He studied under the cathedral organist at Rheims and at the Paris Conservatoire. In 1871 he succeeded César Franck as organist at the church of Sainte-Clotilde. In 1868 he was choirmaster at the Church of the Madeleine and later succeeded Camille Saint-Saëns as organist there. He taught harmony at the Paris Conservatoire (1871–90) and was director there (1896–1905). He wrote music of all types, including operas and choral and orchestral works; his outstanding composition is his oratorio, Les sept parole du Christ (1867; “The Seven Words of Christ”).