Dupont was born in
Caen. Following after his father who was a teacher at the Malherbe secondary school and the organist at the Church Saint-Étienne in his home town, Dupont began his studies at the
Paris Conservatory at the age of 15. There he studied composition with
Jules Massenet, harmony with
Antoine Taudou, and
descant with
André Gedalge. In 1895, he was also given instruction on the organ by
Alexandre Guilmant. Between 1897 and 1903, he studied composition with
Charles-Marie Widor. In 1901, while performing his military service, Dupont competed for the
Prix de Rome. He won second prize, behind
André Caplet but ahead of
Maurice Ravel. He was also named laureate of the Sonzogno competition for his opera
La Cabrera, which was later presented with success at
La Scala and then at the
Théâtre national de l'Opéra-Comique in 1905. In 1903, Dupont composed a cycle of fourteen pieces for the piano,
Les Heures dolentes, during his convalescence from his first bout of
tuberculosis – the disease that would ultimately cause his death at the age of 36. While residing at
Cap Ferret, in a small island refuge for tuberculosis patients, he composed another cycle of ten pieces for the piano,
La Maison dans les dunes (1908–1909).
Maurice Dumesnil premiered the suite on 3 June 1910 at the
Salle Pleyel. Dupont wrote three more operas:
La Glu (1909), a Breton melodrama based on a novel by
Jean Richepin;
La Farce du cuvier (1911), using a libretto by
Henri Caïn; and
Antar (1912–14), also using a Caïn libretto.
Antar was performed after Dupont's death in a grandiose and exotically dark production at the Opéra Comique in March 1921. Dupont died from tuberculosis in
Le Vésinet. The monument on his tomb is prominent in the cemetery there. Dupont's brothers also had artistic careers. Maurice, curator of the
Guimet Museum, was an Oriental expert and man of letters. Robert (1874–1949) was a landscaper for
Sarthe and Brittany, as well as an official painter of the town halls of Paris. ==Selected works==