Arthur Pougin

Arthur Pougin

Arthur Pougin (French: [puʒɛ̃] 6 August 1834 – 8 August 1921) was a French musical and dramatic critic and writer. He was born at Châteauroux (Indre) and studied music at the Conservatoire de Paris under Jean-Delphin Alard (violin) and Napoléon Henri Reber (harmony). In 1855 he became conductor at the Théâtre Beaumarchais, and afterward leader at Philippe Musard's concerts, subconductor at the Folies-Nouvelles, and from 1860 to 1863 he was first violin at the Opéra-Comique. He was in turn feuilleton writer to Le Soir, La Tribune, L'Événement and Le Journal Officiel, besides being a frequent contributor to all the important French musical periodicals. His work in connection with François-Joseph Fétis's Biographie universelle, for which he prepared a supplement (two volumes, 1878–80), has, however, been found to be lacking in thoroughness. He edited the new edition of Clément and Larousse's Dictionnaire lyrique.

Pougin died in Paris at age 87.