1. Cedric Gervais (1979)

French Musician

Grammy-winning DJ widely known for his albums Experiment and Miamication. He has worked extensively with a number of popular artists and is known for his remixes of songs by artists...

2. Charles-Louis Hanon (1819)

French Musician

Though he also composed a series of Ecclesiastical pieces and published a piano instructional volume titled the Methode Elementaire de Piano, this French piano teacher and composer is best remembered...

3. Francis Planté (1839)

French Musician

Foremost French pianist of the 19th century. He became one of the first-ever recording artists.

4. Paul Taffanel (1844)

French Musician

French flautist who founded the French Flute School and who worked as a conductor and composer over the course of his career.

5. Cécile Chaminade (1857)

French Musician

Greatly admired and acclaimed in her day. She was a prolific composer whose works largely fell by the wayside in the latter 20th century.

6. Isidor Philipp (1863)

French Musician

Heralded musician who had a reputation as a remarkable pedagogue. He consulted with and edited the works of many famous composers.

7. Erik Satie (1866)

French Musician

An important figure in Parisian avant-garde. He pioneered minimalism, repetitive music, and the Theatre of the Absurd.

8. Ibrahim Maalouf (1980)

French Musician

Trumpet player, composer, and teacher known for his work in the classical, jazz, and jazz-rock fusion genres. He released several studio albums, including Diachronism, Illusions, and Wind.

9. Marcel Moyse (1889)

French Musician

French flautist and composer who also worked as a teacher. He was the recipient of compositions crafted specifically for him, including the Flute Concerto by Jacques Ibert.

10. Marcelle Meyer (1897)

French Musician

French musician who was taught piano by her sister Germaine. She would later die of a heart attack while playing her sister's piano.

11. Jeanne-Marie Darré (1905)

French Musician

Classical musician known for her sophisticated and creative recitations of Chopin and Liszt's solo works.

12. Monique Haas (1909)

French Musician

Known for her interpretations of Ravel. She was said to have played the piano ravishingly. She focused on French music.

13. Nicolas Godin (1969)

French Musician

Musician best known as one-half of the electronica duo Air who also pursued a solo career.

14. Daniel Deffayet (1922)

French Musician

Professor at the Conservatoire de Paris and classical saxophonist. He took Marcel Mule's esteemed teaching position when Mule retired.

15. Aldo Ciccolini (1925)

French Musician

Made 100-plus recordings that included the complete sonata cycles of Beethoven and Mozart and the works of Erik Satie.

16. Martial Solal (1927)

French Musician

Musician, jazz artist, and composer who scored Jean-Luc Godard's debut film À bout de souffle or Breathless from 1960.

17. Claude Bolling (1930)

French Musician

Jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and actor who was instrumental in the revival of traditional jazz in the 1960s.

18. Jean-Marie Londeix (1932)

French Musician

Founder of the French Saxophonists Association and the International Saxophone Committee who has mentored artists like Ryo Noda.

19. Cécile Ousset (1936)

French Musician

Internationally recognized musician who mastered numerous composers, including Brahms, Schumann, Rachmaninov, and Ravel.

20. Barney Wilen (1937)

French Musician

Jazz composer and performer known for his diversified sounds. He was featured in a cartoon strip called Barney et la note bleue.

21. Marylene Dosse (1939)

French Musician

Expert musician who was praised for her technique and rhythmic grasp on the pieces she played. She served as pianist for the Castalia Trio.

22. Jean-Luc Ponty (1942)

French Musician

French jazz and rock violinist who has also worked as a composer and who has worked with artists like Frank Zappa.

23. Didier Malherbe (1943)

French Musician

Saxophonist, duduk player, and flautist who was one of the founders of the band Gong. He performed Glastonbury festival with Gong.

24. Manu Katché (1958)

French Musician

French drummer and songwriter whose debut album was called It's About Time and who has worked as a session musician.

25. Franck Avitabile (1971)

French Musician

Jazz artist who was also a skilled mathematician and a student of Bach, Mozart, and Debussy.

26. Ingmar Lazar (1993)

French Musician

Classical musician known on the concert circuit for his collaborations with many famous orchestras and conductors.

27. Jean-Philippe Collard (1948)

French Musician

Internationally acclaimed musician who became known for his mastery of the repertoire of Gabriel Fauré and Camille Saint-Saëns.

