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Josephine Baker
Civil Rights Activist, Dancer, Singer / 1906 - 1975
Josephine Baker was a dancer and singer who became wildly popular in France during the 1920s. She also devoted much of her life to fighting racism.
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(1906-1975)
Civil Rights Activist, Dancer, Singer
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Georges Bizet
Songwriter / 1838 - 1875
French composer Georges Bizet is best known for the realistic opera Carmen, a work that established itself as the model of opéra comique.
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(1838-1875)
Songwriter
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Nadia Boulanger
Educator, Conductor / 1887 - 1979
Composer and conductor Nadia Boulanger was the first woman to conduct the Boston and New York Philharmonic orchestras, among others.
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(1887-1979)
Educator, Conductor
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Alejo Carpentier
Musician, Journalist, Author, Playwright / 1904 - 1980
Writer Alejo Carpentier was a leading Latin American literary figure, who used magic realism and was considered one of the best novelists of the 20th century.
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(1904-1980)
Musician, Journalist, Author, Playwright
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Maurice Chevalier
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Singer / 1888 - 1972
Maurice Chevalier was a French actor who played a suave seducer in early musicals and film comedies.
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(1888-1972)
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Singer
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Frédéric Chopin
Songwriter, Pianist / 1810 - 1849
Considered Poland's greatest composer, Frédéric Chopin focused his efforts on piano composition and was highly influential.
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(1810-1849)
Songwriter, Pianist
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Madame de Pompadour
Theater Actress, Singer, Political Leader / 1721 - 1764
Madame de Pompadour became the mistress of French King Louis XV in the mid-1700s. She greatly influenced French culture during this time, including decorative arts, architecture and statecraft.
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(1721-1764)
Theater Actress, Singer, Political Leader
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Claude Debussy
Songwriter / 1862 - 1918
Embracing nontraditional scales and tonal structures, Claude Debussy became one of the most highly regarded composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is seen as the founder of musical impressionism.
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(1862-1918)
Songwriter
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Frederick Delius
Songwriter / 1862 - 1934
British-born French composer Frederick Delius wrote the opera A Village Romeo and Juliet in 1901.
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(1862-1934)
Songwriter
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Sacha Distel
Songwriter, Singer / 1933 - 2004
Sacha Distel was a French singer and guitarist who had hits with a cover version of the Academy Award-winning "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head".
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(1933-2004)
Songwriter, Singer
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Gabriel Fauré
Songwriter, Pianist / 1845 - 1924
French composer and organist Gabriel Fauré served as president of the Paris Conservatory from 1905 to 1920. He wrote many operas and songs.
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(1845-1924)
Songwriter, Pianist
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César Franck
Educator, Songwriter / 1822 - 1890
Organist and composer César Franck taught at the Paris Conservatory. His peers did not initially respect his work, but students thrived in his classes.
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(1822-1890)
Educator, Songwriter
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Claudine Longet
Television Actress, Murderer, Singer / 1942 -
Singer Claudine Longet recorded seven albums from 1966 to 1972 and user her popularity to transition into an acting career. She murdered her boyfriend in 1976.
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(1942-)
Television Actress, Murderer, Singer
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Olivier Messiaen
Songwriter / 1908 - 1992
French organist Olivier Messiaen created works inspired by Roman Catholic theology. Even when captured in World War II, he continued to compose.
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(1908-1992)
Songwriter
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Jacques Offenbach
Songwriter / 1819 - 1880
Jacques Offenbach was a prolific composer who created a new type French comic opera called the operette.
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(1819-1880)
Songwriter
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Vanessa Paradis
Film Actress, Singer / 1972 -
Vanessa Paradis is a French superstar in both the worlds of music and film and has two children with actor Johnny Depp.
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(1972-)
Film Actress, Singer
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Edith Piaf
Singer / 1915 - 1963
Édith Piaf, also known as “The Little Sparrow,” was a French singer who became an icon of France during World War II.
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(1915-1963)
Singer
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Maurice Ravel
Songwriter / 1875 - 1937
Maurice Ravel was a 19th and early 20th century French composer of classical music. His best known works are Bolero and Daphnis et Chloé.
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(1875-1937)
Songwriter
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Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Philosopher, Songwriter / 1712 - 1778
Jean-Jacques Rousseau is best known as an influential 18th-century philosopher who wrote the acclaimed work A Discourse on the Arts and Sciences.
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(1712-1778)
Philosopher, Songwriter
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Camille Saint-Saëns
Songwriter, Pianist, Journalist, Playwright, Poet / 1835 - 1921
French composer and organist Camille Saint-Saëns wrote the popular opera Samson et Dalila. He was also wrote poems, essays and plays.
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(1835-1921)
Songwriter, Pianist, Journalist, Playwright, Poet
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Erik Satie
Songwriter, Pianist / 1866 - 1925
French composer Erik Satie was lauded as a forerunner of modern music. His music represents the first definite break with 19th-century French Romanticism.
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(1866-1925)
Songwriter, Pianist
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Albert Schweitzer
Philosopher, Scholar, Doctor, Musician, Missionary, Preacher, Theologian, Journalist / 1875 - 1965
Albert Schweitzer was Alsatian-German theologian, philosopher, organist, and mission doctor in equatorial Africa, whose goal was the Brotherhood of Nations.
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(1875-1965)
Philosopher, Scholar, Doctor, Musician, Missionary, Preacher, Theologian, Journalist
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Iannis Xenakis
Songwriter, Writer / 1922 - 2001
Iannis Xenakis was a Greek avant-garde composer of electronic music and musique concrete.
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(1922-2001)
Songwriter, Writer