Dupont, Pierre

views updated

Dupont, Pierre

Dupont, Pierre, French songwriter; b. Rochetaillee, near Lyons, April 23, 1821; d. St. Etienne, July 25, 1870. The son of a laborer, and himself uneducated, he attracted attention by his political and rustic ditties. He wrote the words, and then sang the airs to Reyer, who put them into shape. His political songs (Le Pain, Le Chant des ouvriers, etc.) created such disturbances that he was banished in 1851, but in 1852 he was pardoned. His song Les Boeufs enjoyed some popularity

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire