Méhul made his name in Paris on the eve of the Revolution, which he survived, later providing music for the new regime and for Napoleon.

Orchestral Music

Méhul turned from composition for the theatre to symphonic writing, a course suggested by the earlier popularity of his operatic overtures. Although the greater part of his work is either for the stage or to suit contemporary political circumstances, he left five numbered symphonies, of which three are now complete. These reflect the influence of Mozart and early Beethoven.