Camille Durutte

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Camille Durutte (1803–1881) was a French composer and music theorist. Born in Ypres, he was the son of a general and was expected to pursue a military career. He studied at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand and the École Polytechnique in Paris from 1823 to 1825. After his father’s death in 1827, he turned to music. Durutte developed a mathematical approach to music inspired by Josef Hoëné-Wronski, which he explained in Esthétique musical (1855) and Technie harmonique (1876). His ideas did not have wide practical impact, though some parts were later used by Edgar Varèse. Durutte also wrote operas, religious music, and chamber music. He died in Paris at the age of 77.