Fromental halevy biography of abraham

French composer (1799–1862)

Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy (French:[fʁɔmɑ̃talalevi]; 27 May 1799 – 17 March 1862), was a French composer.

He is known today largely for his operaLa Juive.

Fromental halevy biography of abraham

Early career

Halévy was born in Paris, son of the cantorÉlie Halfon Halévy, who was the secretary of the Jewish community of Paris and a writer and teacher of Hebrew, and a French Jewish mother. The name Fromental (meaning 'oat grass'), by which he was generally known, reflects his birth on the day dedicated to that plant: 7 Prairial in the French Revolutionary calendar,^[1] which was still operative at that time.

He entered the Conservatoire de Paris at the age of nine or ten (accounts differ), in 1809, becoming a pupil and later protégé of Cherubini. After two second-place attempts, he won the Prix de Rome in 1819: his cantata subject was Herminie.

As he had to delay his departure to Ro