Emmanuel Boyer de Fonscolombe was born on 27 October 1810 in Aix-en-Provence.

[1][2] The Boyer de Fonscolombe family became an aristocratic family with his paternal great-great-grandfather Honoré Boyer de Fonscolombe (1683–1743), who served as Secretary to King Louis XV of France (1710–1774).

[1] He served as a chapel master in the Église de la Madeleine in Aix.

[1] He was friends with composer Félicien David (1810–1876), who honoured him with two of his songs: "Eden and Moïse au Sinaï.

[4][5] They also lived in a family hôtel particulier in Aix-en-Provence: the Hôtel Boyer de Fonscolombe, now listed as a monument historique, located at 21 rue Gaston de Saporta.