Bruneau studied with Massenet at the Paris Conservatoire. He composed mainly for the stage, and all of the librettos for his operas were written in prose by Zola. He was influenced by Wagner and Berlioz, and his block triad sequences, whole tone harmonies and plainsong elements were later developed by Debussy. Bruneau also wrote many songs, among which the =Chants de la vie= (1913) are considered to be the best. He also contributed regularly to French journals.