Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704) was a French composer of the Baroque era. He studied in Italy, but made his career in France, where he developed a style with both French and Italian influences, notable for its lyricism and penetrating psychological depth. A devout Catholic, he is best known for his sacred music, but he also wrote operas, songs, instrumental music, and incidental music for Molière plays. Charpentier received relatively little acclaim during his lifetime, and his work was largely ignored for nearly 200 years, but he underwent a revival in the late twentieth century, and his true significance is finally being recognized.