Biography
Orphaned young, David received a recommendation to St Suaveur in Aix-en-Provence for musical training. In time he studied under Cherubini, Fetis, and Millaut. Whether unsettled by his coursework or drawn to the doctrines of Saint-Simionism, he journeyed to Egypt, where exposure to local traditions prompted him to write in an eastern idiom. Back in Paris, where such sonorities remained unfamiliar, he produced three symphonies, several quintets, and numerous songs. A 1844 self-curated concert that featured “Le désert” brought immediate acclaim, after which oriental motifs resonated with Gounod, Bizet, Delibes, Saint-Saëns, and other composers. Subsequent stage works met mixed fortunes: “La perle du Brésil” earned praise, whereas “Le saphir” attracted only lukewarm notice. Observers chiefly faulted David for reiterating exotic color even while clothing it in agreeable Western lines; his harmonies followed Romantic norms yet seldom rose above fragile, indistinct textures—an exception being the volcanic climax that concludes “Herculanum.”