Ferdinand Hérold

Ferdinand Hérold (born Jan. 28, 1791, Paris—died Jan. 19, 1833, Paris) was a French composer of early romantic operas who stands midway between D.-F.-E. Auber and Jacques Offenbach in the development of the opéra comique.

Hérold studied under C.-S. Catel and E.-N. Méhul and won the Prix de Rome in 1812. He was court pianist in Naples, where he produced his first opera, La gioventù di Enrico V (1815; The Youth of Henry V). On his return to Paris he collaborated with François Boieldieu in the opera Charles de France (1816) and produced 12 light operas at the Opéra-Comique between 1817 and 1830. Among his other operas are Vendôme en Espagne (with Auber, 1823), Zampa (1831), and Le Pré aux clercs (1832; The Field of Honour). His ballets include La Fille mal gardée (1828; The Unguarded Maiden) and La Belle au bois dormant (1829; The Sleeping Beauty).