, transferring two years later to the Paris Conservatoire, where he studied composition with Massenet and Fauré. He won the Prix de Rome on his fifth try, and in Rome forged the distinctive style that blossomed in La tragédie de Salomé. His boldly colored music was highly influential on Stravinsky, Honegger, and Roussel, as well as his life-long friend Ravel. In addition to two symphonies and a number of tone poems, Schmitt composed several ballets and film scores, and a host of vocal, chamber, and keyboard pieces (Schmitt was a strong pianist himself).

Further listening:Légende, Op. 66 (1918)Arno Bornkamp, Netherland Radio SymphonyJean-Bernard Pommier (Ottavo)