Louis Drouet

Louis-François-Philippe Drouet (14 April 1792 – 30 September 1873) was a 19th-century French flautist and composer.

Born of a French father expatriated in the Netherlands and barber by profession, Louis Drouet began learning to play the flute as a self-taught man before entering the Conservatoire de Paris at the age of seven.

At 16, he was first flutist and teacher of Louis Bonaparte, Napoléon's brother, and King of Holland. After touring trips to England, the United States and Europe, in 1840 he became director of music by the Duke of Saxe-Cobourg-Gotha.

Drouet was a great friend of Felix Mendelssohn. William Gordon, co-inventor of the Boehm system, and Wilhelm Popp [fr] were among his pupils. He was often referred to as the "Paganini of flute".

The musicologist Arthur Pougin wanted to attribute to Louis Drouet (apparently wrongly) the melody of the unofficial hymn of the Second French Empire, Partant pour la Syrie, although considered as having been composed by Hortense de Beauharnais, Queen of Holland from 1806 to 1810, and Napoléon III's mother.