Léo Delibes

Born into a musical family in 1836, Delibes entered the Conservatoire de Paris at twelve and studied under Adolphe Adam. He spent the 1850s and '60s turning out light opérettes while working as a church organist, until his 1866 ballet La Source caught public attention. Coppélia in 1870 and Sylvia in 1876 followed, both elevating ballet music to a prominence it had never held. After years of attempts at serious opera, he broke through in 1883 with Lakmé, home to the "Flower Duet" and a critical and commercial hit. He joined the Conservatoire faculty as a composition teacher in his final years a…