Friedrich Burgmüller

The composer, pianist and teacher, who was born in Regensburg in 1806 and died in Beaulieu near Paris in 1874, learnt the musical trade from his father August Burgmüller and applied in vain to succeed him as municipal music director in Düsseldorf after his death. He then worked as a music teacher in Mühlhausen (Alsace) and as a cellist in Basel. Around 1832, he moved to Paris, where he quickly gained a foothold as a piano teacher and enjoyed great success with a number of pleasing salon pieces and etudes for piano. He became a French citizen in 1842.
In addition to two pieces for Corallis and Perrot's ballet Giselle, for which Adolphe dam was unable to provide the music himself, Burgmüller wrote the complete score for the ballet La Péri, which premiered in Paris in July 1843 based on a libretto by Théophile Gautier and choreographed by Jean Corallis. Burgmüller also composed the second act for the ballet Lady Henriette, ou la servante de Greenwich, which premiered in Paris in 1844. Edouard Deldevez contributed the third act and Friedrich von Flotow the first act. Later, Flotow developed his opera Martha from that ballet.