born Oct. 1, 1865, Paris, France died May 17, 1935, Paris French composer. Born into a musical family, he studied at the Paris Conservatoire. His first success was the overture Polyeucte (1892). Perfectionism led him to destroy much of his work. His fame rests almost entirely on the tone poem The Sorceror's Apprentice (1897); his other surviving works include the opera Ariane et Barbe-Bleue (1906), the ballet La Péri (1912), and a symphony (1896)