Albert Roussel was born in Tourcoing in 1869. He was admitted Naval School in 1887. After returning from a campaign, he moved to the end of the year 1893 in Roubaix in his family, takes courses of harmony Julien Koszul (1844-1927). He resigned from the Navy to devote himself to music, set in Paris in 1894, where he was a pupil of Eugène Gigout (1844-1925). In 1898, he enrolled at the Schola Cantorum, and follows orchestration courses Vincent d'Indy (1851-1931). From 1902 to 1914 there provides the counterpoint class, and students like Erik Satie (1866-1925), Paul Le Flem (1881 to 1984), Edgard Varese (1883-1960), or even Roland-Manuel (1891 -1966). In 1909 he made a trip to India and Cambodia, which inspire him the "evocation" (1911). In 1914, he enlisted in the Army. In 1918, he first moved to Perros-Guirec, then in 1922 he bought a beachfront property in Varengeville. He died in 1936 in Royan.
Among his major works include a suite in F sharp (1910) and Sonatine (1912) for piano, two sonatas for violin and piano (1908, 1924), three Trio (1902, 1929, 1937), a quartet strings (1932), a "Serenade" for flute, violin, viola, cello and harp (1925), the ballet-pantomime "The Feast of the Spider" (1912) and the ballet "Bacchus and Ariadne" (1930) "For Spring Day" (1920), 1926, the "Suite in F" for orchestra (1926), a piano concerto (1927), a Concertino for cello (1936), the "Petite Suite" for orchestra (1929 ), a Sinfonietta for String Orchestra (1934), four symphonies (1906, 1921, 1930, 1934), the opera "Padmâdvatî" (1918) subject of that registration as well as many songs on poems of Pierre de Ronsard , François-René de Chateaubriand, Henri de Regnier, or even James Joyce.