Emmanuel Chabrier, born Alexis-Emmanuel Chabrier on January 18, 1841, in Ambert, Puy-de-Dôme, France, was a notable French Romantic composer and pianist. Despite his bourgeois family's disapproval of a musical career, he pursued music alongside his studies in law in Paris. He worked as a civil servant at the Ministry of the Interior until 1880, after which he dedicated himself entirely to music.

Chabrier's compositions, although not vast in number, are renowned for their quality and innovation. He is best known for orchestral works such as "España" and "Joyeuse marche," as well as operas like "L'étoile." His music, characterized by its unique rhythmic patterns and humor, influenced many later composers, including Debussy, Ravel, and Stravinsky. Chabrier was self-taught in composition, which allowed him to develop a distinct musical language free from conventional constraints.

Chabrier was closely associated with the Impressionist painters and was a friend of Édouard Manet, owning several Impressionist paintings before they gained popularity. His admiration for Wagner was evident, yet he maintained a unique style that sometimes incorporated Wagnerian elements.

His later years were marked by mental and physical decline, likely due to a neurological disease caused by syphilis. Emmanuel Chabrier passed away in Paris on September 13, 1894, at the age of 53. His legacy endures through his innovative compositions and the influence he had on the trajectory of French modernism in music.