Charles-Édouard Lefebvre

Charles Edouard Lefebvre: (b Paris, 19 June 1843; d Aix-les-Bains, 8 Sept 1917). French composer. A son of the celebrated painter Jules Lefebvre (1805–82), he studied law before enrolling at the Paris Conservatoire, where he was taught by Ambroise Thomas and Gounod.

In 1870 he shared the Prix de Rome with Henri Maréchal for his cantata Le jugement de Dieu. After his stay in Italy he toured Greece and the orient, returning to Paris in 1873. Twice awarded the Prix Chartier, in 1884 and 1891, he replaced Benjamin Godard in 1895 as professor of the ensemble class at the Conservatoire. He spent most of his life in Paris, where he devoted himself to composition as well as teaching. His article ‘Les formes de la musique instrumentale’ is published in EMDC, II/v (Paris, 1930), 3121–3129.