Philippe Beaussant was born on May 6, 1930 in Caudéran, Bordeaux, Gironde, France. He was a writer, known for Le roi danse (2000), Chroniques de France (1964) and Retour au baroque (1993). He was married to Marie-Cécile Villedieu de Torcy. He died on May 8, 2016 in Paris, Ile-de-France, France.
Creator and artistic consultant for the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles (1988-95), he was elected in 2007 to the Académie française.
French musicologist, writer and novelist who was the director founder of l'Institut de musique et danse anciennes (IMDA) in 1977. He was also a producer at Radio-France where he championned French classical and baroque music.