List of French composers

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A–C

• Eryck Abecassis (born 1956)
• Jean-Baptiste Accolay (1833–1900), 19th-century violin teacher and composer
• Adolphe Adam (1803–1856)
• Léopold Aimon (1779–1866)
• Jehan Alain (1911–1940)
• Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813–1888), Romantic-era composer and pianist
• Jean-Claude Amiot (born 1939)
• Gilbert Amy (born 1936)
• Jean-Henri d'Anglebert (1629–1691)
• Jean-Baptiste Arban (1825-1889), cornet vituoso and composer
• Daniel Auber (1782–1871), opera composer, well known in his time, but rarely performed today
• Jacques Aubert (1689–1753)
• Maxime Aulio (born 1980)
• Georges Auric (1899–1983)
• Nicolas Bacri (born 1961)
• Nicolas Ballois (born 1989)
• Jean Barraqué (1928–1973)
• François Bazin (1816–1878)
• Hector Berlioz (1803–1869), notable for his programmatic symphony, the Symphonie fantastique
• Henri Betti (1917–2005), composer of C'est si bon
• Georges Bizet (1838–1875), Romantic composer notable for his opera Carmen
• Adolphe Blanc (1828–1885)
• Nicolas-Charles Bochsa (1789–1856), notable for his studies and exercises for the harp
• François-Adrien Boieldieu (1775–1834)
• Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689–1755)
• Michel Blavet (1700-1768)
• Léon Boëllmann (1862–1897), particularly noted for his organ music
• Mel Bonis (1858–1937)
• Lili Boulanger (1893–1918), the first French female composer to win the Prix de Rome, with her cantata Faust and Helena
• Nadia Boulanger (1887–1979), teacher of many famous composers
• Pierre Boulez (1925–2016)
• Joseph Boulogne Chevalier de St George (1745-1799)
• Laurent Boutonnat (born 1961)
• Eugène Bozza (1905–1991)
• Jean-Baptiste Bréval (1753–1823)
• Alfred Bruneau (1857–1934)
• Henri Büsser (1872–1973)
• Jean-Philippe Calvin (born 1974)
• André Campra (1660–1744)
• Joseph Canteloube (1879–1957), known for his collection of folksongs from the Auvergne region
• André Caplet (1878–1925), great friend of Debussy responsible for orchestrating some of his works, including Children's Corner
• Jacques Castérède (1926-2014)
• Charles Simon Catel (1773–1830)
• Emmanuel Chabrier (1841–1894), composer of España
• Cécile Chaminade (1857–1944)
• Jacques Champion de Chambonnières (c. 1601–1672)
• Gustave Charpentier (1860–1956), composer known for his opera Louise
• Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643–1704)
• Ernest Chausson (1855–1899)
• Nicolas Chedeville (1705–1782)
• Louis-Nicolas Clérambault (1676–1749)
• Loÿset Compère (c. 1445–1518)
• Bruno Coulais (born 1954) composer for film
• François Couperin (1668–1733)
• Louis Couperin (c. 1626–1661)

