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Belgian-born French composer of the Classical era, crucial figure in the development of the symphony and string quartet in France, and prominent composer during the French Revolution.Born in Vergnies, Hainaut (then Austrian Netherlands, now Belgium).Moved to Paris in 1751, working for La Pouplinière and studying with Rameau.Founded the Concert des Amateurs (1769), a crucial orchestra for promoting new symphonic music.Appointed director of the Royal School of Singing (later part of the Paris Conservatoire) and inspector of the Paris Opera.Became a major musical voice of the French Revolution, composing hymns and ceremonial music, including arrangements of "La Marseillaise".Survived the Revolution and contributed to the founding of the Paris Conservatoire (1795), where he taught composition.Lived into his 90s, witnessing the transition from Baroque to Romantic styles.

• His baptismal name was actually "François Joseph Gossé", later changed to Gossec.
• He composed the monumental "Messe des morts" (Requiem Mass) in 1760, known for its large scale and dramatic use of trombones, influencing Berlioz decades later.
• His revolutionary works like "Le Triomphe de la République" and "Hymne à l'Être suprême" were immensely popular during the Terror and the Directory.
• He experienced significant conflict with the director of the Paris Opéra, Luigi Cherubini, in the early 1800s, leading to his effective retirement from major public posts.
• He died of natural causes at the exceptionally old age of 95, having outlived almost all of his contemporaries and students.