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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.
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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
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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.
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Ballet "La Source" (known as Naila), 1866
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Ballet "Coppélia", 1870
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He wrote the opera Le Roi l'a dit (The King has Spoken), 1873
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Ballet "Sylvia", 1876
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Delibes also wrote an incidental music based on Victor Hugo's play, "Le Roi s'amuse" (The King's Pleasure), 1882
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He wrote the opera Lakmé, including the famous 'Flower Duet' and the 'Bell Song', 1883
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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
