Alexis Emmanuel Chabrier (; January 18, 1841September 13, 1894) was a French
Romantic composer and pianist. Although known primarily for two of his orchestral works,
España and
Joyeuse marche, he left an important corpus of operas (including
L'étoile), songs, and piano music. He was admired by composers as diverse as
Debussy,
Ravel,
Richard Strauss,
Satie,
Schmitt,
Stravinsky, and the group of composers known as
Les six. Stravinsky alluded to
España in his ballet
Petrushka;
Gustav Mahler called
España "the beginnings of modern music" and alluded to the "Dance Villageoise" in the
Rondo Burleske movement of his
Ninth Symphony. Ravel wrote that the opening bars of
Le roi malgré lui changed the course of harmony in France,
Poulenc wrote a biography of the composer, and Richard Strauss conducted the first staged performance of Chabrier's incomplete opera
Briséïs.