Gabriel Dupont

Gabriel Édouard Xavier Dupont (1 March 1878 – 2 August 1914) was a French composer, known for his operas and chamber music. Biography Dupont was born in Caen. Following after his father who was a teacher at the Malherbe secondary school and the organist at the Church Saint-Étienne in his home town, Dupont began his studies at the Paris Conservatory at the age of 15. There he studied composition with Jules Massenet, harmony with Antoine Taudou, and descant with André Gedalge. In 1895, he was also given instruction on the organ by Alexandre Guilmant. Between 1897 and 1903, he studied composition with Charles-Marie Widor. In 1901, while performing his military service, Dupont competed for the Prix de Rome. He won second prize, behind André Caplet but ahead of Maurice Ravel. He was also named laureate of the Sonzogno competition for his opera La Cabrera, which was later presented with success at La Scala and then at the Théâtre national de l’Opéra-Comique in 1905. In 1903, Dupont composed a cycle of fourteen pieces for the piano, Les Heures dolentes, during his convalescence from his first bout of tuberculosis – the disease that would ultimately cause his death at the age of 36. While