His son was the composer Louis Varney who studied music with his father.
Varney composed the well-known Chant des Girondins, written for the play Le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge by Alexandre Dumas.
[3] He also composed the music for a drame-lyrique by Alexandre Dumas, fils in 1848 entitled Atala.
His opéra comique La ferme de Kilmoor (first performance 27 October 1852 at the Théâtre-Lyrique) was savaged by the critics.
[4] Other stage works by Varney include Le moulin joli (1849), L'opéra au camp (1854), La polka des sabots (1859) and Un leçon d'amour (1868).