He was known both for his writings on the history of music and also for being a director of the Paris Conservatoire.
He started his musical training as a choirboy in the parish of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie.
In 1792, he became a tenor in the chorus of the Opéra National de Paris, where he remained until 1799, when he became a contrabassist in the orchestra.
[1] In 1811 he was appointed professor of harmony at the Paris Conservatoire as a successor to Charles Catel.
He later became general inspector of the Conservatoire in 1816 and librarian in 1819.