As the son of an organist Fetis learned to play the organ as well as the piano and violin. By 1821 he was a professor of organ at the Paris Conservatoy and became the librarian there in 1827. During the years 1827-1833 he founded and edited the musical magazine "Revue Musicale". In 1833 Fetis was appointed the director of the Brussels Conservatory and became the master of the chapel to the Belgian court. Although he composed a number of pieces, Fetis is known for his theorestical and historical works. His singularly most engaging work was the "Biographie universelle des musiciens" which was conceived to gather all information concerning music of the past with replete documentation. Unfortunately this work lacked precise data. As a strict systematizer, Fetis organized historical concerts and conceptually planned a "Philosophie generale de la musique" for which he outlined an interpretation of musical history through conventions of the times. It called for the philosophy of discarding conventionality in the hopes of, ironically, finding the great music of the past and present so as to guide human progress. Fetis' compositions, primarily vocal, were capable but are not known today. Genres include comic opera, mass movements, organ fantasias and a number of orchestral works. ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi