DAVID, FELICIEN (1810-1876), French composer, was born on April 13, 181o, at Cadenet (Vaucluse). He was a preco cious child, and composed a string quartet at the age of 12. He was educated at the Jesuit college at Aix, and became choirmaster at St. Sauveur at Aix for a year. He then studied for a while at the Paris Conservatoire. In 1831 he joined the sect of Saint Simonians, and in 1833 travelled in the Near East in order to preach the new doctrine. After three years' absence he returned to France and published a collection of Oriental Melodies for the pianoforte. For several years he worked in retirement, and wrote two symphonies, some chamber music and songs. On Dec. 8, 1844, he suddenly leapt into fame with his symphonic ode Le Desert, produced at the Conservatoire. In this work David at tempted in simple strains to evoke the majestic stillness of the desert. Notwithstanding its title of "symphonic ode," Le Desert, has little in common with the symphonic style. What distinguishes it is a certain naivete of expression and an effective oriental col ouring. His succeeding works, Moise au Sinai (1846), Christophe Colomb (1847), L'Eden (1848), scarcely bore out the promise shown in Le Desert. David produced several operas : La Perle du Bresil (1851), Herculanum (1859), Lalla-Roukh (1862), Le Saphir (1865). He died at Saint-Germain-en-Laye on Aug. 29, 1876. At a time when the works of Berlioz were still unappre ciated by the majority of people, David succeeded in making the public take interest in music of a picturesque and descriptive kind. Thus he may be considered as one of the pioneers of modern French musical art.
See R. Brancour, Felicien David (igii), with full bibliography.