Fromental Halévy

Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy (; 27 May 179917 March 1862), was a French opera composer, widely regarded in his lifetime as one of the central figures of 19th-century French music. A student of Luigi Cherubini, he achieved his first major triumph with La Juive (1835), a cornerstone of the grand opéra repertoire, and which Gustav Mahler considered one of the greatest operas ever written. The 368th performance of La Juive inaugurated the new Paris opera house, the Palais Garnier, in 1875. Halévy’s bust stands on the façade, with the inscription “Poésie lyrique” above it. During the following two decades, Halévy became a leading presence on the Parisian stage, contributing more than 30 operas including grand opéra, opéra-comique, and opéra-lyrique. In contemporary newspapers, critics celebrated Halévy for uniting melodic invention with learned craftsmanship. Reporters cited Halévy as the leader of the French school; the greatest French musician of the modern dramatic school; and (with Daniel Auber) the most important French composer of serious opera since Jean-Philippe Rameau. Many of his works were mainstays of the Opéra and Opéra-Comique f