Pedro Etienne Solere (1753–1817) was born on April 4, 1753 in Mont Louis, France near the Spanish frontier and died in Paris in 1817. At the age fourteen he was already so far advanced as a clarinetist that he was able to enter the music corps of the infantry regiment. He resigned from his duties to pursue further studies in Paris with the famous Michel Yost. In 1784 he had made a much praised entrance at a Concert Spirituel whereupon the Duc d’Orleans hired him. His fame now spread internationally on various concert tours in Italy, Spain and Russia. After the death of the Duke, Solere was appointed as first clarinet in the king’s orchestra, and on the basis of this reputation was chosen professor for clarinet on the founding of the Conservatoire. His close contact with Francois Devienne (1759–1803) was not without influence on his creative ouput. As was quite common in the 18th Century, Solere also provided his travel experiences as a composer with small programmatic items that, in addition, give a good idea of what aroused his interest.