Pierre de Bréville was a student of César Franck and Théodore Dubois. He was a teacher of counterpoint and harmony at the Schola Cantorum and, at the request of Gabriel Fauré, at the Conservatoire de Paris. Bréville was a devotee of Wagner and was influenced by the German Romantic tradition, as was Vincent d’Indy, the director of the Schola, and he also greatly admired Debussy. He is known mainly for his songs.