Delibes, Léo

Delibes, Léo (lāô` dəlēb`), 1836–91, French composer. After studying at the Conservatory in Paris, he became an accompanist at the Théâtre-Lyrique in 1853, and, ten years later, at the Paris Opéra. He achieved great success with his ballets, especially Coppélia (1870) and Sylvia (1876). Delibes also wrote many operettas and several operas, of which Lakmé (1883) is the most famous. His music, profusely melodic and vividly orchestrated, is admirably suited for stage performance. He was also an organist and composed religious music.

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Delibes, (Clément Philibert) Léo

(born Feb. 21, 1836, Saint-Germain-du-Val, France—died Jan. 16, 1891, Paris) French composer. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire and worked as a church organist and as accompanist and chorus master at the Paris Opéra. Though he composed almost 30 operas, operettas, and ballets, as well as many choral pieces, he is remembered today for three works: the ballets Coppélia (1870) and Sylvia (1876) and the opera Lakmé (1883).