28. Julien Lepers (1949)

French Musician

Singer/songwriter and radio and television presenter who has hosted the radio show Hit Parade and the television shows La Nouvelle Affiche and Télématin.

29. Emmanuel Pahud (1970)

French Musician

Swiss-born flautist who joined the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 1992. He was the recipient of L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2009.

30. Cyprien Katsaris (1951)

French Musician

Known for the numerous recordings he made of rarer pieces, such as Das Lied von der Erde by Gustav Mahler. Throughout his lengthy career, he has performed with some of the...

31. Marcel Dadi (1951)

French Musician

French guitarist who used a fingerpicking style and who was inducted into Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame.

32. Christian Lauba (1952)

French Musician

Known for his musical compositions for the saxophone that integrated North African music with Japanese influences. He occasionally used a pseudonym for his jazz and rag-music compositions: Jean Matitia.

33. Christian Andreu (1976)

French Musician

French musician best known as the lead guitarist of the metal band Gojira. He's also been the guitarist of Familha Artus.

34. Isaac Bitton (1947)

French Musician

Moroccan-French rock band drummer who played for the popular French band Les Variations throughout 1960s and 1970s.

35. DJ Assad (1982)

French Musician

French DJ who has served as the longtime host of the popular radio program Royal Mix. He is also a music producer who has released dance floor hits like "Summer...

36. Dan Tepfer (1982)

French Musician

Jazz musician and composer best known for a 2011 solo piano album entitled Goldberg Variations/Variations. His other acclaimed recordings include Oxygen, Before the Storm, and Five Pedals Deep.

37. Breakbot (1981)

French Musician

DJ and producer who is most popular for his remixes, winning acclaim for his reworkings of tracks like Royksopp's "Happy Up Here" and Phoenix's "Trying to Be Cool." His debut...

38. Gautier Capuçon (1981)

French Musician

Acclaimed and decorated French cellist who was named New Talent of the Year by Victoires de la Musique in 2011. He is a recipient of the International Andre Navarra Prize...

39. Jean-Yves Thibaudet (1961)

French Musician

Skilled musician whose virtuosity impressed Vladimir Horowitz. He recorded such composers as Brahms and Schumann.

40. Frédéric Leclercq (1978)

French Musician

Best known for his work with the English power metal group DragonForce, this bassist and backup singer also played guitar and provided lead vocals for a French-based music group called...

41. Wax Tailor (1975)

French Musician

French DJ and producer known for his In the Mood For Life and Dusty Rainbow From the Dark, both of which charted in the Top 10 in France. He specializes...

42. Jean-Michel Pilc (1960)

French Musician

Self-taught jazz artist who garnered favorable comparisons to such greats as Cecil Taylor, McCoy Tyner, and Michel Petrucciani.

43. Richard Clayderman (1953)

French Musician

French pianist who has performed the compositions of Paul de Senneville and Olivier Toussaint. He has also played ethnic music and easy-listening music.

44. Thomas Bangalter (1975)

French Musician

Electronic composer who became known as the other half of the platinum-selling house duo Daft Punk and as a member of Stardust. 

45. Daniel Lévi (1961)

French Musician

French singer and composer known for his work in both musicals and films. He is perhaps best recognized for the duet "Ce Rêve bleu" with Karine Costa for the French...

46. Sébastien Izambard (1973)

French Musician

French singer known for being a member of the group Il Divo. He also released an immensely popular solo album called Libre in 2000.

47. Laurent Brancowitz (1973)

French Musician

Known for his work with a French indie rock group called Phoenix, this guitarist also played with a band called Darlin'. His popular songs with Phoenix include "Too Young," "1901," and "Lisztomania."

48. Michel Petrucciani (1962)

French Musician

Jazz artist who was stricken with osteogenesis imperfecta at birth, which caused his short height. He was one of the greatest pianists of his day.

49. Renaud Capuçon (1976)

French Musician

Acclaimed French violinist known particularly for his recordings of works by Schubert, Mendelssohn, Ravel, Schumann, and Brahms.

50. Mario Duplantier (1981)

French Musician

Drummer best known as a member of the progressive metal band Gojira. In 2012, he was crowned the Best Drummer of Modern Metal by MetalSucks.