Henri Cohen

Who was Henri Cohen?

Henri Cohen was a French music theorist and composer of Dutch birth. Born in Amsterdam, Cohen moved with his family to Paris at a young age. He studied in Paris with Anton Reicha, François Lays, and Felice Pellegrini. In 1832-34 and 1838-1839 he was active as an opera composer in Naples, with some of his works premiering under the name Carlo Coen. In 1841 his opera Antonio Foscarini premiered successfully at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, prompting a revival the following year at the Teatro Regio di Torino. He was thereafter active as music teacher in Paris, including teaching at the Conservatoire de Paris, and was for a time director of the conservatory in Lille. He was also curator of the numismatics collection at the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris. He died in Bry-sur-Marne.