D–G

• Nicolas Dalayrac (1753–1809)
• Jean-Michel Damase (1928–2013)
• Charles Dancla (1817–1907), 19th-century violin teacher and composer
• Jean-François Dandrieu (c. 1682–1738)
• Jean-Henri d'Anglebert (baptized 1 April 1629 – 23 April 1691)
• Louis-Claude Daquin (1694–1772)
• Claude Debussy (1862–1918), 20th-century composer, his music is often described as impressionist, although he dismissed the term. He wrote "Clair de Lune" from Suite bergamasque
• Michel Richard Delalande (1657–1726)
• Georges Delerue, film composer
• Léo Delibes (1836–1891), composer known for his Coppélia, Sylvia, and Lakmé
• Jeanne Demessieux (1921–1968)
• Alfred Desenclos (1912–1971)
• Alexandre Desplat (born 1961)
• Patrick Dorobisz (born 1955)
• François Dufault (before 1604 – c. 1672)
• Guillaume Dufay (c. 1397–1474)
• Paul Dukas (1865–1935), late-Romantic composer, known today for his piece of program music, The Sorcerer's Apprentice
• Henri Duparc (1848–1933)
• Jean-Louis Duport (1749–1819)
• Jean-Pierre Duport (1741–1818)
• Marcel Dupré (1886–1971)
• Joël-François Durand (born 1954)
• Louis Durey (1888–1979)
• Maurice Duruflé (1902–1986)
• Henri Dutilleux (1916–2013)
• Louise Farrenc (1804–1875), piano professor at the Paris Conservatory and composer of chamber music and three symphonies
• Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924), Romantic composer known for his chamber music and a requiem
• Paul le Flem (1881–1984)
• Antoine Forqueray (1671–1745)
• Jean Françaix (1912–1997)
• César Franck (1822-1890), Belgian-born; moved to France
• Raymond Gallois-Montbrun (1918–1994)
• Denis Gaultier (1603–1672)
• Benjamin Godard (1849–1895)
• Nicolas Gombert (c. 1495 – c. 1560), born in Flanders
• François Joseph Gossec (1734–1829)
• Charles Gounod (1818–1893), best known for his opera Faust
• Louis Théodore Gouvy (1819–1898)
• Jacques de Gouy (c. 1610 – after 1650)
• Nicolas de Grigny (1672–1703)
• Gérard Grisey (1946–1998)
• Gabriel Grovlez (1879-1944)
• Louis-Gabriel Guillemain (1705–1770)

H–M

• Reynaldo Hahn (1874–1947)
• Fromental Halévy (1799–1862)
• Charles-Louis Hanon (1819–1900), piano pedagogue
• Guy d'Hardelot (1858–1936)
• Pierre Henry, writer of musique concrète and electronic music
• Ferdinand Hérold (1791–1833), composer known for his operas, notably Zampa, and the ballet La fille mal gardée
• Louis de Caix d'Hervelois (c. 1670 – c. 1760)
• Arthur Honegger (1892–1955)
• Jacques Ibert (1890–1962)
• Vincent d'Indy (1851–1931)
• Hyacinthe Jadin (1776–1800)
• Louis-Emmanuel Jadin (1768–1853)
• Jean Michel Jarre
• Maurice Jarre, film music composer, notably Lawrence of Arabia
• André Jolivet (1905–1974)
• Maurice Journeau (1898–1999)
• Louis Antoine Jullien (1812–1860), eccentric conductor and composer of light music
• Nigel Keay (born 1955)
• Charles Koechlin (1867–1950)
• Joseph-François Kremer (born 1954)
• Rodolphe Kreutzer (1766–1831), known for his 42 études used by violin students
• Louis Lacombe (Trouillon-Lacombe) (1818–1884)
• Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre (1665–1729)
• Sophie Lacaze (born 1963)
• Paul Ladmirault (1877-1944)
• Édouard Lalo (1823–1892), Romantic composer remembered primarily for his Symphonie espagnole for violin and orchestra
• Michel Lambert (1610–1696)
• Jean Langlais (1907–1991)
• Marcel Lanquetuit (1894–1985)
• Christian Lauba (born 1952)
• Jean-François Le Sueur
• Jean-Marie Leclair (1697–1764), Baroque-era composer
• Jean-Marie Leclair the younger (1703–1777)
• Louis James Alfred Lefébure-Wély (1817–1869)
• Michel Legrand
• Jean-Pierre Leguay (born 1939)
• Jacques Leguerney (1906-1997)
• Jean-Baptiste Lemire (1867–1945)
• Fabien Lévy (born 1968)
• Gaston Litaize (1909–1991)
• Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632–1687), Baroque composer, first significant composer of French opera

