Reyer, Ernest

Reyer, Ernest

(ĕrnĕst` rāyĕr`), 1823–1909, French composer and critic, whose name originally was Louis Étienne Ernest Rey. Largely self-taught, he was strongly influenced by Berlioz, whom he succeeded as critic of the Journal des débats. He composed little besides operas, the most successful of which was Sigurd (1884). His last opera, Salammbô (1890), was based on Flaubert's novel.