Although Italy is best known for opera, many French composers produced some of the best-known operas of the 17th century. "Carmen," an opera cherished by classical music lovers, was composed by Frenchman George Bizet. Jean-Baptiste Lully is known for his use of common beat patterns that are still a part of modern classical music. Lully, who composed ballets for King Louis XIV, began creating French versions of Italian operas known, in English, as French lyric tragedy.
Operas were not the only musical style of the 17th century. Baroque provided a way for people to dance and enjoy melodies without following a storyline. French composers were some of the most influential during the Baroque period. Jean-Philippe Rameau was famous for his mastery of the harpsichord, a popular instrument. He also introduced the clarinet into the orchestra, which was not common in that time period. One of the most renowned harpsichordists of the time, Jacques Champion de Chambonnières, was from France.
According to a music-history class taught at Northern Virginia Community College, the Rococo period was a reaction to the formal Baroque style and was popular from 1725 to 1775. Graceful, the music was less formal and has more emotion and feeling. Composer Francois Couperin, known as one of the greatest composers for the keyboard, was famous during this period. This style of music did not die but is heard in the works of other composers such as Mozart.
French composers may have had a larger impact on music during the Romantic Era than any other musical era. Hector Berlioz was a pioneer in large orchestral movements, sometimes working with as many as 1,000 musicians. His "Symphonie fantastique" is still a popular piece today. Claude Debussy introduced unique harmonies and chord progressions in his music. Debussy, along with Maurice Ravel, was considered the prominent Impressionist composers, even though Debussy did not like the label.
Like the rest of the world, French composers immersed themselves in neoclassical music in the 20th century. But another trend was toward pop music, which the French have also embraced with the rest of the world. In the 1970s, an unusual style of music emerged from France. Called "spectral music," the technical music is popular in the United States. A leader in spectral music, Tristan Murail, composed one of the rare classical pieces for the guitar, "Vampyr!"