Jules Massenet short biography

The most important French operatic composer of his generation, Jules Massenet studied at the Paris Conservatoire. In 1863, Massenet won the Prix de Rome. Massenet’s first outstanding successes came with the debuts of his operas Don César de Bazan and Marie-Madeleine. Massenet, who was a professor of the Conservatoire, continued to dominate the French opera and exercised a great influence on the future generations of composers including Claude Debussy.