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Théodore Dubois

Born: 24th August 1837, Rosnay, France

Died: 11th June 1924, Paris, France

Nationality: French

François Clément Théodore Dubois was a French composer, organist, and music teacher.

After study at the Paris Conservatoire, Dubois won France's premier musical prize, the Prix de Rome in 1861. He became an organist and choirmaster at several well-known churches in Paris, and at the same time was a professor at the Conservatoire, teaching harmony from 1871 to 1891 and composition from 1891 to 1896, when he succeeded Ambroise Thomas as the Conservatoire's director. He continued his predecessor's strictly conservative curriculum and was forced to retire early after a scandal erupted over the faculty's attempt to rig the Prix de Rome competition to prevent the modernist Maurice Ravel from winning.

As a composer, Dubois was seen as capable and tasteful, but not strikingly original or inspired.

Further Reading: Dubois, T

Interview, Cyrille Dubois on So Romantique!

The French light lyric tenor explains how he found his operatic niche as a lover rather than a fighter - and discusses his new album on Alpha Classics, featuring rarities by Louis Clapisson, Charles Luce-Verlet and Théodore Dubois alongside one or two old favourites...

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