M–R

• Guillaume de Machaut (c. 1300–1377)
• Albéric Magnard (1865–1914)
• Jean-Yves Malmasson (born 1963)
• Marin Marais (1656–1728)
• Louis Marchand (1669–1732)
• Jules Massenet (1842–1912), Romantic composer known for "Meditation" from his opera Thaïs
• Paule Maurice (1910–1967)
• Jacques Féréol Mazas (1782–1849), 19th-century violinist and composer
• Jules Mazellier (1879–1959)
• Stephane Meer (born 1951)
• Étienne Méhul (1763–1817)
• Max Méreaux (born 1946)
• Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992), 20th-century modernist composer
• Jean-Christian Michel (born 1938)
• Darius Milhaud (1892–1974)
• Jean-Joseph de Mondonville (1711–1772)
• Jacques-Louis Monod (born 1927)
• Michel Pignolet de Montéclair (1667–1737)
• Étienne Moulinié (c. 1600 – after 1669)
• Jean-Joseph Mouret (1682–1738), Baroque composer, known today for his "Fanfare-Rondeau" (theme song to the television show Masterpiece Theatre)
• Tristan Murail (born 1947)
• Jacques Offenbach (1819–1880), operetta and opera composer, known for The Tales of Hoffmann and Orpheus in the Underworld, born in Germany
• André George Louis Onslow (1784–1853)
• Émile Paladilhe (1844–1926), Romantic composer known for his opera Patrie! of 1886 and his oratorio "Les Saintes Maries de la Mer"
• Paul Paray (1886–1979)
• Jean-Louis Petit (born 1937)
• Ninot le Petit (fl. c. 1500–1520)
• François-André Danican Philidor (1726–1795)
• Gabriel Pierné (1863–1937)
• Francis Poulenc (1899–1963)
• Jacques de la Presle (1888–1969)
• Josquin des Prez (c. 1450–1521), born near the Franco-Flemish border
• Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683–1764), Baroque composer, wrote Les Indes galantes
• Maurice Ravel (1875–1937), 20th-century piano and orchestra composer in the impressionist and neoclassicist styles, noted for his Daphnis et Chloé, Bolero, and Ma mère l'oye (Mother Goose) suite
• Jean-Henri Ravina (1818–1906)
• Jean-Féry Rebel (1666–1747)
• Jean-Claude Risset (born 1936)
• Pierre Rode (1774–1830)
• Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, composer of "La Marseillaise", French National Anthem
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), abandoned musical composition for philosophy
• Albert Roussel (1869–1937)
• Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer (c. 1705–1755), born in Italy
• Pierre de La Rue (c. 1452–1518)

S–Z

• Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe (c. 1640 – c. 1700)
• Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921), Romantic composer perhaps best known for The Carnival of the Animals
• Pierre Sancan (1916-2008)
• Erik Satie (1866–1925), 20th-century modernist and impressionist composer, known for his Gymnopédies
• Henri Sauguet (1901-1989)
• Charles Eugène Sauzay (1809-1901)
• Pierre Schaeffer, inventor of musique concrète
• Florent Schmitt (1870–1958)
• Claudin de Sermisy (c. 1490–1562)
• Éric Serra (born 1959)
• Déodat de Séverac (1872–1921)
• Les Six, group of composers
• Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971), Russian-born composer who took French citizenship
• Walter Taieb (born 1973)
• Germaine Tailleferre (1892–1983), the female member of Les Six, her Jeux de pleine aire caused Satie to call her his "musical daughter"
• Alexandre Tansman (1897-1986), Polish-born French composer
• Claude Terrasse (1867–1923)
• Ambroise Thomas (1811–1896)
• Charles Tournemire (1870–1939)
• Edgard Varèse (1883–1965), became American
• Louis Vierne (1870–1937)
• Robert de Visée (ca. 1655 – 1732/1733)
• Charles-Marie Widor (1844–1937), Romantic composer, noted for his works for the organ

See also

• List of French classical composers (chronological)
• List of French people
• Lists of composers