Thomas, Antoine-Léonard

Thomas, Antoine-Léonard (1 October 1732, Clermont-Ferrand; 17 September 1785, Paris), librettist, showed such extraordinary promise as a student that he was taken to Paris at age 10 to prepare for law school. This move entailed great financial sacrifice because his father was dead. His mother was heartbroken later to learn that her son was resolved to follow a literary career, and Antoine yielded to his mother’s tears and began to practice law. His natural disposition prevailed ultimately…