| Timeline |
| 1875 |
Born 7 March in Ciboure, France; son of a Swiss-French engineer and Basque mother |
| 1882 |
Begins music studies |
| 1889 |
Enters Paris Conservatoire de Musique |
| 1897 |
Continues studies with the composer Gabriel Fauré |
| 1899 |
Composes first well-known piece, Pavane pour une infante défunte |
| 1909 |
Meets Stravinsky through the avant-garde musical group "Les Apaches" |
| 1912 |
Paris premiere of ballet Daphnis and Chloë |
| 1914 |
Rejected for frontline military service in World War I, so he joins the army as a truck driver |
| 1928 |
Writes his famous Boléro; concert tour of U.S. |
| 1932 |
A car crash worsens his symptoms of dementia |
| 1937 |
Dies 28 December in Paris after an unsuccessful brain operation |
