Massenet
Massenet (1842-1912)
was
a prolific French opera composer. He
studied at the Paris Conservatoire, and later on he taught composition there. He
was friends with Berlioz and
Bizet.
His themes are light, his melodies lyrical. In his operatic
plots he frequently explored the conflicts between religious piety, a lust for
money, and erotic love. Through
envy of his popularity, some other composers labelled his work as "saccharine".
Operas still in the repertoire, or from which there are famous extracts,
include Manon, Le Cid, and Thais.