Etienne Henri Mehul, a French composer, born at Givet in the Ardennes, June 24, 1763, died in Paris, Oct. 18, 1817. He was of humble extraction, and having shown a strong taste for music was taken to Paris at the age of 16, and instructed by Gluck. He wrote three or four entire operas, but did not appear before the public as a composer until 1790, when his Euphrosine et Coradin, for which Hoffmann wrote the text, was produced with great success. His Stratonice (1792) established his reputation, and his national hymn, Le chant du depart, after Chenier's text, gave him a wide popularity, and Avas followed by similar songs. Critics complained of a lack of graceful melodies in his operas, and of a dryness and monotony in the harmony and accompaniments. In his opera Uthal (1806), a work of great vigor written upon an Ossianic subject, he excluded the violins from the orchestra, substituting the violas. In his masterpiece, Joseph (1807), he vindicated his claim to be ranked among great composers, and it has frequently been performed in England as an oratorio. He composed in all 42 operas, besides ballet music and instrumental pieces, including the Ouverture du jeune Henri, an admirable specimen of descriptive music.

He was a member of the institute, an inspector of the conservatory, and professor of composition at the royal school of music and declamation.