Thomas, << `taw` MAH, >> Ambroise (1811-1896), a French composer, is remembered chiefly for his opera Mignon (1866). He also wrote the operas Raymond (1851), Hamlet (1868), and Francoise de Rimini (1882). The graceful overtures to Mignon and Raymond are still popular. Thomas was born in Metz and attended the Paris Conservatory. He won the Rome prize in composition in 1832. His career centered around the Paris Opera and the conservatory. Thomas became director of the conservatory in 1871.
