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French composer, critic, and influential music educator known for his orchestral masterpiece 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice'.Born in Paris, Dukas studied at the Conservatoire de Paris where he later became a professor of composition. Despite his small output due to extreme self-criticism, he gained international fame with his 1897 symphonic scherzo 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice'. His other significant works include the opera 'Ariane et Barbe-Bleue' (1907) and the ballet 'La Péri' (1912). He taught notable composers like Olivier Messiaen and Joaquín Rodrigo while maintaining a parallel career as a respected music critic.

• Dukas destroyed many of his compositions, including a symphony and ballet, deeming them unworthy—only about 14 works were published during his lifetime.
• His fame surged posthumously when Disney featured 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' in 'Fantasia' (1940), with Mickey Mouse popularizing the piece globally.
• He died suddenly of a heart attack in Paris while listening to a radio broadcast about his friend composer Albert Roussel, who had passed away hours earlier.
• Despite being contemporaries, Dukas maintained a complicated relationship with Claude Debussy, admiring his work while openly critiquing his later compositions.