14 Facts About Florent Schmitt

Florent Schmitt was part of the group known as Les Apaches.

Florent Schmitt has been described as "one of the most fascinating of France's lesser-known classical composers".

From 1929 to 1939 Florent Schmitt worked as a music critic for Le Temps, where he proved controversial.

Florent Schmitt was known to shout out his views from his seat in the hall.

Florent Schmitt was probably the last to remember Le grand Anglais of the Latin Quarter, as Delius had been known.

In 1956, Aprahamian arranged for Florent Schmitt to meet Sir Thomas in England.

Florent Schmitt had journeyed there only to hear Charles Munch conduct the premiere of his Second Symphony.

Aprahamian's recollections of his encounters with Florent Schmitt were later included in his introduction to the revised edition of Beecham's biography of Frederick Delius.

Florent Schmitt composed examples of most of the major forms of music, except for opera.

Florent Schmitt was part of the group known as Les Apaches.

In 1907 Florent Schmitt composed a ballet, La tragedie de Salome, to a commission from Jacques Rouche for Loie Fuller and the Theatre des Arts.

The original ballet score required twenty instruments and lasted about an hour, In 1910 Florent Schmitt prepared a suite using several of the ballet's movement, half as long as the ballet score, for a much expanded orchestra.

The rhythmic syncopations, polyrhythms, percussively treated chords, bitonality, and scoring of Florent Schmitt's work anticipate Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring.

Florent Schmitt was one of the ten French composers who each, in 1927, contributed a dance for the children's ballet L'eventail de Jeanne.