HALÈVY

Jacques François Fromental Halèvy was born in Paris, 27th May, 1799; died at Nice, 1862. Showing great musical ability in his early years, he entered the Conservatoire when only ten years old, and studied under Cavot, Berton, and Lambert, and for five years received lessons in counterpoint from Cherubini. He also studied for two years at Rome, and later became a popular teacher, numbering amongst his most celebrated pupils, Gounod and Bizet. He met with no important success until the year 1835, when he produced two operas:—La Juive, presented 23rd February, and L'Eclair, presented 16th December. La Juive was an immediate success, and won for its composer a first place amongst French musicians. Fifteen years later, this opera was produced at Covent Garden, where it also met with great appreciation and success. La Juive is the only one of Halèvy's operas that still enjoys European fame, though he wrote many others, the most worthy of mention being La Reine de Chypre (1841), Les Mousquetaires (1846), Guido et Ginevra, and Le Val d'Andorre.