Léo Delibes (1836-91) was a French Romantic composer known best for his works for ballet and opera. He was born in Paris; his father was a postal worker and his mother an amateur musician from a prominent musical family. From a young age, Delibes demonstrated musical talent, particularly as a vocalist. He enrolled at the Paris Conservatory at age twelve, where he learned organ, piano, and theory; at eighteen he began studying composition under Adolphe Adam. In tandem with his studies, he worked as a church organist and an accompanist at the Théâtre Lyrique, where he had further exposure to music for the stage.

Delibes’ first staged compositions were short, comic operas. From 1856-1869, he composed numerous works in this genre, many of which were performed at Bouffes-Parisiens, a theater run by composer Jacques Offenbach. Delibes also continued his work as a church organist and took on additional employment at the Paris Opéra, where he worked first as an accompanist and later as a chorus master. In 1866, he caught his first big break when he was offered the chance to compose part of the score to the ballet La Source. The success of this work led to further opportunities in the genre, culminating in his famous 1870 ballet Coppélia. This work, along with his 1876 ballet Sylvia, changed the scope of ballet composition. Delibes’ large-scale orchestration, use of leitmotifs, and delightful melodic writing caused the music to be of similar importance as the dance elements, setting the stage for composers such as Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev to write serious works for this genre.  

Delibes then turned his attention to vocal writing. He first delved into mélodies, or French art songs. In 1873, he wrote his first opera for the Opéra-Comique, Le Roi l'a dit, which he followed with the 1880 serious opera Jean de Nivelle. Both these works achieved moderate success, but only within France. It was not until 1883 that he achieved widespread fame with his opera Lakmé. Beloved for its beautiful melodies, elements of exoticism, and tragic story, the opera was successful internationally and is still programmed today. 

From 1881, Delibes served as the professor of composition at the Paris Conservatory. He also achieved several important honors, such as the Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur and an induction into the Institut de France. He unfortunately died at only fifty-four due to illness, but his important musical contributions, especially to the development of modern ballet, live on.

Photo: Fritz Luckhardt