Ambroise thomas biography of michael

Charles Louis Ambroise Thomas (5 August , Metz – 12 February , Paris) was a Frenchcomposer, best-known for his operas Mignon () and Hamlet (, after Shakespeare) and as Director of the Conservatoire de Paris from till his death.

Biography

"There is good music, there is bad music, and then there is Ambroise Thomas." - Emmanuel Chabrier

Early life and studies

Thomas's parents were music teachers.

By the age of 10 he was already an experienced pianist and violinist. In , he entered the Paris Conservatoire, where he studied with Jean-François Le Sueur (who also taught Berlioz) while at the same time taking piano lessons privately from the famous virtuoso Frédéric Kalkbrenner.

In , his cantata Hermann et Ketty won the Conservatory's prestigious composition prize, the Grand Prix de Rome, which allowed him to travel to and study in that city for three years. He took with him a love for Mozart and Beet