Delibes, a son of a government employee, was born on February 21, 1836 in St. Germain du Val, but he and his mother moved to Paris, after the death of his father.
At the age of 12, he entered Paris Conservatory and became a pupil of Adolphe Adam, French composer of many popular stage works and famous for ballet Giselle. Adam would have a lasting influence in his life
His first operetta which he produced at the age of 19, Deux Sous de Charbon, led to series of popular short works in this genre.
Ballet "La Source" (known as Naila), 1866
Ballet "Coppélia", 1870
He wrote the opera Le Roi l'a dit (The King has Spoken), 1873
Ballet "Sylvia", 1876
Delibes also wrote an incidental music based on Victor Hugo's play, "Le Roi s'amuse" (The King's Pleasure), 1882
He wrote the opera Lakmé, including the famous 'Flower Duet' and the 'Bell Song', 1883
At the time of his death, Léo Delibes left an unfinished opera Kassya. This was posthumously orchestrated by Jules Massenet, the composer known for his famous meditations from opera Thais
